The Bulls pulled off something extraordinary against Central Michigan, managing to squeeze out a one-point victory despite a negative efficiency margin, scoring less than 1 point per offensive possession and giving up more than 1 point per defensive possession. It was probably the 58.3% effective field goal percentage that pulled them through. Sunday's date at Worthern Arena could make or break their quest for a championship banner.

This week: @Eastern Michigan (Thursday), @Ball State (Sunday)

The RedHawk defense continues to be suffocating. Their "worst" effort against the West so far is Eastern Michigan, a game in which they allowed the Eagles to torch the nets to the tune of .826 D-PPP. A slight misstep in offensive efficiency didn't stop them from winning in Savage Arena Saturday. Not that it is Charlie Coles' style, but perhaps some of these romps could be used to lighten the load for Michael Bramos or Tyler Dierkers. A little more rest never hurt anyone in March.

This week: @Central Michigan (Tuesday), Western Michigan (Saturday)

Quietly, the Zips have won six in a row and are creeping into the top 100 in some ranking systems. Akron continues to destroy West defenses, putting up glitzy 1.114 and 1.162 O-PPP numbers against Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, respectively. The defense continues to be stalwart as well. They have kept everyone in the MAC at less than 1 D-PPP..

This week: Ball State (Wednesday), @Northern Illinois (Sunday)

First in the West still gets you a bye in Cleveland. The defense did not manage the same success last week that they had against Ohio, and the offense could not pick up the slack. Still, a properly motivated Cardinals squad could catch Buffalo at home on an off day.

This week: @Akron (Wednesday), Buffalo (Sunday)

The defense did not get on the bus to Mt. Pleasant, but the offense carried the day and avoided a costly loss for the bye-seeking Falcons. Considering the otherwise sterling play BG has turned in the last several games on the defensive end, that one can be written off. The Battle of Wood and Lucas Counties looms next. After Eastern Michigan, the schedule looks daunting. Louis Orr will have to find his team another level of play if they want to be a factor late in the month.

This week: @Toledo (Wednesday), Eastern Michigan (Sunday)

The Golden Flashes can keep their streak of 20 wins alive merely by winning out. Barring that, they'll need at least a couple wins in Cleveland and probably a run at one of the postseason tournaments. Fans have started talking about how Geno Ford finally has his charges playing "Kent State basketball," but they're a few games too late. The signs have been there since the Bowling Green game. The defense has been good for the entire conference season, but it's the offense that hasn't been able to keep up its end of the bargain. That's likely to still be the case once intradivision plays starts back up, but to blame a mediocre season on Ford is way off the mark. He's doing the best he can with limited resources.

This week: @Northern Illinois (Tuesday), Central Michigan (Saturday)

The Bobcats finally turned in a complete game against Northern Illinois and ran the Huskies right out of Athens. The offense struggled a bit against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, however, so they're not out of the woods yet. Jerome Tillman, for his part, regained his Player of the Year form, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on the week. Senior Justin Orr has improved his play of late as well, something Ohio needs if they want to make a run in the last third of the season.

This week: @Western Michigan (Wednesday), Toledo (Saturday)

David Kool is bringing it game after game and Shawntes Gary is giving consistent production. After that, it's virtually an abyss. Lack of depth, especially in the frontcourt, is killing the Broncos. Steve Hawkins' promised lineup changes will probably bring little change, but the return of Donald Lawson against Miami may bring some much-needed stability and performance in the paint. Lawson certainly can't make it worse.

This week: Ohio (Wednesday), @Miami (Saturday)

The Chippewas have managed to be competitive, something the teams below them on this list can't really claim. It's not hard to think Central would have been a threat, if not the best team, in the West with the services of Chris Kellermann and Marko Spica. Aside from the clunker at Akron, Ernie Zeigler has to be encouraged with his team's play, especially on the offensive end. This is an improving team.

This week: Miami (Tuesday), @Kent State (Saturday)

Huskie fans are already unhappy with Ricardo Patton's tenure and it's hard to blame them. NIU is getting waxed on a regular basis in all facets of the game. Players look like they're working in a salt mine, not playing basketball. Patton himself wears a mask of disgust. Is it at himself or his team? Hard to say.

This week: Kent State (Tuesday), Akron (Sunday)

At least with Bowling Green coming to town, they have something to play for. The Rockets sold a lot of season tickets based on the renovation of Savage. How many of them will be renewing for 2009-10?

This week: Bowling Green (Wednesday), @Ohio (Saturday)

The effort, at least, is still there, so the Eagles get credit for that much. Since winning against Central Michigan (their only D-I victory), they've managed to keep the scoring margin within single digits once. Brandon Bowdry might want to see a chiropractor after the season is over. Carrying this load on his shoulders must be painful.

This week: Buffalo (Thursday), @Bowling Green (Sunday)