Sizing Up the Top 25 Each week The Quad will analyze the top 25 N.C.A.A. teams (rankings and results are from The Associated Press). New to the rankings: No. 24 Louisville, No. 25 Harvard Fallen from the rankings: Gonzaga, Vanderbilt Kentucky (23-1, 9-0 S.E.C.) beat Tennessee, 69-44, beat South Carolina, 86-53. This week: No. 8 Florida (Tuesday), at Vanderbilt (Saturday). Freshman phenomenon Anthony Davis cemented his reputation as one of the fiercest shot blockers in S.E.C. history by setting a conference record for blocks by a freshman in Kentucky's easy win over South Carolina. With eight blocks against the Gamecocks, Davis increased his season total to 116 - one more than L.S.U. center Shaquille O'Neal recorded in the 1989-90 season. The Wildcats face two tough tests this week, but with two wins Kentucky will have a commanding lead in the S.E.C. standings. Syracuse (23-1, 10-1 Big East) beat St. John's, 95-70. 12 Georgetown (Wednesday), Connecticut (Saturday). Fab Melo returned to the starting lineup for Syracuse Saturday against St. John's, and the Orange looked like the team that topped the poll before Melo's suspension for academic reasons. Syracuse ran roughshod over the Red Storm in Madison Square Garden, and Melo led the way with 14 points. With the win, Jim Boeheim tied Dean Smith on the all-time coaching wins record with 879 - and Boeheim would surely love to take sole possession of third with a win over old Big East rival Georgetown. Ohio State (20-3, 8-2 Big Ten) beat No. 19 Wisconsin, 58-52. This week: Purdue (Tuesday), No. 11 Michigan State (Saturday). Ohio State was ready for a fight in Madison against the Badgers, but Wisconsin had no answer for Jared Sullinger. The center scored early and often, and controlled the boards throughout in one of his best performances of the season thus far. William Buford hit a 3-pointer late that stretched the Buckeye lead from one to four, and Ohio State held on for its eighth win in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes should punish Purdue before welcoming the second-best team in the conference, Michigan State, to Columbus Saturday. Missouri (21-2, 8-2 Big 12) beat Texas, 67-66, beat No. 8 Kansas, 74-71. This week: at Oklahoma (Monday), No. 6 Baylor (Saturday). Missouri and Kansas played one of the best games of the season Saturday evening, and with Ricardo Ratliffe's effectiveness limited by foul trouble and the industrious play of Thomas Robinson, it took the best game of senior guard Marcus Denmon's career to vault the Tigers past the Jayhawks. With Missouri down five with under two minutes to play, Denmon buried back-to-back 3-pointers and Jayhawk guard Tyshawn Taylor missed two key free-throws late to seal Kansas" fate. North Carolina (20-3, 7-1 A.C.C.) beat Wake Forest, 68-53, beat Maryland, 83-74. 10 Duke (Wednesday), No. 19 Virginia (Saturday). The battle between North Carolina and Duke will feature two hated rivals seemingly going in different directions at a critical point in the season. While the Blue Devils are sputtering in the A.C.C., the Tar Heels are hitting their stride. Sophomore Harrison Barnes is starting to play like the conference's best player at just the right time for North Carolina, and Tyler Zeller is a constant threat to score in the post. Baylor (21-2, 8-2 Big 12) beat Texas A&M, 63-60, beat Oklahoma State, 64-60. 7 Kansas (Wednesday), at Missouri (Saturday). The Bears escaped two upset bids this past week, barely squeaking by Texas A&M on the road and holding on in Stillwater after a furious Oklahoma State charge in the final minutes. Baylor owes much of its fortune to the composed play of junior Pierre Jackson, who has made a habit of bailing out the Bears in the second half. Baylor will have to be at its best this week in what will likely be decisive stretch of games in the race for the Big 12 title. Kansas (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) beat Oklahoma, 84-62, lost to No. 4 Missouri, 74-71. This week: at No. 6 Baylor (Wednesday), Oklahoma State (Saturday). Tyshawn Taylor will likely still be thinking of his two missed free-throws in the Jayhawks" loss to Missouri by the time Kansas arrives in Texas Wednesday, but Coach Bill Self will need his players to quickly move past their heartbreaking loss and focus on a colossal Big 12 showdown with the Bears. Both Baylor and Kansas have already lost to Missouri this season, meaning each team has to win to keep pace with the conference leader. Florida (19-4, 7-1 S.E.C.) beat South Carolina, 74-66, beat No. 25 Vanderbilt, 73-65. 