As tournament time approaches, a shift in the power structure in Conference USA men's basketball can be felt.
Alabama-Birmingham and North Carolina Charlotte are hot. Tulane and Louisville are not.
Cincinnati is still the favorite for the conference championship and a lock for the tournament, but still is a disappointment considering preseason talk of a national title for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats (19-5 overall, 7-1 C-USA) are still going strong, but they dropped a home game 97-83 to a scorching South Carolina team.
"Well, they made every shot, that was the problem," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "They got us spread out and they were able to penetrate."
Beyond all expectations, UNC Charlotte (17-6, 8-3) has won five in a row after knocking off has-been Marquette Saturday to keep ahead of Louisville in the white division.
With forward DeMarco Johnson and point guard Sean Colson, the 49ers have two players who are potential future NBA draft picks.
But don't talk about "Cinderella teams" to 49ers coach Melvin Watkins.
"All that is is talk," he said. "Whatever the pollsters say, it doesn't mean anything unless you let it mean something."
But if those accolades include an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, expect Watkins to change his tune.
Carlos Williams has been the key for UAB. The 6-foot-7-inch senior forward is winning a lot of games without any notable help from his teammates. (Remember the 69-66 win over Houston Jan. 11?)
Williams is averaging 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds on the season, but is averaging 25.3 points and 11.6 rebounds during the Blazers' (15-10, 6-5) three-game winning streak. (The Blazers played Marquette Monday night after this story went to press.)
In a 64-61 win at Tulane Thursday, Williams had 30 points and 11 rebounds.
UAB coach Murry Bartow said Williams' defense is as good as his offense.
"He's a very athletic defender. He'll get steals. He gets his hands on a lot of balls. He is an aggressive rebounder."
Williams is the key to how well the Blazers play, Bartow said.
"When we started off conference play 1-4, he wasn't playing very well."
Since playing well down the stretch after a rough start won't guarantee any postseason play (see 1995-96 Houston Cougars), the Blazers would probably have to win the tournament to get into the NCAA tournament. But UAB is a dangerous opponent that can knock off one or two of the big-name teams.
Which brings us to Tulane, losers of four straight and their AP Top 25 ranking.
The Green Wave (16-9, 7-3) won 11 in a row to get into the top 25, but lost both of its games last week to unranked UAB and Memphis - at home.
"Against Memphis, I just thought we wanted to win the game so bad we forgot to play," Tulane coach Perry Clark said.
"What we have to do right now is clean up (turnovers) and give our defense a chance to do its job without giving up easy layups."
Louisville (19-5, 6-3) broke a three-game losing streak with a 70-66 win at Houston Saturday, but isn't playing as well as Cardinals coach Denny Crum would like.
"I don't think we played great at Houston," Crum said, "but anytime you can win on the road you have to be happy with that.
"I told my players I wasn't as concerned about winning and losing right now as I was about their mental approach."
OK, everyone: Concentrate. Think the ball. Be the ball.
Game of the Week
UAB at UNC Charlotte, 1 p.m. Sunday.
It's not nationally televised, but the Louisville vs. Marquette game 8:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN will be a real snoozer the way the two teams are playing right now.
The Blazers vs. 49ers match-up features a battle at forward between Carlos Williams and DeMarco Johnson, two of the best forwards in the league.
With both teams on a roll and looking at potential postseason play (much more likely in the 49ers case), this game is a must-win for both teams.