THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

ROBYN NORWOOD’S RANKINGS AND COMMENTS:

*--* Rk. Team (Rec.) Comment 1 STANFORD (16-0) This is a team UCLA’s Ben Howland could love. 2 DUKE (16-1) Just ahead: Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. 3 LOUISVILLE (16-1) Cardinals ranked No. 1 in Jerry Palm’s RPI. 4 CONNECTICUT (16-3) Great talent but perhaps not destined to be NCAA champion. 5 ST. JOSEPH’S (17-0) The pressure to go unbeaten is building. 6 PITTSBURGH (20-1) Jamie Dixon must be big Bruin fan after inheriting this team. 7 CINCINNATI (15-1) Opportunity for revenge vs. Louisville isn’t until Feb. 21. 8 ARIZONA (13-3) Wildcats’ crucial Bay Area trip is next week. 9 KENTUCKY (14-2) Wildcats haven’t lost an SEC road game since Feb. 27, 2002. 10 NORTH CAROLINA (13-4) Tar Heels punched out too soon in OT loss to Florida State. 11 GONZAGA (15-2) Bulldogs are 17th in RPI, but WCC will pull them down. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE (17-1) Lawrence Roberts has 11 double-doubles and counting. 13 GEORGIA TECH (16-3) B.J. Elder broke out with 36 points against Clemson. 14 OKLAHOMA STATE (14-2) Baylor transfer John Lucas has been a valuable addition. 15 TEXAS (13-3) Longhorns have lost to in-state teams only three times under Rick Barnes. 16 TEXAS TECH (16-3) Andre Emmett is the best scorer in the top 25. 17 WAKE FOREST (11-4) Demon Deacons already have three losses in ACC play. 18 WISCONSIN (14-3) Indiana is proving surprising competition in Big Ten standings. 19 SYRACUSE (13-3) Last April seems like so long ago. 20 FLORIDA (13-4) Gator schedule ranks as toughest in the nation. 21 OKLAHOMA (12-4) Kevin Bookout’s shoulder surgery is another blow to Sooners. 22 KANSAS (13-3) Itsy-bitsy Richmond Spiders had a very big bite. 23 PROVIDENCE (14-3) Ryan Gomes is earning rave reviews. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA (18-2) Gamecocks are third in nation in scoring defense. 25 FLORIDA STATE (14-5) Beat top 10 teams North Carolina and Wake Forest, but Duke is tonight.

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