TIPOFF

• Enquirer Tipoff page • Five questions with Jarvis Hayes • Catching up with Ron Mercer • UC-Xavier Q&A

In this week's Enquirer Tipoff page: who's hot and who's not; the top five homecourt winning streaks in men's basketball; Andre Barrett is our Player of the Week; our Sweet Sixteen; must-see TV; catching up with Ron Mercer; five questions with Jarvis Hayes; plus our weekly e-mailbag of UC and Xavier questions.

WHO'S HOT

The C(K)ommonwealth

If you're a college basketball fan, Kentucky is the place to be these days. It's quite possible that the nation's two best teams are separated by 70 miles on I-64. Louisville has won 16 straight. Kentucky looks unbeatable. Too bad they don't play each other again in the regular season.

Purdue

Gene Keady's Boilermakers have won four straight and sit atop the Big Ten, prompting us to wonder if the legend has a few more years left in him. A tough road game at Minnesota awaits today.

Stanford

The Cardinal re-entered the Top 25 picture with four straight W's against both Los Angeles Pac-10 programs and both Arizona schools. Late February is a critical stretch for this young team.

WHO'S NOT

Indiana

The Hoosiers had a Big Ten title practically gift-wrapped for them, given the lack of talent across the league. So what has the conference's best team done lately? Four straight L's. Yes, IU has lost at tough places such as East Lansing and Louisville, but Wednesday's loss to Northwestern was despicable.

Chris Marcus

Nagging injuries forced Western Kentucky's giant to quit the team halfway through his senior season. Last season, after the Hilltoppers upset Kentucky in Rupp Arena, Marcus looked like he could become one of the game's all-time greats, but his career can be labeled a disappointment.

Alabama

Five straight road losses don't make for quality NCAA Tournament teams. Now we know why Kent State rolled over the Tide last season in the second round. Alabama isn't tough enough to play hard outside of Tuscaloosa.

Player of the week: Andre Barrett

You probably haven't heard much about Seton Hall's 5-foot-10 junior guard, but you will come Big East Tournament time. Barrett scored nine of his 24 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes Wednesday as the Pirates upset 10th-ranked Notre Dame. Earlier in the week, he scored 14 in a win against Rutgers and is the catalyst behind SHU's three-game winning streak.

SWEET 16

1. Louisville	We're sold on the Cardinals as long as they keep winning.
2. Kentucky	Tough to keep this position in the SEC, but UK is for real.
3. Arizona	Wildcats need a boost from Luke Walton.
4. Pittsburgh	Nation's most well-rounded team will be tough in March.
5. Florida	The Gators' fling with No. 1 will be brief.
6. Oklahoma	Has showdown with Texas on Monday.
7. Oklahoma St.	Visits UC at the Shoe on Sunday.
8. Maryland	Loss to Virginia makes ACC race more interesting.
9. Duke	Not an impressive home victory against UNC.
10. Wake Forest	Plenty for Deacons to prove to move into ACC's elite.
11. Syracuse	Orangemen getting it done in Big East.
12. Kansas	Big wins vs. Texas and Mizzou, but can Jayhawks win on road?
13. Creighton	Korver and Co. playing for high seed.
14. Notre Dame	Tripped up by Seton Hall but still in Big East title race.
15. Marquette	Looked like a top-10 team against Bearcats.
16. Xavier	Played best basketball of season without Chalmers, who is back for the stretch run.

MUST-SEE TV

Oklahoma at Texas, 9 p.m. Monday (ESPN): The Red River rivalry switches to the hardwood, where it means just as much in the Big 12 picture.

Georgia at Kentucky, 9 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN): No one has been able to touch Kentucky inside Rupp Arena lately. Can Georgia do the trick?

Duke at Wake Forest, 7 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2): The Blue Devils are (gasp!) fourth in the ACC, and the Demon Deacs are practically unbeatable at home.

TOP FIVE

This week's topic: The top five homecourt winning streaks in men's basketball:

Oklahoma - 33

Western Kentucky - 31

Marquette - 27

Hawaii - 24

Duke - 24