The first week of college basketball generally doesn't tell you all that much because there's not a lot of games, and usually the top teams are playing the likes of Mississippi Valley State. However, there's still things you can get out of any week. Here's what I learned:

1. New Mexico looks good enough to win the MWC: Steve Alford has this squad playing well in his 2nd season. After a strong 11-5 showing in the MWC last year, they only lost one starter in J.R. Giddens. Kudos to them for going out and scheduling Creighton on the road in their 2nd game of the season. Despite blowing a 9 point lead with under 4 minutes to play, they dominated the preseason MVC favorites for 36 minutes. I'm looking forward to their game against VCU in late November.

2. Duke and UCLA are not top 5 teams, yet. I think that they'll get there, but they are not there yet. Duke was tested by a URI team that many picked to finish around 10th in the A10 (I had them 7th), before finally pulling it out at the end. That bodes well for the A10, but it also makes you wonder if Duke is going to let down again. UCLA on the other hand, went back and forth all game against Miami of Ohio before squeaking one out. Collison looked good, but if he and Shipp are forced to carry that team it could be an early exit for them come March.

3. John Beilein could turn Michigan back into a NCAA Tournament team as soon as this year. I didn't think I would say that already, but I watched them trounce a Northeastern team by 20 that returned all five starters and took down Providence on the road, Saturday. The Wolverines returned three starters and Manny Harris is looking way better than he did a year ago.

4. Let's have Arizona St. prove they're a top 25 team before we anoint them as one. Did they really only beat Mississippi Valley St. by 16 on their home court? People have jumped on me for being high on Washington St., but they drubbed MVS by 51. Arizona St. has a lot of talent, but they haven't earned anything yet. I have a feeling they might be NIT bound again.

5. Hitting 60% ATS for a 2nd straight season will be a tough task to accomplish. Thanks the Lari Ketner's contest in the A10 forum, I've had a lot of fun trying to beat the oddsmakers. Last year was a great success for me as I nearly won the contest beating some very solid handicappers. After going 4-3 in week 1, but having a couple of ugly losses, I realize hitting that 63% mark again will take a lot of hard work.