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Power Rankings (cont.)

Posted: Thursday December 7, 2006 10:00AM; Updated: Thursday December 21, 2006 3:33PM
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NCAA Basketball Power Rankings
Rank LW Team
6 15
Oklahoma State (10-0)
We periodically see hand signs in college hoops -- mostly guys flashing three fingers after drilling a trey, or doing the Jay-Z Roc La Familia diamond (remember Rashad McCants in the 2005 Final Four?). The funniest one, though, has to be "The Dove," a two-handed, bird-flapping thing that's performed by nearly every member of the Cowboys after Marcus Dove dunks. It was flashed twice at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night -- and then assistant coach James Dickey could be seen telling players on the bench, "No more of the Dove sign, guys! No more." According to Dove, "The Rev [Dickey] got a little concerned -- we always do that at home, where everyone knows it, but he thought we might get T'ed up for it in New York." Dove said that the celebration was the brainchild of ex-Cowboy John Lucas III, who told him way back in his freshman year, "Man, your name is Dove -- you've got to do some wings after you dunk."
Next three: 12/9 at Ball State, 12/18 at Tennessee, 12/21 vs. Pittsburgh.
7 -
LSU Tigers (4-1)
Good to see the Tigers getting back to their old ways after losing at home to Wichita State on Nov. 25. On Tuesday night they knocked off No. 6 (in the AP, not the Power Rankings) Texas A&M 64-52 with a vintage performance. Guard Garrett Temple, who made his name in the NCAA tournament by shutting down Duke's J.J. Redick, held Aggies guard Acie Law to just four points on 1-of-11 shooting (including 0-for-5 from long distance). The Big Baby, meanwhile, was the emotional and statistical leader, scoring 15 second-half points to finish with 24 points and 10 rebounds. "I never said, 'Hey I'm going to put it on my shoulders,'" Glen Davis told The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. "But that's my role for this team -- to deliver when deliverance is needed." The only thing missing was a Zeus reference during the post-game celebration.
Next three: 12/10 at Texas (in Houston), 12/17 at Oregon State, 12/20 at Washington.
8 -
Arizona Wildcats (6-1)
The Wildcats had a hoops reunion in their locker room at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday after beating Louisville 72-65. New Jersey Nets Richard Jefferson and Hassan Adams rolled in following their loss to Dallas on the other side of the Hudson; Jefferson was clutching a brand-new 'Zona sweatshirt, still in the wrapper ("This?" he said of the sweatshirt, jokingly, "I just saw a kid in the stands with it, and I beat him up and took it.") and was also in charge of special effects (flipping the light switch on and off while laughing at assistant coach Jim Rosborough). The Knicks' Channing Frye, meanwhile, was hanging out in the stands, and while the DC Sports Bog mentioned the possibility of a Gilbert Arenas appearance, I wasn't able to spot him. The weird outsider, though, was Renaldo Balkman, a South Carolina-and-not-an-Arizona guy, who was camped out across from the Louisville bench with a date all night. Anyone know why he was there?
Next three: 12/9 at San Diego State, 12/17 vs. Houston, 12/20 vs. Memphis.
9 -
Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1)
I'm ready to slip the Buckeyes back into the rankings after seeing Greg Oden's debut. My favorite thing about the tale of his medical clearance (thanks, Seth Davis) was the collegiate realism of the setting where he received the "You're Good to Go" call: Oden was shopping at a Target store. When they make the Greg Oden Movie, starring a 69-year-old Morgan Freeman as a 19-year-old Oden, I'm sure they'll alter that Target scene into something more dramatic. Like, a scene of him doing one-handed lefty pushups to Rocky montage music and getting interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
Next three: 12/9 vs. Cleveland State, 12/16 at Cincinnati, 12/19 vs. Iowa State.
10 12
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)
Is the Tide going to be Notre Dame's next ranked victim? The Irish knocked off Maryland on Sunday in Washington, D.C., and they host 'Bama -- whose star point guard, Ronald Steele, is still nursing a sore knee -- on Thursday night. Tide coach Mark Gottfried tried to play the we're-still-figuring-things-out card leading into the trip, saying, "As you build your team, you're using these games to really learn who does what well. I don't know that we've got answers to that just yet." Surveying the 'Bama roster and seeing Steele and fellow future pro Jermareo Davidson, Mike Brey had an easy counter for Gottfried: "He's trying to learn what [NBA Draft] round they're going in." Touché, Mike, touché.
Next three: 12/7 at Notre Dame, 12/9 vs. Alabama State, 12/16 at Southern Miss.

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