Don't concede the title of the nation's best basketball conference to the ACC just yet. Let's wait a few weeks before making that statement.

By then we'll know if the league truly is that good, and whether or not all those schools log-jammed in the middle could contend in another power conference.

Until then, any debate over the nation's top basketball league must include a new contender � Conference USA.

As the race for Bracketsville approaches the white tape, several conferences � the ACC, Big East, Big XII, C-USA, and SEC � are fighting for the right to send the most delegates to the Big Dance. Though most have their money on the ACC, C-USA is a dark horse with a legitimate shot to make the biggest impression on Selection Sunday.

"I kind of said that at the beginning of the season that there were seven or eight teams that really could contend," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "When you have everybody play a different schedule with the mirror games, there are a lot of different things that can happen. I just thought there were enough quality teams that we would have a race like this."

Smart thinking.

When the season began, almost all the hype revolved around the usual suspects � Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, and Memphis. Well, subtract the Golden Eagles from the equation (sorry guys, but you have your Final Four banner; enjoy the NIT) and add Charlotte, DePaul, and UAB.

The result is an emerging hoops mega-power that deserves mention among the nation's best leagues.

True, C-USA is rated an unimposing seventh in the Sagarin ratings, six spots behind the ACC. That's to be expected. Conferences that exceed a dozen in membership often are penalized by computers, as bottom feeders generally become whipping posts that severely handicap the league.

Prime example: South Florida.

While parity is common in Division I conferences, C-USA is unique in that it is difficult to distinguish its top six teams from one another. What began as a three-team race has quickly evolved into a two-week sprint with a half-dozen contenders.

At this stage, most leagues have their top postseason tournament seeds sorted. C-USA isn't even close. Even so, a conference typically isn't judged by its number of above-average teams.

The real test begins in mid-March.

Odds are, C-USA has done enough to assure itself of five NCAA tournament bids. With a run of the table and strong tournament showing, DePaul could push that number to six, perhaps even seven if another Cinderella takes the crown in Cincinnati.

Only the ACC and SEC are in that company.

Even more intriguing than the number of tournament participants is how deep a run C-USA members will make. Though much of that depends on match-ups, the prospects for success are good.

Behind its strong backcourt, Memphis is playing as well as anyone in the country and has Final Four experience on the bench. Louisville and Cincinnati also have the luxury of successful postseason coaches, but each of those two teams must regain its early-season form in order to be a true threat.

Charlotte, UAB, and DePaul could be dangerous tournament wild cards, with each of those squads presenting a match-up nightmare against many potential opponents.

The 49ers and Blue Demons both possess strong inside-outside games to go along with fairly deep benches. The Blazers' chaotic pressure is enough to disrupt anybody's rhythm.

Whether or not all six have that opportunity remains to be seen. DePaul no doubt is on the selection committee's bubble list and has little room to wiggle.

But if all six receive bids and collectively make a decent tournament run, C-USA could earn the unofficial honor as the nation's top hoops conference.

Blazers blazing

The surprise team of C-USA? That honor easily goes to UAB.

Though picked to finish in the upper half of the league, few expected the Blazers would contend for the regular season title. Huggins, whose team fell to UAB last week, attributes much of the Blazers' success to coach Mike Anderson's unique system.

"Mike's done a great job," Huggins said. "They play a little differently than everybody else plays, which is kind of an advantage. They play with great confidence, and that comes from the guy over there on the bench.

"Offensively, they really spread you. Everybody is very much a part of what they do offensively. And they play so doggone hard defensively. In today's day and age with the kind of players that we have today, getting people to play that hard and buy in... Mike's done a great job."

Anderson says selling his "Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" style has been easy. But before a player can suit up in Blazer green, any me-first attitude must be checked at the door.

"Number one, they can't come with egos and play for me," Anderson said. "It's about winning. It's about the team. More than anything else, you try to get guys who love to win. We play a style of basketball that kids enjoy."

And that style is winning.

Huggins on the mend

Huggins took a few days off prior to the Wake Forest game for medical reasons.

The Bearcats coach, who suffered a heart attack in the Fall of 2002, said he was beginning to fatigue with the long season winding down.

"It's really hard during the season," Huggins said. "I'm very fortunate that I've got great assistants.

"It was just a situation where I didn't think I could push any harder. I needed to take a couple of days off."

Up until Saturday's thrilling victory over Louisville, it was looking as if the Bearcats' defense was on break.

Burks the frontrunner

Is the race for C-USA player-of-the-year over? Not yet, but if East Carolina coach Bill Herrion had to vote today, that honor would go to Memphis do-everything guard Antonio Burks.

That was the message after Burks dropped 25 points and six assists on the Pirates in a 79-73 Tigers win.

"I think pound for pound, he might be the toughest, hardest kid in this league," Herrion said. "He dominated the game the first 15 minutes of the basketball game. I think he had 15 points with like five minutes left in the first half.\

"We had no answer for him. I think if the league ended tonight, he's my vote for player of the year in Conference USA. I think he's having that much of an impact."