Power Rankings: Don't Look Now But ...

America's Most Hated Team is back on top of college basketball. It may only be a little while, but surely everyone's skin crawled a little bit when Wake Forest lost, leaving the door open for Duke to take over the top spot in the nation.

Wake's loss shows us one thing: Heavy lies the crown. And Duke will have to prove its worth right away -- the Blue Devils go to Wake on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. showdown. Don't worry, the ACC won't give us another marquee matchup for a few weeks to catch our breath ...

Meanwhile, visiting No. 9 Louisville beat No. 8 Syracuse on Sunday in Big East action. No. 4 Pitt took care of business at West Virginia. Seton Hall stunned No. 12 Georgetown. On Saturday, No. 20 Villanova edged out South Florida by nine points. No. 11 Marquette, the conference leaders with Louisville, had its hands full with the league's worst team, DePaul, before winning by nine.

Oh, and UConn snapped Notre Dame's 45-game home winning streak.

But that's just a weekend in the Big East. And the Duke-Wake Forest showdown is just a once-in-a-few-weeks kind of showdown in the ACC. Better call up Dicky V.

To the rankings ...

1. Duke (18-1; previous rank: 2) -- The Blue Devils maimed Maryland on Saturday. By 41. They beat North Carolina State by 17 on Inauguration Day. They beat Georgia Tech by 14. Meanwhile, previously winless-in-conference Seton Hall just beat Georgetown, probably the fourth or fifth team in the Big East. You're right: The ACC isn't top-heavy, but the Big East is. But I digress. Duke has won 10 in a row since losing its only game of the season.

2. UConn (18-1; 3) -- The Huskies, like I said, went into the toughest arena in the Big East and won. They held Notre Dame to 33-percent shooting. That's one of the best offenses in the nation -- 33 percent. That, my friends, is good defense, with a capital picket fence. UConn's "week off" in conference play is this week, when the Huskies go to DePaul, the team that just pushed the Big East's top team right now, then host the Providence Friars, who have asserted themselves as possibly the ninth-best team in the conference.

3. Pitt (18-1; 4) -- So, Pitt, one of our Heavy Lies the Crown victims who lost early in their top ranking, is right back into form. The Panthers annihilated Syracuse on Monday and then traveled to an extremely tough gym, WVU Coliseum, and crushed West Virginia, the team that had just beaten Georgetown by 17 ... in Washington. A pair of convincing wins for Pitt had me tempted to jump them past Duke and UConn, but the Panthers are just fine at 3. And you'll probably notice a theme here, but Pitt now plays at Villanova on Wednesday before hosting Notre Dame on Saturday. Just another week in the Big East. It's exactly like the NCAA Tournament some (most?) weeks.

4. Wake Forest (16-1; 1) -- Wake lost a tough game at home, but there's no time to relax. The Deacs get Duke on Wednesday. And they may want to rectify the whole 1:2 assist-to-turnover ratio they had against Virginia Tech. Oh, and they might not want to let Duke shoot 50 percent. But Wake is at home, and probably pretty mad that it lost to an NIT team, so I think we might see another No. 1 go down on Wednesday.

5. Oklahoma (19-1; 5) -- Baylor is pretty good, and Oklahoma swatted them on Saturday. The Sooners have won seven in a row since losing at Arkansas. Now they have a big rivalry game at Oklahoma State on Wednesday. I don't really see anybody tripping up Oklahoma in the Big 12 if the Sooners play their best, so we'll just be on upset alert the rest of the season, erring on the side of the Sooners.

6. UNC (17-2; 6) -- Hey, it's a good game in the ACC that doesn't just include Duke, UNC and Wake. The Tar Heels go to Tallahassee for a tough game at Florida State on Wednesday. They should win, but FSU is looking for a nice marquee win. Is this one it?

7. Louisville (15-3; 10) -- A few teams lost, and the Cards kept moving, beating Syracuse by 10 on the road. Louisville hit its stride after losing to UNLV, and it hasn't looked back. South Florida and West Virginia are on tap this week, all before UConn on Feb. 2. Mark your calendars.

8. Marquette (17-2; 9) -- Louisville leap-frogged the Golden Eagles because Marquette has really feasted on the mid-table Big East schools. The Cardinals' wins at Syracuse and at home against Pitt and Notre Dame were impressive. Now, Marquette has a shot to make a splash with a game against Georgetown. But the Golden Eagles are lucky: They really should be OK until they go to Georgetown, host UConn, travel to Louisville then Pitt and then return home to play Syracuse to round out the season. Marquette might be 12-1 in the Big East by then.

