West Coast bias

Arizona moves back on top, though Kentucky is still close

By Mark Button, SI.com

We can hear the Kentucky fans already.

We’ve won 18 straight and just beat Georgia IN ATHENS, and our beloved Wildcats drop in the SI.com Power Rankings?

Believe it.

Worry not, Kentucky fans. Your team is still one of the best two teams in the nation. It’s a judgment call, of course, but we feel that on a neutral court, with both teams playing their best, Arizona beats Kentucky.

We’ve liked the western Wildcats all year and, after Lute Olson's crew swept the Pac-10 road schedule and avenged its only conference loss (to Stanford), we felt it’s time to put Arizona back on top.

If Kentucky wins out, and sweeps the SEC with a perfect 16-0, we may re-think our top two. That’s a huge “if,” however. Tubby Smith’s Wildcats are going to have their hands full in Gainesville on Saturday.

Men's College Basketball Power Rankings
Rank	LW		Team
1	2		Arizona Wildcats (23-2 ) Lute Olson has his team playing better than anyone. America’s Best is just starting to peak, too. This week: vs. Oregon State, Thurs.; vs. Oregon, Sat.
2	1		Kentucky Wildcats (24-3 ) The only other lock for a No. 1 seed scored a major win at Georgia on Sunday. Good luck Saturday; Florida will be ready. This week: vs. Vanderbilt, Wed.; at Florida, Sat.
3	4		Florida Gators (24-4 ) Two huge games to close the SEC this week. We like the Gators to emerge as the SEC’s second No. 1 NCAA seed. This week: at Georgia, Tues.; vs. Kentucky, Sat.
4	6		Texas Longhorns (20-5 ) The Big 12’s deepest team is much more than T.J. Ford. See Brandin Mouton’s 20 points at Texas Tech for starters. This week: vs. Kansas State, Tues.; at Oklahoma, Sat.
5	5		Pittsburgh Panthers (21-4) Can’t ignore the balanced scoring and aggressive defense. We may not be Pitt believers, but the Panthers have earned everything they've received this season, including this ranking. This week: vs. Seton Hall, Wed.; at Villanova, Sun.
6	3		Oklahoma Sooners (20-5 ) After a critical victory against Kansas on Feb. 23, the Sooners prove there are no nights off in the Big 12, losing at Missouri last Wednesday. This week: vs. Nebraska, Tues.; vs. Texas, Sat.
7	10		Marquette Golden Eagles (22-4) Marquette won its first C-USA title with a dramatic come-from-behind win at Louisville, and Dwayne Wade is back in the Player of the Year conversations. This week: vs. Cincinnati, Sat.
8	8		Xavier Musketeers (22-4) David West, Romain Sato and Co. are still tearing through the A-10, but the Musketeers aren’t winning as convincingly. This week: at Saint Joseph’s, Wed.; vs. Temple, Sat.
9	9		Kansas Jayhawks (22-6) Tough final week. If Kansas hopes to get past the second round of the NCAAs, it will need something from its bench, which is dangerously slim again with Wayne Simien out for the year. This week: at Texas Tech, Mon.; at Missouri, Sun.
10	12		Syracuse Orangemen (21-4 ) Would you count this team out in the NCAAs? Not with 11 second-half, come-from-behind victories and that nasty zone defense. No way. This week: at Notre Dame, Tues.; vs. Rutgers, Sun.
11	7		Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21-7) Granted, playing on the road has been tough on just about everyone this year, but Rutgers? The Irish are better than they showed (or failed to show) Saturday. This week: vs. Syracuse, Tues.; at Georgetown, Sat.
12	14		Wake Forest Demon Deacons (21-4) With the ball in Josh Howard’s hands, Wake Forest fans have to feel good about their chances at an outright ACC title. This week: vs. North Carolina, Wed.; at North Carolina State, Sat.
13	15		Maryland Terrapins (21-4) We’ve said it before and will again: Drew Nicholas is as clutch as anyone in the nation. Great win for Maryland on Sunday, but it won’t be enough to win the ACC. This week: at Virginia, Sunday.
14	16		Illinois Fighting Illini (20-5) Needs to sweep final two games to win Big Ten regular season outright. A victory Wednesday and the Illini can still claim a share of the title. This week: at Wisconsin, Wed.; vs. Minnesota, Sat.
15	20		Wisconsin Badgers (21-6 ) It’s simple. All the Badgers must do is beat Illinois for the Big Ten title. Bo Ryan still hasn’t lost at home as Wisconsin's coach. This week: vs. Illinois, Wed.
16	13		Louisville Cardinals (21-6) The Cardinals showed a lot of heart beating back ECU without leading rebounders Marvin Stone and Ellis Myles, but we can’t look past the collapse at home to Marquette on Thursday. This week: at DePaul, Wed.; vs. Charlotte, Sat.
17	11		Duke Blue Devils (20-5) Speaking of meltdowns, how about Duke in the Garden against St. John’s? Kiss any hopes of a No. 1 NCAA seed good-bye. This week: vs. Florida State, Thurs.; at UNC, Sun.
18	--		Memphis Tigers (20-5) John Calipari’s bunch has won nine straight, including at Louisville and against Cincinnati. Chris Massie (17.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg) is a beast. This week: at Houston, Thurs.; at Alabama-Birmingham, Sat.
19	--		Dayton Flyers (21-5) Dayton’s only two A-10 losses were to Xavier. Very respectable. We love the Flyers’ balanced scoring. This week: at St. Bonaventure, Sat.
20	17		Utah Utes (23-5 ) Still the best team in the Mountain West, even though the Utes lost at New Mexico on Saturday. This week: at Air Force, Mon.; vs. Colorado State, Thurs.; vs. Wyoming, Sat.