Perfection never looked so ugly.

The Connecticut women's basketball team claimed its second straight national title with a 53-47 win against Stanford on Tuesday, stretching its unbeaten streak to 78 games. The Huskies are now 10 victories shy of tying UCLA's record run of the early '70s.

But before there's any talk about just how good the Huskies are or when they'll lose again, I have to rant about that title game. Just for a minute.

If there was ever a game that could've elevated the women's game another notch, it was this championship matchup. No. 1 vs. No. 2 (just the sixth time that's happened in the women's tournament) and the two best teams, bar none. Their combined records (74-1) attest to that. In fact, the only team Stanford's lost to in its last 59 games? UConn.

Even if you don't like women's hoops, that's an appealing setup. That ended quickly.

It was 20-12 at halftime – and UConn was trailing. At one point, the Huskies missed 16 straight shots and didn't score for more than 10 minutes. Nine of the lowest-scoring halves in NCAA tournament history involve UConn, all this season. But two of the three were because of the Huskies' defense. This one was because of their offense (and Stanford's D).

"I can't even imagine them scoring only 12 points," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "It was just an incredible job."

Thankfully – for the game those watching -- the horrid shooting didn't last. UConn hit 33 percent of its shots overall and got pretty much everything it needed from Maya Moore, who's going to go down as perhaps the best UConn player in history.

It ended as the lowest-scoring game in NCAA championship history, leading our own Mike Celizic to focus on how the Huskies got it done despite playing so poorly. So that's enough about the brickfest.

Just when is UConn going to lose?

Moore is back, along with two other starters, Caroline Doty and Tiffany Hayes. Tina Charles and Kalana Greene both graduate. Baylor and Stanford are n the non-conference schedule, and both should be imposing matchups. Big East play should be a bigger challenge, though. At some point, your peers figure out a way to even.

Then again, I wouldn't put it past UConn. You know they'll be pushing for it.

"I don't know how we're going to be able to go 39-0 next year," Geno Auriemma told the Hartford Courtant. "The only reason I say that is, if we win every game we play next year we'll be 40-0."

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Geno Auriemma isn't about to start resting his starters. Or his bench, for that matter.

The Connecticut women's team clinched its 18^th regular-season Big East title on Saturday, which prompted a question if the Huskies would rest some players for Monday's game at Notre Dame.

Did I mention UConn's won 68 straight games and beat the Irish by 24 when in January?

"We'll play everybody," Auriemma said Sunday. "We're going out there to win it, just like every other Saturday-Monday game. This won't be any different, our approach won't be any different."

Then again, since when has UConn ever taken it easy on opponents?

This program's finished the regular season unbeaten eight times and gone wire-to-wire three times. Auriemma's a coach who instills in his players the desire to win every game and never take a break.

Rest players? That doesn't apply to UConn .

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops. Click here for more.

To see No. 1 Texas lose Monday wasn't a shock. It was merely a confirmation that there's no dominant college basketball team.

Not that there aren't really, really good teams out there: Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, Duke and Villanova, for starters. Throw in Michigan State, Tennessee or maybe even BYU.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty images

Rick Barnes couldn't get Dexter Pittman and Texas past K-State on Monday.

Texas, despite a 71-62 loss at Kansas State, remains one of them. The Longhorns (17-1) are deep, talented and feature one of the nation's elite players in forward Damion James. They just haven't looked like a really, really good team since they've been No. 1.

There was the sloppy win at Iowa State, Saturday's overtime scare against Texas A&M and now this. The Longhorns weren't favored to win the game, and they lived up to that expectation.

"We definitely played well enough defensively to win this game, but offensively, in the last two games, it's hurt us," Texas coach Rick Barnes said afterward.

On the other hand, the Wildcats (16-2) made their own case as a Final Four contender. The dominated the boards – no team does it better – and forced Texas into a frazzled, incoherent offense. The win cemented the Big 12 as more than a two-team league and sets up a pair of intriguing games against Kansas later this month and in March.

But circle back to the other Wildcats. You know, the ones who reside in Lexington and will almost assuredly occupy the top spot in the polls for the next month or so.

If there's a dominant college hoops team, John Calipari's 18-0 Kentucky squad is the closest thing to it. Kind of.

UK's been really good – John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson provide visual evidence of it on a regular basis – but dominant is a stretch. Even if you discount the early season scares against Miami (Ohio) and Stanford, consider the recent sloppy wins against Georgia and Auburn.

