Kyle McAlarney added 17 points for Notre Dame (11-3, 2-1 Big East), which ran its winning streak at home to 44 games -- the longest such streak in the nation.

Tory Jackson chipped in 10 points and seven assists for the Fighting Irish, who rebounded from a loss Saturday at St. John's to record their fifth win in six games.

The Panthers (14-0) received 70 out of 72 first-place votes and 1,798 points after a strong week of basketball, in which they recorded two Big East road wins.

Pitt beat Rutgers in Piscataway on New Year's Eve before dominating Georgetown, 70-54, in Washington on Saturday.

Maryland-Eastern Shore competes in the MEAC and has lost its only conference game thus far. The Hawks fell to 1-8 overall with a lopsided 88-56 loss to Nebraska on Saturday, and they are now 0-7 in true road games. All eight of the team's losses this season have come by double figures, and it is hard to find a reason to believe that the squad can even keep the score respectable tonight.

Oklahoma opened the season with 12 consecutive victories before finally falling to a talented Arkansas squad last Tuesday. Fortunately for the Sooners, they were able to get back to their winning ways on Saturday with a 93-62 romp over Coppin State. They are now 8-0 at home and will finally begin Big 12 play on Saturday against Kansas State.

Georgetown carried a seven-game win streak and a wealth of confidence into Saturday's showdown with Pittsburgh. Despite playing in front of the home crowd, the Hoyas were no match for the mighty Panthers, as they lost that game by a 70-54 final. Georgetown is now 10-2 overall and is set to play just its second true road game of the season.

As for Notre Dame, it was shocked by St. John's on Saturday, 71-65. That loss halted a four-game win streak for the Fighting Irish, who figure to fall in the national poll regardless of the outcome of tonight's tilt. They are now 10-3 overall and 1-1 in conference action.

Patrick Christopher chipped in 20 points, and Jamal Boykin added nine, as the Bears (13-2, 2-0 Pac 10) won their seventh straight game and moved to 11-0 at home.

James Harden logged 26 points while pulling down eight rebounds for Arizona State (12-2, 1-1), which had won eight in a row and was coming off a 90-60 whipping of Stanford in the conference opener.

Rakim Sanders contributed 22 points, a career-high seven steals, and grabbed six boards for Boston College (13-2, 1-0 ACC), which has won 10 consecutive games. Reggie Jackson scored 17 in the win for the Eagles.

The Tar Heels (13-1, 0-1) had not only won each of their games this season, but had done so by double digits. But UNC fell after making just 3-of-16 three-pointers in the second half and 15-of-27 free throws overall.

Sosa finished with 18 points and Terrance Williams scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to give the Cardinals (9-3) their second win in the last five meetings with the Wildcats.

Kentucky (11-4), which had a six-game winning streak snapped, was led by Jodie Meeks' 28 points and Patrick Patterson, who scored 22 along with 15 boards. It was Patterson's 15th career double-double.

Josh Shipp was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and scored 17 points to help UCLA complete a sweep of its trip to Oregon. UCLA (12-2, 2-0) opened Pac-10 play on Friday against Oregon State with a 69-46 victory.

Oregon (6-8, 0-2) was led by Tajuan Porter's 24 points and Joevan Catron's 13 points.

Harris had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Wolverines (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten), who have won six of their last seven games. DeShawn Sims totaled 13 points and nine boards, while Laval Lucas-Perry also scored 13 and added five assists.

Zack Novak and Zack Gibson contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Michigan, which hit 11 baskets from beyond the arc and outscored Illinois 12-2 down the stretch.

Virginia Tech has won its last four games to improve to 9-4 overall, and the club is coming off a 75-66 decision over Charleston Southern. Amazingly, all four losses thus far have come by four or fewer points, including a pair of one-point setbacks.

As for Duke, it is 40-15 all-time in ACC openers. The Blue Devils are 11-1 overall this season, and they have posted three straight victories since suffering their only loss of the campaign to Michigan in Ann Arbor. On Wednesday, Duke rolled to a 92-51 victory over Loyola-Maryland in a truly lopsided affair.

BYU had won an astounding 53 consecutive games at the Marriott Center, with the last setback for the squad coming against Loyola Marymount in the 2005-06 home opener. The streak was the longest in the nation.

James Johnson added 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (13-0), who are undefeated through 13 games for the first time since 1996-97. The win helps set up a possible meeting of unbeatens January 11 when No. 1 North Carolina pays a visit to Winston-Salem.

Jerome Dyson picked up 14 points with four assists for the Huskies (12-1, 1-1 Big East), who had an easy time posting the victory after suffering their first loss of the year against Georgetown on Monday.

Jeff Adrien added 13 points while Stanley Robinson chipped in 11 points with seven boards.

Chris Allen had 17 points, while Kalin Lucas contributed 17 points and nine assists for the Spartans (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten), who have won seven straight since losing to top-ranked North Carolina.

Kevin Coble scored a team-high 17 points for the Wildcats (8-4, 0-2), who have dropped three of four.

Collins went 7-of-14 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free throw line to give the Jayhawks (10-3) their third win in four games. Cole Aldrich had 22 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting, and Tyshawn Taylor posted 12 points in the win.

