TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. School (Record): Comment

1. Duke (11-1): No NCAA trophy for Kentucky payback.

2. Connecticut (9-0): Emerging us-against-world team.

3. Cincinnati (10-0): Held off a good Minnesota team.

4. Kentucky (10-2): Padgett sat while bluegrass burned.

5. Maryland (12-1): Counting days till Duke on Jan. 3.

6. Stanford (9-2): Plays Temple in Pete Newell tourney Tuesday.

7. Minnesota (8-1): Shot-blocking Przybilla better than Gadzuric.

8. Arizona (6-0): New Year’s in L.A. just around the corner.

9. Purdue (12-1): Hard to say who’s best of Big Ten.

10. Indiana (11-2): Guyton’s the guy.

11. St. John’s (10-2): Stanford and Purdue not bad losses.

12. New Mexico (8-0): A test at Washington today.

13. North Carolina (12-2): Shot season-low 40% vs. Ga. Tech.

14. UCLA (7-2): Warming up for wild Pac-10 season.

15. Clemson (9-1): Good record, questionable schedule.

16. Iowa (9-1): Made reputation on Kansas win.

17. Michigan State (9-3): Cleaves shoots too much or too little.

18. Kansas (8-3): Other Robertson wins battle of brothers.

19. Pittsburgh (8-4): Only team besides Duke to beat Kentucky.

20. Syracuse (7-3): Already 0-2 in Big East.

21. Auburn (11-0): Unbeatens are dwindling.

22. Wisconsin (11-1): One loss gets you to Rose Bowl.

23. Arkansas (9-2): Awaking against Wake Forest.

24. Texas Christian (10-2): Better than Horned Frog football team.

25. Creighton (8-2): Beat Iowa and Oklahoma State.

GAME OF THE WEEK

RHODE ISLAND (6-4) at PEPPERDINE (7-5)

in Sparkletts Invitational

* When--Tuesday. * Time--5 p.m. * TV--FSW2

* Story line--Jim Harrick returns to his old stomping grounds at Firestone Fieldhouse, coaching a game in Los Angeles for the first time since he was fired at UCLA, and he brings former prep star Lamar Odom with him. Pepperdine has made respectable showings against top-25 teams Kansas, Wisconsin and Michigan State, and Rhode Island is a notch below that level.