Iowa at Indiana, Tuesday (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET): This could be an elimination game for the Hawkeyes. Iowa needs to get a split in this series after the Hoosiers dismissed the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Indiana has to keep pace with Ohio State in the Big Ten. Virginia at N.C. State, Wednesday (ESPN2, 7:30 ET): Could the Cavs’ lose four straight games? Possibly. N.C. State still needs to position itself for an NCAA bid. Beating the Cavs would certainly build a better case. Cincinnati at Charlotte, Wednesday (ESPN2, 9:30 ET): This has become one of the better rivalries in Conference USA. If Charlotte can pull the upset then they suddenly become the favorite with Marquette to win the league. USC at UCLA, Wednesday: The Bruins have circled this game for nearly a month after losing to the Trojans at the Forum. A USC sweep would crush any hopes the Bruins have of winning the Pac-10. UCLA has a tough week, traveling east to Villanova Saturday. Hawaii at SMU, Thursday: Hawaii is control of the WAC title with Tulsa still needing to come to the Islands but the Rainbow Warriors can give Tulsa more hope if they fall flat on this trip to SMU and Louisiana Tech. Gonzaga at Santa Clara/San Diego, Thursday and Saturday: The Bulldogs go on the road to two of the tougher spots in the WCC. Gonzaga needs to get the sweep to stay on Pepperdine’s heels. Penn at Yale, Friday: The Quakers have slipped and are now in a must-win situation on the road at Yale and then Saturday at Brown. The Bulldogs are trying to keep pace with Princeton, Brown and Harvard. Cincinnati at Wake Forest, Saturday (ABC, noon ET): The Bearcats could be reeling or on a high depending on what happens at Charlotte earlier in the week. Wake Forest will want to run with the Bearcats and Skip Prosser knows this team well after coaching at Xavier prior to Wake Forest. Texas Tech at Kansas, Saturday: This will be Bob Knight’s first experience at Texas Tech at the loudest arena in the league. The Jayhawk fans will likely be relentless on Knight and the Red Raiders. Oregon at Cal, Saturday (ABC, 6 PT): The Ducks might be looking for a sweep or a must split to hold onto their lead in the Pac-10. The difference for Oregon this week is now the Ducks will be the target and teams will get up for them, much like they do for the supposed elite when they come to Eugene. Ohio State at Michigan State, Sunday: The Buckeyes will feel the heat on the road when they go to East Lansing. Michigan State can really climb back into the race with a win. More games to watch

Player of the Week FAB FIVE Top five freshmen performances from the past week: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Each week, ESPN.com's Andy Katz ranks the top five freshmen in the country: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Each week, ESPN.com's Andy Katz ranks the top five freshmen in the country: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Each week, ESPN.com's Andy Katz ranks the top five freshmen in the country: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Each week, ESPN.com's Andy Katz ranks the top five freshmen in the country: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse Each week, ESPN.com's Andy Katz ranks the top five freshmen in the country: Nick Collision is a force inside for Kansas. Rick Rickert, F, Minnesota OK, we're sure we'll get some flak from Casey Jacobsen fans on why Rickert got the nod over him, but the reality is the Gophers won twice this week at home and put themselves in position for an NCAA Tournament bid. Stanford got a split at home. And the reason for the Gophers rise in the Big Ten can be attributed to the 6-10 freshman. Rickert scored 27 in the upset over Indiana (can we call a home conference win an upset anymore?) and 26 in a win over Penn State earlier in the week. Rickert made nine shots in each game, going 5 of 9 on 3s in the two games. He was 12 of 18 from the free-throw line in the two games and grabbed 11 boards. Rickert is averaging 14 points in 26 minutes a game, maximizing his time on the court. The Gophers (13-7, 6-3) have won three in a row, including wins over top two Big Ten teams, Ohio State and Indiana. But the question is how will the Gophers do with four of their next five on the road. If they can come out of that 3-2 or 4-1, then they've got a chance to still win the Big Ten and ensure themselves an NCAA berth. Going 1-4 or 2-3 could crush their chances for a bid, let alone the Big Ten title. Past players of the week Top Five Casey Jacobsen, Stanford: Jacobsen scored 49 points, that's right 49 points in the win over Arizona State on Thursday night. He scored 24 in the loss to Arizona two nights later. Jacobsen, who criticized himself for not being as tough earlier in the season, has become an even better player with Curtis Borchardt becoming a factor in the middle. Defenses have to respect Borchardt and that opens up shots for Jacobsen. Jacobsen's passes, a few to Borchardt, have also improved over the last few weeks. Predrag Savovic, Hawaii: The senior forward has been on a tear and is the favorite right now for WAC player of the year. He hung 20 on Boise State and 32 on UTEP over the weekend for Hawaii's home sweep. Savovic's line against UTEP was near perfect with 10 of 15 overall, 3 of 4 on 3s, 9 of 11 at the line. The Rainbow Warriors (19-3, 