With college basketball season in full-swing, and conference play underway, there are no easy games at this point. Pittsburgh was able to remain the top spot, but there’s a fresh-faced group coming off a big win right on their heals.

1. Pittsburgh (15-0, 3-0): The Panthers showed little trepidation playing the first game in school history as a No. 1 ranked team, beating St. John’s by 23 at home. After a visit from South Florida, Pittsburgh will play its toughest road game to date, at Louisville Saturday afternoon.

2. Wake Forest (14-0, 1-0): It was Jeff Teague- not Ty Lawson or Tyler Hansbrough- who was the best player on the floor Sunday night, as the sophomore notched 34 points, in a program changing win over North Carolina. The Demon Deacons are hot, but better not get hot-headed, with road games at Boston College and Clemson this week.

3. Duke (14-1, 2-0): Despite winning two games this week, Duke drops a spot after struggling in a sloppy victory at Florida State. There was good news from the win though, as junior Gerald Henderson appears to have finally gotten going offensively, scoring a career-high 25 points.

4. Connecticut (14-1, 3-1): This team still needs work, but not many teams go on the road and win back-to-back games in the Big East, as UConn did at West Virginia and Cincinnati this past week. Although the schedule says Thursday’s game vs. St. John’s is on the road, there will likely be more Connecticut fans in Madison Square Garden that evening.

5. Syracuse (16-1, 4-0): Jonny Flynn is making a strong case for Big East player of the year, as the sophomore had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and maybe the best dunk of the season, in Syracuse’s victory over Rutgers. The schedule gets much tougher though for the Orange, as they play at Georgetown, Notre Dame at home and at Pittsburgh, all in the next seven days.

6. Oklahoma (15-1, 1-0): It was another ho-hum afternoon for Blake Griffin, as the sophomore- and future NBA star- had 29 points and 15 rebounds in the Sooners come from behind victory at Kansas State. We can only hope that when Oklahoma hosts Texas in the basketball version of the “Red River Rivalry,” Monday night that it’s half as exciting as the football game played between the two schools in October.

7. North Carolina (14-2, 0-2): The Tar Heels defense woes have returned big time, as in their two losses they’ve given up an average of 88.5 points per game. Who’d have thought after two weeks of ACC play that North Carolina would be tied for last place?

8. Michigan State (13-2, 3-0): There’s no hotter team in college basketball right now than the Spartans, who took a 19 point lead into halftime against a young and overmatched Kansas team. Look for this group to tear through the Big 10, and earn no worse than a No. 2 seed come NCAA Tournament time.

9. Texas (12-3, 1-0): Texas was the latest Big XII contender to get bitten by the Arkansas Razorbacks, as the Longhorns lost in Fayetteville just a week after Oklahoma. Speaking of Oklahoma, these two schools will play one of the biggest games of the season tonight in Norman.

10. Marquette (15-2, 4-0): A few weeks ago I wasn’t much sold on this group from Marquette, but after starting conference play 4-0, the Golden Eagles have made me eat my words. No one is playing better in the Big East right now.

11. UCLA (12-2, 3-0): If you stayed up late Sunday night, you saw the Bruins eek out a hard-fought win against cross-town rival USC. With both Arizona and Arizona State (we’ll get to them more later) visiting Pauley Pavilion this weekend, we will know pretty definitively if this is the team to beat in the Pac-10 by this time next week.

12. Clemson (16-0, 2-0): The Tigers struggled, but beat both Alabama and North Carolina State at home to remain undefeated. Clemson has a full week to prepare before getting a visit from college basketball’s newest darlings, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

13. Georgetown (11-3, 2-2): Georgetown needed an escape that would make David Blaine proud to hold off a good Providence team Saturday. The Hoyas schedule from hell continues with a visit from Syracuse and a trip to Duke this week.

14. Notre Dame (12-3, 3-1): Any time a team goes 2-0 in a week in the Big East- even if both games are at home- they deserve praise, and to move up our rankings. But with trips to Louisville and Syracuse this week, could the Irish be looking at a 3-3 start to Big East play?

15. Minnesota (15-1, 3-1): It’s been quiet in the snowy north, as Minnesota played just one game in the past seven days, controlling Penn State from start to finish in a 20 point win. The Gophers road show hits Wisconsin and Northwestern this week; both games the visiting team should win.

16. Baylor (13-2, 1-0): With bigger names like LaceDarius Dunn and Curtis Jerrells getting all the headlines, senior Kevin Rodgers gets lost in the shuffle. His 14 points and 14 rebounds fueled the Bears victory over Texas Tech this week, and he will be key again as Baylor travels to Texas A&M and Kansas State in the coming 10 days.

17. California (15-2, 4-0): Mike Montgomery may have flopped as coach of the Golden State Warriors, but the man sure knows the college game, as he has California out to an impressive early season start. With two wins over the Arizona schools, and a successful trip to Washington, this may be the hottest team in the Pac-10.

18. Butler (14-1, 5-0): Despite only one of their top seven scorers being older than a sophomore, everyone’s favorite sun-deprived squad from Indianapolis cracks the Power Rankings for the first time this season. Butler lost four senior starters off last year’s team, but has yet to miss a beat, highlighted by a victory at Xavier earlier this season.

19. Arizona State (14-2, 3-1): Arizona State is quietly dominating its Pac-10 opponents, getting their three conference victories by an average of 26 points. James Harden is quietly creeping up NBA draft boards, as the sophomore is averaging 23-6-5 on the season.

20. Arkansas (12-2, 0-1): A let down had to be expected after Arkansas beat Texas Tuesday; their second victory over a top 10 opponent in a week. The Razorbacks lost to Mississippi State Saturday, but don’t be fooled, they’re still the team to beat in the SEC West.

New to the Rankings: California, Butler, Arizona State

Dropping Out: Boston College, West Virginia, Villanova

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media