What's up this week

Connecticut at St. John's, Monday: The Red Storm can still win the Big East. The Huskies could finish fifth. Connecticut pulled itself together against Seton Hall last Monday but then slumped back with a loss to Miami (Fla.) on Saturday. Oklahoma State at Missouri, Monday: The Cowboys continue their brutal road swing against a Tigers team that needs to re-establish itself as a NCAA Tournament team and giant-killer in the Big 12. Indiana at Illinois, Tuesday: This game is critical for seeding in the NCAA Tournament and to give the Illini one more quality win on its NCAA Tournament résumé. St. Bonaventure at Temple, Thursday: The Bonnies beat the Owls once, can they do it again? Probably not, but a sweep would assure them of an NCAA Tournament berth. Louisiana-Lafayette at South Alabama, Thursday: The Sun Belt title could be on the line with Lafayette (21-6, 12-1) holding on to first place over South Alabama (16-9, 11-3). Fresno State at Tulsa, Thursday: Can you say "must-win" for the Bulldogs? Sweeping Tulsa would give Fresno State something on its résumé no one else in the WAC will have this season. Tulsa needs this win to improve its chances for a No. 3 seed in the NCAAs. Utah State at New Mexico State, Thursday: New Mexico State is all that stands in the way between Utah State and an undefeated conference record. Utah State should get in as at-large, regardless. Tulane at UNC Charlotte, Saturday: This is the kind of game the Green Wave needs to win to prove they belong in the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers would love to play spoiler. St. John's at Duke, Saturday: The brutal final schedule for the Red Storm continues in Durham, N.C. Beating Duke will improve its chances for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma State at Iowa State, Saturday: The Cowboys may not be standing by the time this game arrives. The winner has a chance to hang with Texas for the Big 12 title, the loser will have a tougher path in the Big 12 tournament.

While teams get ready for March Madness, the fourth season in college basketball (after non-conference games, conference, and tournament games) -- the coaching carousel -- is starting to turn.

Big-time names will surface around Georgia Tech's opening. With each job that subsequently opens, the domino effect will have a number of high-profile coaches switching addresses or at least being the target of intense speculation. But one word of caution: Athletics directors make the call on who gets hired, and you can't discount previous relationships with available coaches when ADs start looking for candidates. In other words, don't just start slapping names on jobs without thinking first.

Coaches who have just started at a school or signed a major recruiting class for next season are also less likely to leave just because the opening is in a higher-profile league. But never underestimate the power of money -- big bucks can change a coach's mind rather easily.

Team of the week
LSU: The Tigers are suddenly within reach of Auburn in the SEC West after sweeping a week of road games against Mississippi and Arkansas.

The Tigers (21-4 overall, 8-4 SEC) are one game behind Auburn (21-4, 9-3) with a showdown set for March 1 in Alabama. Auburn still has to go to Florida next Sunday, while the Tigers have a dangerous road game at South Carolina Wednesday.

LSU is positioning itself for a potential co-No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament and could make a case for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it gets past Auburn.

Player of the week
Chris Mihm, Texas: Mihm kept the Longhorns in a tie for first place in the Big 12 by leading Texas to wins this week over Oklahoma State and at Baylor (the 42 points scored by Colorado's Jaquay Walls in an upset over Iowa State on Saturday didn't hurt, either).

Mihm scored 15 points and had 16 boards in the win over the Cowboys, who were coming off impressive wins over Kansas and Oklahoma. Mihm followed that up with a 17-point, 12-rebound outing at Baylor on Saturday. The Longhorns can inch closer to their second straight Big 12 title with a win over Iowa State on Tuesday in Ames.

Climbing up
Purdue: Has anyone noticed the Boilermakers? Purdue is quietly a half-game behind Michigan State in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers (19-7 overall, 10-3 Big Ten) have won six straight (granted, two of those came against Northwestern), including beating Michigan State.

The schedule is favorable in the final three games -- at Michigan, Penn State and at Indiana. If the Boilermakers can go 3-0, they could win the Big Ten title. A 2-1 mark could earn them second place over Ohio State.