As some Kentucky fans would rightly point out, that's nitpicking. Undefeated is undefeated.

But it's not dominant.

Then again, needs dominance? Even if Kentucky misses out on perfection or the complete and utter crushing of all comers, it'll take a title.  That goes for Texas, Kansas, Duke, Syracuse, Villanova and any other would-be title team out there.

Dominance is overrated. Watching a college basketball season filled with twists and turns is not. With any luck, soon another team will make its case as a Final Four contender, and the season will be even more interesting.

To see what Mike Miller's saying on Twitter, click here.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Stephan Collins and Arkansas-Pine Bluff have played the nation's toughest schedule thus far.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff is seemingly as hapless as it gets.

After a brutal non-conference slate, the Golden Lions are 0-10, and figure to enter their conference schedule winless until they manage a road win at Oregon on Monday.

Bad, right? Not so, says Ken Pomeroy.

The tempo-free guru notes that while APB has yet to win, it hasn't been blown out, either. In fact, it's been downright respectable in games against the likes of Kansas State, UTEP, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Arizona State. The Lions haven't lost any game by more than 20 points despite playing by far the toughest schedule in the country.

In fact, he gives them an 18 percent chance of running the table in the SWAC.

If that happens – entering conference play without a win, only to beat all league foes – it'd be one of the more impressive feats this season.

At least until Texas flirts with an undefeated season…

Mike Miller also can be found on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller), even on the holidays.

We're well past the point where people wonder if Texas is a good team. They've showcased, defense, athleticism and depth in wins against UNC and Michigan State – two teams replete with NBA-caliber players.

The question now is pinpointing just how good the Longhorns are.

We don't know yet. Neither does Texas coach Rick Barnes, who did the usual coachspeak afterward about being unhappy with an impressive victory vs. the nation's ninth-ranked team.

Harry Cabluck/AP

Gary Johnson and Texas have displayed impressive defensive ability this season.

"I told them it's great. It's December," Barnes said. "I said if this is as good as we're gonna be, we're in trouble. We've got a lot of room for growth."

That's a prospect that should scare the rest of college basketball.

Yes, Texas (11-0) were at home for the Spartans and got the Heels to come to Cowboys Stadium. But consider that Dexter Pittman -- who hits the offensive glass for Texas at a rate slightly worse than DeJuan Blair did last season for Pitt – played just 12 minutes due to foul trouble. That altered Texas' offensive approach, yet they still managed an eFG% of 62.3. That'll keep Tom Izzo up at nights.

Or consider how freshmenjunior Dogus Balbay and freshmen Avery Bradley and J'Covan Brown took turns on Michigan State's Kalin Lucas and hounded him into a miserable night. Eleven points on 3 of 11 shooting, six turnovers and 2 assists is also gonna keep Izzo awake.

The defense shouldn't be a surprise. Texas sits atop kenpom.com's adjusted defense rankings, and won't be giving up that spot anytime soon.

Barnes' teams also displayed its depth (eight guys played at least 12 minutes Tuesday) and got a big night from Damion James (23 and 13), who is making his case as the top power forward.

The major area for concern? Free throws. Texas was eight of 19 from the line and is hovering right around 60 percent for the season. Hmmm. A team killer D, good freshmen, hits the boards, yet can't hit FTs? This should familiar.

As John Gasaway tweeted, the 'Horns are essentially Memphis from 2007-08: Prohibitive D and hideous FT shooting.

Barnes would take that. After all, Memphis was one miracle shot away from an NCAA title.

 But I'm not sure he'd want to play Kansas to get there…

If you followed Mike Miller on Twitter at @BeyndArcMMiller, you'd have even more insights into the 'Horns' win. Let that one cook your noodle.

Three unbeaten teams stayed that way Monday night, as Oklahoma, Ohio State and Wake Forest all beat up on teams they should beat.

The question is, how much longer will college hoops' perfect teams stay that way?

Those three, along with North Carolina, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Stanford, Minnesota and Illinois State comprise D-I's 10 unbeaten squads. Most of them will probably lose their first game in the first few weeks of January, but a couple have a chance to reach February without a loss.

ENJOY IT NOW

Illinois State (11-0) has played the easiest schedule among the 10, so it's no surprise the Redbirds are also the most likely to lose first. Not that they're a bad team (25-10 last season and a solid defensive unit), it's just that it's tough to say just how good Illinois State really is.

