UNC Who?

ESPN.com's Andy Katz has a column up today about Wake Forest's ceiling in March. Is it the Sweet 16? Elite 8? Final Four? Beyond?

Well, if how the Deacs played last night is any indication, the sky's the limit for Wake. Some are already saying Wake is the team to beat in the ACC.

I don't know if I'd go that far, but how many more games like this will it take for UNC to be taken off of its pedestal?

But this much is clear: Wake Forest is good enough to make the Final Four. Quietly, the ACC has four Final Four contenders -- Wake, UNC, Duke and Clemson.

Yeah, Clemson.

The Tigers are legitimate this year. Their scouting report looks good -- top 30 D and offense. That's important.

So, if you want to see which team -- Clemson or Wake -- is going to emerge as the better threat to UNC and Duke, wait until Saturday, when Clemson hosts Wake. Right now, Wake has the leg up.

Elsewhere
-- Pitt held onto its top ranking with a solid thumping of St. John's after a close start to the contest. DeJuan Blair, as usual, led the way.

-- I called the Cardinals, didn't I? (Pats self on back.) Too bad I was wrong about the Titans. And the Giants.

-- Oh, and here are two hilarious links.

Rank 'Em and File: Week 3

Saturday's hoopsnanza gave us a little bit of a clearer picture and lived up to its billing as a day of quality hoops. No. 19 Michigan State dropped No. 5 Texas, No. 2 UConn traveled almost 3,000 miles to Seattle and beat No. 8 Gonzaga in overtime, and Minnesota upset No. 9 Louisville in Glendale, Ariz. Not surprisingly, there's no movement at the very top.

1. North Carolina (11-0; next game: Rutgers 12/28) -- The Heels dropped Evansville and Valparaiso in an incredibly challenging pair of games (he said sarcastically) last week. There really is no reason to rank anyone else, but we do that so we can give out ribbons for runner-up.

2. Connecticut (10-0; next game: Fairfield 12/26) -- UConn crushed Miami (Fla.) and Wisconsin, both of whom were ranked at the time, and crossed the Lower 48 to take on a very good Gonzaga team ... and beat the Zags, too. If you need any more proof, you'll have to wait until Dec. 29, when the Huskies host Georgetown.

3. Pitt (12-0; next game: at Rutgers 12/31) -- It was a struggle at Florida State yesterday, but Pitt held on to stay unblemished. Shooting 33 percent as a team ... not good. Sam Young taking over at the game's most critical juncture ... great. And more proof that he's the man Pitt has always needed in the NCAA Tournament.

4. Oklahoma (11-0; next game: at Rice 12/22) -- The Sooners took care of business in OK City against VCU this weekend. Apparently it was the first time a home team had won in Oklahoma City in a few years ...

5. Duke (10-1; next game: Loyola (Md.) 12/31) -- Duke crushed Xavier. Crushed 'em. I think that's enough for the Dukies to replace Texas at No. 5.

6. Wake Forest (10-0; next game: at East Carolina 12/22) -- The Deacs won at Richmond this weekend. Not exactly riveting, but hey, if everyone else loses, there's a door opening.

7. Gonzaga (8-2; next game: Portland State 12/22) -- I know the Zags lost to UConn on their kind-of home floor. I know they have two losses. But I can't help but feel like they're still big-time. Which is why I ranked ...

8. Texas (9-2; next game: at Wisconsin 12/23) -- ... at No. 8. I know the Longhorns lost to Michigan State, a team with more identities than Larry Sinclair, but it's hard to find teams that are better than them.

9. Syracuse (11-1; next game: Coppin State 12/22) -- Must be nice to punch a girl in the face and get away with it. I guess Jim Boeheim is so desperate to get back to the NCAA Tournament that he checked his principles at the door.

10. Ohio State (8-0; next game: UNC-Asheville 12/22) -- Being undefeated before conference play will help this young Buckeyes team feel confident. Playing Michigan State and Purdue four times will hurt that confidence. But right now, Ohio State is playing better basketball than both of them.

11. Georgetown (8-1; next game: Fla. International 12/23) -- The Hoyas struggled with Mount St. Mary's, but that's OK. I'm still buying this club's darkhorse chances in the Big East. People will look up and see them with 11-14 wins in the conference and remember how good the coaching is in DC.

12. Purdue (9-2; next game: IPFW 12/22) -- The Boilermakers handled Davidson on Saturday. And I mean handled.

13. Baylor (9-1; next game: Hartford 12/22) -- Baylor didn't beat anyone good this week. In fact, Baylor beat UT-Arlington by three. But the Bears weren't embarrassed by anyone.

