College Basketball Power Rankings and Predictions

Moving in: Georgetown, Tennessee
Moving out: Florida, Villanova

1. Kansas (9-0) - The Jayhawks have won by an average of 32.7 points through nine games and should be able to roll over the sinking Michigan Wolverines this week by double digits.

2. Texas (8-0) - With help from a soft schedule to open the year, the Longhorns have cruised to an easy 8-0 start. We'll get a chance to see how good they really are against North Carolina this Saturday.

3. Kentucky (10-0) - John Calipari knows what it takes to be the first Kentucky coach since Adolph Rupp (1930) to win his first ten games: three NBA-caliber freshmen averaging over ten points per game.

4. Syracuse (10-0) - The Orange continue to prove themselves, tallying another win over a Top 10 team (Florida) last week. Syracuse has a good mixture of players that keeps the opposition guessing, on offense and defense.

5. Purdue (9-0) - Alabama, who led by nine at the half, gave the Boilermakers a scare on Saturday. Purdue's relentless defense again made the difference, as they held the Crimson Tide without a field goal in the final eight minutes and 45 seconds.

6. West Virginia (7-0) - Like Texas, the Mountaineers have ridden a soft schedule to their undefeated start, and they shouldn't run into any trouble this week against Cleveland State (4-6) either.

7. Duke (7-1) - The Blue Devils, who haven't played since December 5th, will have one game (Gardner Webb) before squaring off against Gonzaga on Saturday. It should be a good one.

8. Georgetown (8-0) - With their second Top 25 win of the season, coming against the previously undefeated Washington Huskies, Georgetown moves up and knocks Big East counterpart Villanova (who lost to Temple on Sunday) out of the Top 10.

9. North Carolina (8-2) - The Tar Heels' agonizing non-conference schedule continues as they face the undefeated and second-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

10. Tennessee (7-1) - Tennessee looks good on both sides of the ball, and even slumping senior guard J.P. Prince had 17 points in their last game. That's good news for Vols fans.

Games of the Week (with predictions and picks):

#11* North Carolina at #2 Texas 12/19, 2:00 PM ET (game being played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX)

Texas, who hasn't faced a Top 25 opponent all season (and let's be honest, they haven't even played a Top 50 team), will get its first true test of the year against the Tar Heels of North Carolina. The Longhorns' defense, albeit against weaker opponents, has looked nothing short of stellar all season. The Tar Heels have had their shining moments (in wins against Ohio State and Michigan State and in a near comeback against Kentucky) but have been inconsistent all season. In a game of this caliber, especially at the 80,000 plus capacity Cowboys Stadium, expect experience to be as big a factor as any. And although the Tar Heels have had a relatively excruciating schedule thus far, the crowd at Cowboys Stadium will make the difference in this one. The Texas defense keeps the North Carolina offense just quiet enough to pull out a victory.

Pick: North Carolina 73 , Texas 75

#21 Gonzaga at #7 Duke 12/19, 4:00 PM ET on CBS

Kyle Singler (17.1 points per game) will lead the Blue Devils against Matt Bouldin (16.8 ppg) and the upset-minded Gonzaga Bulldogs in Durham on Saturday. After taking a week off for finals (that's interesting, a BCS school where academics are actually important), Duke will play Gardner Webb on Tuesday and then Gonzaga on Saturday. As has been the modus operandi of previous Gonzaga teams, this year's squad has the ability to drive to the basket and get to the foul line very effectively (they lead the nation in free throws attempted per field goals attempted). But although Gonzaga does have the talent and personnel to match up well with Duke, Mike Krzyzewski will use an easy week to make sure his Blue Devils are rested and prepared enough to get the win at home. The Blue Devils will frustrate the normally explosive Gonzaga offense and come away with a win.

Pick: Gonzaga 69, Duke 79

Only two "Games of the Week" predictions in a relatively quiet week of college basketball. Think the Top 10 is not even close or the predictions are way off? Let me know your opinion of the power rankings or predictions by commenting below. Also, my "Games of the Week" picks last week were 3-0 with the average margin of victory off by only 2.7 points. If you'd like predictions on more games, please let me know that as well by commenting.

All stats and figures courtesy of ESPN.com

*Rankings are based on AP Top 25 through Saturday, December 12th