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The Week at a Glance

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Posted: Tuesday February 02, 1999 11:35 AM

AP Men's Top 25  1. UConn  2. Duke  3. Cincinnati  4. Stanford  5. Kentucky  6. Auburn  7. Maryland  8. Michigan St.  9. St. John's 10. Arizona 11. Wisconsin 12. UNC 13. UCLA 14. Iowa 15. Ohio St. 16. Syracuse 17. New Mexico 18. Minnesota tie. Purdue 20. Utah 21. Indiana 22. Coll. Charleston 23. Arkansas 24. Missouri 25. Miami (Fla.)

By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI

25 questions for the Top 25

1. Was Connecticut 's loss to Syracuse on Monday night -- relieving the pressure of being undefeated -- the best thing that could have happened to the Huskies?

2. Even with one more loss, will Duke pass the Huskies for the top spot before the end of the season?

3. If Cincinnati 's so good, how did UNC Charlotte stay close enough to steal a win?

4. Will Stanford cling to the West Region No. 1 seed by winning out its remaining Pac-10 schedule?

5. Despite the Wildcats' inconsistencies at shooting guard, can any SEC team dethrone Kentucky ?

6. Was Auburn better without suspended juco star Chris Porter?

7. Why did Maryland overlook Wake Forest, costing the Terps their hold on an NCAA No. 1 seed?

8. Can Michigan State , a team hitting its stride, expand its current momentum through March?

9. After a recent grueling stretch of Duke, Syracuse and UConn, can St. John's recapture its mid-January fearlessness?

10. Does Arizona have the talent to steal a Pac-10 crown from Stanford?

11. Will Dick Bennett's extraordinary Wisconsin defense carry the team to a Big Ten Tournament title?

12. To what extent will lack of depth haunt North Carolina in the NCAA tournament?

13. What the heck happened to UCLA 's poise against Washington?

14. Can lame-duck Iowa coach Tom Davis put egg on the athletic department's face with a deep NCAA tourney run?

15. Is there a better team story this season than rags-to-riches Ohio State ?

16. Is Syracuse point guard Jason Hart ever going to get the publicity he deserves?

17. Would a WAC title obscure the fact that New Mexico still is one of the decade's great NCAA tourney underachievers?

18. (tie) Could Minnesota be on the outside looking in when the Big Ten gets six NCAA invitations?

18. (tie) Can Purdue recover from last week's loss to Northwestern?

20. Why did it take so long for Utah to creep back into the Top 25?

21. If he stays all four years, will superb Indiana swingman Luke Recker go down as the best player in school history?

22. If you are frightened by the unknown, how scary is College of Charleston on Selection Sunday?

23. Does Arkansas , recent losers to Ole Miss, represent one of the nation's thinnest Top 25 crops in years?

24. Does anyone not enjoy watching Missouri forward Albert White play?

25. Is Miami (Fla.) ready to edge away from the Top 25 periphery and become a staple of the rankings?

 

The Games to Watch Maryland at Duke, Feb. 3 Why you should care: Duke owns the Terps, but Maryland will be tougher, rather than broken, because of its stinging upset loss Jan. 31 at lowly Wake Forest. Players to Watch: Duke PG William Avery, Maryland C Obinna Ekezie, Maryland SG Steve Francis, Duke SG Trajan Langdon Kentucky at Florida, Feb. 4 Why you should care: The Gators, a team on the rise, can speed the process with a win over the reigning king of the conference. Players to Watch: Florida SF Mike Miller, Kentucky PF Scott Padgett, Kentucky PG Wayne Turner Connecticut at Stanford, Feb. 6 Why you should care: A Final Four-quality matchup. Players to Watch: UConn PG Khalid El-Amin, UConn SG Richard Hamilton, Stanford PG Arthur Lee, Stanford PF Mark Madsen

 

The Story Lines Lock and load: This week you'll start hearing your first talk of the NCAA tournament "bubble." Well, here are the teams already past that stage. Consider them locks for the Big Dance: Arizona, Auburn, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, St. John's, Stanford and Wisconsin . Lang time: Who would have thought that of North Carolina's three freshman -- including prep top 10 Jason Capel and multi-sport phenom Ron Curry -- forward Kris Lang would shine the brightest. With Capel out with mono and Curry feeling the effects of football season, Lang has become a go-to guy on offense. Against Georgia Tech on Sunday, Lang stole the show with a team-high 17 points on a variety of mature moves in the post.

 

The Bandwagon Charleston How do you spell respect? T-O-P-2-5 Arizona Starting to peak A.J. Guyton Carried Hoosiers over Penn St. Maryland Wake-up call?

 

The William Avery Watch Todd Warshaw/Allsport If Duke is to capitalize on its talent and return to the Final Four for the first time since 1994, the sophomore point guard -- an erratic reserve last season -- will have to mature into the starting lead guard. Can he abandon his trigger-happy tendencies and be the assist man that the Blue Devils need him to be? CNN/SI charts his progress throughout the season. Stats: Last game: Jan. 30 at N.C. State Assists: 3 (Season: 121, 5.5 apg) Turnovers: 1 (Season: 55) FGs Made-Attempted: 5-8 (Season: 114-224, 50.9%) Result: Duke wins, 80-61 OT (Season record: 21-1) This Week: Feb. 3 vs. Maryland, Feb. 6 at Georgia Tech

CNN/SI Week at a Glance is released every Tuesday throughout the college basketball season.

 

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