And Then There Were Three...

College hoops is down to three undefeated teams after Saturday's action: 12th-ranked Vanderbilt lost to Kentucky, 79-73 in double-overtime and 4th-ranked Washington State fell to 5th-ranked UCLA, 81-74.

That leaves North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas holding the nation's only unblemished records. The Heels, Tigers and Jayhawks were also in action yesterday, and showed no signs of a let-down.

• Top-ranked Carolina blasted in-state rival NC State 93-62 with a 25-0 scoring run.
• Second-ranked Memphis beat Marshall 68-45.
• Third-ranked Kansas roughed up the Nebraska Cornhuskers 79-59.

And remember, folks: those are all division games. We're well past the "beating up on non-conference patsies" portion of the schedule.

Which of the big three has the best chance to run the table and enter March Madness undefeated? I'd have to say Memphis. The Tar Heels still have to face home-and-away games with #7 Duke and a rematch with #19 Clemson. The Clemson Tigers were Carolina's toughest out to date, losing by two, 90-88, on January 6. The Jayhawks face top teams as well, with dates against #13 Texas and #10 Texas A&M, both on the road.

Memphis, on the other hand, figures to face limited competition in Conference USA. And the Tigers' toughest remaining games will be played at home -- on January 26 against unranked Gonzaga and on February 23 against #9 Tennessee.