Following another torrid week of conference action, there was little change in college basketball's top 25. After beating both Florida State and Georgia Tech by more than thirty points, Duke is again the nation's unanimously-ranked number one team, a title it has held for every week but one this season. The rest of the top five also remained unchanged as Kansas, Maryland, Oklahoma and Cincinnati come off undefeated weeks.
The Blue Devils were led by the stellar play of Mike Dunleavy, who continues to improve as the season progresses. Dunleavy scored 23 and 20 points, respectively, and helped Duke turn tight first halves into late-game blowouts.
Kansas' scorching offense was another top story this week. The Jayhawks put up 98 points in a 27-point victory over Kansas State, and went off for 108 in a blowout of Texas Tech. Kansas shot at an unbelievable 61 percent clip from the floor against Bobby Knight's squad, and improved its Big 12 mark to an unblemished 10-0. With a sure-fire all-American in Drew Gooden, who scores, rebounds and changes opponents' shots, and a relentless and untiring aggressive style of play, it seems the Jayhawks are the only squad in the land who could challenge Duke for a national championship.
The game of the week occurred when 15th-ranked Oregon traveled to Stanford in a PAC-10 battle. For the second time in three games, Stanford star Casey Jacobsen scored over 40 points to lead the Cardinal to a 90-87 overtime victory.
Neither team led by more than four points for the entire game. Down by three with time winding down in regulation, the Cardinal could not find an open man. Unable to get the ball to Jacobsen, the final shot was left to the lone senior on Stanford's roster, Tony Giovacchini, who calmly sunk the three as time expired. Stanford proceeded to connect on 8 of 11 free throws in the extra frame to seal the game.
Along with Stanford, which moved up six spots to #14 in the coach's poll, the week's big winner was Marquette, which jumped 11 spots to #12. Super sophomore Dwyane Wade, one of the nation's least-known stars, again led the Golden Eagles. The 6'4" guard scored 24 points while shooting 9-12 from the floor in a 70-58 victory over East Carolina, and followed that performance up with a modest 16-point, five-rebound game in a 72-58 win against Southern Mississippi.
Pittsburgh, led by the stellar play of point guard Brandin Knight, continued its dream season with two Big East victories over Seton Hall and Syracuse. The Panthers are 21-4 overall, and have shocked not only fans in the East, but across the nation.
The week's big losers were Ohio State and Texas Tech. The Buckeyes dropped consecutive close games to Wisconsin and Michigan State, but managed to move up two spots in the polls to #20. After losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas, Bobby Knight's surprising and overachieving Red Raiders fell out of the top 25.
The country's most overrated team is the Miami Hurricanes. After a 1-1 week, including a Sunday afternoon loss to Boston College on national television, the Hurricanes moved up to #11 from #16. Though extremely athletic and capable of playing great basketball, the Hurricanes lack the consistency to go far in the tournament.
Make sure to circle your calendars next Sunday, when Duke travels to Maryland, in what has quickly become the nation's best rivalry.
