If there has been one thing you can count on in college basketball this season, it's that you can't count on anything. Highly rated team? More of a curse than a blessing.

Villanova lost again this week, this time at Providence. The Wildcats are still on the top line of the bracket though because they have built up a resume that gives them a cushion. Also, as soon as it seems like there is a challenger, it falls off too. Villanova does fall to No. 3 overall, behind new No. 2 overall seed Xavier and No. 1 overall seed Virginia, after the Wildcats' loss to the Friars.

Purdue became one of the too many teams to count that didn't just lose once while ranked in the top ten, but three times. The Boilers hit rock bottom in a 57-53 loss at Wisconsin. Once one of the top offensive teams in the country, Purdue has gone cold, failing to reach the 70-point mark in each of those losses. The Boilermakers took the hardest fall of teams in the committee's top 16 from Sunday. They are now a No. 3 seed in the projected bracket. Purdue's chances for a No. 1 seed in March are now very slim.

Auburn moves up from a No. 2 seed to replace Purdue as a No. 1 seed. 

Also in the Big Ten, Ohio State got blown out at resurgent Penn State on Thursday. The Buckeyes are now tied for first in the league with Michigan State. Ohio State dropped out of the top 16 for now with the loss.

Penn State is still short of making the bracket. The Nittany Lions are still trying to atone for a number of early season sins, including a poor non-conference schedule and some bad losses at home. They now have four wins in Quadrants 1 and 2. They need more, but fortunately have a schedule that gives them a chance. They are at Purdue next.

Cincinnati saw its 16-game winning streak come to an end at Houston on Thursday night. That win benefitted Houston more than it hurt the Bearcats. Of the three top ten teams to lose last night, this is the best of those losses. Still, Cincy dropped down a line on the bracket, but they started as the No. 8 team, so that was inevitable.

Houston is still on the bubble, but more comfortably so. The Cougars now have home wins over the Bearcats and Wichita State, but some road games coming up that could challenge them. The first of those is at Temple, which is also on the bubble.

Kentucky continues its slow slide down the bracket after losing its fourth in a row at Auburn. The Wildcats only have one unlikely tournament team left on their schedule, so they need to beat some good teams to keep from falling onto the bubble, and maybe through it. They do get three home games though, and I do not think it is time to hit the panic button until the Wildcats start losing some of those.