5. Believe it or not, Philadelphia University's Herb Magee isn't the only college basketball coach who is enjoying his 903rd win this week. All the way across the country, Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles made his own history Wednesday night with a victory over College of Idaho in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament. Miles is no stranger to the Owls. He's spent the last 39 years at the Lincoln City, Ore., school and has garnered plenty of success in the NAIA ranks — including two national championships, a runner-up appearance and the honor of being named National Basketball Coach of the Year twice. And while Miles has helped Oregon Tech capture the most tournament wins (26-9) of any team in NAIA Division II, he's also guided the Owls to 14 postseason appearances. Now, at 27-4, the Owls are hoping to bring home another national title with the No. 2 ranking in the final edition of the 2009-2010 NAIA Division II Coaches’ Top 25. "The 900 thing is great," Miles told The Oregonian earlier this month, "but I want to get the focus back on the kids. I never thought about those things, but people are talking about it so much lately it's hard to ignore." With as little attention as Miles has received over the past four decades, it's about time that we recognize the man for his remarkable accomplishment.

4. Just when Northern Iowa thought it could relax after clinching a share of the Missouri Valley crown, another cellar dweller comes out of nowhere to pull off one of the most shocking upsets of the 2009-10 college basketball season. That's what the Panthers experienced Tuesday night at Evansville, where the last-place Purple Aces beat their first ranked team in merely seven years with its 55-54 stunner. "We probably could have been more focused, yeah," freshman forward Jake Koch said regarding the loss. "We should have been more focused." The only thing that would have been worse would have been to lose at home to a team that has only won two conference games all season. "We have such a belief in how we do things that if we do it consistently, we think we're going to have a chance, no matter who we play against,"Evansville coach Marty Simmons said. Of course, not to make excuses, but UNI was playing without 7-foot senior Jordan Eglseder, who finished serving a three-game suspension for a recent DUI charge. "He's a big part of what we've done all year," Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. "To have him back and available and in the lineup will be big for our team." Eglseder ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and first in rebounding (7.6 rpg), with a shooting clip that has remained over 50 percent for all four of his years in Cedar Falls. The only question, however, will be how much this loss hurts the Panthers' seeding come Selection Sunday. "Losses always hurt," Koch said. They certainly do.

3. College basketball on the West Coast hasn't gotten a lot of national hype this season — and for good reason. While the Pac-10 is looking at one bid on Selection Sunday, Gonzaga's dominance in the West Coast Conference has been slowly dwindling over the past three months. That's left the Mountain West with a chance to reemerge as the Left Coast's best conference, with two teams sitting in the Associated Press Top 25 for the past five weeks. One of those outfits is New Mexico, which has rattled off a conference-record 12 straight wins after Tuesday night's gutsy 72-66 victory over Colorado State. "There is no way I can complain at all about how this team is doing," New Mexico Steve Alford said afterward. "They continue to amaze me." But don't be amazed if the Lobos end up in the second weekend of the Big Dance and fight for a spot in this year's Elite Eight. After all, with Darington Hobson developing into one of the country's best-kept secrets and Dairese Gary showing a steady hand at the point guard spot, New Mexico could be playing the first and second round in San Jose with as high as a No. 3 seed — especially if it wins the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas next month. "We have said nothing about the tournament," Alford remarked when asked about this year's field of 65. "We have a way to go to worry about that tournament. We have won 26 games so the tournament is not in question. What is in question is what our seed ends up being." And in March when anything goes, the difference between a No. 3 and No. 4 seed could be enough to affect Lobos' season.

2. Well, so much for Pittsburgh making me look smart. The same day that I put the Panthers back in the Top 10 of the Power Rankings after wins over Marquette and Villanova last week, Jamie Dixon's team goes and lays an egg Wednesday night against a disappointing Notre Dame team. It would have been one thing if Luke Harangody had played, but the nation's No. 2 scorer (24.1 ppg) didn't even suit up for the Fighting Irish, missing his third straight game with a bone bruise on his right knee. "We got beat in pretty much every aspect," Dixon said following the 68-53 loss in South Bend. "This is one game, one loss, but right now it feels like a number of losses." In fact, I even woke up extra early Monday morning to go on FOX Sports 970 Pittsburgh and discuss how the Panthers had been one of the country's biggest surprises this season. And this is how they repay me? That's just the way things have gone this season in the Big East, though. On Tuesday night at Freedom Hall, for example, Louisville ran out to a six-point halftime lead on No. 11 Georgetown, holding the Hoyas to 37 percent from the field and leading by as much as 11 at one time. But that lead quickly evaporated in the second half as the Cardinals missed shot after shot while Austin Freeman couldn't seem to miss no matter who tried to guard him. "We played a perfect first half and they played a perfect second half," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "They prevailed because of their shot-making ability." Further north, the same kind of storyline was unfolding in Providence, where No. 4 Syracuse fell behind at halftime before rallying to beat the Friars. "We're just glad we're not on the bubble for the eighth year in a row," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said following the 99-89 win. The Orange not only don't have to worry about being on the bubble as Boeheim pessimistically put it, but they also can enjoy a double-bye in the Big East tournament thanks to the win and Louisville's loss to Georgetown.

1. I try not to write teams off before the month of March, but I'll admit that I've lost all hope for Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and his players. The Volunteers were supposed to contend with Kentucky for the SEC title this season — until a series of off-the-court problems and inconsistencies on the court squashed those preseason expectations. But after getting handled in Gainesville by a schizophrenic Florida team, Tennessee doesn't belong in the polls next week. Not unless, of course, the Volunteers can somehow upset No. 2 Kentucky Saturday like they did to No. 1 Kansas when the Jayhawks visited Knoxville back in early January. In fact, there's a reason why the Volunteers haven't cracked the Power Rankings the past two weeks. And it's because they haven't given any indication that they're even the third-best team in the SEC. Vandy completed the season sweep of Pearl's club, and the Gators avenged a one-point loss with a 75-62 beat down on what was supposed to be the No. 19 team in the country. "Florida dominated us in the second half, and they really deserved the victory," Pearl admitted. Where Billy Donovan's group dominated its SEC rival was on the glass, where it held a sizeable 34-25 advantage that included four more rebounds on the offensive end. Junior center Vernon Macklin was particularly effective on the interior, grabbing a game-high 10 boards, while forwards Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus each collected eight in the win. "The more games you win, the better chance you have (to make the NCAA tournament)," Donovan said. "I don't think there are any statements that you make in a particular win." This one did, though. It proved that Tennessee, despite its experience and depth coming into the season, still hasn't fully figured out its issues at point guard. It proved that Tennessee, despite having one of the best players in the SEC in Scotty Hopson, isn't a team that has the physical or mental toughness to overcome the loss of a senior leader like Tyler Smith. And it proves that no matter how hard Pearl tries to motivate his guys, this team just isn't good enough to get past the first weekend of the Big Dance.

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