9. Michigan State (17-3; 7) -- Oops. The Spartans lost a weird game to Northwestern on Wednesday. That's a pretty bad loss. But they responded with a resounding defeat of Ohio State. We'll call the Northwestern game a blip.

10. Syracuse (17-4; 8) -- I'm not going to drop Syracuse too much because Orange lost two in a row to Final Four teams. Not exactly a terrible week. Plus, I still like 'Cuse's win against Notre Dame. The Orange need to rebound, though, and get at least one marquee win against a good Big East team. They go to UConn on Feb. 11. Mark that date, too.

11. Clemson (17-2; 11) -- The Tigers don't belong with Duke, Wake and UNC. But they don't belong with Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech, either. They really belong with the 6-9 best Big East teams. Are you picking up what I'm putting down?

12. Arizona State (16-3; 12) -- Doesn't Arizona State remind you of the 3 seed that loses by like 20 to a 6 or 11 seed in the second round? Write that previous sentence down somewhere.

13. Xavier (17-2; 17) -- The Musketeers are zooming up my power rankings after I saw them in action against LSU. I know LSU isn't very tough -- although it might just be the best team in the SEC West -- but Xavier closed out well. Very well. And if you can hit your foul shots, get some stops and make big shots in tough games, you are well suited for the Tournament.

14. Texas (14-4; 16) -- The Longhorns go to Baylor tomorrow night. They'll need to lock down the very good Baylor offense and try to control tempo. If Texas gets that win, it's in good shape. Baylor is a tough team, despite its crumbling at the hands of Oklahoma. This game will be a good indicator of who, along with Kansas, will be the main challenger to the Sooners.

15. Butler (18-1; 15) -- I can't move the Bulldogs higher because the Horizon League schedule isn't very daunting. But we know Butler can compete with anyone, anywhere. That's why we give 'em respect. They've earned it.

16. Washington (15-4; NR) -- The Huskies are 6-1 in the Pac-10, and they've won four in a row, including an 11-point win against UCLA on Sunday. A five-point win against USC was nice, too. I'm not sure Washington will stay this high in the power rankings, but the Huskies have a legitimate argument for a Tournament berth right now, and I think they'll get one come March.

17. UCLA (15-4; 13) -- The Bruins struggled at Washington State and escaped with a win. I liked that win, though. I saw that game, and it's never easy to score against Wazzou, a team I've seen play live twice and on TV many, many times. They defend you very well. For UCLA to get that win, it took a lot. So, we'll keep them in the power rankings despite Washington's big win on Sunday.

18. Kentucky (15-4; NR) -- The Wildcats deserve to be in here. They've won five straight since losing a tough one to Louisville. I really think this is the team to beat in the SEC. Jodie Meeks (duh) is pretty hard to cover.

19. Illinois (17-3; 20) -- The Illini play Minnesota on Thursday. That game has Big Ten title implications and tournament seeding implications. Expect a gritty, low-scoring, really boring game. But it's a big one, and these teams will be tough outs in the NCAAs.

20. St. Mary's (18-1; 19) -- The Gaels didn't do anything wrong that caused them to drop, I just needed to get UK and Washington into the rankings, and those teams might be better than Saint Mary's. But there's a huge showdown that you really should watch this week: Gonzaga hosts St. Mary's on Thursday at 11. It's good TV before bed. Enjoy.

And a new addition ...

Teams on the brink: Villanova, Minnesota, Georgetown, Purdue, Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Memphis, Florida, Utah State, West Virginia, Providence, Florida State, Kansas

Power Rankings: Wake Takes the Top Spot

Well, a lot happened this weekend. So, the power rankings will be very different from last week's.

Let's not waste any time:

1. Wake Forest (16-0; previous rank: 2) - Well, the Deacs hammered Clemson at Clemson, so not only are they the only undefeated team left in America, they are also the clear frontrunners in the ACC after beating UNC. If Wake beats Duke on January 28, then it has a strong argument for 1 seed before February even starts.

2. Duke (16-1; 3) - The Blue Devils don't really have an inside presence to write home about, but Gerald Henderson keeps filling it up and Duke is getting stronger without much attention. Plus, the Dukies handled Georgetown at home on Saturday, a solid win.

