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NCAA Basketball Power Rankings Rank LW School 11 13 Indiana Hoosiers (12-1) '07 Surprise: That freshman guard Eric Gordon would be so consistently good. He's scored at least 20 points in 11 of the Hoosiers' 13 games -- and one of the two times he failed to reach the mark, against Tennessee State, he suffered an injury that sidelined him in the first half. As much as Michael Beasley has been a one-man wrecking crew for Kansas State, and may win Freshman of the Year honors based on the sheer power of his numbers, Gordon will be the one scoring in meaningful games. '08 Need: Senior guard A.J. Ratliff finally returned to the Hoosiers' lineup for their Big Ten-opening win at Iowa, fouling out in 15 minutes. Freshman Jordan Crawford has been solid, but the Hoosiers could use some solid, veteran influence in their backcourt once they start making more difficult Big Ten road-trips. Early-Season Signature: The Oversized Air Gordon Undershirt. Next three: 1/8 at Michigan, 1/13 vs. Illinois, 1/17 at Minnesota 12 NR Butler Bulldogs (12-1) '07 Surprise: The instant impact of the kid from Connersville, Matt Howard. The Bulldogs still play small-ball, but Howard's 6-8 frame -- as well as his 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game -- have filled the hole left by Brandon Crone's graduation. Howard even outscored Ohio State super-frosh Kosta Koufos, 23-17, in a head-to-head meeting on Dec. 1 in Indy. '08 Need: For senior forward Pete Campbell, who shot 51.6 percent from three-point range last season, to get his groove back. Since returning from an injury on Dec. 19, he's shot just 5-of-19 from long distance. Early-Season Signature: Mike Green, Yup'ik Dancer. Next three: 1/5 vs. Valparaiso, 1/7 at Loyola (Ill.), 1/10 vs. UW-Green Bay 13 15 Texas A&M Aggies (13-1) '07 Surprise: The quality point guard play out of Denny's-recruited senior Dominique Kirk, who has a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio; and sophomore Donald Sloan, who has a 2.0-to-1 ratio. Aside from the debacle against Arizona in which they combined for three assists and six turnovers, the duo has admirably taken over Acie Law's old duties. '08 Need: For freshman center DeAndre Jordan to find some semblance of a stroke from the free-throw line. It's a serious liability when your highest-percentage shooter from the field, best rebounder and best shot-blocker can't be on the floor in crucial late-game situations. Early-Season Signature: 78.0 percent on field goals, 33 percent on free throws. Next three: 1/5 vs. LSU, 1/12 vs. Colorado, 1/16 at Texas Tech 14 16 Georgetown Hoyas (10-1) '07 Surprise: Roy Hibbert's sluggish December. After passing on the NBA draft, the Hoyas' 7-2 senior burst out of the gate in November, averaging 16.3 points and 7.8 boards. But that production dropped to 9.7 points and 5.3 boards last month, including a six-point, six-board clunker in what should've been a great duel with Memphis on Dec. 22. '08 Need: More offensive-glass crashing. In its 26-6, Final Four campaign last season, Georgetown was the country's eighth-best offensive rebounding team, grabbing 40.2 percent of its misses. That figure is down to 35.6 percent this year, putting the Hoyas 101st. Hibbert is rebounding at the same rate he did in '06-07, but he needs more help from Dajuan Summers and Patrick Ewing Jr. Early-Season Signature: Roy Frees The T. Will it do the trick? Next three: 1/5 at Rutgers, 1/8 at DePaul, 1/12 at UConn 15 14 Vanderbilt Commodores(13-0) '07 Surprise: The A.J. Ogilvy Show. Kevin Stallings made the shrewdest import of the year by bringing in the 6-10 Ogilvy from the Australian Institute of Sport. He's already averaging 19.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in just 25.5 minutes per game ... and unlike the freshman center mentioned two Power Rankings slots above, Ogilvy can knock down his free throws. He hit 12-of-13 on Monday against Iona, and is shooting at an 80.4 percent clip on the season. '08 Need: To start playing defense. The 'Dores may be undefeated, but they rank 127th in defensive efficiency and were featured prominently in my Early Warnings list from Wednesday. Early-Season Signature: The Ugg! phemonenon. Next three: 1/3 vs. Rice, 1/15 vs. UMass, 1/9 vs. South Carolina 16 5 Texas Longhorns (12-2) '07 Surprise: Too many things, almost. That the 'Horns could lose Kevin Durant and still have the nation's second-most efficient offense. That they would knock off two top-10 teams (Tennessee and UCLA) away from Austin early in the season. That previously seldom-used Connor Atchley would be averaging 11.6 points on 61.0 percent shooting. Enough yet? '08 Need: For the Gary Johnson Infusion -- now that the five-star freshman forward has been medically cleared to play -- to help shore up Texas' suspect defense. The 'Horns rank 84th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Early-Season Signature: Pantshorts. Next three: 1/2 vs. TCU, 1/5 vs. St. Mary's, 1/12 at Missouri

ON THE CUSP, TIER 1:

Pittsburgh (11-1): The Panthers' ugly loss at Dayton normally wouldn't be enough to knock them out of the rankings. They do, after all, have a win over Duke on their resume. But with Mike Cook and Levance Fields now out of the equation, Pitt no longer resembles the scary team we saw at the Garden before Christmas.

Wisconsin (11-2): I'm still stunned by that Trevon Hughes-less win at Texas.

Arizona (9-3): I know the 'Cats didn't have Jerryd Bayless, but I expected them to put up more of a fight against Memphis.

Ole Miss (13-0): I'm waiting to see next Wednesday's game at Tennessee before I get on this bandwagon.

ON THE CUSP, TIER 2: Villanova, Stanford, Oklahoma, USC, Drake, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Baylor, Xavier, Clemson, St. Mary's, Gonzaga, Rhode Island, BYU, Sam Houston State.

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