College basketball has been especially erratic this season, with teams in the top 10 switching spots as if they were playing musical chairs.

So who is streaking towards a top seed in March Madness, and who is fading quicker than Ben Affleck’s acting career (Oscar win for “Good Will Hunting” followed notoriously by the horror of “Gigli”)? Let’s get to this week’s AP rankings.

1. SYRACUSE. The Orange vaulted over Kansas this week after dispatching Villanova in impressive fashion on Saturday, 95-77. Jim Boeheim’s team has excellent depth which should allow them to go deep in the big dance, with POY candidate Wesley Johnson teaming with 3-point artist Andy Rautins and big-bodied Kris Joseph. Five players are averaging more than ten PPG, so it’s clear that Syracuse can beat you in any number of ways. Credit must also be given to the team that can survive and conquer the Big East, the deepest and most talented conference in college basketball (9 teams could legitimately make the tournament). Personally, I can’t help but root for Syracuse, as they have two of my favorite names in NCAAB right now, Scoop Jardine and Mookie Jones. And hey, that has to count for something.

2. KANSAS. They weren’t in Kansas anymore. Saturday’s trip to Oklahoma State proved fatal for the Jayhawks, as they couldn’t overcome the Cowboys’ three-point barrage and were upset 85-77, losing the #1 ranking in the process. Not only that, but Kansas faces a veritable murderer’s row of opponents this week as well, going against #5 Kansas St. at home on Wednesday followed by traveling to dangerous Missouri on Saturday, where the Tigers have won 35 of their last 36 games. This streak includes a 62-60 win over Kansas last season, and the Jayhawks need to look out for a tough matchup against their bitter rival.

3. KENTUCKY. There is a youth movement going on in Lexington, Kentucky. John Calipari’s arrival in Lexington has allowed the program to attract the best recruiting class in the nation last year, and freshmen John Wall and Demarcus Cousins have both played themselves into National Player of the Year talks. Wall has (deservingly so) attracted the most attention from the sports media, putting up an impressive 16.8 PPG and 6.2 APG to lead the Wildcats’ lethal offensive attack. Wall and Calipari have had squabbles on the sidelines in numerous games this season, but if the team keeps winning that shouldn’t be too much of a concern. Cousins provides the inside presence that is so valuable in the college game, turning in 16.2 PPG as well as a monstrous 10.3 RPG to go along with it. It’ll be interesting to see how Kentucky reacts to a shocking loss to Bruce Pearl’s equally shocking orange blazer and #16 Tennessee. The team’s skill players are very young, so it is unknown how they will react to the pressures of the NCAA tournament. My prediction? Christian Laettner will hit another buzzer-beater to beat them in the final four (don’t say I didn’t see this coming).

4. DUKE. I think the Duke Blue Devils are in for a surprise. The Dukies are ranked #4, but they really haven’t earned it. They’ve beaten up punching bags in the listless ACC, accumulating few (if any) quality wins. More than that, 53.3 points per game come from either Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, or Kyle Singler, meaning that if any one of those players slumps or gets injured they are in a colossal heap of trouble. A team can’t win it all with three quality scorers and no depth, as Duke will soon find out. They have no inside presence, and depend on three-pointers for the vast majority of their scoring. So will I count on them to make a run? Thanks, but no thanks. Unless Carlos Boozer or Shelden Williams finds a fountain of youth the Dukies look primed to be upset early.

5. KANSAS STATE. If it weren’t for The New Mexico Lobos Kansas St. would undoubtedly be the surprise of the top 10. Frank Martin’s Wildcats have extremely overachieved this season, and could win itself a #1 seed this season with a win on Wednesday at #2 Kansas. Jacob “The Bearded One” Pullen is probably the best pure scorer in the Big 12, and Denis Clemente has electrifying speed and can efficiently run an offense. They also have some inside scoring, with Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly both putting up more than 11 PPG. Kansas St. is still underappreciated by the news media, but if Pullen and Clemente stay hot in March the Wildcats could make a significant run.

6. OHIO STATE. Goodbye, Robbie Hummel. Hello, Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship. Purdue’s loss of Hummel coupled with Michigan State’s steady decline has allowed Ohio State to climb the rankings. Evan Turner is perhaps the best player in college basketball and a threat for a triple double every night, bringing 19.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 5.9 APG to the table for the Buckeyes. Jon Diebler is also a sophomore with a great shooter’s touch, but I don’t think Ohio State has enough depth to make it past the Sweet Sixteen. The Buckeyes only have one game remaining against bubble-laden Illinois to prepare for the Big Ten Tournament.

7. PURDUE. Robbie Hummel tore his ACL. And then the whole world ended. This is how I perceive a Boilermaker fan’s mindset to be at this state, as the multitalented Junior went down and Purdue immediately put up a pitiful 44 points in a home loss to #11 Michigan State the game after. It can’t really be understated how bad of a loss this is. This is comparable to if the US speed-skating relay team lost Apolo Ohno, or if Tom Hanks dropped out of playing Forrest Gump in favor of Nicholas Cage. E’Twaun Moore and Jajuan Johnson will have to shoulder even more of the load, and judging by their Michigan State collapse I don’t think they can handle it. The good news for Boilermaker fans? They still are leagues better than the Indiana “New Jersey Nets of College Basketball” Hoosiers. Yeah, I went there.

8. NEW MEXICO. Remember when I predicted that the New Mexico Lobos would be #8 in the Country on March 1st? No? Well, that’s because it never happened. The Lobos are the Cinderellas of college basketball, led by former Indiana Hoosier player and University of Iowa head coach Steve Alford. New Mexico is 27-3 overall and 13-2 in the Mountain West Conference, and are coming off an exhilarating 83-81 win against #14 BYU. Effectively New Mexico is this year’s George Mason, a team with no buzz but a lot of heart. They are literally the only athletic thing worth watching in the state of New Mexico.

9. VILLANOVA. Oh, what a difference a month makes. On February 1st the Wildcats were 19-1, and had accrued big wins against Marquette, Louisville, Georgetown, and Notre Dame. And now look at them. Villanova has gone 4-4 since that point, including 1-3 against ranked opponents. ‘Nova has been exploited for having weaknesses in the low post, and they will most likely be exploited for that come tournament time. That is, unless Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher get hot. The two experienced guards are perhaps the best scoring tandem in the country, penetrating with consistency and hitting shots in clutch moments. If Villanova wants to get on fire in March Reynolds and Fisher will need to provide the spark.

10. WEST VIRGINIA. I really like West Virginia, even if their fans don’t feel the same way about opposing coaches. They have four players averaging more than 10 PPG, and they haven’t had any really damaging losses. Their top three scorers are big men, meaning that they can score inside, but they also have wingmen that can shoot the three. More than anything, this team is athletic, with players such as Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks that can stretch the court and run the fast break. In just two seasons in Morganstown Bob Huggins has elevated WVU to a top-tier program that is slowly becoming a recruiting juggernaut. Enough can’t be said about the job he’s done; the only question is whether West Virginia’s young talent has the maturity to finish the job in the tourney.