3. UConn (16-1; 4) - The Huskies are right back where they were at the beginning of the season: sitting behind an ACC team. But UConn is cruising along in the Big East, albeit against the bottom half of the conference, and will face two difficult tests this week: Wednesday against Villanova and at Notre Dame on Saturday.

4. Pitt (16-1; 1) - I knew the going would be rough in Louisville, where the Panthers lost their first game of the season to a scrappy and rising Louisville club. But Pitt isn't going to have any time to dwell on it -- the Panthers host Syracuse tonight at 7 on ESPN.

5. Oklahoma (17-1; 6) - The Sooners jump UNC in the rankings after beating two very good Big 12 teams to claim clear top-dog status in the conference. Oklahoma creamed Texas by 15 and topped Texas A&M on its home floor, enough to move Blake Griffin and company past the preseason favorites. Baylor on Saturday will be a tough one for 'Homa.

6. UNC (16-2; 5) - UNC had a nice win this week, too, annihilating a decent Miami team in Chapel Hill. But beating Texas and Texas A&M is better than beating Miami and Virginia. Wednesday night will give UNC its only test of the week -- a home game against Clemson.

7. Michigan State (15-2; 8) - The Spartans got a huge home win against an up-and-coming Illinois team on Saturday, and it looks like MSU is hitting its stride. You know, the stride everyone expected them to hit back in October. Northwestern is Sparty's only opponent this week, but there's a chance it could be tougher than it sounds -- NW pushed Purdue last Thursday and then beat Minnesota on Sunday.

8. Syracuse (17-2; 7) - Syracuse got crushed at Georgetown, then turned around and beat the hell out of Notre Dame at home. Notre Dame is atrocious on the road, but beating the Irish by 19 is still impressive. And get this: 'Cuse went to Georgetown, came home for Notre Dame last week, now the Orange go to Pittsburgh and then host Louisville. It gets better: at Providence, home against West Virginia, at Villanova, at UConn, then Georgetown and Villanova at home. That's Syracuse's schedule over the next month or so.

9. Marquette (16-2; 11) - Nos. 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 of last week's power rankings lost this past week. So, Marquette, which was No. 11, reaps the benefits, jumping to No. 9. But the jump isn't without merit. The Golden Eagles beat a tough Providence team on the road. It won't be a tough week for Buzz Williams's gents -- they're only game is at DePaul on Saturday.

10. Louisville (13-3; 19) - Face it, Louisville is good. Look at this top 10: five Big East teams. Is it legit? Yeah, absolutely. These teams can all play with the best of the best. I've heard so many ACC-is-better-than-Big-East-because-of-the-top-three-ACC-teams arguments that I want to puke. Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame and West Virginia make it nine teams that I don't see getting much lower than 7 or 8 seeds in the Tournament. The ACC has Wake, Duke, UNC and Clemson. That's it. Try winning every night against Tournament-quality teams. You don't get nights off in the Big East.

11. Clemson (16-1; 10) - I won't drop Clemson too much just because losing to Wake Forest is not that bad. Obviously. Wednesday night's trip to North Carolina will give the Tigers their newest chance to break the winless streak in Chapel Hill. It takes a lot to break misfortune. Do the Tigers have it in 'em, or are they solidly the fourth-best team in the ACC?

12. Arizona State (15-3; 15) - Yeah, the Sun Devils played terribly at USC and lost, but then they made up for it by playing a lot better and beating UCLA on its home floor. Because so many teams lost this week, moving ASU up after a split wasn't so hard.

13. UCLA (14-3; 9) - The Bruins won big against Arizona but couldn't hang on against Arizona State at the end of the week. UCLA does the Washington tour this week, and it won't be easy.

14. Georgetown (12-4; NR) - A two-game losing streak dropped the Hoyas out of the top 20, but a dominating home win against Syracuse got them back into the rankings. Duke rocked Georgetown on Saturday, but it's OK -- this is a relatively young Hoyas team, and playing at Cameron isn't easy.

15. Butler (16-1; 16) - The Horizon League isn't necessarily the toughest competition. OK, it's not even close. Still, the job 32-year-old Brad Stevens has done at Butler after losing both Mike Green and AJ Graves has been nothing short of amazing. Butler will turn someone's hair gray in March.

16.Texas (13-4; 12) - OK, the Longhorns were crushed by Oklahoma, but it's still clear that they're the next-best team in the Big 12. Saturday's game against Texas A&M will be fun.

