The fact is that no one can state definitively who is the best team in the country because there is a counter-argument that is just as credible.

Kentucky started the week with the top honors, flaunting a squeaky clean record—the only unblemished record remaining in Division I. Well, that satisfaction lasted for about 47 hours, anyway.

On Tuesday night in Columbia, South Carolina, the Gamecocks exposed the Wildcats for what they really are—a team with an over-reliance on star freshmen. Even some late game heroics from Wall and Cousins couldn’t overcome the sensational performance from senior Devan Downey.

Watching the 5-foot-9, 175 lb. Downey utilize the dribble to get his shot off over much taller and longer UK defenders, I couldn’t help wondering to myself, why haven’t I heard more about this guy?

Downey’s 30-point effort along with Brandon Raley-Ross’ 17 helped to overcome the absence of two key players, Dominique Holmes and Mike Archie, for the Gamecocks, as well as the 27 pt., 12 rebound effort from Kentucky’s Demarcus Cousins.

Oh yeah, and then there’s that John Wall guy. He finished with 19, meaning that he and Cousins accounted for 46 of the Wildcat’s season-low 62 points. As a whole, the Wildcat freshmen scored 57 of the team’s 62. A little help from junior Patrick Patterson would have been nice.

Kentucky was able to tuck the USC loss in their back pocket, however, and get right back on track with a double-digit win over a solid Vanderbilt team on Saturday, Jan. 30. Not only did they win handily, but Kentucky also won with a balanced attack which is vital for any team at this point in the season. Hey, they even got point production from someone over the age of 19, as Patterson was good for 12.

I think it’s safe to say that Demarcus Cousins has stepped out of John Wall’s shadow, as he posted his 12th double-double of the season against Vandy, with 21 points and 10 boards.

Texas’ fall from grace has been so swift as to rival that of Tiger Woods. On Jan. 11, the Longhorns were promoted to the top spot. Five days later, they were taken to overtime by a scrappy Texas A&M team, where they were carried to a 5-point victory by senior Damion James, who finished with 26 points and 12 boards.

Then, on Jan. 18, the free fall began. On the road against Kansas State (then no. 9 in AP), Texas, a team that seemed to have all the answers throughout the year, was rendered powerless against a swarming K State defense. In my opinion, it was the best defensive effort of any team so far this year, as the Wildcats fed off the energy of a rockin’ Bramlage Coliseum crowd to hold the typically high-octane Horns to a mere 62 points.

An opportunity for a bounce-back performance would be squandered up in Storrs, Connecticut five days later. Texas was hungry, but Jerome Dyson was hungrier. He finished with 32 points, 18 in the second half, to lead UConn to its first win of the year against a ranked opponent. Unfortunately, consistency has been as evasive as ever this year for the Huskies—largely a product of losing the floor general from a year ago in AJ Price, along with head coach Jim Calhoun.

The lone bright spot for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns (who slipped to no. 6 in AP) in the past couple weeks came on Jan. 27 against Texas Tech. Unexpected offensive performances from senior guard Justin Mason (18 pts.) and junior Dogus Balbay (12 pts.), along with another stellar performance from Damion James (28 pts.), guided the Horns to a 95-83 victory at home.

Low and behold, the mysterious Longhorn struggles were in full display once again against Baylor on Jan. 30. They put themselves in a 14-point hole in the second half, shooting an atrocious 19-31 from the free-throw line. It all equated to an 80-77 overtime loss.

Texas better right the ship soon, because there are several other teams that are playing their best basketball of the season right now.

I don’t think Villanova (no. 3 in the AP) gets nearly enough credit for how good they are. With a seasoned veteran and star by the name of Scottie Reynolds at the nucleus, this team is sure to be one of the toughest outs come tourney time.

The Kansas Jayhawks have been the measuring stick for consistency this entire year. Sherron Collins has a knack for commanding his troops, and making the right play at the right time. On Jan. 30 against a powerful Kansas State team, Collins battled back issues all night, but, regardless, he hit what proved to be the game-winning shot on a fearless drive to the tin in OT.

Syracuse and Michigan State also feature strong leaders on the floor in Wesley Johnson and Kalin Lucas respectively.

In a year where no single team can seem to separate themselves from the pack, expect a February and March full of Shyamalan-like twists.

In Rupp Arena on Monday, the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 4 in AP Poll) were given all they could handle in a match-up with Miami (OH).  It took last second heroics from freshman phenom John Wall, who hit a step-back jumper at the buzzer, to give Kentucky a humbling 72-70 victory, their second of the year.

Wall showed that he is ready to come in right away and be a top-notch performer, with 19 points and 5 boards in his debut (he was suspended for the first game by the NCAA for accepting improper benefits from an AAU coach).  The scary part is that this kid still has room to develop.

