College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 9

Week:

Overall | Voters 1-6 | Voters 7-12 | Voters 13-10 |

College Basketball Power Rankings - Week 9
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	PTS	COMMENT
1	Pittsburgh 14-0	1 Last Week: 2	248	Pitt made its case for No. 1 with a convincing win over Georgetown. All the Panthers could do afterward was to wait for the rest of the chips (UNC) to fall. And fall they did. The result? A No. 1 ranking.
2	North Carolina 14-1	1 Last Week: 1	235	OK, hands up if you tabbed BC as the one to stand in the way of North Carolina and a possible unbeaten season. No one? We thought so. Now UNC can concentrate on its ultimate goal: Detroit.
3	Duke 13-1	-- Last Week: 3	232	There was enough of Stephen Curry to make things interesting in the second half, but it wasn't enough. The Blue Devils have upcoming trips to Florida State and Georgia Tech before a tantalizing nonconference matchup with Georgetown.
4	Wake Forest 13-0	1 Last Week: 5	219	Those in attendance in Provo, Utah, last week were treated to a spectacle not seen in three years: a BYU home loss. Wake snapped BYU's 53-game home winning streak, but it doesn't get any easier, as the Demon Deacons host UNC this weekend and follow that with trips to BC and Clemson.
5	Connecticut 13-1	1 Last Week: 6	210	UConn rebounded from its loss to Georgetown with two straight Big East wins, including beating West Virginia in Morgantown. Next up is a visit to Cincinnati, losers of three straight. Deonta Vaughn scored 34 points against the Huskies last year when they met in Cincy, an 84-83 UConn win.
6	Oklahoma 14-1	2 Last Week: 8	181	With Texas visiting Norman next week, perhaps the Sooners can check out the game film of the Longhorns' loss at Arkansas to prepare. Then again, the view from Fayetteville wasn't so hot from an OU perspective, either.
7	Michigan St 12-2	2 Last Week: 9	180	The humiliating loss to UNC seems so long ago now. Michigan State has won eight straight since that loss in Detroit, and the Spartans are 3-0 in the Big Ten, with Raymar Morgan recording a double-double in each of his three league games.
8	Clemson 15-0	3 Last Week: 11	179	Trevor Booker has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, providing Clemson with a necessary secondary scoring option to K.C. Rivers. An upcoming stretch of two games in four days against UNC and Wake Forest will speak volumes about the Tigers' chances of challenging for the ACC.
9	Syracuse 15-1	-- Last Week: 9	173	All five Syracuse starters are averaging double figures, led by human highlight reel Jonny Flynn. The Orange have reeled off six straight wins since their last-second shocker to Cleveland State and are the only team in the Big East shooting 50 percent or better.
10	UCLA 12-2	3 Last Week: 13	152	UCLA has won eight straight since losing to Texas, including its first two Pac-10 games against the Oregon schools. We'll learn plenty about the Bruins and the Pac-10 as they prepare for a three-game, six-day stretch against USC, Arizona and Arizona State.
11	Texas 11-3	4 Last Week: 7	138	In Texas' three losses, A.J. Abrams was 14-of-53 from the field, including 6-of-29 from 3. As Big 12 play approaches, and with a visit to OU on the horizon, the Longhorns will need him closer to his 40 percent average for the season.
12	Georgetown 10-3	8 Last Week: 4	131	On cloud nine a little over a week ago after beating UConn, Georgetown came back to Earth with back-to-back losses to Pitt and Notre Dame. The Hoyas have no time to feel sorry for themselves, however, as a visit from Providence is followed by an eight-day stretch against Syracuse, Duke and West Virginia.
13	Notre Dame 11-3	1 Last Week: 12	124	Behind Luke Harangody's 31 points and 11 boards, Notre Dame washed away the bad taste of a loss to St. John's with a win over Georgetown. Think the Irish will be happy to see the end of January? The rest of the month sees them playing Seton Hall, Louisville, Syracuse, UConn, Marquette and Pitt.
14	Xavier 12-2	7 Last Week: 21	94	Who's going to provide the Musketeers with the biggest challenge in the A-10 this year? Apparently not Saint Louis, as Xavier opened league play with a 70-44 win, not allowing a Billiken to reach double figures.
15	Marquette 14-2	6 Last Week: 21	92	Winners of six straight and boasting one of the most potent backcourts in the country, Marquette is off to a 3-0 start in the Big East. The Golden Eagles will need all the wins it can get in league play early, as their conference schedule is one of the most back-heavy in the Big East.
16	Arizona St 13-2	2 Last Week: 14	83	Pity poor Oregon State, which faced Arizona State on the heels of its first Pac-10 loss to Cal. The Sun Devils, who shot 65 percent in a 69-38 win, have a visit from Oregon before their trip through SoCal next week to face USC and UCLA.
17	Arkansas 12-1	9 Last Week: NR	77	Arkansas went Hog wild on the two Big 12 favorites this season, taking care of both Oklahoma and Texas on its home floor to emerge as the favorite in the SEC West heading into league play.
18	Butler 13-1	2 Last Week: 20	71	Butler just doesn't lose in the Horizon. The Bulldogs have won their last 15 in conference play, and they're 4-0 this year -- their best Horizon start since 2002-03.
19	Villanova 13-2	4 Last Week: 23	54	How important is Scottie Reynolds to Villanova's chances in the Big East? Exhibit A: The junior guard almost single-handedly pushing the Wildcats past Seton Hall in OT, scoring 40 points in 43 minutes.
20	West Virginia 11-3	2 Last Week: 18	53	West Virginia was a missed Alex Ruoff 3 away from potentially knocking off UConn at home. WVU lost 61-55, but considering the Mountaineers shot 30 percent from the field and 23 percent from 3, that's not so bad.
21	Louisville 10-3	5 Last Week: NR	35	Most teams wait until Big East play before getting battered and bruised. Louisville jumped the gun, getting beat up a bit during its nonconference slate. Maybe the Cardinals have toughened up just in time for conference play. They'll need all the toughness they can muster with an upcoming three-game stretch against Villanova, Notre Dame and Pitt.
22	Illinois 13-2	5 Last Week: 17	33	Bruce Weber is the first to admit that road wins are going to be hard to come by in the Big Ten this year. Unfortunately for Illinois, he was right, as the Illini fell to Michigan in Ann Arbor, though they'll get another shot at the Wolverines at home next week.
23	Baylor 12-2	7 Last Week: 16	29	How's this for spreading the wealth? Curtis Jerrells is one of five Bears to average double digits in scoring. Jerrells' Bears tip off Big 12 action against Texas Tech on Saturday.
24	Minnesota 14-1	2 Last Week: NR	28	Fifty-two points. That's all Minnesota managed at Iowa, its lowest score in a win since February 2005. The Gophers snapped a four-game road losing streak in the Big Ten.
24	Saint Mary's 13-1	2 Last Week: NR	28	Second to none? For Saint Mary's, it's been second to one in the WCC. The Gaels say they're tired of looking up at Gonzaga and intend to do something about it.
Others receiving votes: Purdue (26), Gonzaga (25), Memphis (24), California (23), Wisconsin (22), Brigham Young (17), Michigan (12), Davidson (7), UNLV (5), Ohio State (3), Tennessee (3), Texas A&M (2), Dayton (2)
Biggest Jump: 9 Biggest Drop: 8