It’s nice to see Jim Boeheim smiling so much these days.

It’s refreshing to see a 65-year-old man enjoying the job of coaching college kids and molding them into men. It’s been amazing to watch this Syracuse team come from out of the rankings and rise to the top. And it will be a feel-good moment when Boeheim wins the award as national coach of the year. He deserves it.

Maybe you’ve heard this or read this already, but Boeheim has never been recognized as national coach of the year. Never. He’s in the Hall of Fame. He’s won a national championship. He has more than 800 wins. He has been part of Mike Krzyzewski’s staff on the USA team that won gold at the Olympics.

I guess you could say the national coach of the year award shouldn’t matter to a guy who has accomplished so much. Knowing Boeheim, it probably doesn’t. But it’s about time, isn’t it?

After Saturday night’s 95-77 demolition of Villanova on the court named after Boeheim, there really doesn’t seem any good reason to deny the Syracuse coach of the award again. Syracuse is 27-2 overall, 14-2 in the Big East, 7-0 against ranked teams and the Orange have clinched at least a tie for the Big East title. Syracuse will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament in New York and with Kansas, Kentucky and Purdue all losing over the weekend, the Orange could be on top of the rankings when the polls are announced Monday.

Remember back in October when everyone was wondering how Boeheim would replace Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris? That’s when the Big East coaches were picking Syracuse to finish sixth in the conference standings. Boeheim was smiling back then too, telling everyone how good Wesley Johnson, the transfer from Iowa State, was going to be.

Boeheim, who last won the Big East Coach of the Year in 2000, didn’t have a lot of believers. No one expected Andy Rautins to be the leader of this team, the guy with the perfect passing touch and the ability to see the entire floor. Nobody knew how good Brandon Triche, Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph would be. Nobody knew Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson and Johnson would form the perfect back line in Syracuse’s 2-3 zone -- with perfect coverage from sideline to sideline.

Nobody, with the possible exception of Boeheim, knew that Syracuse would have seven starters, as Boeheim likes to say. The fact he has been able to keep all seven happy, productive and on top of their games may be the biggest reason to give Boeheim the award. That’s not an easy mix these days.

We’re not saying Boeheim is the only coach who has done a great job this season. Any list of candidates for national honors should include New Mexico’s Steve Alford, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl, Butler’s Brad Stevens, BYU’s Dave Rose, Kansas State’s Frank Martin, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, Texas A&M’s Mark Turgeon and Richmond’s Chris Mooney.

Boeheim was hired at his alma mater in 1976. He has never left. How can a basketball team in cold and snowy Upstate New York attract crowds over 30,000 on a regular basis? How could there be 34,616 fans at the Carrier Dome Saturday night?

One reason -- the main reason -- is Jim Boeheim. And it’s time he got the recognition he deserves.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

There isn’t a coach in Division I who wouldn’t want a player like Andy Rautins on his team. Of course, the player who showed up at Syracuse in 2005 and the one who might lead the Orange back to the Final Four has changed quite a bit. And he’s much more now than just the son of Leo Rautins, the Syracuse star from the early ’80s. Rautins showed again Saturday night that he is Syracuse’s MVP. He had 12 points, eight assists, three steals and two rebounds as the Orange crushed Villanova, 95-77, to grab the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament. Earlier in the week, Rautins hit 8-of-12 threes and scored 28 points in a 99-85 win over Providence.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Cincinnati guard Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson entered the season with high expectations. In reality, it has been such a rollercoaster ride for Stephenson that he didn’t record his first double-double until last Wednesday when he had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-69 victory over DePaul. That ended a two-game slump for Stephenson when he had scored a total of six points. He continued with 14 points and 9 rebounds Saturday at West Virginia but the Bearcats came up short 74-68. Stephenson indicated last week he is leaning toward a second season at Cincinnati rather than jumping to the NBA.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Monday, March 1

Georgetown at West Virginia
Georgetown is coming off a surprising 14-point loss to Notre Dame -- and the Irish didn’t have Luke Harangody. The Hoyas aren’t repeating their late-season collapse of last season but they have lost three of their last four. Morgantown is a tough place to start a turnaround.

Oklahoma at Texas
When this was scheduled, it seemed it might be a real blockbuster. Oklahoma is 4-10 in the Big 12 and Texas is 8-6 -- with seven losses overall. Texas guard J’Covan Brown is day-to-day after straining his neck against Texas A&M.

Tuesday, March 2

Vanderbilt at Florida
The Gators had a three-game winning streak snapped at Georgia Saturday. Billy Donovan’s team has this game and a road game at Kentucky before the postseason begins.

Louisville at Marquette
Take a look at the Big East standings. These two teams are tied at 10-6. And that’s good for fifth place in this crazy conference.

Wednesday, March 3

Connecticut at Notre Dame
More Big East drama scheduled for South Bend. Will Luke Harangody be able to play on Senior Night?

Duke at Maryland
Duke seems to get better with every outing and may be shaping into a Final Four-caliber team. But guess what? Maryland is still right behind the Blue Devils in the ACC standings.

Kansas State at Kansas
Coaches Phog Allen and Jack Gardner laid the foundation for this rivalry, but the stakes have rarely been this high. When the NCAA seeds come out, Kansas will likely be a 1 and K-State a 2. This is Senior Night for Sherron Collins. The Wildcats are still playing for a share of the Big 12 title.

Thursday, March 4

Dayton at Richmond
Dayton is a good team that hasn’t played well lately. Could a win over Richmond translate into an NCAA bid for the Flyers?

Friday, March 5

Cornell at Brown
With two games left, Cornell holds a 2-game lead in the Ivy League standings. A victory in this game over Brown should send the Big Red into the NCAA Tournament with the Ivy automatic bid.

