The great experiment was a failure (see: last week's emails below). But at least a week of ranking conferences instead of teams below the No. 1 seeds gave the Power 16 committee a fresh perspective on the season. And, no matter how we rank the top 16 teams in the country from now on each week, at least we'll know it'll be better received than ranking conferences.

So, with that in mind, here is this week's Power 16 with plenty of new teams to go with a few old reliables.

As always, the Power 16 welcomes your opinions. (The best of last week's comments are below the latest Power 16. Look for future comments to be under each week's Power 16).

Click here to voice your approval or disdain for the latest Power 16. Keep it clean, state a clear case for your team, include both a first and last name, city and state, and we'll post the best comments later in the week.

(Records as of Sunday, Jan. 27)

No. 1 Seeds

TEAM Duke Record: 18-1   Kansas Record: 17-2   Cincinnati Record: 19-1   Maryland Record: 16-3

COMMENT Bad news for nation: Boozer's beginning to flex his muscle. 20-plus in six wins since only loss. Up Next: Not exactly Rivalry Week's marquee game. Bad news for Duke? Gooden averaging 20-plus and double-double in four wins since loss to UCLA. Up Next: Hosting Tigers in Big Monday main event. Four-point win at Saint Louis was only one under 10 points during nation's longest winning streak (19). Up Next: East Carolina and tricky trip to Marquette (Sat.) Haven't lost a game they shouldn't have this season; Haven't beaten anyone they shouldn't have, either. Up Next: On to Virginia (Wed.); Hosting State (Sun.)

No. 2 Seeds

TEAM Alabama Record: 17-3   Connecticut Record: 14-3   Ohio State Record: 15-3   Oklahoma Record: 15-3

COMMENT So much for not being able to win on the road, huh? Tide has swung 'Bama's way in SEC. Up Next: Hosting Hogs (Tue.); at LSU (Sat.) Best group of freshmen in country may reside in Storrs not Tempe. Win at Arizona validates 6-0 Big East mark. Up Next: Trips to Rutgers (Wed.) and Miami, Fla. (Sat.) Was Minnesota road show a preview of things to come? Four-game swing through Big Ten awaits. Up Next: Home to Illinois (Tue.) and Northwestern (Sat.) Latest to taste defeat in Lubbock, but could still a team worthy of Final Four talk it's been receiving nationally. Up Next: Rivalry DH: Hosting OSU (Wed.) at UT (Sat.)

No. 3 Seeds

TEAM Miami, Fla. Record: 18-2   Georgia Record: 16-4   Oregon Record: 15-5   Florida Record: 15-3

COMMENT Miami Arena proving to be helpful, if not full of support. Rice playing his best basketball of season also helps. Up Next: Two more at home: BC (Tue.) & UConn (Sat.) Despite Vandy loss, Dawgs remain above Florida and Kentucky in SEC East. Who would have thunk it? Up Next: At South Carolina (Wed.); Host Rebels (Sat.) Computer loves Arizona, but we like the Ducks' 2-0 record against the Wildcats better right now. Up Next: Hosting UCLA (Thu.) & USC (Sat.) Gators have dropped two in a row by total of 7 points, which will happen these days in the SEC. Up Next: Kentucky at home (Tue.); MSU (Sat.)

No. 4 Seeds

TEAM Texas Tech Record: 15-3   USC Record: 15-4   Indiana Record: 13-6   Texas Record: 14-5

COMMENT Unique position of being on Cinderella Watch and Power 16. Not sure which list Tech deserves to be on most. Up Next: At Nebraska (Wed.); Hosting ISU (Sat.) Lost to Cal in OT, only to beat Stanford (which beat UCLA) to earn second Pac-10 nod this week. Up Next: Trip to Northwest: Oregon (Thu.) & OSU (Sat.) Have the Hoosiers missed yet? After Saturday, you tell us why the Hoosiers shouldn't be here. Up Next: No more zones? Purdue in town Wednesday. Virginia, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma State ... all could be here instead of UT. Up Next: At Kansas State (Wed.); Hosting OU (Sat.)

Power 16 Comments
Here are a few comments from ESPN.com users concerning last week's Power 16 rankings:

"No more conference logos! What a cop out! You guys have the greatest job in the world - you are paid to eat, drink, and sleep college basketball. The rest of us have to work for a living. Just when things get a little more challenging you give us a Power 16 like this? I expected to see Arizona reemerge in this week's edition. I watch the Cats dismantle USC. I was at the UCLA game. The freshmen are playing with confidence. Jason Gardner and Luke Walton refuse to lose. The Power 16 is supposed to predict where teams will finish - Arizona belongs in the Power 16."

Ralph Scaramella
Phoenix, Ariz.

"Let me get this straight: your projected number two seeds are the SEC and the PAC-10? This week's Power 16 is BEYOND weak. We all know it's early in the season and that things are likely to change (significantly) between now and mid-March. So instead of crying about how hard it is to include some teams while leaving others out, you should have just had the stones to list your projected 16 seeds (read: TEAMS, not CONFERENCES) out there and let the chips fall where they may. You can always change it next week!"

