Last month, college basketball buzzed because of a Big 12 regular-season matchup between then-No. 1 Oklahoma and then-No. 2 Kansas, a pair of teams from the same conference atop the national rankings.
That's such a rare treat for hoops fans. It was only the 40th time a No. 1 against No. 2 matchup had occurred in Division I men's basketball history, and only the 22nd time during the regular season.
That should provide perspective for the Mountain East Conference game today in Wheeling between Division II's top two teams: No. 1 Wheeling Jesuit versus No. 2 West Liberty. It is only the 11th matchup of a No. 1 against No. 2 since 1961, and the first in the regular season since 1999 (No. 2 Kentucky Wesleyan defeated No. 1 Southern Indiana in that matchup).
This would be a delectable main course under most circumstances, but it could be simply an appetizer leading into next week's Mountain East Conference tournament here in Charleston, a four-day men's and women's smorgasbord at the Civic Center.
It will be a tournament so loaded that at least one of the nation's top-five men's teams - Jesuit, West Liberty or No. 5 Fairmont State - won't be able to advance to the championship game.
"To now have the Nos. 1, 2 and 5 teams in Division II in men's basketball entering the final weekend in the regular season is an additional testament to what an outstanding conference our members are building," said Reid Amos, the Mountain East's commissioner. "There are 307 colleges and universities across 24 conferences in NCAA Division II, to have three of the top five in the national rankings shows how highly regarded Mountain East Conference basketball is.
"Undoubtedly, we expect a very exciting MEC basketball tournament at the Charleston Civic Center next week."
But first, let's focus on what has unfolded for the Mountain East on the final day of regular season.
Wheeling Jesuit (28-1) has ascended to the top of the national rankings on the back of the nation's longest winning streak, 21 games. The Cardinals haven't lost since Dec. 3 at Fairmont State, a 94-91 setback.
West Liberty is 25-2 and owns a 10-game winning streak, its most recent defeat coming at Wheeling Jesuit on Jan. 21. It has been more than a month since either of these teams have lost.
That is why this game will get televised treatment, airing on the American Sports Network and online at ESPN3.
Meanwhile, Fairmont State is third in the MEC but ranked fifth nationally. The Falcons split with Jesuit and were swept by West Liberty for a 24-3 record heading into today's games.
All told, Wheeling Jesuit, West Liberty and Fairmont State have compiled a 5-5 record against one another, but a 68-1 record against the rest of the world. That's where the depth of the league starts to get frightening.
Concord is responsible for that sole loss. The Mountain Lions routed West Liberty 108-93 on Jan. 18. Concord, seeded No. 9 in the region and firmly on the tournament bubble, has eight league losses - five of them to those teams ranked in the top five of the national rankings.
The same goes for a program like the University of Charleston, which has 10 league losses. Six of those defeats are against top-five teams. Glenville State, which won last season's MEC men's tournament, will host a first-round game next week and then try to join the quarterfinalists here in Charleston.
"Men's basketball in the MEC is very deep and very good," Amos said.
The quality of the league will be on display today, and again next week. It's a hectic week of basketball in the Mountain State: WVU has its home finale Wednesday; Marshall closes its regular season at home Thursday and next Saturday; high school girls regionals and boys sectionals will be in full swing.
It is a basketball lover's paradise.
But the most competitive and entertaining version of the sport might be at the Civic Center for four days. There will be 14 games on the same court, and the semifinal Saturday could feature as many as six NCAA tournament teams across the two sets of brackets.
It's not just the nationally ranked teams, though. It is the high-scoring pace that should appeal.
West Liberty leads Division II men's basketball with 102.4 points per game. Fairmont State is fifth, Concord 13th, Notre Dame 22nd, Shepherd 23rd and Wheeling Jesuit 29th. That is half of the Mountain East scoring at least 85.8 points per game. You know how many Division I teams average that many points? Two. Oakland and The Citadel.
"If you like up-tempo, high-scoring basketball, the MEC is currently the highest scoring league in NCAA men's and women's basketball," Amos said. "I'm confident that on average our fans pay less per point scored than any basketball fans in the country."
That should create some madness in March - D-II style.