10-1) are still a game ahead of Tulsa in the WAC. They've got a critical road swing this week to SMU and Louisiana Tech. Jerome Coleman, Rutgers: The 6-2 junior guard scored 27 points in the upset over Syracuse on Saturday, after going for 27 in the Scarlet Knight's win over Connecticut. Coleman is leading the resurgence at the RAC under Gary Waters. Rutgers suddenly made itself a factor in the Big East with the home sweep of two Big East heavyweights. Rutgers has already beaten Georgetown at home. The question is whether or not the Scarlet Knights can take this act on the road and win. Rutgers still has Notre Dame twice, games at Georgetown, and Pittsburgh and a home game against Miami over the next three weeks. Vincent Yarbrough, Tennessee: The senior forward has been sensational in getting the Volunteers back in the win column in the SEC. Tennessee swept a pair of road games at LSU and Vanderbilt behind Yarbrough's 24 and 21 points, respectively. The scoring load has shifted to Yarbrough since the departure of Ron Slay because of a torn ACL. Tennessee isn't going to the NCAA Tournament, unless it wins the SEC tourney, but the Vols can have a say in who wins the SEC regular-season titles with Yarbrough (18.4 ppg) scoring as well as he is lately. Britton Johnsen, Utah: It has taken a few seasons, but Johnsen is finally playing the way he was expected to perform when he came back from a Mormon Church Mission. Johnsen is a scorer and he's finally exhibiting those skills for the Utes. He put up 20 points last Monday in the win over BYU and then scored 28 on Colorado State on Sunday. Johnsen's production has been a big plus for the Utes, especially since Chris Burgess went down. Johnsen is getting to the line, too, making 17 of 28 free throws in the two games. Team of the Week Oregon The Ducks have never won the Pac-10. They've never even been in first place at the halfway point of the Pac-10 season. But Oregon is doing everything it can to get into the NCAA Tournament, let alone win the Pac-10 by taking care of business at home. Oregon squashed UCLA on McArthur Court and then got by USC in what was a first-place showdown in Eugene (the Duck fans were a bit out of line with a few comments about USC coach Henry Bibby, though). Oregon (17-5, 9-2) still has four brutal road games and might have to come out of it with a split for a chance to win the Pac-10. The Ducks go to the Bay Area to play Stanford and Cal this week, and after three home games against Oregon State and the Washington schools, the Ducks end the Pac-10 regular season at the L.A. schools. Past teams of the week

Rising	Falling
Kansas State: First thing in establishing a program is to be competitive at home and Jim Wooldridge is doing that in Manhattan. Kansas State moved to 3-5 in the Big 12 with home wins over Texas and Oklahoma State last week.	Illinois: The Illini has lost three straight games and the team seems to be on the edge of imploding. The toughness is being questioned, not to mention the consistency of every single player. Bill Self has his toughest coaching job yet in trying to get this team ready for the postseason.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles stayed in line with Cincinnati by crushing the Bearcats at home. Marquette had its best crowd under Tom Crean at the Bradley Center and are a legitimate Conference USA contender again after handing Cincy its first conference loss.	Fresno State: The Bulldogs are down to trying to get into the NCAAs through the WAC tournament after losing to Tulsa and Rice on the road last week. The unknown status of Chris Jefferies has put even more pressure on Melvin Ely to score.
Arizona: The Wildcats continue to be hard to figure. After losing to ASU and then at home to Connecticut, the Wildcats did the supposedly impossible by sweeping California and Stanford in the Bay Area. The performances by the Wildcats were some of the best for a team in conference this season.	Virginia: The Cavaliers had a brutal week (if you include the Duke game last Sunday) by hosting Maryland and then traveling to Missouri. But if they're a top-10 team, shouldn't they win one of those three games? Virginia probably was ranked too high and has to figure out a way to close out big games.
Charlotte: The 49ers are tied with the Bearcats in the loss column and once again Bobby Lutz has the 49ers in position to get an NCAA Tournament berth. He's one of the best January-March coaches in the country.	Texas: The Longhorns were the darlings of the Big 12, but have slipped lately by losing to Texas A&M at home, then falling at Kansas State and then Oklahoma at home. The loss of Chris Owens wasn't a factor earlier in January, but the lack of scorers inside might be catching up to them.
Oklahoma: The Sooners keep on cruising, waiting for another shot at Kansas. Oklahoma won at Texas in a gritty game and are still on track for no worse than a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, barring a complete collapse.	Oklahoma State: The blame game was originally on Maurice Baker's sore groin, but the bottom line is the Cowboys simply aren't playing well right now. Losing at Kansas State seems to compound the problem. That loss came after losing at Oklahoma, a game in which Oklahoma State actually played better in rallying late. But they've got another tough week with a road game at Fresno State on Sunday.