Its best win thus far was a 67-60 victory against Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Seven of its 11 wins have come against teams in the bottom of kenpom.com's rankings. And with the next four games coming against four of the Missouri Valley's better teams (Missouri State, Evansville, Creighton and Bradley), the Redbirds aren't going to come away unscathed after Jan. 6.

Stanford (7-0) snagged a nice home win against Northwestern on Saturday (holding the Wildcats to 89.3 offensive efficiency, 22 below their average), and should hit 10-0 if it can play the same defense against Texas Tech on Dec. 28.

But that'll be it for the Cardinal.

Arizona State plays host to Stanford on Jan. 2. Unless James Harden doesn't play, the Sun Devils are winning that game. Making a trip to Tucson two days later won't be easy, either.

COLLISION COURSE

Minnesota (10-0) seems ready to rejoin the ranks of NCAA tournament teams. A 70-64 win against Louisville cemented Tubby Smith's squad as a steady, opportunistic team that can play some defense when needed.

It also may be the Gophers' best win of the season. Minnesota will be 12-0 when it plays host to Michigan State on New Year's Eve. The Spartans haven't been the powerhouse everyone expected yet, but they also just got center Goran Suton healthy. A 67-63 win against Texas was a better indication of what MSU is capable of.

If Minnesota does pull off a win against the Spartans, it'll face another unbeaten team on Jan. 3 – Ohio State. And that's a game Minnesota loses.

Ohio State (9-0) has two nasty games of its own before it travels to Minneapolis, though.

The Buckeyes play host to West Virginia (8-2 with a crushingly efficient defense) and an underrated Iowa team (9-3 behind some impressive shooting) then follow up the Minnesota contest with a game against Michigan State. Kenpom.com projects the Buckeyes' first loss on Jan. 20 against Illinois, but that's too far away. The Buckeyes have five toss-up games before then – and could very well lose all of them.

BRUTAL BIG EAST

UConn (10-0) is coming off a dramatic win against Gonzaga and is a bona-fide Final Four contender. A.J. Price turned in his best game of the season, while the Huskies also have Stanley Robinson back in the lineup.

But a home game against Georgetown on Dec. 29 could be the end of their perfect start. (Pomeroy thinks so.) If not then, Jan. 6 at West Virginia is another likely stumbling point. Or Jan. 10 at Cincinnati. UConn isn't making it through January without a loss. The Big East is too tough.

The same reasoning holds true for Pittsburgh (12-0).

The Panthers have started at least 9-0 every season since 2002-03. It's what they do. But by the time Big East play rolls around, January deals them a couple losses.

Georgetown on Jan. 3 is a likely starting point. Louisville (Jan. 17), Syracuse (Jan. 19), West Virginia (Jan. 25), Villanova (Jan. 28) and Notre Dame (Jan. 31) are Pitt's final five games of January. That'll do it.

FEELING BLUE

If Wake Forest (11-0) sneaks by BYU on Jan. 3, it plays host to North Carolina on Jan. 11. That's a week to prepare for – in all likelihood -- the nation's No. 1 team.

Wake has the depth to run with the Heels, but it'll need more efficient scoring out of Jeff Teague to win the game. James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu can bang with Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson inside, but Teague's perimeter play will be the key.

If the Deacons win, their reward is facing Clemson a week later! Brutal.

The Tigers (12-0) are off to another fast start. and don't start ACC play until Jan. 10 against N.C. State. That means Clemson will almost certainly be 16-0 by the time it plays host to Wake Forest on Jan. 17. So Clemson gets the win. UNC awaits four days later. Done.

So when do the Heels (11-0) lose? According to Pomeroy, not until Feb. 11. But the Heels haven't made it through the last two Januarys without a loss. Last year it was Maryland, the year before, Va. Tech.

Someone like Miami may pull off a big upset in Chapel Hill on Jan. 17, but…it's just hard to imagine. Maybe the Heels won't go unbeaten, but if they lose, it's going to be to a Top 10 team.

ARE SOONERS THE ONE?

Oklahoma (12-0) isn't the nation's best team. That's Carolina. But the Sooners may very well be the last team to lose a game this season because of their schedule. The Big 12 isn't a pushover like C-USA (read: Memphis of 2007-08), but Texas, Kansas and K-State aren't as good as last year and it's unclear just how good Baylor is.

The Sooners are the class of the conference. Their toughest road game until February is Jan. 10 at K-State. After that, OU doesn't play a Top 25 team on the road until Feb. 11 at Baylor. Oddly enough, that's the day Duke plays North Carolina.

If there ever was a day to see college hoops' final unbeaten teams lose, that's the day.

