Rod Grizzard have an SEC No. 1 seed. Can they play their way to a top seed in the NCAAs?

Three of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament are all but locked up. The fourth may be headed south.

With its last-second victory over Florida on Saturday, Alabama has a strong case to be a top seed in next month's madness. So too do Cincinnati and Oklahoma. But Alabama's case can just get stronger in the next two weeks, as the Tide looks to add a SEC tournament title to its West Division crown.

"Saturday was one of those phenomenal days," Alabama men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried said. "One second changed everything."

Alabama is a basketball school. Say it again. Alabama is a basketball school.

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Cincinnati at Louisville, Wednesday (ESPN2, 9:30 ET): The Cardinals would love to ruin Cincinnati's chances of winning Conference USA. A loss would mean a tie with Marquette again. But the Bearcats seem pretty driven to take care of business one last time on the road. Duke at Virginia, Thursday (ESPN, 9 ET): The Cavs were once in the top 10 but are just 6-8 in the ACC. Virginia needs something good to happen before the ACC tournament. Beating Duke would certainly qualify. Oregon at USC, Thursday: USC has to beat Oregon to get a share of the Pac-10 title. Oregon can win the title outright if it can sweep the L.A. schools this weekend. Florida at Kentucky, Saturday: Seeding in the SEC tournament will be at stake in this game. The Wildcats are trying to keep their soap opera in check while the Gators will be looking to avenge a loss to the Wildcats last month. Cal at Arizona, Saturday: A piece of the Pac-10 title could be on the line in Tucson, something that no one around thought possible for these two teams at the beginning of the season. Utah at Wyoming, Saturday: Depending on what occurs Monday, this could be for the MWC title and the top seed in the conference tournament. Wyoming has to win the regular-season title to have a chance at an at-large berth if it doesn't win the tournament. Memphis at Cincinnati, Sunday (ABC, 1 ET): The Bob Huggins-John Calipari matchup was saved for the last day and the Tigers need this one to feel better about an at-large berth while the Bearcats are still on track for a No. 1 seed. North Carolina at Duke, Sunday (ABC, 3:30 ET): Please don't be hard on the Tar Heels, please. That could be the plea from Carolina fans everywhere. Senior night at Duke for non-seniors Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer could be absolutely ugly. Virginia at Maryland, Sunday: This is the final game at Cole Field House. No way does Virginia win. If the Cavs do then it would be one of the biggest upsets of the season. Kansas at Missouri, Sunday: The Tigers were embarrassed the last time these two teams met. Kansas nearly lost to Nebraska Sunday. Missouri would like nothing better than to end the Jayhawks quest for an unbeaten Big 12 record. More games to watch

