If the NCAA Tournament field were set today, bracket prognosticators agree that Missouri would have earned a No. 1 seed. Now, the Tigers must maintain that position to be a No. 1 for the first time since 1994. But what about the two teams tied with Mizzou atop the Big 12 standings after the weekend? History shows that multiple No. 1 seeds from the same conference are common, and even three is not out of the question.
Since 2000, the committee has awarded two No. 1 seeds to the same conference six times. The Big 12 has been on the receiving end only once. And in 2009, the Big East earned three — with Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Louisville. Jerry Palm of Cbssports.com believes at least seven teams remain in contention for a spot on the top line of the bracket and includes all three Big 12 teams on that list.
Missouri is a No. 1 on ESPN's updated tournament projection, and Palm said the Tigers would hold the same status when he releases his bracket today. And he was leaning toward Baylor over Ohio State because of the quality of its losses — Kansas and Mizzou vs. Kansas, Indiana and Illinois.
Of course, Missouri isn't just playing for seeding but the possibility of being placed in the St. Louis Regional. Other regionals will be played in Boston, Atlanta and Phoenix, and geography is an important factor. The No. 1 seeds would be ranked 1-4 and sent to the closest city. "That's how geography works,'' Palm said. "It's pretty formulaic."
Player of the year battle
Creighton's Doug McDermott is attempting to do what no Missouri Valley Conference player has accomplished since Larry Bird. The battle for the national player of the year award is developing into a showdown between a mid-major and national power.
According to a straw poll by ESPN, Kansas forward Thomas Robinson and McDermott are the frontrunners with Robinson garnering 37 first-place votes last week to McDermott's seven.
Robinson averages 18.3 points and 12 rebounds and shoots 54.8 percent. McDermott averages 23.4 points and 8.4 rebounds and shoots 62.4 percent and has made 41 of 80 (51.3 percent) of his 3-pointers.
Quick recovery
Michigan State forward Draymond Green had to be helped off the court at Illinois last week after collapsing in the closing minutes of a tight game won by the Illini.
His knee injury was bad enough that he didn't return despite a tight finish.
But by Sunday he was as good as new.
Green, who leads the Spartans in scoring, rebounding and steals, played 38 minutes and had 14 points and 16 rebounds as Michigan State defeated Michigan.
Often referred to as a point forward, Green is the key to the Spartans' NCAA Tournament hopes.
Calhoun on leave
Defending national champ Connecticut will be playing for an indefinite amount of time without coach Jim Calhoun, who is taking another medical leave of absence to deal with a painful back problem.
Calhoun, 69, has taken several leaves in the past and missed 21 games during his tenure at the school. He has battled cancer multiple times and in 2010 missed seven games due to stress.
Rising and falling
STOCK RISING: Three consecutive wins for Iowa State (17-6), including a victory over Kansas, have pushed the Cyclones to fourth in the Big 12. ... Miami (14-7) has a three-game road win streak and its victory at Duke is a boost for its résumé. ... Notre Dame (15-8) is racking up significant victories in the Big East.
STOCK FALLING: Three conference home losses are starting to weigh on Purdue (15-8), which had won 26 consecutive games at Mackey Arena. ... Stanford (16-7) has lost four of its last five to fall out of the Pac-12 race. ... A four-game losing streak for Dayton (14-9) ends at-large hopes.
