This week's dilema: How do you justify moving a team up when it looses? Four letters: D-U-K-E.

Yes, Kentucky lose to the Blue Devils in the Jimmy V Classic. And no, it wasn't because of bad officiating. Duke won because Duke wins those types of games. Kentucky and its fans, however, left the Meadowlands with their heads high. They took Duke's best shots, even knocked the champs down, and were still standing toe-to-toe during an overtime that saw neither team back down.

So, that leaves the Power 16 in the unenviable position of moving Kentucky up a few spots despite a 1-1 week. But that's going to happen from time to time, so deal with it.

Once the Kentucky precedent was set, it was time to turn our attention to Missouri and Arizona, which made life tough on the decision committee locked in the Bristol basketball bunker each Sunday night.

Yes Syracuse fans, the Tigers have now dropped two straight games. And yes, they remain in the Power 16 despite their shortcomings. The rational? Iowa and Illinois vs. N.C. State and Georgia Tech. The Big Ten may not be up to speed with the ACC as a conference (don't get us started), but the Hawkeyes and Illini are the best the Big Ten has to offer -- you can't say that with a straight face about the Wolfpack or Yellow Jackets.

And finally, what do do with Arizona? The darlings of November and early-December are heading into 2002 in the wrong direction. A three-point win over the Beavers was followed up with a 30-point -- yes, 30-point! -- loss to the Ducks. That leaves the 'Cats 3-3 in their last six games and the "Body of Work" could use some tightening up again before their return to the Power 16.

The newcomers this week: Cincinnati, Oklahoma have combined for 19 straight victories. The Bearcats dropped their opener to Oklahoma State in Stillwater and have since reeled off 11 consecutive wins, while the Sooners seven straight wins heading into Friday night weren't much to brag about. Then came the dismantling of Maryland, which made everyone in the bunker take notice.

As always, the Power 16 welcomes your opinions.

Click here to voice your approval or disdain for the latest Power 16. Keep it clean, state a clear case for your team, include both a first and last name, city and state, and we'll post the best comments later in the week.

(Records as of Sunday, Dec. 23)

No. 1 Seeds

TEAM Duke Record: 10-0   Oklahoma State Record: 12-0   Kansas Record: 9-1   Florida Record: 9-1

COMMENT This space is just another opportunity to say Duke-Kentucky should happen every season. Up Next: Steve Fisher's Aztecs on Saturday Cowboys sure know how to put a positive spin on 22-point deficit. Don't they? Up Next: Always dangerous Ball State on Saturday. Fighting Sioux never had a chance without their skates. Boschee put on a great show for home fans. Up Next: Tulsa in Kansas City on Saturday. Should last longer in this spot than last team to make its way back to No. 1 group. Up Next: Stetson on Friday; Belmont on Sunday.

No. 2 Seeds

TEAM Virginia Record: 8-0   Kentucky Record: 7-2   Illinois Record: 10-2   Maryland Record: 8-2

COMMENT Not sure what's more impressive: Beating Hoyas in D.C., or holding Sweetney (18.4 ppg, 9 rpg) to 10 and 7. Up Next: Grambling on Sunday. Losing hurts, but didn't Wildcats look like a team ready for a rematch in March? Ask Indiana. Up Next: Must, must, must, must win on Saturday. Why do we keep doubting Illini? Why does anyone ever doubt Williams? Up Next: Loyola-Chicago on Saturday. Reverted back to MSG form in Norman. No defense. No rebounding. Poor shooting. Ugly loss. Up Next: Date with William & Mary on Thursday

No. 3 Seeds

TEAM Iowa Record: 10-3   Boston College Record: 11-1 Missouri Record: 9-2   Miami, Fla. Record: 11-0

COMMENT We'll say it for Iowa fans: "Told you so!" Hawkeyes move ahead of Tigers. A week late, maybe. Up Next: Mercer comes to town Friday Too much fun in the sun? How else do you explain loss to Miami, Ohio. Oh yeah, M-A-C. Up Next: Three months of winter and wins. OK, so we had the Tigers too high two weeks ago. Not to mention last week. Is this too high? Up Next: Trip to DePaul on Saturday. 'Canes could be only Big East unbeaten when season starts Jan. 2. Who would have thunk it? Up Next: Sugar high at LSU on Thursday.

No. 4 Seeds

TEAM Cincinnati Record: 11-1   Oklahoma Record: 9-1   Marquette Record: 10-1   Butler Record: 11-0

COMMENT Can't ignore what Huggins' boys are doing any longer. Logan and team defense a nice combination. Up Next: Rockin' with Zips on Saturday Haven't seen much of Sooners, but liked what we saw Friday night. Talk about an athletic bunch! Up Next: Long break until hosting A&M on Jan. 5. Didn't expect the Eagles to go 10-0. Didn't expect them to go unbeaten, either. Interested to see how they respond. Up Next: Tough trip to Wake Forest on Saturday. Bulldogs earned this spot by going into Muncie and beating Ball State. But don't get cocky. Up Next: What Ball State couldn't do. Beat Hoosiers?

Dropped Out: Arizona, Ball State, Stanford.