TOP 25 / COLLEGE BASKETBALL

By CHRIS DUFRESNE

Feb. 24, 2000 12 AM PT

No. Team (Record): Comment

1. Stanford (22-1): Being top dog again is not a Cardinal sin.

2. Cincinnati (25-2): Still No. 1 city for chili spaghetti.

3. Duke (22-3): Out of space, school wonders if North Carolina can hang latest ACC banner.

4. Arizona (23-4): Can beat your favorite team with two starters tied behind its back.

5. Michigan State (21-6): In Spartan battle for last available No. 1 NCAA seeding.

6. Tennessee (22-4): Is this the same Jerry Green who used to coach at Oregon?

7. Temple (20-4): ABC picks up pilot about Philly coach and point guard from Argentina.

8. Ohio State (19-5): Already penciled in Wednesday’s win over Journalism U. (Northwestern).

9. Oklahoma State (22-3): Star forward Desmond Mason is no brick layer.

10. Florida (21-5): It’s Miller Time for Gators, who play Auburn on Sunday.

11. Louisiana State (21-4): First 20-win season since ’93. Bring on Mardi Gras!

12. Syracuse (22-3): Hasn’t looked the same since win over UCLA.

13. Tulsa (25-2): Can knock Tark’s Fresno State into NIT with win tonight.

14. Iowa State (22-4): Fizer made some points with his 35 against Texas.

15. Maryland (20-7): ACC moms wonder if team needs a lift to NCAA tourney.

16. Kentucky (19-8): A couple more slip-ups and Ashley Judd quits writing checks.

17. Purdue (19-7): Can swap dirty rotten NCAA stories tonight against Michigan.

18. Indiana (18-6): It’s starting to look like that ol’ February Fade.

19. Auburn (21-5): Chris Porter rues the day he made that SI cover.

20. Utah (19-5): Schools close in Helsinki after Mottola returns for rout of Nevada Las Vegas.

21. Oklahoma (21-5): Wonder if Swooners have enough gas left in the tank.

22. Connecticut (18-8): Dropping faster in polls than Alan Keyes.

23. Pepperdine (21-6): Waves’ Tommy is the new freshest Prince of L.A.

24. Kansas (20-7): News from Dodge: Judge Roy (Bean) Williams reinstates Lester Earl.

25. Illinois (18-7): Cup runneth over in Champaign after Indiana win.

65. UCLA (13-11): A rough year, but who are we to NIT-pick?