Field of 65--Version 2

1) Connecticut (18-1); Pittsburgh (18-1); Duke (18-1); Oklahoma (19-1)
What's really amazing is that Jim Calhoun's Huskies are the best team in the country right now, and they're not even close to reaching their full potential.
2) North Carolina (17-2); Wake Forest (16-1); Marquette (17-2); Louisville (15-3)
Marquette is playing excellent basketball, but the only tourney-bound Big East squads they've beaten en route to their 6-0 conference record are Villanova and West Virginia. The Golden Eagles will be tested this week with a trip to Notre Dame followed by a home game against Georgetown.
3) Texas (14-4); Michigan State (16-3); Clemson (17-2); Xavier (17-2)
Michigan State is the class of a deep Big Ten. Seven teams could be dancing in March, and even long-time conference doormats Penn State and Northwestern are playing well. Penn State is 5-3 in league play, and Northwestern won in East Lansing earlier this week.
4) Syracuse (17-4); Butler (18-1); Arizona State (16-3); UCLA (15-4)
UCLA is a lot like Duke. Great perimeter defense, strong guard play, and lacking a back-to-the-basket scorer.
5) Purdue (15-4); Illinois (17-3); Memphis (16-3); St. Mary's (18-1)
So, why am I so smitten with the Gaels of St. Mary's? Well, for starters, Patrick Mills is quite possibly the best point guard in the country. And this isn't just a one-man team. Center Omar Samhan (13.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and power forward Diamon Simpson (12.8 ppg, 10.9 rpg) are extremely good college basketball players. The Gaels picked up non-conference wins against Fresno State, Providence, Kent State, San Diego State, Oregon, and Southern Illinois, but their biggest test comes on Thursday against conference rival Gonzaga.
6) California (16-4); Baylor (15-4); Kansas (15-4); Kentucky (16-4)
The defending National Champions bounced back quite nicely from their 13-point loss at Michigan State, beating Kansas State by 16, Colorado by 17, Texas A&M by 20, and Iowa State by 15. The surging Jayhawks should pick up two more wins this week at Nebraska and then home against Colorado.
7) Washington (15-4); Minnesota (17-3); Georgetown (12-6); Missouri (17-3)
After I raved about the Hoyas in the last version of the Field of 65, Georgetown went 0-2 for the week. First, the Bob Huggins-coached Mountaineers left the nation's capital with a 17-point win, and then the Pirates of Seton Hall picked up their first conference win against the Hoyas. We'll see if JT3 can get his squad back on the right track, as Georgetown plays road games at Cincinnati and Marquette this week.
8) Florida State (16-4); Florida (17-3); Gonzaga (14-4); Dayton (18-2)
While I'm still not sold on them, Billy Donovan has to pleased that his young Gators bounced back from a tough, last second loss at South Carolina with a win in Nashville. Vanderbilt is never an easy place to play, and Florida won decisively (94-69).
9) Notre Dame (12-6); Miami (14-5); West Virginia (14-5); Davidson (16-3)
The Notre Dame free-fall watch continues. Two weeks ago, Notre Dame dropped road games against Louisville and Syracuse. They lost at home to UConn this past week. A home game against Marquette and a road trip to Pitt are on tap for the coming week.
10) Ohio State (13-5); Michigan (14-6); Villanova (15-4); Utah State (19-1)
Villanova looks like a tournament team, but, at some point, they have to pick up a marquee win. As it stands, the Wildcats best win is against St. Joseph's, Temple, Seton Hall, or St. John's.
11) Oklahoma State (13-5); Virginia Tech (14-5); Tennessee (12-6); UNLV (16-4)
Virginia Tech storms into the Field of 65 with impressive road wins against Wake Forest and Miami. After a date with Clemson this Thursday, the Hokies enter a favorable stretch with consecutive games against the five non-tourney ACC teams -- Boston College, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Virginia.
12) Wisconsin (12-7); Texas A&M (15-5); VCU (15-5); Northern Iowa (14-6)
With its 1-4 conference record, Texas A&M has no business being in the Field of 65. Then again, no one else does, either. So, why include the Aggies over the other also-rans? With the exception of an early season loss to Tulsa, A&M's other four losses have come at the hands of tourney-bound teams. Furthermore, the Aggies have had the misfortune of leading off their Big 12 schedule with games against five of the top six teams in the conference. They also have nice non-conference wins against Arizona, Alabama, and fellow bubble-dweller LSU. So, for now, the Aggies enjoy the field's final at-large bid.
13) Siena (15-5); TCU (13-7); Western Kentucky (13-7); Buffalo (12-5)
The Moutain West is kind of down this year. UNLV may have an at-large bid, but, to put things in perspective, conference leader TCU loss to Indiana earlier in the year.
14) VMI (16-3); North Dakota State (14-5); Weber State (12-8); Vermont (14-6)
With a three-way tie atop the America East, Vermont takes the automatic bid over Binghamton and Boston University by virtue of their superior overall record.
15) Cornell (12-6); Long Beach State (10-8); Austin Peay (12-7); Robert Morris (13-7)
Ohio Valley Conference leader Austin Peay travels to Morehead State to take on the conference number two on Saturday.
16) Jacksonville (11-8); Morgan State (10-9); Texas A&M-Corpus Christie (11-9); Alabama State (9-7); Holy Cross (9-11)
On Friday, Jacksonville tries to avenge its sole conference loss against East Tennessee State. At stake for both teams -- control of the Atlantic Sun.