While we have been treated to a number of top ranked teams going down unexpectantly to unranked opponents and an inordinate amount of teams losing on last second buzzer beaters, nothing compares to the drama and excitement that goes down during the NCAA’s annual Rivalry Week.

Even though the many upcoming conference realignments may threaten to destroy the sometimes near century long rivalries between teams like Missouri/Kansas and West Virginia/Pittsburgh, many new conference tilts will emerge once teams like Syracuse, UConn, and Texas A&M make there move to the ACC and SEC respectively over the next few seasons.

Here are some of the key contests on ESPN during Rivalry Week Feb 6th-13th:

UConn vs (25)Louisville – Monday @7PM on ESPN

(11)Florida vs (1)Kentucky – Tuesday @7PM on ESPN

(14)Georgetown vs (2)Syracuse – Wednesday @7Pm on ESPN

(8)Kansas vs (6)Baylor – Wednesday @7PM on ESPN2

(5)Duke vs (6)North Carolina – Wednesday @9PM on ESPN

(16)St. Mary’s vs Gonzaga – Thursday @11PM on ESPN2

UConn vs (2)Syracuse – Saturday @1PM on CBS

(10)Michigan State vs (3)Ohio State – Saturday @6PM on ESPN

(1)Kentucky vs Vanderbilt – Saturday @9PM on ESPN

(8)Kansas vs Kansas State – Monday Feb 13th @9PM on ESPN

Check Out ESPN’s Rivalry Week Promo:

Davis took the first step in making history by setting the single season blocked shots mark for a freshman in another blowout win for the Wildcats over SEC rival South Carolina. By posting yet another fantastic stat line Saturday consisting of 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 blocks, he passed future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s single season SEC freshman mark of 115 blocked shots, while at LSU.

With 7 regular season games remaining, Davis still has an outside shot of breaking Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado’s SEC record of 170 blocks, and even the 182 block NCAA mark in a season set by Hassan Whiteside of Marshall 2 seasons ago.

In addition to blocked shots, Davis is approaching several other Kentucky single season milestones like potentially becoming the first UK player since Kenny “Sky” Walker in ’84-’85 to average double digit rebounds per game. Davis’ current mark of 10.1 boards per contest would be the 3rd highest since Jim Andrews average 12.4 rebounds in ’72-’73.

Davis has tallied double-digit rebounds in 10 games this season. He’s grabbed at least 15 rebounds on three occasions, highlighted by a career-high 18 rebounds against Chattanooga. Davis’ 11 double-doubles this season are fourth most by a freshman in UK history. Just three UK players have averaged at least nine rebounds per game in the last 26 seasons, the last being DeMarcus Cousins’ 9.8 per game in ’09-’10.

Additionally, with another impressive 9 for 10 shooting game against the Gamecocks, Davis is now shooting an unbelievable .663% from the field. That mark would set an all-time Wildcat record for shooting proficiency considering the current record is held by Michael Bradley, who shot .657% during the ’88-’89 season.

Faithful supporters of Big Blue Nation should enjoy watching Davis while they can since he is already projected as a consensus Top 3 pick in most Mock Drafts. There’s no doubting he will be severely tested this upcoming week against SEC rival big men Patric Young of Florida, Festus Ezeli of Vanderbilt, and Arnett Moultrie and Reynardo Sidney of Mississippi State.

Check out highlights of Davis’ Record Setting Block:

While the win may have officially been the coming out party for Oklahoma State’s fabulous freshman LeBryan Nash, who tallied a career high 27 points, it was the rather odd circumstance surrounding Nash’s teammate Markel Brown’s ejection that may be most interesting about the win.

This season, Brown has earned a reputation for being one of the country’s best dunkers, in addition to being a Top 5 scorer for the Cowboys. In the early minutes of the game against Missouri, Brown drove to the free throw line a rose up for a one-handed dunk that would arguably make even MJ proud. But to his team’s dismay, Brown insisted on staring down and jawing at Mizzou players, earning a dreaded technical foul.

