ESPN.com's Power Rankings: Week 8 (Jan. 2)
No. 1 hasn't changed -- North Carolina's excellence has ensured that the battle for the top spot has been a decidedly one-sided affair. But we've got a new No. 2 to introduce! Following UConn's loss at the hands of Georgetown, Pitt graduates to the spot just below the Tar Heels. The Panthers should be wary of how Georgetown handles No. 2s, however, as they visit the newly minted No. 4 Hoyas this weekend.
Illinois, on the back of its thrilling OT win at Purdue, becomes the latest Big Ten climber, moving up eight spots to No. 17 after the Illini made their debut last week. Gonzaga, which has lost three straight, continues its swan dive in the polls, falling out of the Top 25 altogether after losing to Utah. The Zags could make a return trip to the Top 25 -- or continue their slide -- with a visit to Tennessee next week.
Here are this week's rankings:
Power Rankings | Voters 1-5 | Voters 6-10
| Power Rankings | |||||
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | COMMENTS | |
 | 1 | North Carolina (10) | 13-0 | 250 | The Tar Heels enjoyed a New Year's Eve in Reno, and were in such a festive mood they found time to treat Nevada to an open clinic in their final game before ACC play begins. |
 | 2 | Pittsburgh | 13-0 | 237 | UConn's loss meant Pitt was promoted to the No. 2 spot. However, the Panthers should be wary of what Georgetown can do to No. 2s when they visit the nation's capital this weekend. |
 | 3 | Duke | 11-1 | 228 | Sure it was against Loyola (Md.), but the Blue Devils have to like the sight of big man Brian Zoubek getting his first double-double of the season (15 points, 10 boards). |
 | 4 | Georgetown | 10-1 | 212 | The Hoyas don't have much time to revel in their win at UConn. Such is the nature of the Big East, with Pitt coming to town before they head to South Bend to play Notre Dame on Monday. |
 | 5 | Wake Forest | 12-0 | 204 | Boasting an impressive 12-0 record, the Demon Deacons will head to Provo, Utah, this weekend to face BYU -- owners of an even more impressive 53-game home winning streak. |
 | 6 | Connecticut | 11-1 | 197 | Jim Calhoun was not pleased with his team's performance in a home loss in UConn's Big East opener. Think the Huskies had a fun practice after the Georgetown loss? |
 | 7 | Texas | 10-2 | 184 | The Longhorns have been off since Dec. 23 -- no doubt preparing for Appalachian State. And next week against Arkansas, they'll try to avoid the same trap OU fell into vs. the Hogs. |
 | 8 | Oklahoma | 12-1 | 173 | Two games in two days against the likes of Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore seems the perfect tonic to cure the Sooners' first-loss hangover. |
 | 9 | Syracuse | 13-1 | 149 | The Orange got off to a good start in Big East play with a 26-point win over Seton Hall. Andy Rautins is 16-of-26 from 3 in his last two games. Not bad. |
 | 9 | Michigan State | 10-2 | 149 | With so many teams staking a claim for the Big Ten this season, the Spartans put a confident first step forward with an impressive win at Minnesota. |
 | 11 | Clemson | 13-0 | 141 | Clemson keeps cruising and is averaging 83 points per game. The end of January will say a lot about the Tigers' ACC chances, with back-to-back games against Wake Forest and UNC. |
 | 12 | Notre Dame | 10-2 | 138 | All five starters scored in double figures in Notre Dame's Big East-opening win against DePaul. The Fighting Irish, with a win at St. John's, could be 2-0 in the league heading into Monday's visit from the Hoyas. |
 | 13 | UCLA | 10-2 | 134 | The Bruins open Pac-10 play with three straight games on the road, beginning with this weekend's swing through the state of Oregon. |
 | 14 | Arizona State | 11-1 | 109 | The Sun Devils open Pac-10 play with a potentially dangerous weekend. First they visit an undefeated Stanford team before heading to face 11-2 Cal. |
 | 15 | Tennessee | 9-2 | 107 | You can't say the Vols are sleepwalking into SEC play. Not with a trip to Kansas this weekend followed by a visit from Gonzaga -- albeit a reeling Zags team. |
 | 16 | Baylor | 12-1 | 98 | Few teams boast a more productive backcourt than LaceDarius Dunn and Curtis Jerrells. The Bears have just a visit from South Carolina before Big 12 play begins. |
 | 17 | Illinois | 13-1 | 75 | At the end of the season, we may look at Illinois' OT win at Purdue as one of the Big Ten's best of the year. For now, it's just a great start for a surging Illini team. |
 | 18 | West Virginia | 10-2 | 69 | WVU is used to sneaking up on teams late in the season. That's not likely to happen again this season after a 28-point win over Ohio State. The Mountaineers start Big East playing at Seton Hall followed by a visit from UConn. |
 | 19 | Purdue | 11-3 | 60 | Overtime hasn't been kind to the Boilermakers, who have dropped games to Oklahoma and Illinois in an extra session. |
 | 20 | Butler | 11-1 | 55 | Butler was hoping to earn some marquee wins before Horizon play started. Wins over Xavier and UAB fit the bill. |
 | 21 | Marquette | 12-2 | 45 | Marquette opened Big East play with a home win over Villanova, as Jerel McNeal is looking more and more like All-Big East material. |
 | 21 | Xavier | 10-2 | 45 | The Musketeers have only a visit to Virginia before beginning league play. Is the A-10 still theirs to lose? |
 | 23 | Villanova | 12-2 | 34 | Villanova's three-guard combo came up just short against Marquette's three-guard combo in a 79-72 loss in Milwaukee. |
 | 24 | Brigham Young | 11-1 | 33 | The Cougars are a one-point loss to Arizona State away from being undefeated. They'll host an unbeaten, Wake Forest, in Provo this weekend. |
 | 25 | Ohio State | 10-1 | 27 | The Buckeyes rebounded from their drubbing at the hands of West Virginia with a Big Ten-opening win over Iowa. But the going only gets tougher with upcoming trips to Minnesota and Michigan State. |
| Others receiving votes: Saint Mary's (21), Gonzaga (19), Arkansas (13), Davidson (11), Minnesota (8), Arizona (7), Louisville (7), Texas A&M (5), Memphis (3), UNLV (2), Illinois State (1) |
