The tantalizing glow of TV revenue, the appeal to top recruits, and the desire to place teams against top competition have sparked a growing number of exciting November and December games in college basketball. But for a true test of contenders’ mettle, nothing beats the grind of a packed conference schedule. When a team beats rivals who know all its tendencies, it gives one great insight into a team’s ability to succeed under conditions similar to those seen in the NCAA tournament. That’s especially true when those games come on the road, and doubly so when it’s two tough games in a span of three days

With that in mind, let’s see what we learned from the first week of conference play.

UCLA IS A TITLE CONTENDER

Since the start of the season, the college basketball world has all but unanimously agreed on this point. The Bruins have been ranked in the top 10 from day one, with many pundits projecting a third straight trip to the Final Four. Still, UCLA had something to prove as Pac-10 play got underway. The Bruins played just two games against ranked teams in the season’s first two months, scoring an impressive win over Michigan State — only to lose at home to Texas.

But UCLA left no doubt in their trip to the Bay Area. Facing no. 24 Stanford at Maples Pavilion Thursday, the Bruins’ stout defense held the Cardinal’s Lopez twins (Brook and Robin) to just 9-of-23 shooting, en route to a 76–67 win. On Saturday, they slapped the shackles on a talented Cal team, holding the Bears to just 36% from the field and securing a 70–58 victory. UCLA hasn’t missed a beat despite the loss of top perimeter scorer, Arron Afflalo, to the NBA. Josh Shipp drained five three-pointers and a season-high 21 points against Stanford. Against Cal, bruising freshman Kevin Love led the charge, scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and adding 14 rebounds. Though Love and Shipp lead the Bruins in scoring, UCLA knows it has multiple options on any given night. Darren Collison is a reliable point guard who’s also one of the fastest and best defenders in the nation. Russell Westbrook is a budding star, delivering big minutes and production as the team’s sixth man. The Bruins also bring plenty of depth up front: a coach who’s one of the best in-game tacticians in the game, and a wealth of big-game experience. Don’t bet against them trolling the Riverwalk in early April.

TEAMS THAT LACK MULTIPLE WEAPONS ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE

UCLA’s crosstown rival, USC, has been a prime example of this point, having lost Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, and Lodrick Stewart from last year’s Sweet 16 team. The Trojans got 34 points from freshman sensation O.J. Mayo against Cal, but still lost. Mayo went just 5-for-19 from the field, USC shot just 35%, and the Trojans managed just 46 points in their loss to Stanford. In both cases, USC often got caught standing around and watching Mayo, an approach that’s going to get them buried in the Pac-10.

Over in the Big East, Pitt’s feeling the effects of missing two of their best players. With Mike Cook and Levance Fields out for extended periods of time, the Panthers have dropped two of their past three games. Against Villanova Sunday, Pittsburgh matched its season-high with 22 turnovers. Pitt had a chance to win in the final possession, setting up the same play that led to Fields’s game-winning, step-back three against Duke. But with Ronald Ramon handling the ball this time, the Panthers gave the ball away, costing them the game. Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are strong talents, and the supporting cast is still decent. But this isn’t the same team without Cook, and especially without Fields.

In the ACC, Boston College no longer has Jared Dudley or Craig Smith to carry the load, and it shows. Kansas might be the most talented team in the nation, and is another strong threat to win it all. Still, when the Jayhawks came to Chestnut Hill and crushed the Eagles by 25, they highlighted not only their ability, but also the diminished state of BC basketball. Freshman Rakim Sanders registered his fourth game with 20 points or more against Kansas. Still, the Eagles are at least a year away from returning to the top tier of their conference, and that’s assuming Tyrese Rice returns for his senior season. The race for ACC third banana behind North Carolina and Duke should be an interesting one this year, with Miami and Clemson among the top contenders for that spot.

WE HAVEN’T LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT TEXAS A&M

Sometimes, learning that we don’t yet know something can be a valuable lesson in itself. In the case of the Aggies, the mystery stems from the team having played only one true road game so far this season, that one a resounding loss to Arizona in Tucson. A&M’s 26-point win over the weekend came against an erratic LSU team, and the rest of the Aggies’ seven-game winning streak came largely versus lesser competition. A&M is 14–1 and knocking on the door of the AP poll’s top 10. Don’t put too much stock in any of it until we see some tougher competition, starting with a roadie at Kansas State January 19, and a home game against Texas on the 30th.

Mr. Keri (jonahkeri@gmail.com) is a writer for ESPN.com’s Page 2.