Gonzaga's dismantling (well, second-half dismantling) of Washington State on Wednesday has the Pacific Northwest buzzing.

Jeremy Pargo was brilliant, Josh Heytvelt has never played better and the Zags' supporting cast is full of long, athletic players. The Zags don't lack confidence, either. How good are they? "As good as everyone says we are," Heytvelt told the Seattle Times.

Hey, the guy's got a point.

The Zags are ranked No. 4 in both polls and have already beaten Tennessee, Maryland and Oklahoma State. With Arizona looming Sunday and UConn on Dec. 20, Gonzaga's non-conference schedule has plenty of marquee opponents that builds an impressive résumé for March. The Bulldogs have long been one of college hoops' standout teams, but they're trying to reach another level this season. Looks like they'll get there, too.

The quick sum-up: Gonzaga is loaded with talent, plays defense (once a rarity in Spokane) and can score like usual. That makes 'em prime Final Four material, along with North Carolina, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Duke and Oklahoma (or so). So there's that. We'll see if it happens.

Until then, here's a better question: Who's going to beat Gonzaga?

We've already had speculation about North Carolina going undefeated this season (mostly because the Heels are so good, it's insane). Yes, once ACC play is loaded with potential pitfalls. But the Heels are really good.

Gonzaga isn't as good, but its road to an unbeaten season is just as probable. If they get by the Wildcats and Huskies, only five games remain that could derail a perfect regular season – if that.

• Dec. 31 at Utah
• Jan. 7 at Tennessee
• Jan. 29 vs. St. Mary's
• Feb. 7 vs. Memphis
• Feb 12 at St. Mary's

At Utah and the home game against St. Mary's, the WCC's second-best team, should actually be locks, but they could be close to start. The other three are more interesting. I'd guess Gonzaga will be favored against Memphis and in trip to St. Mary's, but consider those toss-ups.

The Jan. 7 game against the Vols figures to be the biggest obstacle to a perfect season. The Zags already handled Tennessee once this season (83-74 at the Old Spice Classic in November), but heading to Knoxville is an entirely different animal. The Vols ended Memphis' run at a perfect season last year, and while they're not as impressive this season, expect Bruce Pearl's squad to be ready for the Bulldogs.

And for the rest of us to see a run at history.

College basketball's regular season gets tagged as blasé, but even naysayers should be pumped about Saturday.

After all, No. 1 vs. No. 2 just doesn't happen that often. Top 10 games, sure. But this'll be the 38^th time since 1949 when the top teams face off in what should be the regular-season's best game.

In this instance, the SEC's best team, Tennessee, travels to No. 1 Memphis. No, the game isn't on Tobacco Road, but hoops in the state of Tennessee shouldn't take a backseat to anyone this season. (Well, maybe Indiana, with its four ranked teams would have something to say about that.)

Especially when one considers Memphis (26-0) hasn't lost at home in 47 games and wants to avenge last season's 76-58 thrashing. It all turns an already fierce rivalry into a monster game. (Want a ticket? Got $10,000?)

Beyond all that hype, there's plenty more:

Expect defenses to take center stage. It's the nation's best defensive team vs. a team that thrives on forcing turnovers.

It'll be fast. Memphis gets more than 71 possessions a game, Tennessee 73.2.

Joey Dorsey will own the boards. The Vols' Wayne Chism is good (10.3 OR%, 20.2 DR%), but Memphis' beast on the inside is among the top 10 in OR% (16.3) and DR% (28.4).

The free-throw line will hardly be free. Tennessee is 302^nd in FT percentage, but Memphis is worse at 338^th (58.8 percent!).

Kenpom.com expects an 81-71 Memphis win. I think it'll be like 89-85, Memphis. Feels like a game where the Vols can keep it close with outside shooting and balanced scoring, but  will fall short in a hostile environment.

More tidbits?

• The last time an undefeated No. 1 team played No. 2 this late in the season, top-ranked UNLV beat Arkansas, 112-105, on Feb. 10, 1991 in Fayetteville, Ark.
• Before this season, Memphis spent one week at No. 1 in the polls. It lost, 64-56, to Virginia Tech on Jan. 10, 1983.
• Tennessee has beaten No. 1 once. Dec. 6, 1969 at South Carolina.
• No. 1 has won 19 of the 37 meetings against No. 2, but has lost five of the last 6, including Wisconsin's 49-48 loss to Ohio State last season.

One undefeated New England may have lost Sunday, but there's another still standing. And it's an awfully familiar unbeaten sight.