14. Arizona State (9-1; next game: Idaho State 12/23) -- The Sun Devils bounced back from a scary one-point win against IUPUI with a gritty win against a very good BYU team.

15. UCLA (8-2; next game: Wyoming 12/23) -- UCLA won two games by 58 combined points against Loyola Marymount and a decent Mercer team.

16. Tennessee (8-2; next game: La. Lafayette 12/29) -- Bruce Pearl's Vols dominated Marquette in every way imaginable and followed up with a nail-biter against Belmont. Is there a less predictable team than Tennessee this year?

17. Louisville (7-2; next game: UAB 12/27) -- After UAB on Saturday, the Ville gets UNLV, Kentucky, Villanova, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia all within a month. Those are a lot of chances to prove if the Cardinals are in or out of the title race.

18. Xavier (9-1; next game: Butler 12/23) -- The Musketeers were run out of the building by Duke on Saturday. How can you fall behind by 31 in the first half if you are a serious contender? Even Louisville or Tennessee would keep it close in the first half, right?

19. Notre Dame (8-2; next game: Savannah State 12/22) -- Absolutely demolished Delaware State. Still the most overrated team in America.

20. Clemson (12-0; next game: South Carolina 12/30) -- The Tigers are making their yearly run to 20-0, then we'll have to see if they make their yearly collapse to 21-10. But for now, handling teams like Miami (Fla.) help you in my rankings.

Rank 'Em and File 'Em: Week 2

It's our second week of rankings here on J. Greer, and we do have some movement. A few of the games I highlighted on Thursday turned out to be doozies, with Arizona beating No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 21 Ohio State barely edging Butler, UMass and Temple toppled No. 25 Kansas and No. 8 Tennessee, respectively, and No. 19 Georgetown handled its business against No. 17 Memphis.

So, without anymore chit-chat, here are this week's rankings, served with a morning cup o' joe:

1. North Carolina -- Even if UNC lost, I'd need a really, really good reason to not think this team is clear and away the best team in America. This weekend, someone told me that UNC was on Tier 1 and everyone else started at Tier 2. I said, "You mean, everyone else starts at Tier 5."

2. UConn -- No games this past week for the Huskies, but this week's contest at Gonzaga is gonna be awesome.

3. Pitt -- Still no formidable shooting guards, but the Panthers and their Big 3 continued their early-season, all-you-can-eat buffet of cupcakes with a 91-56 drubbing of UMBC.

4. Texas -- The Longhorns struggled against Texas State, but Rick Barnes has his team playing defense and rebounding better than your typical Texas club. These kids love it, too.

5. Oklahoma -- Like I said last week, Blake Griffin has the Sooners in the second tier of college hoops until he leaves.

6. Xavier -- The Musketeers keep taking care of business. A solid win against Cincinnati confirmed Xavier's ownership of the Queen City.

7. Duke -- When March comes, I really believe Wake might be better than Duke. But right now, the Dukies are far more experienced and far less turnover-prone.

8. Wake Forest -- Easily one of the most talented rosters in the country, the Young Deacs haven't had any problems winning in the early going this season, showing their ability to overcome chronic turnover issues. But those TOs will have to be cut down before ACC play.

9. Gonzaga -- I won't drop 'em too far, but the Zags are on notice. Arizona is talented, but losing to the 'Cats in December is unacceptable, even on the road. If Gonzaga is truly top-of-the-line, it can't lose games like that.

10. Syracuse -- Distractions? What distractions? The Orange rolled over Long Beach State despite all the controversy surrounding star guard Eric Devendorf.

11. Louisville -- A couple of dominant wins showed that the 'Ville is getting its swagger back. But the point-guard play continues to be a question.

12. Ohio State -- Struggled against a very good Butler team. But the Buckeyes aren't looking quite like the Big Ten third wheel we all thought they'd be.

13. Georgetown -- A big home win against Memphis moves the Hoyas into the "Hovering Around the Top 10" group. The question coming into the season was how quickly Chris Wright and Greg Monroe could grow up. We are learning that it didn't take long.

14. Purdue -- At least the Boilermakers played a tough nonconference sked. I know I moved them up, but I've got a few teams to move down.

15. Baylor -- The Bears play a run-and-gun style with a very stingy defense mixed in. This club is for real, and could give Texas and Oklahoma fits.

16. Arizona State -- Only loss is to Baylor, but the Sun Devils are on notice -- 59-58 wins against IUPUI don't look great.

