Being No. 1 is no big deal

Louisville defeated Pittsburgh last weekend and Wake Forest deforested Clemson and that meant “Yabba-Dabba Do!” for the kids at Wake Forest, who anticipated their basketball team’s imminent ascent to No. 1.

The student body has co-opted “The Flintstones” as a television tie-in to Coach Dino Gaudio, who has done remarkable work since taking over the program following Skip Prosser’s shocking death in 2007.

Gaudio, though, knows how fast rankings can turn to Barney Rubble.

“If you’re happy to be No. 1 on Jan. 19, then you aren’t the team I think you are,” Gaudio told his players.

Wake Forest found out Wednesday when it was upset at home by unranked Virginia Tech. And maybe that’s not a bad thing.

There are few things more meaningless -- wings on an ostrich, perhaps? -- than being No. 1 in college basketball in November, December, January, February or March.

The only “1” that matters this year is April 1, when we’ll know the four schools headed for the Final Four in Detroit.

Everything until then is Digger Phelps and the mute button.

A lot of people think Congress should intervene to toss out college football polls, when, in fact, the rankings that need to go are basketball’s.

You talk about violating the “anti-trust” act.

How can you trust people who made North Carolina the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in the history of the Associated Press basketball poll?

North Carolina has already lost twice and, in this week’s AP poll, is only the third-highest-ranked team in its state behind Wake Forest and Duke.

Football polls, now those are life and death. The dramatic rise of Oklahoma to No. 1 in the final Bowl Championship Series standings last season, for example, earned the Sooners the chance to lose another national title game.

In 2006, one-loss Florida put on a full-court poll press and sneaked by Michigan for No. 2 in the BCS, which led to a win over Ohio State and three straight national titles for the Southeastern Conference.

With rare exceptions, there are two things you don’t want to be in college basketball: undefeated or top-ranked.

The last undefeated team to win the national title was Indiana in 1975-76.

Since 1977, only five teams entering the NCAA tournament ranked No. 1 in the AP poll ended up winning the championship: Kentucky (1978), North Carolina (1982), Duke (1992), UCLA (1995) and Duke (2001).

Here’s a look, in recent years, at the top-ranked schools entering the tournament.

2008, North Carolina. How it fared: Lost in national semifinals to Kansas.

Champion: Kansas (No. 4 in pre-tournament AP).

2007, Ohio State. How it fared: Lost in national final to Florida (No. 3 in pre-tournament AP).

2006, Duke. How it fared: Lost in regional semifinals to Louisiana State.

Champion: Florida (No. 11 in pre-tournament AP).

2005, Illinois. How it fared: Lost in national final to North Carolina (No. 2 in pre-tournament AP).

2004, Stanford. How it fared: Lost in second round to Alabama.

Champion: Connecticut (No. 7 in pre-tournament AP).

2003, Kentucky. How it fared: Lost in regional finals to Marquette.

Champion: Syracuse (No. 13 in pre-tournament AP).

Detect a trend? The secret to success in college basketball is to be good early, but not too good.

Be hot in March, not December.

Play yourself into a solid, workable and winnable tournament seeding. UCLA, in 2006 and 2007, was No. 7 in the final regular-season AP poll, garnered a No. 2 seeding and made the Final Four without having to leave California.

Strive, in the regular season, for “almost” greatness. Reach for the moon, but not the stars.

If you get to No. 1 at any point during the season, say it’s a terrific honor and a testament to hard work.

Hope Wake Forest enjoyed the bedlam in Bedrock while it lasted. Had a dry martini, on the rocks, dressed as Fred and Wilma. Had itself a “gay old” time.

But the Demon Deacons are better off aspiring to be No. 4.

Loose ends

Scoping the national scene from Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg, who once coached at Long Beach State, says there are “three or four” elite teams in the country and then a lot of good teams. “When I say a lot of good teams,” he said, “there are another 50 or 60 that, on a given night, can play up and find a way to win.”

The great “debate” continues: The Atlantic Coast Conference has four teams ranked in this week’s top 10, but the Big East has eight teams ranked in the top 25. So the ACC is better?

“The only place they’re debating that is in the South, I would think,” Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim says.

OK, but what about the Big Ten, a basketball conference literally on the rebound?

Jeff Sagarin’s conference power rankings through Tuesday: ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, Big 12. Realtime.rip.com has it ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10. And Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News says it’s definitely the ACC. “There may be more quality teams in the Big East, but only because there are only more teams,” he wrote.

