Stock Watch

Arkansas

No team is hotter than the Razorbacks. They enter the SEC Tournament having won 11 straight conference games as the second seed. That includes victories over SEC regular-season champion Alabama and tournament teams Missouri, Florida and LSU. Coach Eric Musselman has created an intriguing mix that includes a stud freshman (Moses Moody), key transfers (Justin Smith, JD Notae and Jalen Tate) and even a holdover from the Mike Anderson era (Desi Sills). Arkansas is ranked 12th in the nation, its highest since 1998, in just Musselman’s second season.

Villanova

Between losing star point guard Collin Gillespie to a torn MCL and his backup, fellow starter Justin Moore, suffering what coach Jay Wright termed a “pretty severe” ankle injury, it was a trying week for the Big East’s top team. It seems unlikely Moore will play in the Big East Tournament, leaving an already thin roster bereft of any depth. Sophomore Bryan Antoine, the McDonald’s All-American who has hardly seen the court due to injuries the last two years, will need to play big minutes. The Wildcats will enter the tournament at the Garden as the No. 1 seed in name only. They could be the underdog against the Marquette/Georgetown winner in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Iowa

You can’t make fun of Iowa’s defense any more. It’s never going to be at a Virginia level, but it has made major strides, keying this late-season run that has seen the Hawkeyes win seven of their last eight games. That includes two victories over Wisconsin, one at Ohio State and one at Michigan State. Their defense is now ranked 61st in the country in efficiency, which is more than good enough to not only complement their second-ranked offense, but get to a Final Four.

Duke

The Blue Devils have lost three straight games. They finished in 10th place in the ACC. They are an even 11-11 on the season. And, yet, somehow you still see them in the mix for an at-large bid with certain Bracketologists. Duke has as many Quad 1 as Quad 3 losses — two apiece — and a 6-9 record in Quad 1 and 2 games. The résumé is barely deserving of the NIT. The only reason this team belongs in the NCAA Tournament is by winning the ACC Tournament. I get the Duke brand carries a lot of weight — ESPN went into overdrive trying to hype up Saturday night’s game at North Carolina — but at some point, logic has to take over.