Going into Wednesday, we had two undefeated teams in the NCAA: Kansas and Memphis. That evening, things changed.

Thanks to the Kansas State Wildcats lead by freshman Michael Beasley, Kansas suffered its first lost all season after suffering from a score of 84-75. The loss gave Kansas State its first win at home against the Jayhawks in 24 years.

"I know it means a lot around the city, people at the school," said Beasley, "but it's just a game to me."

Kansas State’s freshmen crew put on a show, as Beasley scored 25 points while guard Jacob Pullen added 20 and forward Bill Walker compiled 22. The Wildcats had the momentum throughout the whole game, and Beasley helped give his team the edge in the second half after scoring just eight points before intermission. He was also a perfect 4-4 from three-point range. The victory ensured the Wildcats the #1 position in the Big 12 standings. However, there was much more than just standings involved, as Kansas had won the previous 35 out of 36 meetings between the two teams. For Kansas State’s head coach Frank Martin, this win was not only a victory, but a statement as well.

"I'm tired of people calling our guards raggedy," Martin said. "It (bothers) me when I continue to hear people say our guards are inferior to other people's guards. They played like grown men today and we didn't turn it over and we made plays to win."

This wasn’t the only cross-town rivalry that caused jaws to drop on Wednesday night. The Texas A&M Aggies, who went into the game ranked at the #23 spot, disappointed the Texas Longhorns (#10) with an 80-63 upset. Josh Carter set the tone for the Aggies with 19 points and 10 rebounds. After suffering from devastating losses against both Kansas State and Baylor, the Aggies needed the win to gain back some momentum.

"This helps a lot ," Carter said of the win. "I think some of us lost some confidence with the losses."

A&M was phenomenal throughout, shooting 64% in the first half. Texas never managed to gain a lead, and at one point they trailed by as much as 22 points. The Longhorns finished the game shooting just 34% from the field.

"There was no point in time that I think we guarded them," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "We didn't deserve to win that one in any shape, form or fashion."

The Aggies’ defense also managed to shutdown Texas superstars D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Augustin finished with just 14 points, while Abrams managed just 8. Dexter Pittman also added 14.

These two shocking upsets will no doubt shuffle up the rankings. While Memphis has secured the #1 spot for now, teams such as Duke and North Carolina, who meet next week, will definitely be moving up the ladder.

Guessing who will qualify for the upcoming tournament this March is difficult. Trying to figure out which teams will make it to the end is even harder.

The NCAA tournament that is set to begin on March 18th is shaping up to be very exciting. With several teams still undefeated, it is hard to determine who will be favored and who will be the underdog. Going into January 17, there were ten teams that had either one or no losses. This may leave many fans pondering over which clubs will succeed all the way through the bracket.

It would be hard to imagine #1 North Carolina getting eliminated any time before the Final Four. With a strong starting lineup and much depth on the bench, head coach Roy Williams has every reason to believe that his organization has what it takes to compete. Though the team has struggled recently against both Georgia Tech and Clemson, throughout the season they have demonstrated nothing but dominance. There is no question that the heart of their club centers around junior Tyler Hansbrough, who has been able excel defensively in the post (10 rebounds/game) and serve as a scoring threat (21.6 points/game) at the same time. Sophomore guard Ty Lawson as also made significant offensive contributions, and expecting this team to play in the national championship would not at all be considered outlandish.

The Memphis Tigers also have much to look forward to, as their performance this season has been nothing short of superb. Many critics believe that the Tigers would not be doing so well if it wasn’t for their easy schedule; so far, they have only competed against two ranked clubs. Needless to say, they have manhandled the opposition, winning by less than 5 points on just one occasion. Freshman Derrick Rose out of Chicago, Illinois, has been a surprise superstar for the team, and watching them progress through the tournament could be very entertaining.

Though Kansas and UCLA are the next two ranked teams, the March tournament gives everyone a fresh start, which is why Duke may be the club to emerge as the next participant in the Final Four. Their only loss came in overtime against the Pittsburgh Panthers, but other than that the Blue Devils have shown that they are capable of succeeding. Coach Mike Krzyzewski knows that he has much to look forward to in Greg Paulus, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, DeMarcus Nelson, and Gerald Henderson. However, the Blue Devils are young, so experience may hurt them down the stretch.

The sleeper pick for the Final Four has to be the Texas Longhorns. Surprisingly, the Longhorns were stunned by Missouri earlier this week when they were defeated by a score of 97-84. Though this loss was unfortunate, keep in mind that Texas has still been able to contend even after losing superstar Kevin Durant. Both A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin have exceeded beyond their expectations, and it would not be surprising to see these two athletes carry the Longhorns to the Final Four.

