25. Florida (10-1) – The Gators are quietly the third best team in the SEC (Kentucky is an embarrassment at 4-4) behind Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Though the possibility is small that Billy Donovan re-created another five-man super class, this group of freshman and sophomores (Nick Calathes ’11, Marreese Speights ’10, Chandler Parsons ’11 and Jai Lucas ’11) could be special.

24. Nebraska (8-2) – Aleks Maric broke it open in OT against Oregon with a putback in the lane after missing two bunnies during regulation. Maric finished with 23 points and 7 boards in the Huskers stunning 88-79 upset of Oregon despite 14 triples from the Ducks (7 by Tajuan Porter). It might sound crazy, but could the Huskers make a case for the Big 12 to be the best conference in hoops this year?

23. West Virginia (9-1) – The surprise of the Big East. While Rick Pitino has been sitting on win No-599 for two games at Louisville, Bob Huggins is quickly shooting up the charts. Who would have said that Huggins (598 wins) would touch the 600-win plateau before Pitino entering this season?

22. Clemson (8-0) – Clemson embodies everything wrong with finals. Not that we’re saying anything against academia, but these kids sit for fourteen days before running off three straight games (12/22 vs. unbeaten Mississippi will be fun).

21. BYU (9-1) – It’s not all about Trent Plaisted, even if he went off for 18 points, 18 boards in the Cougars win over Pepperdine. In their last two games, Lee Cummard has led the offensive charge. And during the 88-66 win over Lamar, he nearly pulled down a triple double, falling two assists shy (27 points, 10 boards, 8 assists).

20. Villanova (8-1) – The Wildcats have scored over 100 points in their last two. It’s a good cover for a struggling defense. Scottie Reynolds is officially in mid-season form – he’s posted 20+ in three of ’Nova’s last four to go with at least five dimes.

19. Gonzaga (8-2) – Matt Bouldin missed the ’Zags 77-57 win over Northern Colorado last night because of an ankle injury and Jeremy Pargo was hobbled with a hyperextended knee. While Spokane should be encouraged by the return of Austin Daye (18 points, 7 boards) after three sub-par games, they will need Bouldin to battle against Oklahoma on Thursday.

18. Tennessee (9-1) –Bruce Pearl’s effusive praise for members of his bench is getting ridiculous. First he said that freshman Cameron Tatum is an incredible talent who can’t see time because he’s behind the Smith coalition. Then he went off about how good Duke Crews is. And now after one good game in which Tennessee edged Western Kentucky 88-82, he gushed about Brian Williams 16 point, 14 rebound game. Apparently Williams lost a ton of weight recently: “I did love him 100 lbs. ago,” said Pearl to Fran Fraschilla. “I love a fat girl! I always told you that Franny!” Crazy.

17. Miami (FL) (10-0) – Meet the Miami Hurricanes. Jack McClinton gets buckets for this bunch at 14.3 per night on an absurd 57% from beyond the arc. Anthony King eats the paint for 9.6 points and 8.6 boards a night. Brian Asbury turns in just over 10 points a night and crashes the glass well for someone who isn’t too bulky (6-7, 214).

16. Butler (9-1) – Sure the Bulldogs dropped to Wright State during the first week of the month. But A.J. Graves came back at FSU as if he had a personal vendetta against them, netting seven triples, a season-high. If he can drown the athletic ’Noles from deep, Butler could do considerable damage.

15. Marquette (7-1) – Tom Crean’s problem is that he has a team of guards who don’t shoot well. The Golden Eagles don’t have a credible three-point shooter and don’t have a strong presence on the block as they are averaging just over 35 boards a game – not enough to compete with teams like…

14. Texas A&M (9-1) – In their last two games, the Aggies tallied 50 and 49 rebounds respectively, an easy feat for a group of their size (DeAndre Jordan 7-0, Joseph Jones 6-9, Bryan Davis 6-9, Chinemelu Elonu 6-10). Texas A&M D’s up will be a tough tournament team, especially when matched up against teams who lack reliable shooters.