Stay, just a little bit longer: USC Coach Tim Floyd says he wishes star players would stick around in college, but that won’t keep him from recruiting “one-and-done” players. The Trojans lost O.J. Mayo last year after a freshman year of service. “I would never say we won’t do it again, because we’re there again right now with DeMar DeRozan,” Floyd said. “Our hope is that these guys will come and fall in love with the college experience, much like Tyler Hansbrough [North Carolina] and Chase Budinger [Arizona] have and decide this isn’t all bad.”

Bottom line from Floyd: “We’re always looking at the best players in the country.”

An impartial observer? It appears Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive will have few conflicts of interest as chairman of the Division I men’s basketball committee this season. The SEC has no schools ranked in the top 25 of this week’s USA Today poll.

Read all about it: Mike Krzyzewski complained about the lack of coverage in the Raleigh News & Observer after Duke jumped to No. 2 in the polls . . . ahead of North Carolina. Executive Editor John Drescher responded in a column: “We’ve long been accused of being pro-Carolina.” Drescher noted that, of the 21 reporters and editors in the newsroom, four attended North Carolina, five went to North Carolina State but none were products of Duke.

Coach K’s memo to self: “Get Dick Vitale named sports editor.”

Game of the week, so far: Boston University on Monday beat Stony Brook, 99-97, in four overtimes. The game was tied 56-56 in regulation. But it wasn’t close to the longest game in NCAA history. In 1981, it took Cincinnati seven overtimes to defeat Bradley.

More overtime. Boston College’s overtime win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday ended a four-game losing streak since the Eagles upset No. 1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Jan. 4.

No bluegrass brainer: Jodie Meeks’ being named SEC player of the week after he scored a school-record 54 points in a victory over Tennessee. Meeks’ two-game average, however, dropped dramatically to 38 after he was “held” to 22 in the Wildcats’ victory against Georgia.

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

THE TIMES’ TOP 25

CHRIS DUFRESNE’S RANKINGS AND COMMENTS:

Rk.; Team (Rec.); Comment

1 DUKE

17-1 Looks as if the Dookies may be gearing up for a March march. (3)

2 CONNECTICUT

17-1 Rankman thinks Calhoun can put program on the map if given a chance. (4)

3 PITTSBURGH

17-1 Nice box-out and rebound win against Syracuse on Monday. (1)

4 OKLAHOMA

17-1 Rankman liked OU-Nebraska better when it was Switzer vs. Osborne. (5)

5 WAKE FOREST

16-1 It appears as though basketball is very popular in North Carolina. (2)

6 N. CAROLINA

17-2 Roy was right: No way Tar Heels were going to go 0-16 in ACC. (6)

7 LOUISVILLE

14-3 Sluggers have come a long way since loss to Western Kentucky. (12)

8 CLEMSON

16-2 Clemson now 0-54 all-time at North Carolina. (9)

9 MARQUETTE

16-2 Coach says make sure you take care of the DeBall vs. DePaul. (13)

10 GEORGETOWN

12-4 Team’s schedule appears to have been put together by Attila the Hoya. (8)

11 SYRACUSE

17-3 Don’t fret, that loss to Pitt won’t be your last in Big East. (11)

12 ARIZONA ST.

16-3 Extended “cone” zone keeps UCLA players trapped in Pauley parking structure. (14)

13 MICHIGAN ST.

15-3Spartans lose at home to giant killer... Northwestern?

14 TEXAS

13-4 Funny, the football team beat Oklahoma and lost to Texas Tech. (17)

15 UCLA

14-3 Too bad Bruins can’t play the football teams on weekend Washington swing. (7)

16 XAVIER

16-2 Geez, not that trip to St. Bonaventure and then Louisiana State again...(15).

17 BUTLER

16-1 Look, over the Horizon League, here comes Wisconsin -Green Bay. (18)

18 PURDUE

14-4 Where they’re at in the Big Ten this week: at Minny and at Wisconsin. (19)

19 MEMPHIS

15-3 Tigers should have Conference USA title wrapped up by Valentine’s Day. (NR)

20 NOTRE DAME

12-5 Irish need some spring with Connecticut coming to South Bend. (20)

21 VILLANOVA

14-4 Finding Philly comments, Ben Frankly, makes Rankman’s head hurt. (23)

22 ST. MARY’S

15-1 Hooked antenna on roof to watch big Thursday tilt at San Diego. (25)

23 ILLINOIS

16-3 The Illini force 20 turnovers in beating Ohio State by 18 points on Tuesday. (24)

24 GONZAGA

12-4 Brought broom to L.A. to sweep Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. (NR)

25 FLORIDA

16-3 If Tebow can come back, so can pride in Florida basketball. (NR)