THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

*--* Rank Team (Rec.) Comment 1 GEORGIA TECH (7-0) Throw out convention and give the Yellow Jackets what they’ve earned so far. 2 CONNECTICUT (6-1) Freshman Charlie Villanueva OK’d by NCAA, scores 16 in debut. 3 DUKE (5-1) Coach K calls Cameron Crazies off St. John’s beleaguered Jarvis. 4 NORTH CAROLINA (5-0) Sean May, Jawad Williams among the nation’s top 25 scorers. 5 STANFORD (4-0) The Cardinal deserves more credit nationally after beating Kansas. 6 WAKE FOREST (5-0) Margin of 33 over Indiana is still mind-boggling. 7 KANSAS (4-1) Jayhawks served brief sentence at No. 1 before losing to Stanford. 8 FLORIDA (5-1) Gators came back to force OT vs. Maryland, but it wasn’t enough. 9 ARIZONA (3-1) If Hassan Adams scores 30, Stoudamire can afford to be streaky. 10 TEXAS (4-1) Arizona just seems to have the Longhorns’ number. 11 KENTUCKY (4-0) UCLA played hard, but Wildcats’ two-point victory over Bruins doesn’t rate top 10. 12 OKLAHOMA (5-0) Sooners held off Michigan State by three points. 13 ST. JOSEPH’S (6-0) Here’s a West to watch: Delonte. 14 MISSOURI (3-0) Off-court saga probably will overshadow the Tigers’ season. 15 CINCINNATI (4-0) Tony Bobbitt is the Bearcats’ early scoring leader. 16 PURDUE (6-0) Boilermakers get another chance to prove themselves tonight against Oklahoma. 17 MARQUETTE (6-0) Key game Saturday at Arizona. 18 MICHIGAN STATE (3-3) Brutal schedule with Duke and Oklahoma in consecutive games -- and Kentucky next. 19 GONZAGA (6-1) Ronny Turiaf, not Blake Stepp, might ultimately be Zags’ best player. 20 PITTSBURGH (6-0) Panthers have the sort of early-season schedule Ben Howland prefers. 21 SYRACUSE (2-1) Orangemen still trying to figure out how Carrier Dome could be so unlike home against Charlotte. 22 MARYLAND (5-2) Knocked off No. 1 Florida but lost to Gonzaga and West Virginia. 23 WISCONSIN (5-1) Say cheese: Wisconsin Green Bay and Wisconsin Milwaukee in consecutive games. 24 LOUISVILLE (3-1) Grieving Francisco Garcia plays on despite death of his brother. 25 DAYTON (7-0) Seven victories is a lot before mid-December.

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