Brady Morningstar hit 3-of-5 from long distance for 12 points, and Kansas shot 43.8 percent from three-point range.

Xavier (11-2) also received 13 points apiece from Kenny Frease and Dante' Jackson. Frease led the Musketeers with eight rebounds.

The Cavaliers (6-5) were led by Sylven Landesberg's 25 points and 16 from Mike Scott.

Kennedy connected for 20 points and 10 rebounds as St. John's toppled seventh-ranked Notre Dame, 71-65, at Madison Square Garden.

Justin Burrell added 18 points for the Red Storm (10-4, 1-1), who posted their first conference win and snapped a three-game losing skid.

Tony Crocker added a team-high 20 points for Oklahoma (13-1), which was coming off a road loss to Arkansas.

Willie Warren provided 14 points and seven assists in the win for the Sooners.

Westbrook hit 3-of-5 three-point tries and Johnson contributed with six rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks for the Golden Gophers (13-1, 1-1 Big Ten), who were coming off a 70-58 home loss to 10th-ranked Michigan State on Wednesday.

Evan Turner scored 21 points and Jon Diebler chipped in 15 for Ohio State (10-2, 1-1), which beat Iowa on Wednesday in its conference opener. Diebler tried to keep the Buckeyes close by connecting on 5-of-11 three-point attempts.

Blair was coming off his worst game of the season, a foul-plagued, two-point, two-rebound effort on Wednesday against Rutgers. He eclipsed his point total in the first minute with two baskets to give Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead and the Panthers never trailed on the way to ending Georgetown's 29-game home winning streak.

Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young each scored 14 for Pittsburgh (14-0, 2-0 Big East), which was coming off a 78-72 win at Rutgers to start the conference season. The Panthers shot 47.1 percent on Saturday and held a dominant 48-23 rebounding advantage.

Michigan State has won its last six outings to improve to 10-2 overall. On Wednesday, the Spartans opened league play in impressive fashion with a 70-58 triumph over Minnesota. They have also beaten a strong Texas squad during the current winning streak, and the only two losses to date have come against Maryland and top-ranked North Carolina, a pair of ACC opponents.

As for Northwestern, it has suffered losses in two of its last three outings after winning seven of its first eight to begin the campaign. The Wildcats are coming off a 61-57 setback to Penn State in the conference opener on Wednesday, but they do have reason for confidence this evening, as all seven of their home games to date have resulted in victory.

Jamie Dixon's Panthers are a flawless 13-0 this season, and kept their perfect mark intact with a 78-72 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday in the team's Big East opener.

John Thompson III has guided his Hoyas to a 10-1 start this year, with the lone loss coming in late November against Tennessee (90-78). Since then, the team has reeled off seven straight wins, including perhaps the team's most impressive victory of the year, knocking off second-ranked and previously unbeaten Connecticut in Big East action on Monday, 74-63.

The Golden Gophers have enjoyed home-cooking this season, as 12 of their 13 games thus far have taken place at Williams Arena. However, the start of Big Ten play was not much fun for Tubby Smith's team, as Minnesota fell at home to nationally-ranked Michigan State on Wednesday, 70-58.

The Buckeyes have also only experienced defeat on one occasion this year, that being a rather humbling 76-48 pasting at the hands of West Virginia on December 27th. However, Thad Matta's squad was able to put that loss in the rearview mirror, opening league play on Wednesday, with a hard-fought 68-65 win over Iowa.

Off to their best start since 1987-88, the Cougars have won an astounding 53 consecutive games at the Marriott Center, with the last setback for the squad coming against Loyola Marymount in the 2005-06 home opener. This year, the squad is a perfect 6-0 in the building and 5-1 elsewhere thanks to a 74-68 victory against Tulsa on the road Tuesday. The win came 10 days after the Cougars suffered their first and only loss of 2008-09, a 76-75 defeat at the hands of Arizona State as a potential game-winning basket at the buzzer was waved off.

As for the Demon Deacons, they've maintained an unblemished record to this point in the campaign, thanks in part to a questionable non-conference slate that has included early meetings with the likes of NC Central, Winston-Sale

Xavier opened the season with nine consecutive victories, but back-to-back losses to Duke and Butler nearly dropped the Musketeers out of the national poll. Fortunately, they got back to their winning ways on Wednesday with a 78-57 romp over Robert Morris. With victories over such quality non-league foes as Missouri and Memphis, Xavier figures to enter Atlantic 10 Conference play with confidence.

As for Virginia, it has won its last two outings to move to 6-4 on the season. The most recent victory was a thrilling 88-84 overtime decision over Georgia Tech in last Sunday's ACC opener. The Cavaliers won that game on the road, but five of their six victories have come at home.

Tennessee has won its last three games to improve to 9-2 overall. The Vols are fresh off an 89-62 decision over UL-Lafayette on Monday and began the current three-game run with a decision over a strong Marquette squad. Tennessee has yet to begin SEC play, but many consider Bruce Pearl's club the favorite to win that league.

As for Kansas, the defending national champion, it has won two of its last three contests to move to 9-3 this season. The club is 8-1 at home and is coming off a 79-43 romp over Albany on Tuesday. Clearly, however, the competition level increases significantly today. Of the three losses suffered by Bill Self's team thus far, one came in overtime and another occurred by one point in regulation.