13. Arizona (8-2) – If the mercurial Wildcats are hitting, they can take down any team in the nation. Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger are two of the five best scorers in the Pac-10, and Jordan Hill solidified himself as a presence in the post. Hill’s last two games have been his best to date: 23 points, 14 rebounds vs. Illinois and 15 points, 9 boards vs. Fresno State.

12. Michigan State (9-1) – The Spartans crushed IPFW 79-57 but Tom Izzo still expressed disappointment, goading his players on with the suggestion that too few of them strive for “excellence.” Perhaps he was referring to usually-steady Raymar Morgan whose 12 points was a season-low?

11. Washington State (9-0) – Both the AP and ESPN/USA Today rank the Cougars within the Top 7. But realistically, we’re wondering whether this group has the firepower to survive the Pac-10. Derrick Low’s numbers have dipped of late: over Wazzu’s first four games, Low averaged 19 flat; over their last five, he’s turned in 9.2 per night.

10. Indiana (9-1) Eric Gordon returned to form during IU’s 100-52 annihilation of Western Carolina with 26 points (6-11 3FG). However the most encouraging development of the Hoosiers’ recent action is the play of D.J. White. He’s double-doubled in IU’s last six and is shooting a career-best 63.7% from the field.

9. Vanderbilt (10-0) Is nine too high for the Commodores? Not after the way that they rebounded from a considerable deficit on the road at DePaul. We’ve been singing Shan Foster’s praises and will continue to do so. How often do you see a guy shooting 54% from deep when he’s made 42 triples less than a third of the way through the year?

8. Pittsburgh (10-0) Sam Young is the best player in the Big East right now. Likewise, DeJuan Blair is the best freshman in the Big East – not Corey Fisher, not Austin Freeman, not even Donte Greene. Blair is a beast at 6-7 250 lbs., and he’s whipped up a double-double in three of the Panthers’ last four. He will create problems for the Blue Devils when they meet at MSG this Thursday.

7. UCLA (9-1) Darren Collison is back, doing things that he hasn’t done yet this year. During the Bruins 89-49 win against Idaho State, Collison tied a career-best with 20 points (3-4 3FG), clarifying any questions about his “rustiness.” His words, not ours.

6. Duke (9-0) The Dukies are hot, but they have a huge road test at Pittsburgh this Thursday. If it’s anything like their 110-70 smacking (60.3% FG, 57.7% 3FG) last night over Albany, they’ll move into the Top 5.

5. Memphis (8-0) The Tigers haven’t played with the same electricity since the start of the year: they’ve scored in the 60’s in their last two games. Though they continue to win (65-41 over Mid Tenn. St.), Cal’s group doesn’t have the antidote to a “pack-it-in” junk defense yet.

4. Georgetown (8-0) The Radford Highlanders didn’t like getting dunked on by Georgetown so they responded with hard fouls and intense play. The Hoyas didn’t like being challenged so they put a hurt on Radford. After a 52-point first half, Georgetown continued their onslaught in the second half with 58 more, capping the game 110-51. GU’s McDonough Arena erupted when the Hoyas reached the 100-point plateau, celebrating the embarrassment of a fifty-piecing.

3. Texas (10-0) It would be enough for the Longhorns to have D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams posting over 19 points per game respectively to go with Damion James’ 10 boards per night. But Rick Barnes’ crew has a fourth threat in three-point shooting big man, Connor Atchley (61.3 % 3FG), who led UT with 26 points and 10 rebounds in their 96-81 victory Saturday against Texas State.

2. Kansas (10-0) Easily the most balanced team in the nation, the Jayhawks are shooting 52% as a group. Mario Chalmers led KU on both ends of the floor in their 88-51 win over Ohio: he turned in 17 points (7-9 FG) and had 4 steals. The Jayhawk defense forced the Bobcats (6-3) into 17 turnovers and 28.3% shooting from the floor.

1. UNC (9-0) The big story from the Tar Heels’ 93-71 win over Rutgers this weekend is that Tyler Hansbrough continues to be an animal (20 points, 11 boards, 1 concussion). The bigger story is that the brace is off Ty Lawson’s right ankle. The ball-hawking point guard had his best game of the season with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.