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

It's Monday. That means there are rankings to be done.

1. Pitt (15-0; previous rank: 1) -- St. John's gave the Panthers some trouble for a good 24 minutes or so, but Pitt came out of its shell in time to blow St. John's out.

2. Wake Forest (14-0; 4) -- The Deacs dominated UNC and we were all about it this morning.

3. Duke (14-1; 3) -- The Blue Devils have a bigger problem than their rival North Carolina -- Wake Forest.

4. UConn (14-1; 5) -- I'd say the Huskies have rebounded well from their Big East-opening loss to Georgetown.

5. North Carolina (13-2; 2) -- I know what you're thinking -- how many times does UNC have to lose before we drop them far down the polls? Well, I'll say three more.

6. Oklahoma (15-1; 7) -- There hasn't been any trouble since the Arkansas loss.

7. Syracuse (16-1; 8) -- How much more does Syracuse have to do before it gets national attention? HUGE game on Wednesday at Georgetown.

8. Michigan State (13-2; 11) -- Sparty had a convincing win against Kansas this weekend. Something tells me MSU is back.

9. UCLA (13-2; 10) -- Big win at USC. Huge win. The Bruins, like Michigan State, are back.

10. Clemson (16-0; 12) -- The Tigers get to play Wake on Saturday. Cannot wait.

11. Marquette (15-2; 13) -- Um, did you watch the Golden Eagles destroy West Virginia?

12. Texas (12-3; 9) -- The Longhorns lost to Arkansas. So did Oklahoma. That's why tonight's game is such an appetizing contest. Oh, and Texas and Oklahoma are two of the best teams in the nation. Forgot about that.

13. Notre Dame (12-3; NR) -- The Irish are momentarily legit after a win at home against Georgetown. I'd love to see them on the road against a Big East opponent -- er, a retry after the St. John's loss.

14. Minnesota (15-1; 17) -- The Gophers got a huge win on the road at Iowa. And then blew out Penn State. But who doesn't blow out Penn State?

15. Arizona State (14-2; NR) -- A dominating sweep of Oregon catapults ASU back into the Power Rankings after several previously ranked teams struggled.

16. Butler (14-1; 18) -- The Bulldogs have won six in a row since their loss at Ohio State.

17. Cal (15-2; NR) -- Nine wins in a row since the Bears' second loss, plus a sweep of Washington, has me high on Cal.

18. Baylor (13-2; NR) -- Baylor is the third-best team in the Big 12. The Bears are not going to be an easy team to play the rest of the season.

19. Louisville (12-3; NR) -- Three wins since the UNLV loss, including a gutsy buzzer-beating win against Kentucky and a one-point thriller over 'Nova. Two gigantic games follow the 'Nova win: home tussles with Notre Dame and Pitt.

20. St. Mary's (15-1; NR) -- No Gonzaga until the end of the month. Twelve-game winning streak. St. Mary's deserves it.

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.

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.