Monday Hoops Notebook

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I wrote here recently that Georgetown, despite its top-12 ranking at the time, wasn't very convincing to me and I didn't think the Hoyas have the tools to make much noise in March.

But sports, as you know, can be fickle, as can those who watch and write about them.

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So after impressive wins over Pittsburgh and Duke in the last 10 days, I think Georgetown can play with anybody as long as the Hoyas bring their A game, which they did not last week at Syracuse.

And now, taking GU's place among the overrated might be Tennessee.

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The Vols ground out a key SEC win over visiting Florida on Sunday, but I was fairly surprised how the Vols got themselves on the smart side of the 61-60 victory.

Tennessee's Scotty Hopson launched a long two-pointer that swished through the net with 16.6 seconds left, giving the home team the one-point lead that would hold up after Florida's next and final possession.

My initial reaction was that Tennessee, in my mind an athletic but undisciplined team under Bruce Pearl, should re-consider its late-game shot selection habits. But I've since read that Hopson's shot was by design.

Which was far worse than poor shot selection.

Why Pearl would draw up such a play during a timeout with 25 seconds left is beyond me. Trailing 60-59 and owning one of the best interior players in the SEC in Wayne Chism, UT had an easy option to consider. Throw the ball inside and let him work his way toward a good look that he'd likely either convert or get fouled trying to.

I get the decoy method, but at least give him a touch on that possession. If he gets doubled and/or it just doesn't work out, Chism can pop it back out to Hopson, who certainly is an accurate outside shooter.

But to launch a long shot like that so early in the possession and with so much time left on the clock smelled of bad coaching.

OSU CLIMB CONTINUES: Also recently here on OGS, I wrote that Ohio State will be a dangerous team with the recent return of Evan Turner. Sure enough, the do-everything star is leading the way for the Buckeyes as they've set themselves up nicely for a possible second-place finish in the Big Ten behind Michigan State, which appears a strong Final Four candidate.

A lack of depth might become a real issue for Thad Matta's bunch, but Sunday's breezy defeat of Minnesota kept OSU unbeaten at home this season (13-0). With home dates against Penn State and Iowa this week, then a trip to Indiana, the Buckeyes should take records of 19-6 and 9-3 into their game at Illinois on Feb. 14.

WHO'S NO. 2? I thought it was funny after Kentucky's loss at South Carolina last week, when everybody was trying to figure out who would be the new No. 1.

Um, didn't some teams still have some games to play? There was no guarantee that UK would get pushed out of the top spot, until of course Kansas' thrilling overtime win at Kansas State Saturday night. So put Kansas in at No. 1 obviously, and I think Syracuse should leapfrog Villanova, which boasts again a very nice backcourt but is less dynamic inside.

Syracuse, meanwhile, is a little more balanced, and has star power in Wesley Johnson. The Orange have played -- and beaten -- tougher teams than Villanova, including last week's surprisingly easy comeback defeat of Big East-rival Georgetown.

After Villanova, I'd plug Kentucky in at No. 4. One narrow road loss in the SEC is hardly a red flag. The Wildcats still look like a Final Four team.

FINAL FOUR PICKS: My projected Final Four remains unchanged from last week, but starting this week, I'll add a second choice in parentheses:

+ EAST: Syracuse (West Virginia)
+ SOUTH: Kentucky (Duke)
+ MIDWEST: Kansas (Michigan State)
+ WEST: Texas (Villanova)

BEARCAT WATCH: To my Cincinnati readers who have been e-mailing about UC's tournament chances, I offer this:

I've often criticized the over-use of the "must-win" cliche, but that's precisely where Mick Cronin's Bearcats find themselves this week.

A visit to Notre Dame Thursday is Cincinnati's best chance for a win in its next three games. After playing the Irish, UC returns home to play Syracuse on Sunday, then visits Connecticut after a six-day layoff.

Winning at Notre Dame won't be easy, but if the Bearcats can do it, they'll take records of 15-9 and 6-6 into their Feb. 16 game at South Florida, an upset winner over No. 17 Pittsburgh just Sunday.

So no, UC fans, an NCAA tournament bid is not likely.

TUBE TIME: Keep your schedule open for the following games this week:

+ Tuesday: Mississippi at Kentucky (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
+ Tuesday: Michigan State at Wisconsin (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
+ Wednesday: Pittsburgh at West Virginia (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
+ Thursday: Georgia Tech at Duke (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)