1 Kentucky (Tuesday), Tennessee (Saturday). If there is any team in the S.E.C. with enough firepower to challenge Kentucky, it might just be Florida. The nation's premier 3-point shooting team, the Gators will need their shots to fall in Lexington, as Kentucky's Anthony Davis will try to negate any scoring opportunities inside the paint. Murray State (23-0, 11-0 O.V.C.) beat Southeast Missouri State, 81-73, beat Tennessee-Martin, 65-58. This week: Tennessee State (Thursday), Austin Peay (Saturday). The Racers looked vulnerable in the first half against Southeast Missouri State, but Murray State junior Isaac Canaan scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half and led a Racer revival that kept Murray State's undefeated season alive. The Racers could potentially wrap-up the Ohio Valley Conference championship this week. Duke (19-4, 6-2 A.C.C.) beat Virginia Tech, 75-60, lost to Miami, 78-74 (OT). 5 North Carolina (Wednesday), Maryland (Saturday). It's anyone's guess as to which Duke team will take the floor on a given night. The Blue Devils were impressive on the road against Virginia Tech, but started their game yesterday against the Hurricanes sluggishly never recovered, dropping a second consecutive conference home game. While Duke responded well in the second half to close a 14-point deficit and had numerous chances to win the game, the Blue Devils won't be afforded the same opportunity against a superior opponent like the Tar Heels. Now third in the A.C.C., Duke desperately needs a win in Chapel Hill Wednesday. Michigan State (18-5, 7-3 Big Ten) lost to Illinois, 42-41, beat No. 23 Michigan, 64-54. This week: Penn State (Wednesday), at No. 3 Ohio State (Saturday). Coach Tom Izzo must be hoping his team doesn't have to play Illinois in the postseason. The Illini outlasted Michigan State for the second time this year, emerging from what was an extremely low-scoring contest in which the Spartans shot an atrocious 24.1 percent from the field and star forward Draymond Green sustained a knee injury. Green returned, however, to lead the Spartans at home past rival Michigan. The trip to Ohio State should give a good indication of whether Michigan State is a top-tier team or not. Georgetown (18-4, 8-3 Big East) beat Connecticut, 58-44, beat South Florida, 75-45. 2 Syracuse (Wednesday), St. John's (Sunday). Syracuse may well be the No. 2 team in the nation, but don't expect the Hoyas to be intimidated Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome. Almost exactly one year ago, Austin Freeman led Georgetown on a big second-half run in Syracuse and stole a marquee win on the road. Coach John Thompson III no longer has Freeman to rely on, but he does have five experienced players on his squad who know what it's like to beat the Orange. San Diego State (20-3, 6-1 M.W.C.) beat Boise State, 58-56, beat T.C.U., 83-73. 14 U.N.L.V. (Saturday). The Aztecs rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half against the Broncos, but nearly spoiled a lead of their own late in the game. Boise State's Thomas Bropleh had a chance to win the game as time expired, but the guard's shot found the rim and San Diego State avoided an embarrassing loss at home. The Aztecs control their destiny in the M.W.C. U.N.L.V. (21-4, 5-2 M.W.C.) beat Colorado State, 82-63, lost to Wyoming, 68-66. 13 San Diego State (Saturday). The Runnin" Rebels missed two good chances to take the lead in the final seconds against unheralded Wyoming, but the Cowboys survived to snatch an upset win that could impress the N.C.A.A. selection committee in a few weeks. For U.N.L.V., the loss means that San Diego State now has a one-game advantage in the Mountain West Conference. Coach Dave Rice will appreciate the week of preparation time leading into a crucial conference matchup. Florida State (16-6, 7-1 A.C.C.) beat Georgia Tech, 68-54, beat No. 16 Virginia, 58-55. This week: at Boston College (Wednesday), Miami (Saturday). The Seminoles held on against Virginia despite off-nights from Michael Snaer and Bernard James. Snaer re-emerged in the closing minutes, scoring all eight of his points with under five minutes to play to negate the late run made by the Cavaliers. Saturday's matchup with Miami should be an interesting battle in the post, as James and Xavier Gibson try to slow down the Hurricanes" Reggie Johnson. St. Mary's (22-2, 11-0 W.C.C.) beat San Diego, 84-73. This week: at Gonzaga (Thursday), Santa Clara (Saturday). The Gaels" Rob Jones seems to save his best performances for games against San Diego, his former team. Jones dropped 28 points - just a few weeks after scoring 31 on the Toreros - and St. Mary's pulled away in the second half to stay perfect