Saturday, March 6

North Carolina at Duke
The Tar Heels are trying to avoid last place in the ACC, falling to .500 overall, and being swept by Duke in the regular season. Wow, that’s a mouthful.

Syracuse at Louisville
The Orange get a chance to avenge one of their two losses this season. And did you know Syracuse is 9-0 on the road?

Kansas at Missouri
Missouri has made great strides climbing to third place in the Big 12. The Antlers and the rest of Columbia, Mo., will be waiting with a rude greeting for the Jayhawks, who lost for only the second time this season at Oklahoma State on Saturday.

West Virginia at Villanova
Now it’s all about positioning. It’s time to sort out the seeds for conference tournaments and Villanova is trying to hold on to the No. 2 spot in the Big East.

Sunday, March 7

Florida at Kentucky
The SEC title may not mean anything to Kentucky coach John Calipari but the Big Blue Nation started fussing when Billy Donovan and the Gators were dominating the conference and winning national championships. Calipari was brought in to reverse all of that.

Wisconsin at Illinois
Illinois surprised Wisconsin at Kohl Center on Feb. 9, ending the Badgers’ 18-game home winning streak.

THEY SAID IT

“The last time we came down here and left here sad, it turned out OK. So, I'm believing that we can get something out of it. But I don't think that the thing is broken but I do think we need to really evaluate our things that we must take pride in to be a good team -- especially this time of year.” -- Kansas coach Bill Self, referring to 2008 when the Jayhawks lost at Oklahoma State before winning the national championship.

“I told them they needed a short celebration. I’m just trying to get the players focused on the next game. The only thing anybody will remember is the [NCAA] tournament, but I hope the fans enjoyed this team.” -- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim after the Orange dominated Villanova, 95-77, before an NCAA on-campus record crowd of 34,616 at the Carrier Dome.

“Just imagine two weeks from now, if we lost this game, our season’s over with.” -- Kentucky freshman guard John Wall after the Wildcats lost 74-65 at Tennessee Saturday.

“We put on a clinic sometimes with how to play, how to pass the basketball. We guarded, we defended and we did what it took to win.” -- Notre Dame’s Ben Hansbrough, after scoring 21 points in a 78-64 victory over Georgetown.

“Suffice it to say I was ready for the game. I certainly didn’t try to do anything of that nature, but I wanted [the players] to know I was ready for the game.” -- UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who received a technical foul less than a minute into his team’s 73-62 victory over West Virginia.

“A lot of people will dwell on what you lose, but you have to be consumed with what you have. I really like what we have.” -- Purdue coach Matt Painter addressing Robbie Hummel’s season-ending ACL injury.

NOTES

The week started so well for Purdue as the Boilermakers moved up to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll. The mood changed dramatically, however, when forward Robbie Hummel tore the ACL in his right knee. Without their No. 2 scorer and rebounder, the Boilermakers managed just 44 points Sunday at home against No. 14 Michigan State and saw their 10-game losing streak snapped. Things look very difficult for Purdue, which had dreams of playing in the Final Four so close to home in Indianapolis. It seems unlikely that the Boilermakers will grab a No. 1 seed and they fell a half game behind Ohio State in the Big Ten race. “As soon as Rob went down, our backs went up against the wall,” guard Chris Kramer said. “We can’t expect him to be there anymore. We still control our own destiny.”

BYU and New Mexico have raised awareness for the Mountain West Conference this season and that reached a peak Saturday when the No. 12 Lobos won 83-81 at No. 11 BYU. It was the first time this season the Cougars had lost at home. Steve Alford’s New Mexico team has made a big statement within the conference. Now it is time for the conference to follow that up in the NCAA Tournament. These are good basketball teams but there will be doubters until at least one can make an impact run deep into the NCAA Tournament. UNLV looks like the conference’s third representative, but New Mexico seems a good bet to win the most games.

The national award for most perplexing team has to go to Connecticut. The Huskies had done so much to help their NCAA chances with a consecutive Big Monday victories over Villanova and West Virginia. Then they went out Sunday and blew a 13-point lead at home on Senior Day and fell to Louisville, 78-76. With road games remaining at Notre Dame and South Florida, UConn’s NCAA chances are still very much up in the air.

Congrats to Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State who set the NCAA record for blocked shots last week against Alabama with No. 536.

The key to landing in a successful bracket for the NCAA Tournament might be avoiding teams that wear orange. Saturday was a big day for the Syracuse Orange. Oklahoma State and Tennessee joined the party. Oklahoma State upset No. 1 Kansas and Tennessee knocked off No. 2 Kentucky. Of course, all three teams with orange were playing at home Saturday -- and we know there are no home games in the tournament. Michigan State doesn’t wear orange but the Spartans kept up with the theme and defeated No. 3 Purdue. The last time the top three teams in the AP poll lost in the same week? It wasn’t long ago; Feb. 16-22, 2009 when UConn, Oklahoma and North Carolina all stumbled.

Rising team: Notre Dame. What a twist of fortune for the Irish. With their NCAA chances almost out of sight, the Irish went out last week and defeated Pittsburgh, 68-53, and Georgetown, 78-64. And they did it without Luke Harangody, perhaps the best player in school history who has been injured and watching from the sideline with his 24.1 ppg average. Notre Dame closes out the regular season with a home game against UConn and a road game at Marquette. At this point, one win might be enough for Mike Brey’s team.

Falling team: Rhode Island is a bubble team trying to increase the number of entrants from the Atlantic 10 to five or six teams. The Rams’ chances of dancing took a serious hit Saturday when Rhode Island lost to St. Bonaventure, 81-74. That’s right, the Bonnies. Rhode Island has gone from 19-3 overall and 7-2 in the A-10 to 20-7 and 8-6. I don’t think any team that lost to the Bonnies should be in the field of 65.