Full-Court Press, Jan. 31

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

Wednesday night was a major barometer for the two remaining undefeated teams in the country, Memphis and Kansas, as both of them were heading on the road to face conference contenders. Only one came out alive. The top-ranked Tigers went into Houston and knocked off the Cougars, 89-77. The No. 2 Jayhawks were not as lucky. Kansas traveled to Manhattan to face-off against a hot Kansas State that was undefeated in Big 12 play. For the first time in 25 years, the Wildcats were able to beat KU in Manhattan, defeating the Jayhawks 84-75 in a game they were in control of throughout. The loss left Memphis as the only undefeated team in the country, while KSU's win solidified its spot among the Big 12 favorites and could be the win the Wildcats need to make a push towards March. On the flip side, Kansas faithful were left stunned by the loss in the Sunflower Showdown.

Other news and notes from around the country:

- Kansas State knocked off Kansas despite the fact starting forward Andre Gilbert was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. (Associated Press)

- Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon will play Thursday despite injuring his wrist during practice on Monday. (Indianapolis Star)

- St. John's suffered its worst Big East loss ever in the Red Storm's 74-42 defeat at home against Georgetown. (Newsday)

- Clark Kellogg breaks the national title contenders into two groups, with four in the first group and five in the second -- no sign of Tennessee. (CBS Sports)

- With just six scholarship players left on the roster, Syracuse is going to need to fight through fatigue and persevere in order to win in the Big East. (Syracuse Post-Standard)

- UCLA junior point guard Darren Collison is beginning to return to the form that made him an All-American last year. (Los Angeles Times)

- With coach Bob Huggins facing his former team, West Virginia shot 20 percent from the field and lost by 23 at home to Cincinnati. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

- One of the keys to Kentucky's resurgence is forward Perry Stevenson's turnaround from soft freshman to tough sophomore. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

- Other Kentucky news: Joe Crawford hasn't practiced all week and will likely miss Saturday's game against Grgia. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

- Arizona sophomore forward Chase Budinger has continued to put up great offensive numbers, but his defense and ability to play in the half-court are much improved. (Rivals.com)

- Although they don't get as much publicity as Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, and others, Jerryd Bayless and James Harden are among five frosh you should get to know. (Sporting News)