Many of you outside of upstate New York knew better. But we gave 'em the benefit of the doubt. Hey, after another perfect November can you blame us?

But Syracuse once again dropped the ball come December. And we had to drop the Orange in this week's Power 16. It's not just losing to North Carolina State that bothered us. Heck, only a few of the 324 Division I teams remain unbeaten. It just shouldn't have happened Saturday -- not at home, in front of over 20,000 fans in the Dome, with or without Jim Boehim.

Speaking of unbeaten teams, the Power 16 salutes those who remain perfect. We won't get into why these teams aren't in the Power 16, except to say some unbeaten records are different than others. Still, Mississippi State (8-0), Miami, Fla. (8-0), Nebraska (6-0), Ohio State (5-0) and St. Francis, N.Y. (5-0) aren't being ignored.

Now, on to those in the Power 16. And yes, Maryland has made its way back into the Fab Four, while Iowa and Stanford are missing all together for different reasons. Try to explain the Hawkeyes' loss at Northern Iowa -- we can't either. The Cardinal? Well, last we saw them they were in study hall.

Speaking of teams we haven't seen in a while ... Saint Joseph's (the team formerly known as St. Joseph's) rejoins the Power 16 this week, while Butler -- yes, another of those still perfect -- makes its first-ever appearance on the Power 16 (the poll formerly known as Sweet 16).

As always, the Power 16 isn't based on perception, but rather results on the court, which create a "snapshot" of the season today. So, with that in mind, the Power 16 welcomes your opinions. 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, Dec. 9)

No. 1 Seeds

TEAM Duke Record: 8-0   Missouri Record: 9-0   Oklahoma State Record: 9-0   Maryland Record: 7-1

COMMENT Remember when teams like Temple and Michigan actually gave the Blue Devils a game? Up Next: Host to North Carolina A&T (Sat.) Stokes' shot kept Tigers "best of rest", while others will argue it should have been grounds for demotion. Up Next: Hosting rematch with Iowa on Saturday. Ready for another week of e-mails from Big 12 fans telling us why Cowboys shouldn't be here. Up Next: Week off until Northwestern State. It took a month, but Maryland has proven with seven straight wins that it belongs in this group. Up Next: Monmouth, N.J. on Tuesday

No. 2 Seeds

TEAM Kansas Record: 6-1   Arizona Record: 5-1   Florida Record: 6-1   Virginia Record: 5-0

COMMENT Simien simply gives Jayhawks another dimension. How long can we keep third Big 12 team out of top seeds? Up Next: Trip to Princeton on Wednesday Two down, one to go this week for Big Ten sweep. Walton, Anderson deserve as much credit as Gardner. Up Next: 2001 Final Four semifinal rematch Saturday. Love the Blue/Orange-clad fans nearly as much as way Gators played in wins over MSU and at South Florida. Up Next: Home to Charlotte on Saturday. Quickly becoming ACC's "unknown contender." We'll do our best later this week in introduce you to the Cavs. Up Next: Seven more days off.

No. 3 Seeds

TEAM Boston College Record: 7-0 Kentucky Record: 5-1   Illinois Record: 7-2   Marquette Record: 9-0

COMMENT Wired jaw couldn't keep Sidney from doing his talking on the court Saturday: Double-double in 36 minutes! Up Next: Cyclones come to town Tuesday. Tell us again how Prince is a "power forward". Then again, who needs "power" with a silky-smooth shot like his. Up Next: Kentucky State on Saturday. We can't put our finger on it, but something is just missing. No, it's not just Lucas Johnson, either. Up Next: Western Illinois on Sunday. Eagles have earned a week off after reeling off nine wins in row -- latest two each by 20-plus points. Up Next: Nothing until Nov. 19 (Ark-Pine Bluff)

No. 4 Seeds

TEAM Syracuse Record: 9-1   Butler Record: 8-0   Saint Joseph's Record: 5-1   Ball State Record: 5-2

COMMENT We still have faith in the Orange, but one loss (while others are winning) will drop a team this far. Up Next: At Georgia Tech on Sunday. Mid-major love continues with Bulldogs, who's length of stay may depend on how they fair against their own kind. Up Next: N. Iowa ... yes, those same Panthers. Beating Penn at The Palestra on Saturday (Hawks' fifth straight win) was bigger than you may think. Up Next: Another Philly fight (Drexel) tonight. Practicing what we preach by keeping Cardinals in rankings. Two losses don't cancel out two big wins Up Next: Go ahead, say it: IUPUI (Sat.)

Dropped Out: Iowa, Stanford.