in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels will face their toughest remaining conference test Thursday at Gonzaga. Creighton (21-3, 11-2 M.V.C.) beat Illinois State, 102-74, lost to Northern Iowa, 65-62. This week: at Evansville (Tuesday), Wichita State (Saturday). It seemed like Creighton's Antoine Young had done enough to send the Bluejays into overtime on the road at Northern Iowa, hitting a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 62 with just 4.6 seconds remaining in the game. Anthony James shocked Creighton with a 3-pointer of his own at the buzzer, a deep stepback shot that handed the Bluejays just their third loss of the season. Creighton now finds itself in a battle with Wichita State for the conference lead, but can change that with a win Saturday over the Shockers. Marquette (19-5, 8-3 Big East) beat Seton Hall, 66-59, lost to Notre Dame, 76-59. This week: at DePaul (Monday), Cincinnati (Saturday). After losing Davante Gardner to a left knee sprain, the Golden Eagles knew that the road trip to South Bend would be tough, especially given Notre Dame's ability to shoot from long range. Marquette kept it close through 30 minutes of play, but the Fighting Irish went on a decisive 14-0 run to stretch its lead from six to 20 to earn their third victory over a ranked opponent at home this season. Virginia (18-4, 5-3 A.C.C.) beat Clemson, 65-61, lost to No. 21 Florida State, 58-55. This week: Wake Forest (Wednesday), at No. 5 North Carolina (Saturday). Coach Tony Bennett has to be impressed with the way his Cavaliers handled themselves for 39 minutes in Tallahassee against a very tough Florida State squad. Virginia rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half, but missed two golden chances to take the lead in the final minute, settling for 3-pointers and missing both. The Cavaliers need to improve on their 20 turnovers to Florida State if they hope to challenge North Carolina on the road this weekend. Mississippi State (18-5, 5-3 S.E.C.) beat Auburn, 91-88. This week: Ole Miss (Thursday), Georgia (Saturday). With his team down a point at halftime, Mississippi State senior Dee Bost knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half and gave the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish. The Bulldogs now set their sights on in-state rival Ole Miss. Wisconsin (18-6, 7-4 Big Ten) beat Penn State, 52-46, lost to No. 3 Ohio State, 58-52. This week: at Minnesota (Thursday). Even though the Badgers were punished by Jared Sullinger at home, Coach Bo Ryan knows his team played well enough to have a shot at the upset over the Buckeyes. Wisconsin should be able to rebound with a trip to Minnesota against a Golden Gophers team that is only .500 at home in the Big Ten. Michigan (17-7, 7-4 Big Ten) beat No. 20 Indiana, 68-56, lost to No. 9 Michigan State, 64-54. This week: at Nebraska (Wednesday), Illinois (Sunday). The Wolverines may be overlooking 11-11 Nebraska to focus on Brandon Paul and Illinois, but the Cornhuskers have proven they can trap talented Big Ten teams at home, having upset Indiana in January. Indiana (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten) lost to No. 23 Michigan, 68-56, beat Purdue, 78-61. This week: Illinois (Thursday). The Hoosiers continue to plod along in the Big Ten, but there was some reason for celebration last week for Indiana fans. For the first time under Coach Tom Crean, the Hoosiers won a conference road game against a team other than Penn State with an impressive 17-point win at Purdue. Louisville (18-5, 6-4 Big East) beat Rutgers, 78-66. This week: Connecticut (Monday), at West Virginia (Saturday). The Cardinals are back in the top 25 after a two-week absence. Louisville is on a four-game winning streak in the Big East but faces two potentially tough matchups in the Huskies and the Mountaineers this week. Freshman Chane Benahan scored a career-high 23 points against Rutgers, and could be a valuable asset in helping ease the pressure on Kyle Kuric and Russ Smith. Harvard (20-2, 6-0 Ivy) beat Cornell, 71-60, beat Columbia, 57-52. This week: at Pennsylvania (Friday), at Princeton (Saturday). Harvard cracks the top 25 this week after Laurent Rivard led the Crimson to two home victories as the Crimson remained undefeated in Ivy League play. Harvard must contend with back-to-back Friday-Saturday games the rest of the season, but with Rivard coming into form to complement a stout defense that held Florida State to 41 points earlier this year, the Crimson are the pick of the litter in the Ivy League. Nicholas Schwartz is the managing editor of The Chronicle, the independent student daily at Duke University.