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.
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