Falling down
UCLA: The Bruins are heading toward the NIT, regardless of their decent wins earlier in the season (DePaul, Purdue and North Carolina). Although UCLA's coaching staff is confident that 18 wins could lead to a NCAA berth, the Bruins (13-11, 4-8) are more likely to split their final six games (the Oregon and Washington schools at home, and a road trip to Cal and Stanford).

If they do that, a 16-14 record is NIT material. After losing by 29 to Arizona State on Thursday, players were quoted that they didn't want to play in the NIT. That's understandable. But turning down a NIT invitation is wrong. Just wait until the program is truly rebuilding and needs the NIT to get back self respect. UCLA would be smart to not be a snoot in this case.

Five worth tracking
Arizona State: The Sun Devils swept the L.A. schools for the first time since 1986 and have taken the lead for the Pac-10's fourth NCAA bid. Arizona State (16-9, 8-5 Pac-10) faces its toughest challenge with three straight road games -- at Arizona, at Oregon and at Oregon State -- before closing with Cal and Stanford at home. With that schedule, they're not a lock yet.

Miami: The Hurricanes were on the bubble after losing to Providence at home earlier in the week (without top scorer Johnny Hemsley). But Leonard Hamilton deserves coach-of-the-week honors by getting the 'Canes back up to beat Connecticut on Saturday in Storrs. The win essentially clinches a NCAA berth, unless Miami (16-9, 9-3 Big East) falls flat in its final four games (at West Virginia, Notre Dame, at Pitt, St. John's).

Bowling Green: Beating Kent and Eastern Michigan earlier in the week put the Falcons in position to get an at-large berth over Akron out of the Mid-American (Kent is almost assured of one). Bowling Green (20-6, 12-4) can still win the MAC East but has two tough season-ending games: at Akron and at Marshall. The Zips slipped further down by losing to Kent, falling to 17-9, 11-6.

Louisville: The Cardinals were in danger of being a last-place team in Conference USA, hoping to get an at-large berth on the strength of marquee wins over North Carolina, Syracuse and Utah at home. But the Cardinals are beginning to erase any doubts with wins over Marquette, at UNC Charlotte and at DePaul. The Cardinals (16-9, 7-5 C-USA) still have a tough final four games, with Saint Louis, at Cincinnati, South Florida and at Houston on the docket.

SMU: The Mustangs had to establish themselves as the second-best team in the WAC by sweeping Fresno State. They did, despite Larry Abney's unbelievable 35 rebounds (and 20 points) Thursday in Fresno. The Mustangs then went to UTEP to complete the road sweep. SMU (21-5, 9-3 WAC) can catch Tulsa (25-2, 10-1) if it beats TCU and the Golden Hurricane to conclude the season. SMU would need Fresno State to beat Tulsa on Thursday to earn the WAC's No. 1 seed.

Question these five
USC: The Trojans (13-11, 6-6 Pac-10) have landed with a thud. USC lost its fifth game in a row Saturday (to Arizona State), making its chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid slim. How about UCLA-USC in the NIT? That would certainly be a drawing card for a mid-March week night. The Trojans end with four of six at home and probably have to go 5-1 to have a chance at the NCAAs.

Cal: A three-game winning streak has been replaced by two straight losses, to Oregon (by four) and Stanford (by 51), pushing the Bears (14-10, 5-7) closer to the NIT. Cal faces must-win games this week at Washington and Washington State before finishing with UCLA, USC and at the Arizona schools.

Appalachian State: The Mountaineers looked like the favorite to win the Southern Conference title over College of Charleston before losing to VMI (previously winless in league play) and then Davidson this week. Appalachian State (18-8, 11-3) will still get one of the No. 1 seeds in the tournament but simply aren't playing well heading into championship week.

Seton Hall: The Pirates lost their chance at the Big East title with home losses to Connecticut and Notre Dame last week. Seton Hall (18-6, 10-4) will still get an at-large berth, but the Pirates have lost their momentum going into the tourney. They can grab it back, but it will be tough -- their last two Big East games are at Villanova and at St. John's.

