Five Rising

Fullerton State: The Titans are now 8-3 after winning five in a row. It’s their longest winning streak since 2007-08, when they qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State: The Purple Popguns are a reflection of their coach, Frank Martin. That is, tough and angry. They bullied everyone in Honolulu to win the Rainbow Classic (some people refer to it as the Diamond Head Classic).

LSU: More than a few LSU fans were wondering about coach Trent Johnson, but something has obviously changed. The big signal was the upset win over Marquette in Baton Rouge last week. Beyond that, however, they are 9-3, have won six in a row and have won three true road games (not many BCS teams even play that many).

Southern Mississippi: The Fightin’ Favres are 10-2 and just whipped three BCS schools: Mississippi, Arizona State and South Florida. One of their losses was a double-overtime thriller against Murray State in the final of the Great Alaska Shootout.

Virginia Commonwealth: I was really down on the Rams after a dismal showing in the Charleston tournament over Thanksgiving. They got blown out by Seton Hall, lost to a Georgia Tech team that’s really down, then salvaged the seventh-place game by beating Western Kentucky (another team in a down cycle). Since then? They’ve won seven of eight (the only loss at Alabama) and are on a six-game winning streak. Strike up the pep band.

Five Falling:

George Washington: The Colonials have lost six straight including three home games for first-year coach Mike Lonergan. Who knew it was easier to win at Vermont?

Illinois: The Fighting Illini stepped up in competition with neutral site games vs. Vegas and Missouri and lost both. Not sure they’re going to measure up against really good teams.

Niagara: Joe Mihalich is a Sully’s Court favorite for his uptempo style and easy-going demeanor, but things have gone drastically wrong. The Purple Eagles have lost five of six with the only win over winless Hartford.

Texas A&M: The Aggies had been ranked since early in the season but had a tough week, losing to Florida and Rice. The loss to Rice broke a 67-game home-court winning streak against non-conference opponents

Xavier: Suspensions stemming from the brawl with Cincinnati have the potential to ruin the whole season for X, which staggered to a seventh-place finish in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.

This week’s George Mason (best mid-major): Murray State. Can the Racers go undefeated?

This week’s Final Four: North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri

This week’s national champion: North Carolina