College Basketball's No. 1 Teams in Trouble

Back in 2007, being ranked in the No. 2 slot in the college football polls was a sure-fire way to immediately lose a game.

Early in the 2010 conference season in college basketball, it's the top spot that has produced the same fate around the country.

After looking virtually untouchable in a soft out-of-conference schedule (before being tested by the fiesty Big Red of Cornell), Kansas relinquished their No. 1 ranking after losing to a decimated Tennessee team in Knoxville.

Fellow Big 12 rival Texas jumped up after looking flawless against UNC (which doesn't look as impressive now-- bang-up job by the Tar Heels in the early part of ACC play). But, a week of poor decisions by Rick Barnes' squad led to two road losses in a row at Kansas State and Connecticut.

And now last night, undefeated Kentucky suffered a close loss in mediocre South Carolina's building, with Devan Downey showing Cincinnati how much they lost with another 30-plus point performance. John Calipari hadn't lost a regular season game in a very long time until the buzzer sounded Tuesday.

Lesson learned-- don't take No. 1 for granted. Road tests in any major conference can spell trouble, especially when a top-ranked team is protecting its newfound glory. President Obama warned UK... they clearly didn't take his advice to heart.

NOTE: South Carolina was fined $25,000 by the SEC after its student body stormed the court following the win. I understand safety protocol, but this adds so much excitement to college basketball. Why discourage it?

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