CNNSI.com - College Basketball - Men - Power Rankings: UNC jumps into top five

On the Heels of victory

North Carolina enters at No. 3 after Preseason NIT title

Posted: Monday December 02, 2002 4:36 PM
Updated: Monday December 02, 2002 5:47 PM

By Mark Button, CNNSI.com

For a week -- maybe a little longer -- North Carolina fans can enjoy a sense of vindication towards Kansas after the Tar Heels clubbed the Jayhawks in the Preseason NIT semifinals Wednesday.

All those feelings of rejection following Roy Williams' decision not to take the UNC job in 2000 may have been misplaced. Maybe the Tar Heels got the coach they needed in Matt Doherty after all.

Sure looks that way right now.

Of course, a few bad losses and Chapel Hill could be calling for upheaval once again.

On to the rankings ...

Men's College Basketball Power Rankings
Rank	LW	Team
1	1	Arizona Wildcats (2-0) King of the Hill until someone knocks them down. Luke Walton tweaked his ankle in a 101-66 rout of North Arizona, but the big guy will be fine. Sophomore Will Bynum reminded us that it’s not just Jason Gardner and Salim Stoudamire who can drill 3s -- Bynum made six in the win. This week: vs. St. Louis, Tuesday; vs. San Diego State, Saturday.
2	3	Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) The Tide have made victims of then-No. 3 Oklahoma and Ohio State, and there's little on the horizon until ‘Bama travels to Utah on Dec. 30. This week: vs. UNC-Greensboro, Tuesday; St. Bonaventure, Saturday.
3	--	North Carolina Tar Heels (5-0) Wary of playing this athletic, fearless, inspired group? We don’t blame you. True, UNC did steal the Preseason NIT second-round game from Rutgers, but the Tar Heels proved there is a new era in Chapel Hill by whipping then-No. 2 Kansas and Stanford to win the tournament. This week: at Illinois, Tuesday; vs. Kentucky, Saturday.
4	4	Texas Longhorns (4-0) The Longhorns are more than T.J. Ford. Texas went inside to Deginald Erskin to Beat Seton Hall 78-61 on Saturday. This week: vs. George Washington (BB&T Classic), Saturday, which continues Sunday.
5	5	Florida Gators (4-1) We thought Florida was better than Stanford -- OK, we still do -- and after the Gators shot down Kansas, we’re keeping Billy Donovan’s squad right here at No. 5. This week: at West Virginia, Tuesday; at Florida State, Friday; vs. South Florida, Sunday.
6	6	Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0) Pitt handled its business against St. Francis (Pa.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Brandin Knight is averaging 11. 3 points and 7.6 assists a game. This week: vs. Norfolk State, Tuesday; at Penn State, Saturday.
7	7	Maryland Terrapins (3-0) The Terrapins showed nothing to change our minds about a top-10 ranking in blowouts against The Citadel and Duquesnse. This week: at Indiana, Tuesday (in Indianapolis); vs. Notre Dame (BB&T Classic), Saturday, which continues Sunday. Bonus peek: vs. Florida, Dec. 14.
8	8	Duke Blue Devils (3-0) The Blue Devils looked shaky against Davidson last Monday -- for a few minutes. The 11-point victory against UCLA kept Duke in the top 10. This week: vs. Ohio State, Tuesday (in Greensboro, N.C.); vs. Michigan, Saturday.
9	9	Oklahoma Sooners (3-1) The Sooners didn’t do much last week, but they didn’t have to, really. Oklahoma 75, Prairie View 63. Kelvin Sampson knows he has some offensive issues to address, however. This week: vs. Hartford, Saturday.
10	18	Indiana Hoosiers (4-0) Mike Davis’ squad beat two solid programs -– Gonzaga and Virginia -– to win the Maui Invitational. He said the Hoosiers’ preseason ranking was too low at No. 22. He was right. This week: vs. Maryland, Tuesday (in Indianapolis); vs. Chicago-Illinois, Saturday.
11	--	Stanford Cardinal (5-1) We admit it, we were wrong about the Cardinal. Coach Mike Montgomery has his team playing unselfishly on offense and unified and aggressive on defense. This week: Do not play until Dec. 14 vs. St. Mary’s College.
12	11	Oregon Ducks (3-0) It’s all about Luke Ridnour, who is averaging 21.3 points and 8.3 assists. Stanford's impressive victories, however, bump the Ducks down a spot. This week: vs. Portland, Wednesday; vs. Kansas, Saturday (in Portland). Bonus peek, part 2: at Pepperdine, Dec.14.
13	2	Kansas Jayhawks (2-2) Dropping the Jayhawks 11 spots after back-to-back losses seems about right. Kansas will have plenty of chances to move back up. This week: vs. Central Missouri State, Wednesday; at Oregon, Saturday (in Portland).
14	14	Connecticut Huskies (2-0) Emeka Okafor is a monster. He’s averaging 4.7 blocks a game to go with 18.0 points and 11.7 rebounds. This week: vs. Sacred Heart, Tuesday; vs. Wagner, Saturday.
15	15	Marquette Golden Eagles (4-0) Dwyane Wade might be the best player in the nation. It’s too bad the Golden Eagles’ schedule isn’t a little tougher. We’d like to see Wade play against an SEC team or someone from the Big 12. Monday’s game will be a decent test, though. This week: Notre Dame, Monday; Appalachian State, Saturday.
16	--	Virginia Cavaliers (3-1) Defeating Kentucky in the Maui Invitational earned a top-20 ranking, but the Cavaliers are 0-1 against the Big Ten. Wednesday provides a shot to even that record. This week: at Michigan State, Wednesday.
17	16	Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-0) The Golden Hurricane beat Arkansas 61-60 on Saturday, but we’re not sure how impressive that is … Arkansas also lost to Oral Roberts this year -- by 12. This week: vs. Wichita State, Wednesday. Bonus peek, part 3: vs. Kansas, Dec. 11.
18	--	College of Charleston Cougars (5-0) Your Great Alaskan Shootout champions knocked off Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Villanova in succession. This week: vs. South Carolina-Aiken, Saturday.
19	13	Xavier (OH) Musketeers (2-1) Time to forget about the loss at Stanford. The Musketeers could jump up several spots next week if David West and Romain Sato sweep a pair of tough tests this week. This week: vs. Purdue, Tuesday; at Cincinnati, Saturday.x
20	--	Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0) The Gophers jump in the mix after defeating Georgia, but then again, who hasn’t? Rick Rickert has made 7-of-11 3-pointers (64 percent). This week: vs. Georgia Tech, Wednesday; vs. Bethune Cookman, Friday.