The UConn women's team torched Providence on Saturday, setting up a showdown against Big East rival Rutgers on Tuesday. Rutgers beat the Huskies in the Big East Championship last season and was the conference representative in the Final Four, losing to Tennessee in the title game. Since then, the Huskies (21-0) have torn through the competition, winning all but one game by double-digit margins.

There's some symmetry that another team from the New England region would be toying with a perfect record, too. Geno Auriemma's squad was the last D-I college basketball team to finish a season unbeaten, going 39-0 in 2001-02. (The last men's team? Bob Knight's 1975-76 Indiana squad.)

This year's version may be just as good as the two previous undefeated squads ('95 was the other), because of its depth and ability on both ends of the court. The Huskies average more than 80 points a game and allow less than 50.

Of course, Memphis' men's team is no slouch either. It just takes me out of the New England theme…

The No. 1 Tigers (21-0) are off to the best start in school history, and despite a lackluster win against UTEP on Saturday, they remain a good bet to enter the NCAA Tournament without a loss. That hasn't been done since UNLV in 1991.

However, if there's a weakness in the Memphis machine, it's the free-throw shooting.

(Memphis' three-point shooting stinks too. Yet even at 34.0 percent, it's positively scorching compared to the free-throw shooting, which is dead last among D-I schools on kenpom.com.)

The Tigers missed 20 free throws against UTEP, which has to be a major concern for coach John Calipari. Instead of putting teams away in crunch time, Memphis could very well clang its way out of the record books. No team has ever finished a season 40-0, which Memphis would do with an NCAA title.

As the Patriots' loss showed, no team is perfect. Memphis or UConn could be knocked off that perfect porch soon, too.

Then again, what's perfection mean, anyway? John Wooden – who had four undefeated championship teams at UCLA – says his best squad may have been the 29-1 squad of 1967-68. (I maintain few things are as enticing as the thought of the perfect season, yet must admit the crushing expectations that come with it make it tough to actually deliver on that final game.)

If Memphis or UConn do lose a game, but still win the title, it wouldn't diminish their seasons. Just ask the Pats.

These guys are good.

North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas. Three undefeated teams, all loaded with future NBA players and carrying Final Four expectations and title aspirations.

It's funny, too. They've been this good all season.

This was the preseason AP poll.

1. North Carolina (29)   0-0     1,728
2. UCLA (24)      0-0     1,710
3. Memphis (18) 0-0     1,680
4. Kansas                    0-0     1,568

The fifth was Georgetown, which received the only other first-place vote and was the only other team to garner more than 1,500 points. These were supposedly the elite teams.

And after 11 weeks, little has changed. When the rankings come out Monday, those will be the top 5 teams again. UCLA, after taking apart previously unbeaten Washington State, is as good as ever (with Kevin Love, maybe even better than the last two seasons). The Hoyas aren't as imposing, but a win against Pitt tonight will improve their public perception even more.

But it goes back to those unbeaten teams. Just when will they lose? Ever?

According to kenpom.com, North Carolina (17-0) will be the first. The Heels have a 2.51 percent chance of winning the rest of their games, which makes sense.

The ACC is once again atop the RPI, elevating the Heels' schedule to a tougher level than Kansas' or Memphis'. UNC just dismantled N.C. State, but nothing's guaranteed during a team's conference schedule. The Heels needed OT to escape at Clemson, and trips to Miami, FSU, Virginia and B.C. remain, not to mention two games against Duke.

Kansas (16-0) has a slightly higher chance of not losing – 13.67 percent. After facing Oklahoma and Missouri this week (Tigers get to play KU at home, never an easy place to play and where I picked the Jayhawks to lose back in December), they don't face the real meat of their Big 12 schedule until February. (Playing at K-State on Jan. 30 doesn't count. KU hasn't lost in Manhattan since 1983.)

A trip to Texas on Feb. 11 is a serious obstacle, as is the March 8 regular-season finale at Texas A&M. But the odds of the Jayhawks rolling into College Station 30-0 is remote.

That brings us to Memphis, which has a 47.3 percent chance of being unbeaten, according to kenpom.com. (Hard to believe it's that low considering the Tigers are 29-1 in the regular-season against C-USA the last two seasons, but it's true that conference games are never a gimme AND games against Tennessee and Gonzaga remain. Pomeroy wrote a separate piece on the Tigers' chances of going undefeated on basketballprospectus.com, where he says there's a 10 percent chance of a 40-0 season.)

