What a week. The carnage rivals any all season. But, when the dust settled,  there was still a familiar name on top of the leader board: North Carolina.

Top 5

The elite teams mostly settled into their grooves, winning close games, as the season runs down and the conference tournaments approach. North Carolina beat Boston College, 90 – 80,  in a tough road game that saw the Tar Heels trailing by 18 in the second half. BC's Tyrese Rice went off for 46, with 34 in the first half to help the Eagles build the big lead. But North Carolina put the defensive clamps on, holding BC scoreless for one 6 ½  minute stretch, and erasing a 17 point deficit. Tyler Hansbrough scored 25 and pulled down 9 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels. Warming up for the season ending game against Duke, North Carolina also rolled past Florida State 90 – 77. Memphis closed out its season with routine wins over Southern Mississippi, 76 – 67, and Southern Methodist, 72 – 55. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 40 points in the two games to lead Memphis. UCLA made a statement, winning a tough road game at Arizona, 68 – 66, to move up to number 3. Kevin Love had a huge game to lead the Bruins, as the teams traded the lead through much of the second half. He scored 25, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked three shots. Chad Budinger led the Wildcats with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Tennessee rebounded from the loss to Vanderbilt by beating Kentucky, 63 – 60, as Joe Crawford's potential game tieing 3pt  shot, missed at the buzzer. The bigger test was against Florida. Tennessee had to rally from 16 points down. JaJuan Smith had 23 and Chris Lofton added 21 to lead the Volunteers, while freshman Nick Calathes led the Gators with 24 points and 9 assists. The loss probably knocked the two time Champions from this year's NCAA tournament. Moving back into the Top 5 is Kansas, who had the easiest week. They defeated Kansas State easily, 88 – 74, despite 39 points and 11 rebounds by Michael Beasley, then dealt Texas Tech a record blow out, 109 – 51.

Top 25

It was a good week to be in the Top 10, with only Texas losing,or ranked generally. Duke positioned themselves for the season ending game, against North Carolina, by pulling out a squeaker against North Carolina State, 87 – 86, then pummeling Virginia, 86 – 70. Against NCSU, Duke trailed by 13 in the second half, but clawed back behind 17 points by DeMarcus Nelson. Stanford positioned themselves for the big game against UCLA by dropping Washington State, 60 – 53. Texas, the lone loser in the Top 10, stumbled on the road against Texas Tech, 83 – 80, then fought off a determined Nebraska team, 76 – 70. Against Texas Tech, D.J. Augustin, score 30 points, and Damion James added 11 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome a 14 point deficit midway through the second half. Georgetown needed overtime to drop Marquette. In a week of big comebacks, Marquette led by 11 in the second half, behind 22 points by Wesley Mathews, but Roy Hibbert and Jonathon Wallace each scored 20 to lead Georgetown back. Next up for the Hoyas is red hot Louisville, with the conference title on the line. New to the Top 25 this week are Clemson and Vanderbilt. Dropping out are St. Mary (Cal) and Kent State. Next, in terms of voting, are Brigham Young, Mississippi State, South Alabama, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's, Kent State, Miami (FL), and Baylor. All are likely locked into the NCAA tournament.

Bubble Watch

Already in – Cornell, Ivy League automatic bid.

Pac 10  - Likely in are Arizona, Arizona State, Southern Cal. Likely out are Cal and Oregon, barring deep runs in the conference tournament.

Big XII – Likely in is Baylor. Likely out are Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech. Two to four teams will make it. Texas A&M could win in against Kansas in the season finale.

ACC – Locked in is Clemson. Likely in is Miami. Likely out are Virginia Tech and Maryland. In an odd season, only four ACC teams merit serious attention.

Big East – Locked in are Louisville, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Marquette and UConn. Close are West Virginia and Pittsburgh. Likely out are Villanova and Syracuse.

SEC – Likely in is Mississippi State. Likely out are Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and Arkansas. Mississippi started the year with 13 straight wins, but are 7 – 9 in conference. Their big selling point is a 6 – 3 record against Top 50 teams.

Big 10 – Likely in, none. On life support, Ohio State. Like the ACC, it was a four team league.

Atlantic 10 – Likely in, none. Close are Dayton, UMass, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph's. The conference tournament will put at least one of these in

Missouri Valley – Locked in, Drake. Likely in, none. Likely out are Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Missouri State, Creighton. At least one team will play in, perhaps two.