Caught Our Eye Inside the Top 25: The Panthers finally got tested (twice) last week. Pittsburgh beat Ohio State convincingly. The Panthers then went to Rhode Island on Saturday and beat a Rams team that had defeated Providence and USC. Pitt's next true test comes at Georgia on New Year's Eve. Guard Julius Page was sensation in the win over Ohio State with 20 points, making 7 of 10 from the field. The Panthers 'D' locked up Ohio State's Brent Darby, forcing him to 1 for 10 from the field.

Outside the Top 25: The Demon Deacons deserve to get more national recognition. They won at Wisconsin. They beat SMU and St. John's at home. This is a contending ACC team. Josh Howard (16 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is a potential ACC player of the year candidate, let alone national contender. Freshman Eric Williams isn't getting the same kind of pop nationally but should after averaging a dozen points in the first six games. Wake Forest will find out where it stands in the league Jan. 12 when it travels to Duke.

CINCINNATI: Beating Oregon put the Bearcats back in the top 25 discussion. Losing at Clemson on Sunday all but ended the talk five days later.

MARIO AUSTIN: Austin continues to make an impact at Mississippi State, scoring 24 points against Georgia State, including 17 in the second half. Don't count him out for player of the year.

MIKE DAVIS: The ranting and raving on a no-call was uncalled for and Davis knows it.

STANFORD: The Cardinal loses its own tournament earlier in the week, but then win at UNLV

RICHARD FOX: Fox is turning out to be one of the best transfers in the nation for Gonzaga. The former Colorado center was 7-for-7 while scoring 14 points in a win over Long Beach State.

UMASS: How low can it get? Losing to Lafayette? Can it be that it was only six years ago that this program was in the Final Four?

ST. BONAVENTURE: The Bonnies handed Kent State its first loss of the season after finally getting to play at home.

UTAH STATE: The Aggies once again prove to be one of the best mid-majors in the country by beating rival Utah at home.

PEPPERDINE: The Waves won the Stanford tourney without playing the host team, but then lost at home to Utah

STEPHEN THOMAS: He scored 15 in his first game of the season against South Alabama and then 18 against Appalachian State on Sunday. No wonder Georgia coach Jim Harrick was raving about his return.

MEMPHIS: Look out for the Tigers. They beat Ole Miss and could have their entire team ready for Illinois on Dec. 28.

WYOMING: The Cowboys won two games this week, including South Carolina at home, but lost their star guard in Marcus Bailey to a torn ACL.

SAINT JOSEPH'S: In case you haven't noticed, the Hawks remain undefeated after beating back DePaul.

UTAH: The Utes lose at Utah State, but then rebound quickly to win at Pepperdine.

CLIFF HAWKINS: Hawkins proved to be invaluable in his first game with Kentucky after eligibility issues. He had four points and five assists for the Wildcats in the win over Indiana.

SMU: The Mustangs were embarrassed at Appalachian State, but then popped up and upset Baylor at home Saturday.

RICE: Willis Wilson is doing his best coaching job with the Owls. Rice beat Colorado to improve to 5-2.

OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys got a difficult win at Wichita State and deserve credit for going to play at a mid-major.

OREGON: The Ducks were downright awful against Cincinnati, but saved a little face with a win Sunday over Minnesota.

BYU: The Cougars keep on cruising and have only one blemish on their record.

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks learned what everyone else in the MWC knows: sweeping the Wyoming-Colorado State trip rarely happens. The Gamecocks got swept and that's more the pattern out West.

DAYTON: The Flyers are taking care of business at home, moving to 7-2 with a win over Villanova after already beating Cincinnati.

VILLANOVA: The Wildcats are 5-4. No way is that the record they imagined at the outset of the season, even with a young team.

NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels open the ACC with a convincing win at Florida State. Enough said.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch, a look back at the week and a preview of the week ahead, runs every Monday.