The latter part of the week featured two more wins for the Cats — a tough 102-92 win over Sam Houston State on Thursday, and a much easier 92-63 win over Rider on Saturday.  It might not have been as easy as anticipated for John Calipari, but he has his team off to a 4-0 start.

Up in Storrs, Jim Calhoun’s heart was racing a couple times last week.  His UConn Huskies (No. 12 in AP) were in a tight contest on Monday against Colgate, but were able to open it up in the second half for a 77-63 win.

On Tuesday night, the Huskies were given a scare by the Hofstra Pride, who were up by 6 in the second half.  However, a late game push led by Jerome Dyson led to 76-67 win for the Huskies.  All struggles aside, UConn is going into their next game against LSU at a solid 3-0.

ESPN’s second annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon was a whole lot of fun this year, with a number of interesting match-ups and perplexing outcomes.  It kicked off on midnight (ET) Monday with a contest between one of the most storied programs in college basketball, UCLA, and Cal State Fullerton.  It was an exhilarating game that kicked the marathon off right, featuring two overtimes.  However, UCLA just seems to be missing that surefire athleticism that they have had in past years, and they fell to Fullerton 68-65.

The Temple vs. Georgetown match-up at 4 pm on Tuesday featured some of the most bizarre offensive struggles I have ever seen.  The score at halftime was 19-13 in favor of the Hoyas (no, that is not a typo).  The offense for both teams picked up a little bit in the second half, and the Temple Owls hung with the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas (No. 19 in AP) until the last buzzer sounded.  However, John Thompson’s group was able to eek out a 46-45 win, a score that is more reminiscent of a game played in the 1950’s.  Credit the Owls for their performance — they should be a solid team in the A-10 this year, but the lackluster performance from Georgetown leaves me to wonder is the Hoyas are headed for another disappointing season.

Last season, Georgetown was a team that failed to maximize their talent, and payed for that in a big way with a first round loss in the NIT.  Hopefully Thompson can rally his troops, because the schedule for Georgetown this year is filled with strong teams.

The Gonzaga vs. Michigan State match-up is always a dandy, and it was no exception this year.  No matter that Michigan State is the No. 2 team in the land this year, Gonzaga was hungry to show that they are a team to be reckoned with, and they did so emphatically on Tuesday night.  Jack Breslin Arena was rockin’, but Gonzaga did not appear to be fazed.  The Spartans were forced to work from behind for most of the game, as they were behind at halftime 35-30 and down by 2 with only a few minutes left.  In the waning moments, Izzo’s squad showed their tenacity and the veteran leadership pulled through, with Kalin Lucas sinking a huge bucket with about 35 seconds left to expand the lead to 3.  Derrell Summers showed his stuff as well, with 21 points and 11 boards.

One of the games at the tail end of the marathon was Kansas vs. Memphis at 10 pm on Tuesday.  Kansas, the No. 1 ranked team in the land, got more than they bargained for from the Memphis Tigers in St. Louis.  In fact, it took a missed three from Duke transfer Elliot Williams at the buzzer for the Jayhawks to secure the win.  Young coach Josh Pastner showed that he is not about to let his Memphis team fall of the map.  Kansas showed that they are vulnerable.  None-the-less, the Jayhawks other two wins came much easier, including a 36 point win over Hofstra and a 50 point win over Central Arkansas.

Unquestionably the biggest shocker of the week came on Friday night in Madison Square Garden, where Syracuse knocked off the North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 6 in AP).  The Orangemen went on a 22-1 run to open the second half and didn’t look back from there.  The final score was 87-71, and Jim Boeheim has proven that his crew is not to be overlooked by any means this year.

What is even more remarkable is that this win came after another blowout win over Cal (No. 13 in AP) in the semifinals of the 2k Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.  In that game, the Orange dominated throughout en route to a 95-73 victory.  Oops, it looked like the voters made a mistake in leaving Syracuse out of the top 25 this year.  With stud players Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins among others, the Orangemen are sure to be a dangerous team this year.

Roy Williams has to be upset with the sloppy play from his Tar Heels, who turned the the ball over 78 times through the first four games, and had 18 more against Syracuse.  Obviously, there is going to be a learning curve for the young back court, but Carolina is hoping to right the ship in the near future.  They could be worse off — they are still 4-1; but boy, must Roy Williams be missing Ty Lawson.

Other top teams have cruised through the early part of their season unscathed, but don’t expect that to last.  Teams like Texas, Villanova (outside of the 69-68 barn burner with George Mason), Purdue, West Virginia, Duke, and Tennessee have had relatively easy wins to this point in their schedules.

Through every college basketball season runs a common theme– expect the unexpected, and don’t expect any deviation this year.