ANYWAY, if these powerhouses continue their great starts, we may have three teams undefeated heading into February. Maybe even two unbeaten teams when March rolls around (which last happened in 2004 when St. Joe's and Stanford pulled that trick). At that point, the inevitable question will arise: Is a loss before the NCAA Tournament a good thing?

Seth Davis says no, mostly because it helps with it would relive any added pressure that comes with trying to win the NCAA Tournament. (So what if no undefeated team has won the title since 1976.; no 1-loss team has either, and there have been 18 of those.) I side with Pomeroy – forget that. Go for history.

If there's anything we should learn from other sports and apply here, take a page from the New England Patriots' perfect run. No one sets out to lose a game, but a shot at making history and being one of the only unbeaten national champions is worth the added "stress" of entering the NCAA Tournament without a loss.

If you can make history, you do it. You don't worry about how stressful it might be.

There are 14 unbeaten men's teams remaining in D-I. How many will remain at the end of the month?

Better yet, what about at the end of January? It's been three years since a team made it through the first three months of the season without a loss. (That remarkable Illinois team was 29-0 and didn't lose until March 3.) The year before, St. Joe's had a perfect regular season before losing in the A-10 tourney.

Different story the last two seasons, though. Last year, Clemson was 17-0 before losing on Jan. 13 to Maryland. J.J. Redick's 2005-06 Duke squad had the same mark before losing at Georgetown on Jan. 21.

So who would be the most likely candidates to get to February without a loss? Let's start with who's most unlikely to do so.

Two teams are guaranteed to drop next week. Duke (9-0) plays Pitt (9-0) in NYC next Thursday, while Georgetown (7-0) travels to Memphis (8-0) next Saturday. The Blue Devils' depth should outlast a solid Pitt squad, which isn't a dig on the Panthers. They're 10-0 for the fifth straight season. But this Duke squad play that swarming defense Coach's K's teams are known for and are vastly improved from last year's putrid offense.

The Hoyas and Tigers are a little trickier, though. Georgetown hasn't played anyone very good, while Memphis has beaten USC and gotten neutral court wins over UConn and Oklahoma. Memphis will be favored – and should be, playing at home – but John Calipari's team is too haphazard right now for my taste. I like the Hoyas.

(For the record, if Memphis does win, it may not lose again until the NCAA Tournament.)

Two down. I'd also expect Mississippi (8-0) to lose against Clemson next Saturday and Texas-Arlington (6-0) to do the same at Oklahoma State.

Though I'll be rooting for the Mavericks. They, along with Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin have forced us to pay attention to the Southland Conference this season. Those three have a combined record of 16-1 and have an average RPI of 42. Sam Houston State (9-0) probably loses to San Diego State on Dec. 28. If both should somehow make it through unscathed for their Feb. 2 showdown, yikes. That'll be one for the mid-major ages.

That's nine remaining.

Clemson loses at Alabama on Jan. 1(nice 12-0 start, though), while the second week of January should see loses by Washington State (L.A. road swing too tough), Vanderbilt at Kentucky (no good reason other than the 'Cats will be due for some good wins by then) and Texas.

Few teams have been as impressive as Texas this season, but a two-game swing against the Big Ten (Michigan State on Dec. 22 and Dec. 29 vs. Wisconsin) is a lot to ask. Both play solid defense and the Spartans have enough athletic big men to give the Longhorns fits. Instead, I doubt Texas loses until a Jan. 12 trip to Columbus, Mo.

More mid-January losses? Miami, Fla. won't get past Jan. 15 without a loss. Georgetown will lose to Pitt on Jan. 14.

Another tight game to watch is North Carolina at Clemson on Jan. 6. Try as I might, can't see the Heels losing that one if they're healthy. But getting through the rest of January without a loss to N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami and Boston College is a tall order.

We're down to two.

If Kansas – and this is unlikely – gets through a spate of good games (at Georgia Tech, at Boston College, vs. Miami (Ohio), at Nebraska) they'll probably lose Jan. 19 at Missouri. The Tigers are an improved team this season (see the Texas graf) and should hold court.

Which leaves us … Duke. I have no love for the Devils, but realize they're deep, balanced and motivated after a sub-par season.

They also should benefit by playing Clemson and Virginia at home. Games at Virginia Tech and Maryland in late January will be tough, but I'd expect some wins.

However, they travel to Chapel Hill on Feb. 6. And that's where the last unbeaten team loses this season.

Disagree? Post a comment below. And make sure you cast your vote here.