Alabama: The Tide continues to be the most consistent SEC team and is looking like a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide is winning at home, of course, but they're also winning on the road, with their only SEC loss so far coming at Auburn.	Connecticut: The Huskies blew a chance to climb into the elite this week with losses at Rutgers and Miami. Both are tough places to play and Connecticut had a chance to win both games with their final possessions. But the Huskies were dangerously close to losing tight games at home to Miami and St. John's earlier in January. They're always on the edge.
Kentucky: The Wildcats went 2-0 last week with wins at Florida and then over South Carolina. Kentucky finally got Keith Bogans going when Tubby Smith didn't start him against the Gators. He scored 20 and seems to have found his shot and confidence, always a good sign for the 'Cats.	Saint Joseph's: What's up with the Hawks? Saint Joseph's has NCAA Tournament talent, but simply isn't playing well. Saint Joseph's had one win last week -- over Rhode Island -- but lost to Temple for its first A-10 loss of the season and continues to make a return to the tournament still a question.
Xavier: The Musketeers might be the only legit A-10 tournament team. Right now, they're the only undefeated A-10 team. Xavier would have to fall flat on its face not to make the tournament and that doesn't seem to be in the Musketeers' future.	Penn: The Quakers were supposed to be the best team in the Ivy. But losing to Columbia gives them two losses in the league and brings that claim into question as they fall further behind undefeated Princeton. The losses set up a must-sweep weekend at Yale and Brown -- two teams ahead of Penn in the standings (so is Harvard and Columbia).
Michigan State: The Spartans are suddenly in the Big Ten title race, even with four losses. They've got all the Big Ten leaders coming back to their place over the next three weeks and, barring an indefinite absence from Marcus Taylor (concussion), could be a factor in the race, let alone an NCAA bid.	Auburn: The Tigers lost Mack McGadney for the season this week because of nagging injuries and they can't get a win, either. Auburn was supposed to challenge for the SEC West title, instead the Tigers have only one win (over Alabama) and are under .500 overall which puts the NIT in doubt.
Maryland: The Terps keep shooting down every challenge that comes its way. The Terps won at Virginia and then knocked off a pesky N.C. State on Sunday. Maryland doesn't look like it's going to stub its toe before Duke comes to Cole Field House on Feb. 17.	DePaul: Blue Demons coach Pat Kennedy is hurting because of a bulging disc. He had to suspend three players and the Blue Demons might not see Imari Sawyer or Sam Hoskin again for the rest of the season. Sawyer has contributed to this team imploding all season long. It keeps getting worse for a team that was once playing so well (with a win over Missouri) that they were even ESPN.com's team of the week.
Ohio: Head coach Tim O'Shea suspended his best player, Brandon Hunter, for Saturday's game against Marshall for an outburst against upstart Akron. Ohio won without Hunter and proved that the team doesn't need a bad attitude to still contend for the league title.	South Florida: Can the Bulls win a big game, at home (outside of Cal) or on the road? Getting routed at Louisville may have silenced the Bulls' at-large chances. South Florida is putting itself in position again to have to win the Conference USA tournament to get an NCAA bid.
Kent State: Stan Heath is doing a remarkable job keeping the Golden Flashes atop the MAC after replacing Gary Waters. Heath has the Flashes atop the league with only one loss and looking like a repeat for the NCAA Tournament is a given.	Wisconsin: The Badgers were a team on the rise a few weeks ago. But the Badgers have stumbled of late, and losing at Northwestern doesn't help their situation. Wisconsin is still 5-5 in the Big Ten, but is 12-11 overall and doesn't have the resume Georgia did last season to get a bid at say 16-14. The strength of the Big Ten doesn't help its case, either.
Southern Illinois: The Salukis (19-4, 9-2) are flying under the national radar screen, but Southern Illinois won the game it had to this past week when they won at Creighton. Southern Illinois can go for the sweep, and possibly the MVC title, when Creighton comes back Feb. 20.	Syracuse: The Orangemen are struggling with or without Preston Shumpert. Syracuse dropped into a three-way tie in the loss column with Pittsburgh and Notre Dame in the Big East West Division. Syracuse needs to re-establish itself as the premier team in the league, an honor that has shifted back to Pitt for now.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes split the week, but got the most important win when they beat Illinois at home before losing at Minnesota. Ohio State continues to amaze everyone nationally. The Buckeyes have Big Ten-leading type guards, but the frontcourt was suspect -- apparently no more.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch, a look back at the week and a preview of the week ahead, runs every Monday.