No harm, no foul, right? Nowadays, it appears everyone gets a tech for taunting after a highlight reel dunk. Apparently it didn’t faze his Cowboy teammates as they took it to NCAA POY candidate Marcus Denmon and Co, to the tune of a 7 point win, furthering the distance between the Tigers and the Big 12 leading Kansas Jayhawks.

In one of the more entertaining moments of the game, OK State point guard Keiton Page threw a lob to Brown running the baseline, resulting in one of the most vicious poster dunks you will see in college basketball all season. But apparently Brown isn’t a quick learner as he promptly stared daggers and jawed at Missouri PG Flip Pressey, earning yet another tech from the officials, followed by a subsequent ejection, because it was his 2nd technical of the game.

Some people will never learn…

Markel Brown’s Amazing Dunk and Ejection:

Syracuse came into the game a perfect 20-0 for the first time in school history, but coach Mike Brey used a deft ball control offense and pinpoint passing to dissect the vaunted Syracuse zone to shock the #1 ranked team, giving coach Boeheim and the Orangemen their first loss on the season.

Prior to the game, prized sophomore big man Fab Melo had been ruled ineligible due to an undisclosed academic issue, and will miss at least one more game against Cincinnati on Monday night. In his 2nd season, the prized 7 footer had lost weight and become a defensive stalwart, averaging 7.2 ppg, 5.6 rebounds, and 3 blocks, in anchoring Cuse’s 2-3 zone.

Without Melo, ND’s 6’9 and 250lb big man Jack Cooley dominated the inside, notching a game best 17 points and 10 boards along with 2 blocks, helping the Irish to a 38-25 rebounding advantage. Prior to this season, Cooley had been known as a look-a-like to former Irish great Luke Harangody but has come into his own averaging 10.7 ppg, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in his junior campaign.

Irish freshman Pat Connaughton was also huge, knocking down several key 3 pointers, mostly with the shot clock under 3 seconds to help Notre Dame take control early. Syracuse was led by James Southerland’s 15 pts, Dion Waiters’ 11 pts, and Kris Joseph with 12 points and 5 rebounds, but the Orange shot just 34% from the field. Back-courtmates Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche combined for only 8 points and 8 assists. Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, older brother of future Syracuse commit Jerami Grant, also was key, chipping in 11 points and 6 assists.

We all know about the mystique surrounding the luck of the Irish, but Notre Dame just seems to have a knack for knocking off top ranked teams as they now sport an impressive 8-3 career mark playing against the #1 ranked team in the country.

Notre Dame Shocks Unbeaten Syracuse:

Most experts agree that North Carolina and Duke are the class of the ACC this season, with a plethora of teams like Virginia, NC State, and Maryland, with the return of Howard and Len, battling it out for 3rd place in the conference.

But over the last week, the Florida State Seminoles are serving notice that they may very well be, not only 3rd best, but possible contenders for the conference title after defeating UNC, Maryland, and now Duke in consecutive league games.

As if last weekend’s shocking blowout win over the Tarheels wasn’t surprising enough, the Seminoles made another statement Saturday by stunning the Blue Devils 76-73 on a Michael Snaer 3 point buzzer beater, ending the nation’s 2nd longest home win streak.

After Duke freshman Austin Rivers drove the lane and tied the game at 73-73 with only 5 seconds remaining, FSU’s Luke Loucks found former McDonald’s All American Snaer alone in the right corner, who promptly sank the game winner as time expired over Andre Dawkins. It marked only the second time in school history that the Seminoles have beaten both Duke and North Carolina in the same season, the other time coming in 2002.

The win also gives the Seminoles an impressive 4-1 start in ACC play, tying Duke for first place in conference.  Of course they now own a tiebreaker over both Duke and UNC for winning head-to-head match-ups.  On deck for FSU is two contests against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech before another big test against #15 Virginia on February 4th.

FSU Buzzer Beater Stuns Duke:

While most game or quarter ending heaves usually wind up in the stands or clanging off the rim, like former Butler guard Gordon Hayward last second fail in the 2010 NCAA Championship Game, a very select few actually go through the net, to the delight of the electrified crowd in attendance.

In a recent tilt between Fayetteville State and Elizabeth City State, the balance of victory or defeat came down to the game’s final seconds. Fayetteville guard John Herrington was about to become either hero or goat depending on the outcome of his final heave from just beyond half-court.

