College Hoopla- February 1st

There is one month left for teams to make a statement and prove to the selection committee that they are worthy of making the tournament. And before the speculation and hype of March Madness takes over, the next month will decide the teams involved in the madness. Here is the best from the last week in January.
Player of the Week:
Devan Downey, G, South Carolina
Downey led the Gamecocks to a win over top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday at home by scoring 30 points and to top that performance, Downey lit up Georgia for 33 points in the Gamecocks 78-77 win on Saturday.
Team of the Week:
Syracuse
Usually a top ranked team does not have to fight the adversity that the Orange had to this week but in the Big East there can be no letdown game. Down 14-0 at home to rival Georgetown, and were down by as much as 18 in Chicago against DePaul on Saturday. In both games, the Orange had strong second halves that led them to a double-digit win at home over the Hoyas and a close 59-57 win over the Blue Demons.
Game of the Week:
(2)Kansas 81, (13) Kansas State 79 (OT)
When the Jayhawks entered the Octagon of Doom in Manhattan on Saturday, they knew they would face one of the best upcoming programs in college basketball and one of the loudest environments to play at. With foul trouble to their big men early in the second half, the Jayhawks had to rely on senior Sherron Collins, who lives to make the big shot in the big game. The Wildcats' inside men also faced foul trouble and do not have as much depth as their intrastate rival do. Kansas' big win puts them back at number one in the polls and K-State lost their chance to reach the Top 10 and get a big win on their resume.
Traditional Powers in Danger of Making the Tournament: UCONN and North Carolina
After being named my team of the week last week, UCONN lost to Providence and Marquette and dropped them to 3-5 in the Big East and have road trips to Syracuse and Villanova ahead in their schedule and the Tar Heels have lost four of their last six and are 2-4 in a weak ACC. With two games against Duke with six of their last ten games on the road, Roy Williams' team needs to go at least .500 in the ACC and go far in the conference tournament to make the tournament.
What the Top 10 Should Be:
(1) Kansas
(2) Syracuse
(3) Villanova
(4) Michigan State
(5) Kentucky
(6) West Virginia
(7) Purdue
(8) Georgetown
(9) Texas
(10) Duke
Games to Watch this Week:
Monday: Texas @ Oklahoma State (9:00, ESPN)
Tuesday: Michigan State @ Wisconsin (9:00, ESPN)
Wednesday: South Florida @ Georgetown (7:00)
Thursday: Georgia Tech @ Duke (7:00, ESPN2)
Friday: Yale @ Cornell (7:00)
Weekend 6-Pack to Watch:
Villanova @ Georgetown (Sat, 12:00, ESPN)
Gonzaga @ Memphis (Sat, 4:00, ESPN2)
Texas @ Oklahoma (Sat, 4:00, ESPN)
Baylor @ Texas A&M (Sat, 4:00)
Michigan State @ Illinois (Sat, 9:00 ESPN)
Syracuse @ Cincinnati (Sun, 2:00)

Check back every week from now until the end of the NCAA Tournament for more College Hoopla.