As this college basketball season has played out over the last few months, UConn -- the defending national champs and the No. 1 team in the AP poll for six weeks and counting -- has seemingly separated itself from the rest of the sport as the clear top team. Errr, let me reword that: UConn seemingly had separated itself from everyone else. Until Tuesday.
The mighty Huskies fell face first in fantastic fashion on the road at No. 15 Creighton, 78-54, their first loss in two months that served as a gentle reminder that just when we think we know something in this silly sport, often times we do not.
Now let's be clear: UConn still might be the best team in all the land. In fact, the Huskies would be my title pick if I were forced to choose one team today, and a resounding 24-point home win vs. Villanova on Saturday was reassuring. But the top of the sport is more than just a party of one. And this week -- when No. 1 UConn lost while No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Purdue went a combined 4-0 in impressive fashion -- was a necessary one to help shape and reset the tables with March approaching.
Yes, it might be UConn vs. the field still. But Purdue and Houston -- featured below in our weekly grades as A+ earners -- have bullied their way to be worthy of inclusion in that discussion as well. UConn has earned the respect to be taken seriously even after a humbling mid-week speed bump on the road, but it's long past time to put serious respect on Houston and Purdue's names.
Let's get to the report card for the week.
College basketball grades: This week's report card
| Team | Grade | Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Houston | A+ | The double dip of wins stacked this week proved Houston's mettle as a true contender (as if there were any remaining doubters). It won a slugfest vs. Iowa State at home then outlasted a tough Baylor team *in Waco* on Saturday despite second-half struggles. Cougars have the look of a team plenty capable of cutting down the nets on the first Monday in April. |
 | Purdue | A+ | After a wire-to-wire win at home vs. Rutgers as a weekend warm-up, Purdue went on the road Sunday and was forced to finally break a sweat in a close, but ultimately cozy, win over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Purdue moved to 25-3 on the season -- its best-ever start to a season in the Matt Painter era. |
 | North Carolina | A | Few teams can blend in and thrive the way UNC did this week, hanging 96 on Virginia Tech then winning in Charlottesville seven days later with the game total between both teams only two points higher. (UNC won 54-44.) Tar Heels are now atop the ACC with Duke stumbling at Wake Forest. |
 | Wake Forest | A | Wake officials get an F- for mishandling the court-storming that led to Kyle Filipowski's injury. Bu Wake players? They get an A. Two home wins this week over Pitt and Duke should be enough to get them dancing. They deserve it. |
 | Richmond | B+ | Dayton lost at George Mason and Richmond escaped at home vs. Davidson to emerge from the weekend tied atop the A-10 standings with Loyola. KenPom now projects the Spiders to win the regular season for the first time since joining the league. |
 | South Florida | B+ | Amir Abdur-Rahim led USF to its 19th win in its last 20 outings to remain comfortably in the lead in the AAC. Bulls coaching and experience continues to pay off in close games. |
 | Utah State | B+ | It's been an up-and-down few weeks for Utah State, but Danny Sprinkle's bunch scored an important win over SDSU on Tuesday. Aggies are in good shape to win the MWC in a banner year for the league. |
 | Oklahoma | B | OU might've kept the dreaded bubble at arm's length after winning on the road at Oklahoma State in OT. It's just a Quad 2 win but it would've been a blemish difficult to ignore on the résumé for Selection Sunday. |
 | Kentucky | B- | Kentucky scored the most points vs. an SEC opponent since 1996 in hanging 117 (!!) on Bama. Cats still have some defensive issues to work through, but Justin Edwards' breakout game is encouraging. |
 | UConn | C+ | Props to UConn for earning back some style points Saturday with a 24-point blowout vs. Nova, but the sizzle reel of Creighton cooking UConn to the tune of 85-66 earlier in the week is impossible to look past. C+ for the Huskies this week. |
 | Washington State | C | No one had a great win/horrible loss combo this week like Wazzu, which won at Arizona then lost at Arizona State on Saturday by 12. Cougs put their backs against the wall to win the Pac-12. |
 | Creighton | C | Creighton's week highlighted how hard it is to win on the road in Big East play. It defeated No. 1 UConn handily on Tuesday then got worked Sunday at St. John's. That's a let down to an otherwise massive week for the Bluejays. |
 | New Mexico | C- | Richard Pitino's Lobos followed up a crucial win over Colorado State with a horrific home loss as 18.5-point favorites to Air Force over the weekend. A six-bid MWC is still very much in play, but not a great development for New Mexico! |
 | Indiana | D- | At this point, Indiana fans are simming the rest of the season -- and maybe the rest of the Mike Woodson tenure -- after how things have gone so sideways. IU lost by 15 at home to Nebraska then lost by nine to a Penn State team that this week booted its leading scorer. Strong case to be considered the most 1-2-3- CANCUN team there is in college hoops. |
 | Virginia | F | Virginia scored 41 and 44 points in losses this week to Virginia Tech and UNC, respectively. There are six teams this season averaging more points PER GAME than UVA scored in two. This offense is broken and things have gone sideways over the last few weeks for the Cavaliers. |
 | Texas A&M | F | What is going on in College Station? Texas A&M's dropped four straight now, with its latest two coming this week at home vs. a directionless Arkansas team and on the road (by 35!!) to Tennessee. The Vols loss was its largest margin of defeat in the Buzz Williams era. |
