Purdue won't go far without Hummel

Purdue's NCAA future looked bright before junior forward Robbie Hummel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Wednesday against Minnesota. With Hummel gone for the season, there is curiosity whether the NCAA selectors will give Purdue a No. 1 seed even if the Boilermakers win their last three games and do well in the Big Ten tournament. Wherever it is placed, Purdue (24-3) doesn't figure to go very far without the 6-foot-7 Hummel, who provided scoring, rebounding and a settling influence on his team.

About 30 teams couldn't care less about No. 1 seeds. These are the squads on the dreaded bubble, needing to come up with victories the rest of the season and in post-season conference tourneys. Some leagues are crowding that bubble, with the Big East boasting five bubble teams and the Atlantic 10 three. Those three - Rhode Island, Dayton and Charlotte - looked pretty good a few weeks ago but now are in desperation mode. URI and Charlotte play each other next week, and both the 49ers and Dayton have to go up against Richmond.

Marquette (18-9) is making a late run to get off the bubble, with seven wins in its last eight games, but the Golden Eagles come in at No. 55 in the RPI because of a weak non-conference schedule. Coach Buzz Williams, however, remains straight up with his guys. "We're not much into fairy tales," he said. "We don't talk about Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. We just talk about what's really going on. . . . It's wasteful, it's fruitless and it's very inefficient to talk about what's going to happen. None of us are fortune tellers, so we just try to do what we can do today."

The ESPN "Bracket Busters" idea sounds good in theory, but don't tell that to followers of Siena. The Saints (22-6), coached by former Penn star Fran McCaffery, played in the best Buster matchup last weekend and were routed at Butler, 70-53. The loss virtually eliminated Siena from any chance at an NCAA at-large bid, meaning it will have to win the MAAC tournament (at nearby Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.) for a place in the dance. It didn't help the Saints that their three seniors - Ronald Moore (Plymouth-Whitemarsh), Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin - made only 4 of 27 shots in the game.

A lot will be written in the next week about the Big East's double bye given to its top four teams, advancing them to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. But it may not be as good as it seems. Pittsburgh and Connecticut qualified for the double bye but lost their first outings in last year's event. But Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he'd still take the double bye if the Panthers qualified. "If you go by last year, it doesn't look like it could be that big of an advantage," he said. "But that's something you want to strive to have."

It's hard to believe that Duke (24-4) is the only ACC team ranked in this week's AP Top 25. But if you're thinking the conference is down this season, the ACC publicists want to set you straight. Like this: The ACC is ranked third in the RPI and is only one of three conferences to have seven teams ranked in the RPI top 50, and it has the second-best winning percentage in non-conference games among six BCS leagues. ESPN.com's proposed NCAA bracket contains seven ACC teams but lists four of them as on the bubble.

. . . for an NCAA No. 1 seed, Duke is being carried offensively by the three-headed monster of senior Jon Scheyer and juniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. The trio has combined to average 53.7 points per game and account for almost two-thirds (65.5 percent, to be exact) of the Blue Devils' points. They put up all but four of their team's points in last Sunday's 67-55 win over Virginia Tech. Senior center Brian Zoubek, a Haddonfield High graduate, averages 5.4 points and 6.9 rebounds.

If the ACC feels slighted by getting only one team in the Top 25, then how must the Pac-10 feel after none of its 10 member teams received a single vote in the poll? California (19-9), which today seeks a share of its first league title since 1960, has the best RPI at No. 24, but it is uncertain whether the Bears will receive an at-large bid if they don't win the conference tournament. No other Pac-10 team is in the top 50. Washington (RPI of 64) has been a major disappointment after being ranked in the Top 15 in the pre-season.

Many people thought Michigan State had enough to return to the Final Four for the second straight year, but the Spartans have confounded the experts as well as coach Tom Izzo. Losers of four of their last six games, the Spartans (21-7) need a win tomorrow over Purdue to stay in the mix for first place in the Big Ten. Their best player, Kalin Lucas, still is not in top shape since suffering an ankle injury. Izzo is at a loss to explain this mysterious slump. "I don't have a good reason," he said.

Attention, Kansas fans and Carolina haters: The Jayhawks are closing the gap on the Tar Heels - led by former KU coach Roy Williams - in the race to become the second team in college basketball history to reach 2,000 wins. The Tar Heels lead, 1,998-1,997, but have tough road games at Wake Forest and Duke coming up. If the Jayhawks can win their last three regular-season games, they'll get to 2,000 first and join Kentucky at that milestone. Which leaves KU coach Bill Self, well, perplexed. "Who really cares about that?" he said. "It doesn't mean anything."

Kentucky at Tennessee, noon: The Volunteers have been reeling lately, but nothing would put them in better spirits for a post-season run than a win over the Wildcats.

Arizona State at California, 3 p.m., Comcast Network: A victory enables the Bears to gain at least a share of the Pac-10 championship, a title they haven't won since 1960.

Kansas at Oklahoma State, 4 p.m., CBS3: Let's see if the Jayhawks have one more clutch performance in them on the road to burnish their No. 1 ranking.

New Mexico at Brigham Young, 4 p.m., Versus: Coach Steve Alford quietly has put the Lobos in prime position to win the Mountain West regular-season title and make noise in the NCAAs.

Villanova at Syracuse, 9 p.m., ESPN, ESPN-AM (950): The game you circled as soon as the Big East schedule was released last September, and you have a feeling it will match the hype.

Richmond at Xavier, 1 p.m., ESPN2: Can the Spiders spin their defensive web strong enough to slow down the high-powered Musketeers and continue with a share of the Atlantic 10 lead?

Temple at La Salle, 2 p.m., WHAT-AM (1340): The Owls can finish unbeaten in the City Series for the first time since 1987-88 and, oh yeah, stay in the hunt for the A-10 regular-season title.

Louisville at Connecticut, 2 p.m., CBS3: The Huskies continue their frantic run to the NCAA tournament; the Cardinals are still alive for the Big East tournament double bye.

Michigan State at Purdue, 4 p.m., CBS3: The Spartans need a good road win to feel better about themselves, while the Boilermakers must get accustomed to life without Robbie Hummel.

Georgetown at West Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN: The Mountaineers would seem to have the inside track to a Big East double bye but have been struggling lately on offense.

Villanova at Cincinnati, 7 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN-AM (950): The Bearcats are more desperate, are at home, and could give the Wildcats problems with their deliberate half-court style.

Vanderbilt at Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN: The Gators are making a late bid to secure an NCAA berth, and a win over the 16th-ranked Commodores would help.

Kansas State at Kansas, 8 p.m.: The Wildcats fell just short in overtime in a Jan. 30 classic, and you know they'll play the rematch oblivious to the Jayhawks' 58-game home winning streak.

Temple at Saint Louis, 8 p.m., ESPN-AM (950): The Owls will have a difficult time with the Billikens, whose 6-1 home record includes wins over Richmond, Rhode Island and Dayton.

Duke at Maryland, 9 p.m., ESPN: The Terrapins, one game behind Duke in the ACC entering the weekend, would love to go into this game with a shot at earning a tie for first place. - Joe Juliano

1. Kansas

2. Kentucky

3. Purdue

4. Syracuse

5. Duke

6. Kansas State

7. Villanova

8. Ohio State

9. New Mexico

10. Georgetown.