IS SPORTING A MUSTACHE
1. North Carolina (12-0): Tar Heels dumped Rutgers, 97-75, last night.
2. Connecticut (11-0): Big East season gets serious quickly with tonight's game against Georgetown.
3. Pittsburgh (12-0): Big men Sam Young and DeJuan Blair average a combined 34.8 points and 18.8 rebounds.
4. Oklahoma (12-0): Blake Griffin (23.0 points, 14.1 rebounds) is making an early run at Player of the Year.
5. Duke (10-1): Off to a great start despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the arc. Averaging 83.3 points so they are finding other ways to score.
6. Wake Forest (11-0): Averaging 84.6 points and shooting 52.1 percent from the field.
7. Georgetown (9-1): Hoyas are already good on their way to being very good by March.
8. Butler (10-1): Despite losing four starters, this is still the team nobody wants to play. Already have five road wins, including last week at Xavier.
9. Baylor (10-1): Has to deal with Portland State, conqueror of Gonzaga, tonight.
10. Arizona State (10-1): Has James Harden, the most efficient guard in America, racking up an amazing 1.91 points per shot.
11. Clemson (12-0): Going to be a serious factor in the ACC. Averaging 81.8 points and shooting 50.1 percent.
12. Minnesota (12-0): Tubby Smith's team beat his alma mater, High Point last night, 82-56.
13. Syracuse (12-1): Wins over Florida, Kansas and Memphis offset that bizarre half-court heave loss to Cleveland State. Eric Devendorf is back from suspension after missing just two games.
14. West Virginia (10-2): Blew out previously unbeaten Ohio State, 76-48, in Columbus. Starting to get healthy.
15. Louisville (8-2): Rick Pitino changed the starting lineup for his underachieving team and got results against undermanned UAB, winning 82-62.
Philly is a hoops town and Phillyhoopsinsider.com provides complete coverage of the Big 5 and Drexel with news and commentary from the people inside the game and those who cover it. Look for regular contributions from the Daily News team of college hoops reporters and from many of Philly’s coaches.
FRAN DUNPHY, Temple
He begins his fourth season on North Broad with nearly 350 career victories after a long tenure at Penn. The Owls won the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
BRUISER FLINT, Drexel
He begins his eighth season with the Dragons after returning to the city where he played collegiately at St. Joe’s. The Dragons have advanced to the postseason in four of the last six years and have won at least 17 games four times under Flint.
DR. JOHN GIANNINI, La Salle
He begins his fifth season at the school after successful tenures at the University of Maine and Rowan, where teams made two trips to the Division III Final Four. At LaSalle two seasons ago, he engineered an 18-win season and third-place finish in the Atlantic 10, the school’s best finish since joining the league for the 1995-96 season.
PHIL MARTELLI, Saint Joseph’s
He begins his 14th season on Hawk Hill, having won more than 250 games. He is a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and has taken the Hawks to the postseason in seven of the last eight years.
JAY WRIGHT, Villanova
He begins his eighth season at ‘Nova, having amassed 148 wins at the school. Villanova has made the NCAA Tournament for the last four seasons, including three trips to the Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight appearance. Wright came to Villanova following his tenure at Hofstra and has 270 career victories.