After an illegal screen, then a potential travel, Herrington’s final 55 foot shot bounced around the rim no less than 5-6 times before tickling the twine, giving Fayetteville State a last second one point victory over ECSU before bedlam ensues inside the raucous Felton J. Capel Arena.

Besides the final shot, check out the janitor in the brown jacket with the broom directly under the basket doing the worst running man dance I’ve ever seen(starting at 0:19) and the two cheerleaders in blue at the right elbow doing something freaky(0:22).

Insane Halfcourt Buzzer Beater:

While his pro career was marred by contract squabbles, domestic violence charges, and injuries, he retired with a 20.7 ppg career scoring average, was one of the game’s best 3 point shooters of his era, and owns an NBA Championship ring as a member of the ’05 San Antonio Spurs.

While at Purdue, he was arguably one of the best players in the history of the Big Ten Conference, notching consecutive seasons of 24.1 ppg as a sophomore, then 30.3 ppg and 11.2 rebounds as a senior, after red-shirting his freshman season. He went on to earn national Player of the Year honors and was the #1 overall NBA Draft pick in 1994. During his junior campaign, he led the nation in scoring and became the Big Ten’s single season points leader with 1,030.

Fast forward more than 15 years after the “Big Dog’s” NCAA debut, and the “Big Puppy” Glenn Robinson III is tearing up the high school ranks in similar fashion to how his father once patrolled the hardwood.

Robinson III is a 6’6 and 200lb small forward in the 2012 Class, who will be heading to the University of Michigan next fall along with fellow Top 50 recruit Mitch McGary. He will potentially join two other players on the Wolverine roster who’s relatives have also played in the NBA in high scoring guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and John Horford, younger brother of Al with the Atlanta Hawks.

Recently at the Brandon Jennings Invitational, held in Milwaukee, Robinson, along with recent Seton Hall signee and event MVP Aquille Carr, and future UNC Tarheel J.P. Tokoto highlighted the event featuring some of the top HS squads and prospects in the country. Robinson dropped 33 points, including a plethora of dazzling dunks…

Glen Robinson III vs JP Tokoto:

To the administration’s credit, they did a great job in finding a suitable replacement in former Texas A&M head man Mark Turgeon, but what was left of the roster which saw the departure of top tier players like Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Jordan Williams to either graduation or the NBA in recent seasons?

This year’s club has gotten off to a better than expected 10-4 start behind the outstanding play of backcourt mates sophomore Terrell Stoglin (21.4 ppg, .429 3 PT%) and senior Sean Mosely (10.4 ppg), in addition to highly touted freshman Nick Faust (7.1 ppg).

But the real key to the Terps competing with some of the top tier teams in the conference will undoubtedly be the return of starting point guard Pe’Shon Howard from injury and finally getting clearance from the NCAA for potential NBA Lottery pick Alex Len.

The 7’1 Len is a native of the Ukraine and was forced to sit out Maryland’s first 10 games amid concerns over his amateur eligibility, similar to Enes Kanter last season at Kentucky. He has been a godsend inside in his 4 games back for the vertically challenged Terps, averaging 13.5 ppg, 8.8 boards. 2.2 blocks, and is shooting nearly 77% from the field.

Also key is the return of last year’s freshman sensation Pe’Shon Howard, who missed significant time due to a broken foot sustained just prior to the start of the season. Losing Howard early was a huge blow for the program, especially since he along with Kevin Durant were one of the highlight reel, stand-out stars of the Goodman League this Summer. He starred at the fabled Oak Hill Academy in HS and already has a game winning shot on his resume from his freshman season. He has averaged 6.8 points and a team high 5.2 assists in his 5 games back from injury.

The Terps were riding a 7 game win streak before falling to NC State 79-74 on Sunday. If they can get more key production from their two newest players, can they become the 3rd best team in the ACC behind UNC and Duke? Surely Virginia, Florida State, and Virginia Tech will have something to say about that by season’s end.