DePaul: The Blue Demons were routed at Cincinnati last Sunday (as expected), then held Marquette to only 35 points on the road, before folding against Louisville on Saturday. DePaul (17-9, 7-6 C-USA) is still hanging on the bubble fence and needs some confidence-building wins before the conference tournament. Playing at Saint Louis and hosting Cincinnati in the next two weeks may not help.

What worked last week
Butler in the Midwestern Collegiate conference: The Bulldogs have won 10 straight after sweeping Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay on the road. Butler (18-7, 10-2 MCC) struggled in non-conference games but has positioned itself to be a first-round NCAA sleeper (provided they can get there with a conference tournament title).

Boston College and Providence ending losing skids: The Eagles ended a 12-game slide with a road win at West Virginia, while the Friars halted a 10-game losing streak with a shocking win at Miami. Both teams have the talent to pull off an upset in the Big East tournament.

Notre Dame's big-game attitude: Leave it to the Irish to play well in a big game, beating Seton Hall on the road. Whenever the Irish need a win (see: Ohio State, sweep of Connecticut), they seem to get it. Now the Irish (16-10, 7-5 Big East) have to take care of business to earn a NCAA bid.

Creighton bringing back Donnie Johnson: The injured Johnson returned against first-place Indiana State and added eight points in 16 minutes in the upset win over the Blue Jays (18-8, 9-6 MVC). But Creighton is still three games behind Indiana State (19-7, 12-3), and have Southwest Missouri State and Southern Illinois (17-9, 11-4) in their way as well. Creighton didn't help its chances by losing to Southern Illinois on Saturday.

San Diego beating Gonzaga: Once again, the Torerros beat the Bulldogs late in a season, but this time in Spokane, Wash. A year ago, San Diego upset Gonzaga on the Bulldogs' way toward a West Coast Conference title. This time, it could cost the 'Zags (20-7, 10-2 WCC) the title as they fell a game behind first-place Pepperdine.

And what didn't work
Postgame sportsmanship between USC and Arizona State: Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen needs to put the hammer down after a postgame fight Saturday in Tempe. USC's Jeff Trepagnier and ASU's Awvee Storey got into a fight while the teams exchanged postgame handshakes. The bad blood started Friday night when a gymnastics meet forced both teams to practice in the same place. Arizona State had to wait 45 minutes for their practice because USC lingered on the court. The ill will continued Saturday during the morning shootaround when practice basketballs given to USC were returned with obscenities scratched into them.

Syracuse's hold on the Big East title: The Orangemen have slipped in big games since dancing on the press tables after beating Connecticut last month. The latest loss came to St. John's on Saturday, cutting the Orangemen's lead over St. John's and Miami to one-half game. Forget about a No. 1 seed for Syracuse (21-3, 10-2) in the NCAAs, too.

UNLV's claim as the second-best team in the Mountain West: The Runnin' Rebels had to be the league's No. 2 team to feel good about a potential NCAA at-large berth. But they lost to BYU on Saturday, suffering a season sweep to the Cougars. Now, the Rebels (16-6, 7-3 MWC) are just a half-game ahead of New Mexico (15-11, 7-4). UNLV must beat Utah (19-5, 8-2) Monday night in Salt Lake City for a chance at the title and, possibly, a tourney berth.

Tennessee's claim to being the best team in the state: The Volunteers have more depth and talent to make a deeper NCAA Tournament run, but Vanderbilt owns the bragging rights with a season-sweep of the series. The Commodores essentially earned their ticket to the NCAA with the sweep, while Tennessee hurt its chances to claim the SEC East top seed in the conference tournament. Beating Kentucky on Wednesday is a must for the Vols' SEC title hopes.

Indiana's homecourt edge: Didn't the Hoosiers used to be unbeatable at home? Losing to Indiana State was the first crack, and Saturday they fell to Ohio State in a foul-plagued game. Any hopes they had of finishing first or second in the Big Ten are over.

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch appears every Sunday.