A daily review of the teams scrambling for NCAA tournament berths. Maryland fans might want to cover their eyes; this week's activity has pushed the Terps to "Last team in" status on a bracket that will be unfurled later this morning

MOVING UP

Saint Joseph's picked up a huge victory, outlasting Xavier at home. The Hawks have more than their share of flaws (three losses to 100+ RPI teams at home) and haven't played great of late, but they've won their share of road games and now have a signature victory. Phil Martelli's team finishes at Dayton this weekend, and a win there would keep the heat off the Hawks unless they bomb in the A-10 tournament.

In perhaps the least impressive late-season road victory imaginable, Arizona routed Oregon State to send the Beavers to 0-17 in the Pac-10. More importantly, the Wildcats got point guard Nic Wise (knee) back. He had 15 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals in 34 minutes. If Arizona can win at Oregon this weekend and maybe poach a victory in the Pac-10 tournament, it will probably wind up seeded somewhere in the No. 7-No. 9 range. Like most teams, the Wildcats are a different bunch with a healthy point guard.

MOVING DOWN

In a year of horrible profiles, Arizona State takes worst in show. The Sun Devils are 10-11 against top-200 teams, 3-6 on the road, 4-8 in their last 12 and have the 309th-ranked nonconference schedule strength. Oh, and they lost at Oregon last night to fall under .500 in Pac-10 play.

Speaking of the Ducks, that victory merely gets them mentioned again. Oregon has the exact same faults as Arizona State: 11-12 against the top 200, 5-8 on the road, 5-7 in the last 12, a nonconference schedule ranked 168th, a losing record in league play. The plug didn't get pulled last night in Eugene, but it could be yanked soon enough.

--- Patrick Stevens