Check out Alex Len Doing Cartwheel Dunks at Midnight Madness:

Here are some of the notable Bruins stats thus far this season:

After a shaky start to the season, UCLA has improved to 9-7 behind their balanced team play of senior Jones Lazeric, sophomores Travis and David Wear, freshman Joshua Smith, and sophomore Tyler Lamb.

Travis Wear scores and great teamwork by the Bruins

As I watched the UCLA v Arizona game, which took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, I could not help but think of how much the Bruins have improved from their awful showing in the Maui Invitational early this season. The game was up-for-grabs for most of it, but the Bruins relied on Travis Wear down the stretch. Travis Wear produced a fantastic game, leading the team in scoring with 20 points, grabbing five rebounds, and also leading the Bruins with three blocked shots in 22 minutes.

In their victories of Arizona and Arizona State, UCLA demonstrated solid teamwork and good Ben Howland-style defense. If UCLA can keep up this type of intensity and effort, they may do better than many expected.

One would think that one of flashiest and most exciting HS players in the game today would relish holding a national press conference to announce his college decision but the rising Class of 2013 junior decided to announce his choice through Twitter by typing two words……..“Seton Hall”.

Getting a commitment from Carr, who arguably has the best handles in HS basketball, is huge for the suddenly surging Pirates program, who have struggled in recent years to compete against the big boys of the Big East Conference like Georgetown, UConn, and Syracuse. Carr will be the biggest recruit to lace them up in South Orange, NJ since the late Eddie Griffin in 2000 became a national sensation.

Carr has been lighting it up for some time for Paterson HS in Baltimore. He draws crowds so large to watch his HS games that he has been dubbed “The Crimestopper” since so many fans come out to watch him play that he effectively lowers the crime rate.

The 5’6 and 140lb junior isn’t just about lightning end-to-end speed and highlight reel ankle-breaking moves but is pound for pound one of the nation’s most prolific scorers as well. He amazingly topped the 1,000 point barrier at Paterson as a sophomore and scored a career high 58 points in a Christmas Tournament in 2010.

He reportedly has a 48 inch vertical leap and even was even rumored to have a $750,000 offer to play professionally in Europe for Brandon Jennings old team Lottomatica Virtus Roma, after averaging 40+ppg in a Summer Tourney in Italy.

It’s great to see a top flight recruit commit to a school other than the usual suspects like Duke, North Carolina, or Kentucky from time to time. By name and YouTube recognition alone, Carr will once again breathe some excitement into the Seton Hall fanbase, helping to remember the glory days of Terry Dehere and coach PJ Carlesimo from the 1989 National Championship Game.

And, oh by the way, the actual reason why Aquille didn’t have a flashy press conference to announce his decision was because he was once again puttin’ in work by dropping 19 points and earning MVP of the 2012 Brandon Jennings Invitational, leading his Paterson teammates to the 1st place crown.

Aquille Carr’s 2011 Mixtape:

Following in the footsteps of this year’s outstanding freshmen class (Gilchrist, Davis, Teague, and Wiltjer), Goodwin is a Top 20 rated combo guard in the mold of Tyreke Evans, the 7 foot Cauley is an elite level shot blocker that also excels on the gridiron, and SF Polythress, who is as athletic as any player in the country, projects as a one-and-done player as an elite level scorer.

Polythress chose the Wildcats over a number of top notch Division I schools like Duke, Florida, and Memphis. He is described as a terrific long armed athlete that does a great job running the floor and attacking the basket on the break and in the half court. He can hit the open three with time and space but he is at his best when getting to the rim, preferring to dunk on opposing players.

After starring for the Georgia Stars AAU squad this Summer alongside fellow Top 20 rated big man Tony Parker, Alex has taken his offensive game to another level in his senior season at Northeast HS in Clarksville, Tennessee as he has already notched numerous 30+ point games in the early going.

He set a career high in scoring 47 points in a game just prior to Christmas, and recently had the best all around game of his young career, consisting of 46 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a 3rd round game of a local Above the Rim Tournament.

Assuming that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist declares early for the 2012 NBA Draft, as he is already projected as a Top 10 pick, Polythress should slide in nicely at the 3 for Big Blue next season.

Check out Alex Polythress at the 2011 Lebron James Skill Academy: