MWC

There's just one game on Saturday matching ranked teams and surprisingly it comes in the SEC, where #11 Kentucky (16-5, 4-3) heads south to take on #23 Florida (17-5, 6-2). And while the SEC East has shown itself to be somewhat wide-open, John Calipari's young Wildcats would be well-served to win this one and avoid falling behind the Gators by two games in the loss column. But Kentucky also has just one road win in conference play (South Carolina) and they'll have their hands full with a talented group of Gators.

In arguably the most hyped regular season game in the history of the Mountain West it was only fitting that the stars on the marquee put on an impressive show. San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard fought through flu-like symptoms to score 22 points and grab 15 rebounds, but his effort wasn't enough for the Aztecs in Provo. That's because Jimmer Fredette went off, scoring 43 points (14-24 FG) in a 71-58 BYU victory, moving the Cougars into sole possession of first place in the MWC.

First place in the Mountain West is on the line in Provo as undefeated San Diego State (20-0, 5-0) visits BYU (19-1, 5-0). The Aztecs will also take on history tonight, as they've beaten BYU just once in Provo since the inception of the Mountain West (59-57 in 2005) with that victory being part of their only season sweep of the Cougars as MWC members.

With Kansas beginning Saturday's game on a 10-0 run it may have been easy for the casual observer to chalk this one up as the Jayhawks' 70th consecutive win at Allen Fieldhouse. But such concessions weren't coming from the visiting Texas Longhorns (16-3, 4-0), who used their defense to erase a 12-point halftime deficit and made some key baskets late to win going away by the final score of 74-63. J'Covan Brown was the hero on this day, providing 23 points off the bench with 17 of those coming in the second half.

Many expected the matchup between #12 Missouri and #13 Texas A&M to be a thriller and it most certainly didn't disappoint, requiring an extra five minutes before rendering a verdict. Khris Middleton was outstanding for the Aggies, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds as Mark Turgeon's team remained undefeated in Big 12 play with a 91-89 overtime victory. Five A&M players reached double figures but it was Middleton who made the difference, scoring 11 points in the extra session to lead the way.

Another day, another matchup between ranked teams in the Big East as #17 Louisville (13-2, 2-0) heads northeast to take on #7 Villanova (14-1, 3-0). The question some have in regards to Rick Pitino's team is who have they beaten of consequence on the road, and with a 2-0 mark in such games a win in Philadelphia would go a long way in cementing them as a factor in the Big East race. The Cardinals want to play fast and they want to force you to play with discomfort, which more often than not results in turnovers and transition scoring opportunities for Louisville.

"I try to make him earn everything he gets. Like I said, he's got all of those accolades, but he's gotta come in and prove it."

- UNLV guard Tre'Von Willis on BYU's Jimmer Fredette in Tuesday's Las Vegas Sun

While a number of eyes will be fixated on the in-state battle between Memphis and Tennessee (and rightfully so), that matchup sits behind the Mountain West opener between BYU (14-1) and UNLV as the game of the night. Jimmer Fredette (24.1 ppg, 4.4 apg) has lit up just about every team he's encountered throughout his storied career but he and BYU have had their fair share of issues when taking on UNLV (12-2) at Thomas & Mack.

The Non-BCS Top 25 is a weekly follow-up to the popular CHN Top 50 ranking. Using the power-conference teams ranked in the CHN Top 50 as a base, an in-depth look at the world of "mid-major" basketball is pieced together. The Non-BCS Top 25 will be released early Monday morning following the Top 50..

There's just one game between ranked teams on Tuesday night and it sets up to be an enticing matchup to watch while wrapping those gifts. UNLV (10-2) hits the road to take on Kansas State(9-2) in Kansas City in what will be anything but a "neutral" environment despite the designation. Both teams have dealt with disappointing losses within the past week and poor shooting was largely to blame in both instances. UNLV shot 29% for the game in a loss to UCSB last Thursday while K-State shot a frigid 22% in the second half of their loss to Florida on Saturday.