Player of the Week Chris Thomas Chris Thomas, G, Notre Dame The freshman point guard has been sensational for the Irish this season and gets our nod for player of the week with 32 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in a win at Miami on Saturday. He scored 26 points and dished out 12 assists in a win over West Virginia. Thomas leads the Big East with a 7.6 assists average. Notre Dame needed another marquee league win to feel secure about a bid and the win over Miami should silence any critics. Thomas has changed the way Notre Dame plays, allowing the Irish to gamble more defensively and push the ball even more on the offensive end. His plays are sometimes spectacular with plenty of drives-and-dishes when the defense commits, while other times he makes the easy play, look easy. He doesn't try to do too much and knows when to pick his spots. He should receive serious consideration for national freshman of the year with Memphis' Dajaun Wagner and Texas' T.J. Ford. Past players of the week Top Five Adam Ballinger, Michigan State: Ballinger scored 13 points, grabbed seven boards and two blocks in the win over Indiana Sunday. He was instrumental in the earlier win over Minnesota with 20 points and nine rebounds. Ballinger has given the Spartans a huge lift since he's been healthy. Michigan State needed his play from the perimeter and inside to get the Spartans over the hump. Trevor Huffman, Kent State: Huffman was huge in the win over Marshall with 25 points in 23 minutes. But it was 3-pointers in the win over Ohio that gave Huffman top five status. He made 3 of 5 for 16 points in the road win over the Bobcats. Huffman hasn't received his due nationally but he should end up winning the conference player of the year award. Antoine Pettaway, Alabama: His cut to the basket on the feed from Earnest Shelton was just as impressive as the layup that beat Florida. Pettaway has been a sensational story for the Tide. He was a walk-on who wasn't supposed to be this good, this important for Alabama. He has been the super sub for Alabama and the Tide simply wouldn't be in the position they're in if not for Pettaway's play. Clarence Gilbert, Missouri: Gilbert broke Missouri and Big 12 records with 12 3-pointers in the win at Colorado over the weekend. Gilbert scored 40 points in the victory and averaged 29 points and averaged 50 percent, averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games last week. Gilbert's break out game was a must for the Tigers that needed to have a road win in the league to start feeling better about themselves again. Jerry Green, UC Irvine: The Big West's player of the week, Green scored 29 points in the win over Santa Barbara over the weekend. Green continues to be the poster player for returning to school after not getting drafted. Green is averaging 20.5 points, shooting 48.1 percent overall, 81.3 percent from the free-throw line and 36.4 percent on 3s. Green has the Anteaters once again competing with Utah State for the Big West title, a game behind the Aggies in the loss column. Team of the Week California No one, absolutely no one, outside of Berkeley could have predicted the Bears would be the one team that would be 2-0 in the weekend with the Bay Area schools hosting the L.A. schools. Cal's defense was sensational in shutting down UCLA and USC over the weekend. The Bruins scored only 51 points, while the Trojans scored only 64. Cal's scoring easier at the right time of the season with Amit Tamir the perfect compliment inside and out to Joe Shipp. Tamir is also evolving into one of the better passing big men in the league. Cal is 11-5 in the conference, 20-6 overall and has a decent shot to share the Pac-10 title if Oregon can lose to the L.A. schools and Cal can pull off a sweep in Arizona. If the Bears get a split and Oregon gets swept (a possibility) then the Bears could still get a share of the title. Past teams of the week

