The good news for the Huskies is they're getting better production from their starting five. The bad news is they're getting less output than ever from the bench. Curtis Kelly has completely fallen off the map (a combined six points in his last four games) and sophomore point guard Doug Wiggins was the only reserve to play double-figure minutes in the win over Seton Hall on Thursday. Meanwhile, take a good look at Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody. The 6-foot-8 sophomore went for 29 points and 16 rebounds in the Irish's win over West Virginia, his sixth double-double of the season. Notre Dame's nine-game winning streak hasn't exactly come against a rugged schedule, and Tory Jackson still makes too many careless passes for my taste, but I like the confidence this team is building heading into league play. And don't look now, but the Irish is starting to put the "D" back in ND.

Washington is ranked last in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense and blocks. Other than that, they're really shutting people down. Unfortunately, this is not a good year to be soft in the Pac-10. The Cougars have no such problem. They may not be as athletic as they were last year, but they have one of the toughest centers in the country in Aussie Aron Baynes, a 6-10, 270-pound widebody who is shooting 66.2 percent from the field and grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game. I also like the improvement of Washington State point guard Taylor Rochestie, which is taking a lot of the ballhandling pressure off of Derrick Low.

From UMass' perspective, this is an ideal non-conference game to be playing in early January. The Minutemen, who are building a solid NCAA tournament resume with road wins at Syracuse and Boston College and a win at home over Houston, will bolster their RPI profile even if they lose. UMass has one of the nation's most exciting perimeter trios in Gary Forbes, Ricky Harris and Chris Lowe, but like most teams, they have nobody to match up with Vandy's big, skilled freshman center, A.J. Ogilvy. It's a bit too tall of an order for the Minutemen to win in Nashville (especially since Vandy still uses that silly policy of placing the team benches along the baseline), but UMass' stellar play and smart schedule is all the more reason to believe the Atlantic-10 will be a four-bid league.

Fortunately for Clemson, this game is not being played in Chapel Hill, where the Tigers have never beaten UNC. The Tigers have looked good at times while amassing their 12-1 start, but the reality is, they probably have yet to beat a team that will play in the NCAA tournament. (Purdue comes closest, but I'd give the Boilermakers a 50-50 chance at best.) Senior forward James Mays, who missed five games with an injury, scored a season-high 18 points against Alabama on Tuesday night, but Clemson's defense is predicated on perimeter pressure and there isn't a team in America that can pressurize North Carolina's Ty Lawson. It might be tempting to pick Clemson in an upset because they're playing at home, but the Tar Heels have played four true road games over the last six weeks. They're ready for this one.