17. Tennessee -- The Vols were embarrassed by Temple, but I think the talent level is still there to be the SEC's best. I have to say, though: Doesn't this team seem to fit the mold of a No. 3, 4 or 5 seed that gets upset in the first round of the Tournament?

18. UCLA -- A win against DePaul would have meant more a year ago. A tough challenge comes Dec. 20 when the Bruins host Mercer, a team that has been more problematic than Lindsay Lohan on a movie set.

19. Davidson -- Stephen Curry had a rough start to his big night at the Garden, but finished strong, keeping his crew right where it was last week.

20. Notre Dame -- Still the most overrated team in the country in the national rankings. And the Fighting Irish barely beat BU.

Spartans Tarred and Feathered; Can Anyone Top the Heels?

If you needed any more proof that North Carolina is clear and away the best team in America, you got it last night. If you didn't, you simply marveled at the NBA-like performance of this battalion of All-Americans.

Michigan State is an elite team. The Spartans, who have lost to Maryland (Maryland? Yes, Maryland), are still my favorite to the win the Big 10 -- sorry, Purdue. And I really do see Michigan State making the Elite 8 and possibly the Final Four.

So last night, while it wasn't surprising to observe the Tar Heels' incredible offensive efficiency -- they run the break like the Celtics from the '80s -- it was surprising to see the Spartans sputter so much in the limelight.

Instead of breaking down the game, let's move to a new discussion: Which teams can *compete* with North Carolina, and possibly top them when UNC has an off night (which, brace yourself, could happen someday)?

We'll settle them into three categories: Line 'em up, Only on a bad day and Upset City.

Line 'em up -- These teams could go head-to-head, and if UNC gets stuck playing the opponent's game, the opponent just might win.

1. UConn -- The obvious choice. The Huskies have the depth and the talent to run with UNC. Can UConn score with UNC? Probably. The Huskies have four very good guards who can fill it up, and Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien will emerge as two of the best post scorers in the Big East. I'd love to see UNC deal with Thabeet.

2. Pitt -- If the Panthers could dictate the pace of the game and keep star center DeJuan Blair out of foul trouble, Pitt would certainly give UNC some problems. The reason both UConn and Pitt are listed here is defense. Both teams can slow down any opponent, even UNC. The degree to which the Tar Heels are slowed, however, is a key factor. Pitt has similar depth to UConn and UNC, and the athletes to cause UNC problems, but for the Panthers to win, the game couldn't go much higher than the 70s.

3. Gonzaga -- Only in a track meet could the Zags upend the Heels, but it's not out of the question. Mark Few's bunch can score quickly and easily, and much of Gonzaga's points come in transition. This game would go off the rails immediately and, much like the UNC-Notre Dame game in Maui, end up in the 90s and 100s. At that point, all it takes is some missed free throws and a last-second chance to win.

4. Duke -- Similar to Gonzaga, but with a mix of UConn/Pitt. With a taste of rivalry to it, the Duke-UNC matchup is almost a toss-up, with UNC obviously having a slight lean as the favorite. Duke can score with anyone, in transition or the halfcourt, but it can also defend rather well. The only place where the Blue Devils would have a serious disadvantage is in the frontcourt, where UNC's depth and rebounding abilities will overwhelm the Dukies whenever these teams meet.

Only on a really bad day -- This is pretty obvious: If UNC is having a bad day, which by most teams' standards this year is probably still good enough to win, then these teams have a shot. But then again, the only way UNC loses is on a bad day in the first place, so this has to be a really bad day.

1. Oklahoma -- The Sooners have two comparable stars in Blake Griffin and Willie Warren to match UNC's two biggest guns, Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. But Oklahoma would need a gargantuan performance from both -- something Griffin knows how to do, averaging pretty much a heroic effort every night (26 and 19) -- plus third, fourth, fifth and probably sixth wheels to back those two up. Blake Griffin's brother, Taylor, would probably have trouble against Marcus Ginyard, but Taylor and Oklahoma's four guards behind Warren would all have to play well.

2. Louisville -- I know the Cardinals lost to Western Kentucky. By now, everyone knows. But November's laughing stock will be one of March's most dangerous teams. Rick Pitino's lineup is stacked and his bench is deep. There is no drop-off in talent when Pitino dips into his reserves, and many of the players on his roster remember UNC's toppling of their team in the Elite 8 last year. Motivational tools only go so far, but talent and athleticism will help a lot if these teams match up in March.

3. UCLA -- See Pitt above. But also consider the experienced and deep roster. I'm sure you've noticed a trend: teams that want to beat UNC must be deep. UCLA plays great defense, both halfcourt and transition, and would have to really clamp down in the post to keep UNC off the glass. This would be an ugly game, one that UNC would probably win by scoring in the low 70s, but UCLA could cause some problems.

