TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. School (Record): Comment

1. Connecticut (5-0) King Richard and his court.

2. Duke (6-1) Loss to Cincinnati was at the buzzer.

3. Maryland (8-0) Sights set on NCAA alley-oop title.

4. North Carolina (8-0) Who’s No. 1 in ACC power trio?

5. Cincinnati (4-0) Dunked Duke on home run play.

6. Stanford (4-1) Must challenge Maryland or slip back.

7. Kentucky (6-1) Puerto Rico was the Pitts.

8. Arizona (3-0) Quiet but will be heard from.

9. Michigan St. (4-2) UConn today; Cleaves not playing well.

10. Syracuse (6-1) Lost in own tournament.

11. Purdue (6-1) Plays Xavier today.

12. Indiana (7-1) Can knock Temple out of top 25.

13. Kansas (4-1) Smoked by Kentucky in not-so-Great Eight.

14. Washington (4-1) A lot more than rebound short against UConn.

15. Oklahoma State (4-1) Fled to Pacific after Florida Atlantic.

16. Pittsburgh (7-1) Upsets behind, tough schedule looms.

17. New Mexico (5-0) Lamont Long leads the way.

18. UCLA (3-2) Baron is back, Bruins come along slowly.

19. Arkansas (5-1) Bradley bombed in Villanova loss.

20. Xavier (5-2) Hard-to-figure team so far.

21. Miami (Ohio) (4-1) Wally’s whirl.

22. Temple (4-2) But only No. 3 in Pennsylvania.

23. Rhode Island (4-3) Should get better as time goes by.

24. Utah (3-3) Didn’t lose third last year until March.

25. USC (5-0) Pending Dec. 12 showing against Kansas.

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 5 STANFORD (4-1) vs. No. 2 MARYLAND (8-0)

At Washington

* When: Sunday. Time: 10 a.m. TV: Channel 7.

* Story line: Stanford would have been the favorite at the start of the season coming off its Final Four appearance, but Maryland is a hot and confident team after its showing in Puerto Rico. Guard Steve Francis, a junior college transfer, teams with Laron Profit and Terrell Stokes to give the Terrapins the sort of aggressive, high-scoring guards who can give Stanford trouble, and center Obinna Ekezie is a daunting inside presence.