17. Xavier (15-2; NR) - Xavier got a nice win at URI last week. A trip to LSU on Saturday gives the Musketeers a chance to get another out-of-conference road win, but unfortunately, LSU has completely fallen apart, so it may not carry as much weight. These guys are good, though.

18. Villanova (14-3; NR) - The Wildcats killed a tougher-than-you'd-think St. John's team yesterday. 'Nova goes to UConn Wednesday. That will be a major test. Scottie Reynolds has to score 70.

19. St. Mary's (17-1; 20) - St. Mary's won two games this week by an average of 37.5 points. I mean, it's the WCC, but still, that's impressive in conference play.

20. Illinois (15-3; NR) - It's time to show the Fightin' Illini some respect. They've got some quality wins against Missouri, at Purdue and Michigan. Solid.

Quick Update

It's been a busy morning here at J. Greer.

I just finished up Q&A sessions with former Florida star Andrew DeClercq, who played 10 years in the NBA, and Jay Williams, 2002 player of the year and '01 national champ from Duke.

Here are the links to both: DeClercq and Williams.

Elsewhere
-- Syracuse got handled last night by Georgetown. Handled.

-- Your No. 1 Pitt Panthers held off South Florida at home.

-- Illinois destroyed Michigan.

-- Wake crushed BC.

-- Aaaand Texas A&M got a marquee win.

I ask this everyday: Does anyone want to be ranked and stay ranked?

Another Resume-Builder

Add Duke to the list of upsets. Michigan is certainly piling up some nice NCAA Tournament-caliber wins in the nonconference schedule. A win against Duke gives the Wolverines two (UCLA being the other).

Could Michigan challenge for third in the Big Ten? We'll see.

Elsewhere
-- God, of all the teams I wanted to see in the BCS title game, Florida is not even close to being one of them. The only good thing to ever come out of Florida is Erin Andrews.

-- Notre Dame lost to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are snatching up some nice wins early this year, too.

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.

Starting the Party Off Right

I have to admit something: I refused to watch more than snippets of the Wisconsin-Virginia Tech last night. I can't stand watching Wisconsin. The Badgers are more boring to watch than The Hills. But my college basketball desires could not be entirely crushed, and, with 30 seconds left, I decided to flip back to ESPN to catch the game's waning moments.

Boy, was I rewarded.

It was 67-58 Wisconsin with 1:14 left, so when I tuned in, the commentators were talking about Virginia Tech's comeback in the final minute to make it a game. Here's what ensued ...

0:53 Va. Tech's Malcolm Delaney hits a 3 (67-61 W)
0:43 Wisconsin's Joe Krabbenhoft makes 1 of 2 FTs (68-61 W)
0:36 VT's Dorenzo Hudson hits a 3 (68-64)
0:33 Wisconsin turnover
0:29 VT's Delaney fouled shooting a 3, makes 2 of 3 FTs (68-66 W)
0:26 Wisconsin's Krabbenhoft makes 2 of 2 FTs (70-66 W)
0:18 VT's AD Vasallo makes a 3 (70-69 W)
0:11 Wisconsin's Jason Bohannon makes 2 of 2 FTs (72-69 W)
0:07 VT's Vasallo makes another 3 (72-72)

And that's when Hughes drove (almost) the length of the floor, slipped by one defender and awkwardly released a jumper while sideways and barely avoiding another defender. Nothing but net.

Virginia Tech even had a halfcourt heave to win, and it looked good when released, but not good enough.

What a finish. Wisconsin won, 74-72.

Elsewhere
-- Rosie O'Donnell's show got canceled after one episode. Surprised?

-- Good games tonight: Ohio State at No. 21 Miami and No. 4 Duke at No. 9 Purdue. Big Ten/ACC Challenge games, of course.

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.

Upset Watch

Not saying it will happen, but Duke will have its hands full with Rhode Island today. Luckily for Coach K and company, the game's at Cameron.

Li'l Rhody can fill it up, though. The Rams will either shrink against a very good team with a very hostile home crowd, or stand tall and make it a ball game.

--Oh, and as of right now, Western Michigan is losing to Southern Illinois ... Edwardsville. Yikes.

--A good game will quietly take place in Omaha today: New Mexico-Creighton. Creighton is the Missouri Valley favorites. Steve Alford has a decent team out west that has a rough road ahead of it in the Mountain West, but should at least be competitive.

--Also, a few other good games on Sunday: Bradley-Florida, VMI-Virginia, Temple-Clemson, UW-Milwaukee-Iowa State.