Rising	Falling
Marquette: The Golden Eagles lost at Cincinnati but Marquette was still sensational in the loss. They proved to the nation watching that they are a top 15, maybe top 10 team in the game with the Bearcats. It was one of the best games of the season. Dwyane Wade and Cordell Henry were simply sensational in the backcourt. If the Eagles can get a bit more out of the frontcourt then they'll go far in the NCAAs.	Virginia: The Cavaliers are reeling and have all but played their way out of the NCAA Tournament. The loss to Georgia Tech really stings with Duke and Maryland up next. Virginia hasn't recovered since losing a nine-point lead to Maryland at home Jan. 31. Maryland outscored Virginia 13-2 in the final 3:22. The only teams Virginia has beaten since Wake Forest Jan. 15 are Florida State, Georgia Tech, VMI, Clemson and North Carolina, not a postseason team in the bunch.
Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors nearly got in the top 25, just one spot out. Hawaii swept Tulsa and took care of Rice to finish perfect in the WAC at home. Hawaii should be a lock for the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what happens with the Nevada and Fresno State trip this week. Hawaii coach Riley Wallace should also get a contract extension, too. His contract runs out April 30.	South Florida: The Bulls blew a chance to get on the at-large board with losses to Memphis and UAB. The Memphis game was close for a half but South Florida simply didn't show in the second and it's going to take a spirited effort for this team to make a run in the Conference USA tournament, which is held in Cincinnati next week.
Princeton: The Tigers weren't supposed to be a contender, yet with three games left the Tigers are on top of the standings. Princeton coach John Thompson will be a hot commodity in the next few seasons and the Tigers will have to stand up and try to keep him. He's not as married to the school and the system as his predecessor Bill Carmody.	St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies had a chance to make a case for an at-large berth, but losing to Temple put them in the must win A-10 category. The Bonnies have the talent to do it but they still weren't able to come up with a few more wins. Beating Connecticut on the road and Xavier at home will certainly turn a few heads in the committee but they've got to back it up with a run in the A-10 tournament. Even a berth in the final probably isn't enough.
Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs are rolling in their first season in the WAC. Louisiana Tech swept Fresno State and should be one of the toughest outs in the WAC tournament. In fact, they are a threat to win the tournament in Tulsa next week.	Kentucky: OK, Kentucky won Saturday but the ‘Cat nation continues to implode. Tubby Smith has had issues with Adam Chiles and has had to bench Rashaad Carruth and Keith Bogans. Suspending Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels was a must after their fake ID affair but the Wildcats need to quiet the critics by going through a quiet stretch off the court and winning in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
Mississippi State: We had a short leash on these Bulldogs, thinking they had to do more to prove they belonged in the NCAA Tournament. The case is now finally closed. The win over Ole Miss cemented that this team belongs in the NCAAs and Rick Stansbury can stop sweating. He's playing for seeding from this point forward.	Matt Barnes, UCLA: Flat out bad move by Barnes. He apologized but there was absolutely no reason to lay out Cal's Shantay Legans. He was out cold and could have been hurt worse. Barnes was forced to sit one game against Stanford because of the mandatory NCAA rule but he probably should have had to sit more by the Pac-10. It was blatant. It was disappointing and Barnes should send an apology to Legans.
Oregon: The Ducks finished with a sweep of all their regular-season home games. MAC court once again is the toughest place to play on the West Coast, possibly one of the best in the country with Phog Allen (Kansas), Cameron (Duke), Cole (Maryland) and the Shoe (Cincinnati).	Washington State: The Cougars' season continues to go south and they won't be in the Pac-10 tournament. But there was no reason to get rocked by Oregon State. Washington State can save some face with a win over Washington or at least a decent showing. This team has played better earlier in the season and needs something positive going into the offseason.
Temple: The Owls beat St. Bonaventure over the weekend to get to .500 overall and send a message to the rest of the league that they are a serious threat to win the A-10 tournament. Temple is a dangerous team once healthy and the Owls actually won with Lynn Greer only making one field goal. Brian Polk was scorching with 3s, making seven of them.	Houston: The Cougars were on a high last week but got blindsided by the suspensions of four players Sunday. That could essentially end the Cougars chances for the NIT. Houston, at 15-12 Monday, could have the record but the NIT isn't going to take a team that can't win games. The suspension of former Michigan transfer Kevin Gaines was even more troubling because of his past issues.
Kent State: The Golden Flashes are the hottest team in the best mid-major conference in the country. Kent State's win over Ohio on the road Saturday should be given its due. That's a major accomplishment for a team that has knocked down every challenge in the league. Kent State's Stan Heath should be the coach of the year.	North Carolina: The Tar Heels got a tremendous effort from their fans in the loss to Ohio Wednesday but it's another non-conference loss at home. Teams actually go into the Dean Dome believing they can and should win. Losing to North Carolina this season is no longer an option.
Illinois:The Illini have quietly won six straight and are starting to peak at the right time. Illinois still can actually win the Big Ten and can't be ruled out as a team that could make a run to the Final Four.	St. John's: The Red Storm got embarrassed by Duke Sunday. They need to make this game more competitive or it will become like the Duke-Michigan series, so one-sided that it's not really wroth playing. St. John's is better than what it showed Sunday but it almost seemed intimidated during the game.
UNLV: The Runnin' Rebels have quietly moved up the charts in the MWC standings. UNLV was tied with BYU for third in the MWC Monday and was a real threat to win the MWC tournament at home. Charlie Spoonhour has this team responding to him at the right time of the season. UNLV could make things dicey for Wyoming and/or Utah next week at the Thomas & Mack.	Syracuse: The Orangemen let Jim Boeheim down Sunday as Georgetown upstaged the ceremony honoring him. The court was named after him but Syracuse couldn't win at home. Syracuse is the better team, maybe doesn't have as much talent, but didn't play with as much purpose Sunday.

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.