Circle the Date

MAILBAG Seth Davis will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his Hoop Thoughts column. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Jan. 30, Kansas at Kansas State

This is one year the Wildcats feel they have a shot at beating KU in Manhattan.

Feb. 4, Gonzaga at St. Mary's

The Gaels have been impossible to beat in McKeon Pavilion this season. Should be fun watching the Zags give it the old college try.

Feb. 6, Duke at North Carolina

Just another routine meeting on Tobacco Road with both teams likely ranked in the top 10.

Feb. 16, Michigan State at Indiana

The first meeting between the two best teams in the Big Ten.

Feb. 23, Tennessee at Memphis

If the Tigers are still undefeated, the Vols might be the only team that stops Memphis from going into the NCAA tournament without a loss

X-Factors

DaJuan Summers, 6-8, sophomore forward, Georgetown

A versatile athlete, Summers is the Hoyas' second-leading scorer (11.0 ppg), but he has pulled a few disappearing acts in Big East play -- scoring six points at DePaul, five points against Syracuse and zero in the loss at Pitt.

Austin Daye, 6-10, freshman forward, Gonzaga

Daye roared out of the blocks, averaging 18 points a game in the Bulldogs' first three games. But his inexperience and slight frame has led to inconsistency. He scored just five and two points, respectively, against UConn and Oklahoma.

Tory Jackson, 5-10, sophomore guard, Notre Dame

Jackson can make plays, but he also makes too many mistakes (3.6 turnovers per game). When he's under control, the Irish are much tougher to beat.

Davon Jefferson, 6-8, freshman forward, USC

He went from not getting off the bench in the loss to Washington State to lighting up UCLA for 25 points in last Saturday's upset in Pauley Pavilion.

Kalin Lucas, 6-foot ,freshman guard, Michigan State

Lucas came in with a reputation as a speedy ballhandler, but has also shown intriguing potential to score. His zero-point effort against Iowa on Jan. 12 was a major reason the Spartans lost.

Coaches on the Rise

Randy Bennett, St. Mary's

Could be a candidate at Oregon State -- if he's crazy enough to take the job

Keno Davis, Drake

He's engineering an amazing turnaround, and as the son of long-time Iowa coach Tom Davis, he's got good bloodlines to boot.

Brian Gregory, Dayton

Also has a strong pedigree as a former assistant under Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo at Michigan State, but Dayton is actually a better job than many of the power conferences can offer.

Anthony Grant, VCU

Billy Donovan's former assistant at Florida came into the season as a hot name. If the Rams keep winning, Grant will be a candidate for every major vacancy at the end of the season.

Bob McKillop, Davidson

He has built a powerhouse in the south and his peers frequently extol his abilities, yet for some reason you rarely hear McKillop's name pop up during the annual coaching carousel.

Benchless

Texas

How long can the Longhorns keep playing D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams 36 minutes a game?

Pittsburgh

Even during a rout over St. John's on Wednesday night, the injury-riddled Panthers played four starters 30-plus minutes.

Butler

The Bulldogs can play eight, but Mike Green and A.J. Graves are both logging 35 minutes per game. For a team that relies on making threes (and thus, needs fresh legs), that could be a problem.

Oklahoma State

Injuries and roster turnover have thinned out the Cowboys the last two years. No wonder Sean Sutton has put such an emphasis on point guard Byron Eaton's conditioning.

UConn

For a team that has historically tried to wear down opponents, the Huskies have gone through a lot of games playing six or seven guys.

All-Americas

First team

G Eric Gordon, Indiana

G D.J. Augustin, Texas

G Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

F Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

F Michael Beasley, Kansas State

Second team

G Brian Roberts, Dayton

G Patrick Mills, St. Mary's

F D.J. White, Indiana

F Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

C Kevin Love, UCLA