New Top Dogs Are Top Cats

Levance Fields and company are No. 1 in the nation for the first time in Pitt school history. A 70-54 thumping of Georgetown paired with North Carolina's loss last night helped the Panthers zoom past former Nos. 1 and 2 UNC and UConn.

The Washout in Washington has also moved Pitt to my top spot in the first power rankings of 2009.

1. Pitt -- A dominating win at Georgetown after the Hoyas had crushed UConn in the same week means the Panthers are the top team in the land right now.

2. UNC -- The Tar Heels will still be the team to beat going forward, but the ACC-opening loss to BC means there may be more chinks in UNC's armor than previously thought. I don't remember listing BC as a team that can beat Carolina.

3. Duke -- The Blue Devils took care of business this week and move past Big East power UConn and Big 12 favorite Oklahoma.

4. Wake Forest -- Suddenly the ACC has three Final Four contenders. While the league isn't nearly as tough top-to-bottom as the Big East, the top three teams are clearly as good as anyone.

5. Georgetown -- The Hoyas annihilated UConn -- in Hartford. Things don't get any easier for Georgetown as it travels to Notre Dame tonight.

6. UConn -- Jim Calhoun's crew is still tough to beat. In fact, I still believe the Huskies are the best suited to beat UNC in March. For now, UConn will have to continue recovering from the loss and hope for revenge against other top clubs.

7. Oklahoma -- The Sooners were getting crushed by Arkansas before Willie Warren willed them back into the game, forging a more respectable eight-point loss.

8. Syracuse -- Hard to get past allowing a kid who hit a woman play.

9. Texas -- The Longhorns have lost some of their luster with a pair of losses, but conference play will be kind to them.

10. UCLA -- And look who's back. The Bruins are tough if they can score easier, and right now, they're working back to that.

11. Michigan State -- It's been a long trip back to the power rankings for the Spartans, but a whole slew of teams losing helped Sparty come back.

12. Clemson -- I don't think the Tigers are legit until they play UNC, Duke or Wake Forest -- and either keep it really close or actually beat them.

13. Marquette -- Undersized? Yes. New coach? Yes. But this is still a tough, tough team. If Buzz Williams's boys can start gutting out wins on the road like they did at NC State, they could jump higher.

14. West Virginia -- No one in the Big East is playing more dominant basketball than the Mountaineers.

15. Boston College -- It's a big jump, yeah. But BC is 13-2 and has a win against UNC. What else do you want?

16. Purdue -- It's tough to lose a conference game at home. But I still like the Boilermakers.

17. Minnesota -- The Gophers came back from a tough loss to Michigan State with a strong win against Ohio State.

18. Butler -- A three-point loss to Ohio State is the only blemish on the always-solid Bulldogs.

19. UNLV -- The Runnin' Rebels only have two losses -- Cal and Cincinnati. And a win at Louisville plus an eight-game winning streak means I can no longer ignore them.

20. Davidson -- I still like this club. Now that the Wildcats are in conference play, don't expect many, if any, losses.