Despite what folks in the Triangle region of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill tend to think, the college basketball universe doesn’t center around central North Carolina. Neighboring state Tennessee takes center stage this weekend with a refreshing No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle between Memphis and Tennessee.

I’ll be watching for no other reason than to see if each of these teams can stack up in my mind against the best club in the nation when healthy -- and that’s the North Carolina Tar Heels.

And it’s not just the Tigers and Vols who are kicking up their heels up in the state of Tennessee. Vanderbilt is 22-4 and Chattanooga is one-half game out of first place in the North Division of the Southern Conference, while East Tennessee State is third in the Atlantic Sun race.

“For the state of Tennessee basketball fan they can stick their chest out a little bit because we have a number of programs succeeding at a very high level,” Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said Thursday. “It’s probably a source of pride for basketball fans in Tennessee to sort of say, ‘Look at us.”’

By the way, I’ll take undefeated Memphis in the big showdown, that’s if they can make a free throw or town down the stretch.

Have the Atlanta Thrashers thrown in the towel on GM/coach Don Waddell, who doesn’t appear too interested in signing star and unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa to a long-term deal? Since a seemingly season-turning 5-1 win at Detroit on Jan. 15, the Thrash have gone 6-7-2. What’s more disturbing is the fact that the defending Southeast Division champs have been outshot in 13 of those 15 games, including 49-10 the other night against the soft Islanders and 46-24 at Carolina last night in a game they didn’t really show up for. Do you think Ilya Kovalchuk has lost interest in the team and trying to catch Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin for the NHL lead in goals? The Russian has just three goals in his last 13 games.

My ACC coach of the year vote is already signed, sealed and delivered. It’s Dino Gaudio, who has Wake Forest in the running for an NCAA Tournament bid eight months after losing his mentor and best friend Skip Prosser. The Demon Deacons, who were just 15-16 last season, take a 16-8 record into Chapel Hill on Sunday night to face the surging Tar Heels. This game should be closer than appears on the surface. The Tar Heels are coming off a rivalry game at N.C. State in mid-week, while the Demon Deacons have had a week to prepare for this one. And don’t forget, the Heels have been far from perfect in the Smith Center this season, losing to Maryland and Duke within the last month, while edging Clemson in double OT. And if you’re looking for the next great player in a league normally filled of stars, look no further than 6-8 James Johnson of Wake Forest. Watch this kid battle Tyler Hansbrough down low. Should be a treat. We featured Gaudio in the winter issue of Sports Unlimited. He is an engaging guy with passion to carry on the torch for Prosser.

Speaking of the Demon Deacons, if New Orleans wins the Western Conference does Chris Paul get serious consideration for the NBA's Most Valuable Player? Sure, he’s fighting an uphill battle against Kobe and LeBron, and even Tim Duncan, but who has been a more valuable player on a more surprising team than the former Wake Forest point guard? Paul has started all 50 games, averaging 20.7 points, 10.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds. Just this week in a win over Dallas, Paul notched 31 points, 11 assists and nine steals. Those look a lot like MVP numbers to me.

With each passing double-double, Tyler Hansbrough inches his way up the chart of the top ACC players since 1970. Right now, I’ve got North Carolina’s Psycho T third on that list behind David Thompson and Christian Laettner. In my mind, Hansbrough has passed Tim Duncan, Ralph Sampson and Phil Ford and could climb to No. 1 on the list if the Tar Heels win a national title. That statement alone should keep the North Carolina-NC State rivalry brewing through the weekend.