It was hard for fans to imagine that North Carolina would finish the season undefeated. It was even harder picturing them lose to the Maryland Terrapins.

The Terrapins put up one of the biggest upsets in recent NCAA history when they served the Tar Heels their first loss of the season.

"It didn't feel real, man," senior forward Bambale Osby said. "It was like, 'Did this really just happen?'

A final score of 82-80, North Carolina fell to 18-1 while Maryland improved to 12-7. Probably the most disappointing game all season, what’s even more puzzling is the fact that the Tar Heels managed to suffer their first loss on their own turf.

Osby hit a lay up with just 21 seconds left in regulation to give Maryland an 82-80 lead. James Gist also finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. It was the first time that Maryland had beaten the Tar Heels on their home court in roughly five years.

"I think our players really believed that if we could execute really good on offense, we had a chance to win the game," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

What’s interesting is the fact that the Tar Heels are coming off of two close games that they managed to come out on top. Just two weeks ago, Wayne Ellington hit a three-pointer with just seconds left to defeat Clemson 90-88. Last week, they battled it out against Georgia Tech and managed to win by just one point. This time, the Tar Heels weren’t so lucky.

At the end of the game, Ellington missed a three-pointer and Tyler Hansbrough threw up a prayer with seconds remaining. After that, the Terrapins stormed the court in excitement. The Tar Heels finished shooting just 38% from the field, an atrocious figure in Coach Roy Williams’ mind.

"I haven't done a very good job with this basketball team the last couple of weeks," Williams said. "We've been living on the edge, and it caught up with us today."

Maryland had three players with double figures in scoring, while Tyler Hansbrough led the Tar Heels with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Hansbrough did get knocked around a bit and went just 6-15 from the field. While the game went back and forth towards the end, Maryland managed to secure the victory.

With the loss, the rankings have no doubt been shuffled a bit. North Carolina fell to #5 in the AP Top 25 and #4 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Kansas and Memphis are the two only undefeated teams remaining. The Tar Heels can look forward to their rival match up against the Duke Blue Devils, which takes place on February 6.

Every year, the Duke Blue Devils emerge as one of NCAA’s most fierce competitors, as they are historically one of the best College Basketball teams. While this year is no different, it appears that the analysts are somewhat uncertain of the Blue Devils’ presence across the league.

In the AP Top 25, Duke is ranked #9 overall. In the ESPN/USA polls, the Blue Devils sit at the #7 spot. Though two positions may not seem like a lot, when dealing within the top 10 teams in the country, every step higher counts.

So why the discrepancy? The Blue Devils suffered a disheartening loss earlier in the season against Levance Fields and the Pittsburgh Panthers. With just seconds left in overtime, Fields hit a three-pointer and helped his team secure a 65-64 victory. Fields had been turning the ball over at crucial times all night, but the Blue Devils were unable to capitalize. With just seconds left in regulation, the Blue Devils even had the opportunity to come away with the victory, but they were unable to hit on two easy field goals.

With just one loss this season, it has to be disappointing for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his club when they look at the rankings and see themselves as low as #9. With 4 undefeated teams currently remaining in the NCAA, it is going to be hard for the Blue Devils to climb back up the rankings ladder. However, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of competing with teams like North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas.

There is no question that the core of their team is junior guard Greg Paulus. Though the numbers may not say much, Paulus is by far the most important factor of the Duke equation. He provides the energy and passion, not to mention that he is an exceptional leader. The best way to describe him is as a modern-day John Stockton; he can shoot, pass, and penetrate, making the opposition uncertain of his next move.

Next is sophomore Gerald Henderson. Currently averaging roughly 13 point per game, this young athlete can score both from the post and the perimeter, making him a known threat on the court. He has been utilized as a guard and forward and has been an integral part of the Blue Devils’ success. Henderson is also complemented by senior guard DeMarcus Nelson. Nelson averages about 14 points each game, but he can also contribute down low as he grabs almost 7 rebounds/game as well.

It doesn’t end there. Freshman Kyle Singler and junior Jon Scheyer are also noted for their production. A combination of all the players mentioned above explain why Duke is 12-1 overall, hoping to reach the top in the competitive ACC. The team gets a shot at #1 North Carolina on February 6th, and it will be very exciting to see how the young Blue Devils perform against the nation’s best ball club.