4. Wake Forest -- The Demon Deacons are young, deep and extremely loaded. They can score plenty, and they love to run. The problem with Wake Forest is all the turnovers. If Wake cuts down on turnovers in a game against UNC, maybe the Deacs can cause some problems. Wake gets UNC at home on Jan. 11, but don't use that as a barometer: UNC will probably win, and maybe even blow out Wake. But Wake will be far more mature come March, and that could be a huge difference.

5. Michigan State/Purdue -- I know the Spartans lost by 35 last night and the Boilermakers were crushed by Duke on Tuesday, but both of these teams will be leaps and bounds better by March. Both teams have a lot of talent, depth and coaching (especially Tom Izzo at MSU), and that could help them learn from their early-season troubles against top clubs.

Upset City -- Welcome to Upset City, population: 4. These wins would be huge upsets. Three of the teams are ranked, two of which are from major conferences. But these teams couldn't just win on a really bad day. Any of these teams winning is really more in the line of a "snowball's chance in hell."

1. Miami/Virginia Tech -- Miami's Jack McClinton is the best shooting guard in the ACC -- sorry, Wayne Ellington. McClinton would have to go off for something like 30 or 40, but playing UNC for a second time (the second game being at home for Miami in mid-February) might be the charm. Home crowds help, and that's why I also think Virginia Tech can score a major upset. On March 4, UNC travels to Blacksburg to play the Hokies, and that game is the last game for UNC before its second round of battling with Duke four days later. Virginia Tech always seems to be close to pulling off an upset or actually pulling one off every year, so it's not crazy to think of the Hokies doing it against the biggest of all giants.

2. Davidson -- Would you seriously put it past Stephen Curry to score 50 and help his teammates shock the Tar Heels? UNC beat Davidson, 72-68, in Chapel Hill last year. It was the first game of the season for UNC, the second for the Wildcats, but it was a dandy. With both teams heated up -- they would have to meet in March -- this could be an instant classic. Nobody ever counts Davidson out anymore, even against a team like UNC, which might be the best team college basketball has seen possibly ever.

3. Syracuse -- The Orange really impressed me in their defeat of Kansas last week. So much so that I think they might be the fourth-best team in the Big East behind UConn, Pitt and Louisville. I could see Jonny Flynn dropping 30 and the Orange causing some fits for UNC, but it would really have to be a special afternoon for Jim Boeheim's club.

In the end, UConn and Duke are the only two teams I'd say could win four of 10 matchups between them and UNC. Pitt and Gonzaga are close behind, but after that, we're talking about once-in-a-lifetime upsets. UNC is that good.

Big East Whiteout

The Big East has three teams in the top five of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Pitt leapfrogged Duke and landed at No. 4, behind the usual suspects North Carolina, Connecticut and Louisville.

Xavier is the only new team in the Top 25. USC dropped out.

Turkey and Hoops

The Maui Invitational tips off today in ... Maui. Here are the first-round matchups:

St. Joe's vs. No. 7 Texas
Indiana vs. No. 8 Notre Dame
Chaminade vs. No. 1 North Carolina
Oregon vs. Alabama

Here's how the bracket looks.

There's a good chance we'll see Notre Dame-Texas on Tuesday and North Carolina-Notre Dame/Texas on Wednesday. Those four hours of hoops will be enjoyable to say the least. It could determine how seriously we take Notre Dame and/or Texas early in the season.

Another big tourney tips off today, too
The CBE Classic in KC kicks back into action tonight with two semifinal matchups: No. 18 Florida-Syracuse and Washington-No. 24 Kansas. I don't think it's too crazy to say at least three of those teams are probably Tournament teams. The question is, like we asked above, how serious are thes guys?

Elsewhere
-- No. 2 UConn took care of business against No. 17 Miami, 76-63. I was right about Jack McClinton -- he had 27 points and five boards -- but the Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 15.

-- Little Rhody had another nice performance Sunday, topping VCU, a major CAA contender and probable bubble team, in the battle of the Rams.

-- Xavier beat No. 13 Memphis, 63-58. Xavier has wins against Missouri, Virginia Tech and Memphis now. Not a bad way to start building that resume.

-- Missouri beat No. 19 USC, 83-72. That's two tough losses for USC early in the season. Luckily for USC, it looks like the Trojans still might be at least the second or third best team in the Pac-10.

-- The Big East is good. Even its cellar-dwellers get results.