The selection committee had its work cut out after five teams swapped the top ranking in The Associated Press poll, capped by West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga (30-2) moving to the lead spot for the first time in school history.
Like sellers of books, films and music, Game has been hurt by competition from online retailers such as Amazon as well as from Britain's cut-throat supermarkets, which have started stocking a small selection of the bestselling video games, often using them as loss-leaders to entice shoppers.
Brian O'Driscoll (concussion) and Jamie Roberts (wrist) are major doubts, but Ronan O'Gara (eye cut) and Tommy Bowe (elbow) should be fit for selection.