ESPN.com's Power 16: Tiger charge

Season: 2008 | 2009 | 2010
Week: 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

We're not even two full weeks into the season, and there's already been some shuffling in the Power 16.

Memphis' two wins to open the season (by an average of 24 points) were impressive enough to catapult the Tigers over the Tar Heels for the No. 1 spot in the Power 16. Michigan State's one unofficial loss to Division II Grand Valley State in the final exhibition was enough to drop the Spartans four spots.

There's movement afoot and it's Week 2.

Please note:
• The Power 16 is a composite vote of all the ballots from a panel of ESPN.com experts. It does not reflect any one individual's picks. Each voter's picks are here.

This week's Power 16 comments are written by Joe Lunardi.



Power Rankings | Voters 1-5 | Voters 6-10
Power Rankings
 RANKTEAMRECORDPOINTSCOMMENTS
1Memphis (5)0-0150You can't go wrong with the Heels, Memphis or UCLA. Other than Deon Thompson replacing Brandon Wright, what you see is what you saw last season, when UNC should have been in Atlanta.
2North Carolina (3)0-0149Must find a shooter to replace Jeremy Hunt, but the Tigers are loaded and primed to make good after two Elite Eight ousters. Is Derrick Rose the piece that makes the dribble-drive motion offense title-caliber?
3UCLA (2)0-0146Exit Arron Afflalo, enter Kevin Love to anchor the nation's best frontcourt. If Josh Shipp and Co. can provide enough from the wing, a third straight Final Four is a real possibility.
4Kansas0-0124With a healthy Brandon Rush, this team is as good as any. We'll have to wait and see how healthy he can be coming back from an ACL tear. The third Elite Eight victim in our top four.
5Georgetown0-0116One half of a two-headed Big East monster, the youthful Cards showed glimpses down the stretch last season. Now the target will be on Edgar Sosa and Co. How will they react?
6Louisville0-0115Lose Jeff Green and have repeat Final Four expectations? With Roy Hibbert back, DaJuan Summers ready and a much deeper and more experienced guard corps, that's an affirmative.
7Tennessee0-092Dane Bradshaw is gone. Will Tyler Smith's arrival offset the loss of Bradshaw's floor game? If the answer is yes, especially on the defensive end, look out.
8Michigan State0-085Maybe Grand Valley State should be in our top six then? Kidding aside, the Spartans have the guards to go deep in March. They just need more from their frontcourt to make this rating stick.
9Indiana0-070If you like inside-out basketball, just settle in and watch D.J. White and Eric Gordon operate this winter. Many Big Ten teams don't have one legit scorer. IU has two.
10Washington State0-067Bad year in the Pac-10 to lose Ivory Clark, but the rest of the roster is dripping with talent and cohesion. Will foes deal with Cougs better this time around?
11Oregon0-048A small-ball team in a big Pac-10 world, everyone's back but Aaron Brooks. That's a big but; how the Ducks adjust will determine if they have a quack at another Elite Eight.
12Marquette0-041The guards are back for another run. Dominic James gets the pub but Jerel McNeal makes things hum. Can the frontcourt provide some needed assistance?
13Duke0-038Kyle Singler's arrival should help ease some of the nightly scoring load, but this is still a smaaaaaaall Devils team that isn't markedly different from last season's first-round fizzlers.
14Kentucky0-031Is it possible for a Kentucky team to be underrated? Relative lack of size is an issue, but "2-Pat" (Patrick Patterson) and a corps of talented, if inconsistent, guards could mean business.
15Gonzaga0-027Last season was a mess and the Zags still danced. Now Josh Heytvelt's back and the Zags are deeper and more athletic across the board. Hope the WCC got its licks in last season.
16Texas0-016Lose possibly the best freshman ever ... and get better? That's yet to be seen, but D.J. Augustin will be a household name this season and he has plenty of help in Austin.
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M (15), Arizona (12), USC (9), Arkansas (3), Stanford (3), Indiana State (2), Southern Illinois (1)

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