Jason Duncan
Alexandria, Va.

"You guys are so lame! I hope they dock you a day's pay after this (conference) rubbish."

David Cook
Columbia, Md.

"You guys are pathetic. Thank goodness you aren't on the NCAA selection committee; the tournament wouldn't begin until June because you guys would spend two months going back and forth over who gets what spot. Make a decision for goodness sakes. If I wanted to hear how great everyone was I'd limit myself to reading Dickie V's column. Just like the NCAA selection committee, you're gonna' get second-guessed (in fact, you even invite it, and from people like me, no less). Yeah, there's a lot of tough decisions, and yeah, you'll look like fools in late-February for having certain teams where they are now, but you're trying to pick the best 16 for this week, not every week. So do it. Make a pick and stick to it, at least for one week anyway."

Bryan Wood
Chicago

"I'm not too sure about this conference winners Power 16. It sounds good and all, but then you lose teams like Gonzaga on the West Coast. Granted, they lost to Pepperdine, but they are a team on a roll. I don't know about the voters in the polls or the makers of this ranking, but winning 12 of 13 isn't so bad, especially when you lose to Pepperdine who is much more competitive than people like to think.(RPI 41 as of Jan. 20)."

Dan Christiansen
Spokane, Wash.

"Want to know what Rodney Dangerfield means when he says that he 'Gets no respect?' Just ask Jim O'Brien and his Buckeyes squad. They have been getting dogged since day one. A 14-2 record should speak for itself. Yeah, so there are two losses, no one is perfect (not even Duke.) Look at those two teams that they lost to. Pitt is now ranked in the Top 25 and Louisville, well 2 words sum them up, RICK PITINO! Need I say more? A knocking of former No. 9 Iowa and a solid win of the Hoosiers should be a sign that this is a pretty good team. So put away the doggy biscuits and break out the bracket because these Buckeyes are the real deal!"

Ryan Field
Muncie, Ind.

"I think that Duke and Kansas are by far head and shoulders above the rest. My problem is Cincy -- I just don't see them playing the competition to rank them so high. Bob Huggins always has good team teams, but their schedule is not up to the standards of the top teams."

Chris Mitchell
Kerrville, Texas

"'Run with the Blue Devils and pay the consequences'? I'd like to see Duke run with Kansas, but that can all be settled in Atlanta -- if Duke gets that far. Just a reminder -- two years ago, Kirk Heinrich DOMINATED Jason Williams in the second-round tourney game. Williams gets all the hype, but we'll see who the better player is come March. And don't forget about Player of the Year Drew Gooden, or Collison, or Boschee ... oh, the list goes on and on! ROCK CHALK, baby."

Jason Habermeyer
Walnut Creek, Calif.

"Okay, so I do agree that things are getting a big complicated in seeding the teams. But Cincinnati as a No.1 seed!! Who do they play? They are on the road against Saint Louis, and South Florida. Going on the road in the SEC to LSU is tougher than that (Sorry LSU fans). Let Cincinnati play someone before you give them such credit and hand them a No.1 seed. I feel that the issue with a fourth No.1 seed would be solved if you gave the SEC champion that spot. Which I feel will be the University of Kentucky. Go Cats!!"

Roger Fitch
Phoenix, Ariz.

"How come the Longhorns get no respect? Their RPI is outstanding, they have a good record and a home loss to Arizona should not punish them as much as the polls are doing. And when Bobby Knight got more attention for beating OSU in Lubbock, than Texas got for beating OSU in Stillwater that drove me up a wall. Maybe its just me but I would think that if you knock off a top 5, undefeated team at their place that deserves some Power 16 respect."

Jimmy Reneau
Houston, Texas

"You claim to be taking note of several Pac-10 teams, especially USC and Arizona. I am yet to read anything about Oregon entering your Power 16. You like USC because of their 6-1 conference record, but Oregon is likewise 6-1 in conference play. Arizona has many quality wins, and probably deserves a spot amongst the top 16 teams in the country, but Oregon dominated that same Arizona team in two meetings this year. How can you not even mention them as a team that belongs with the other top schools in the country?"

Nathan Jessen
Kearney, N.E.

"The power 16 is looking to be pretty accurate in my mind. Just make sure you don't add Ohio State to this list. They haven't played anybody all year long, and when they did finally go on the road they got beat by a very mediocre Louisville team. If they go on the road in the Big 10 and beat a couple of teams, then maybe they deserve to make the list."

Mick Bergman
Cincinnati, Ohio

"Please, please, please tell me that ESPN is not like the rest of the world and that you have forgotten the Zags. They lost a very tough road game at Pepperdine this weekend and like magic they disappear from your Power 16. They have proven with their schedule this year that they are a quality team that will most definately be there at the end. If you don't believe it, talk to Loyola? I guess in the end it doesn't matter whether they are a 4 seed or a 12 seed nobody wants to face the Zags come tournament time."

Travis McNamee
Spokane, Wash.