By Jared Rosenbloom
JARED’S POWER 10
1. UConn (20-1): Since a surprising loss to Marquette, the Huskies have rode a nine-game winning streak all the way to the top. Along the way UConn has beaten long time rival Syracuse and ranked teams Pittsburgh and Indiana. Sophomore standout Rudy Gay has been a big key to success and the team looks to continue to improve on its 7-1 Big East record all the way to the NCAA tournament.
2. Duke (22-1): The Dukies may be the best No. 2 team ever. Much like UConn, Duke has gone on a tear after its only loss. The Blue Devils once again have proven to be the best team in the ACC, posting a 10-0 record. Player of the year candidate J.J. Redick has netted 40 points in a game three times and is averaging a hefty 28.4 points per game.
3. Memphis (21-2): Memphis does not get the respect it deserves because it plays in a weak conference, but its only two losses have to been Duke and No. 5 Texas. Memphis dominated its fellow Conference USA opponents on the coattails of such players as Rodney Carney and Darius Washington Jr.
4. Villanova (18-2): The Wildcats have looked quite impressive throughout their quality schedule thus far. Villanova currently sits second in the Big East with an 8-1 record. Although the Cats have yet to face UConn, they have handled fellow foes such as Louisville and Syracuse.
5. Florida (20-2): The Gators continue to be the country’s biggest surprise. They are young, athletic and most importantly, driven. Florida may seem to have hit the proverbial wall, losing back-to-back games to a quality team in Tennessee and a mediocre South Carolina squad. Florida was able to bounce back impressively by routing long time nemesis Kentucky, improving its conference record to 6-2.
5. Texas (20-3): The Longhorns have certainly experienced ups and downs this season. They started off with a bang, winning eight in a row, but then hit a bump in the road by losing two in a row. If there is such a thing as a good loss Texas would most definitely have three of them, losing to Duke, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Their recent beating of Texas Tech was huge.6. George Washington (18-1): Although people don’t think about the Colonials when they are talking about championship contenders, they should recognize just how good they really are. GW may not hail from the strongest of conferences and it may not play the toughest schedule, but it does have some quality wins.
8. Illinois (20-3): Coach Bruce Weber is ecstatic to have phenomenon Dee Brown back for a senior year, as Brown has single-handedly led his team to victory numerous times this year. The Fighting Illini took a small hit last weekend by losing a nail biter to Penn State, which snapped their 33-game home winning streak.9. West Virginia (17-4): The Mountaineers became the third team from the Big East to be ranked in the top 10. Led by center and three-point specialist Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia currently sits on top of the Big East at 8-0. The Mountaineers are winners of 16 of their last 17 games including impressive road wins over UCLA and Villanova.
10. Gonzaga (19-3): Gonzaga holds down the final spot of the power 10 this week, and if the Zags played in a better conference they would probably be ranked higher. The Zags dominate in a mediocre West Coast Conference, which makes experts wonder how good they’ll really be in March. The Bulldogs improved their conference record to 9-0 with a win over St. Mary’s, 62-61.