GHooLion's Ballot for Week 13 of 2017-18
Submitted on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 9:46AM EST
FYI: This is a provisional ballot. It does not count towards this poll's results.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Villanova
|
Team 1A. Dominant win over Georgetown and a squeaker at Marquette. Their D is just a fraction better than UVA's O, hence they stay #1. |
| 2 |
Virginia
|
Team 1B. Probably the best week any team has had this season, obliterating Clemson at home and winning the game of the year at Duke. |
| 3 |
Purdue
|
Team 1C. Closer-than-expected wins over Michigan and at Indiana. Incredible balance, but need the defense to return. |
| 4 |
Duke
|
Struggle with keeping Duke this high after a home loss, but it was a home loss to the #2 team in the nation. Defense is an issue. |
| 5 |
Michigan State
|
They back. Three wins this calendar week, two dominant, and one at Maryland, which is historically a tough place to win. |
| 6 |
Xavier
|
Just one game this week, but a 19-point win over Marquette. Still struggling with "just how good are they?" |
| 7 |
Cincinnati
|
A historically great defense, just not to the scorched earth-level of Virginia. Offense makes this team more dangerous than years' past. |
| 8 |
Kansas
|
A victim of the Big XII's apparent self-cannibalization. However, 1 game up in the conference with 5 "should wins" in a row on the horizon. |
| 9 |
Arizona
|
Two wins this week, both much closer than expected. However, the loss at Colorado is still their only loss on American soil. |
| 10 |
Texas Tech
|
Two altogether unconvincing wins, but 2-0 is considerably better than much of the Top 25 this week. |
| 11 |
Auburn
|
Auburn is for real, friends. Slam-danced two conference opponents this week, and only 1 conference loss, by 5, at Alabama. |
| 12 |
West Virginia
|
I wondered what the effect would be of reinserting Ahmad into the lineup, and unfortunately for the Mountaineers, backsliding is it. |
| 13 |
Oklahoma
|
I'm not going to hammer a team that beat Kansas on Monday for losing at Alabama on Saturday. Trae Young showing more balance. |
| 14 |
Ohio State
|
Went 1-1 this week, against 2 teams they should have beaten somewhat handily, and didn't budge. The Top 25, e'rybody! |
| 15 |
Wichita State
|
Swept the week, and in pretty convincing fashion. Another "just how good is this team" squad, with incompatible rankings and metrics. |
| 16 |
Saint Mary's
|
Two impressive wins over overmatched WCC foes, as it really should be. Any non-Gonzaga loss would be disappointing. |
| 17 |
Gonzaga
|
Two wins over overmatched WCC foes, but a bit tighter than the metrics would predict. Any non-SMC loss would be disappointing. |
| 18 |
URI
|
The A-10 is pretty much "Rhode Island and the 13 Dwarves". I know Duquesne isn't terrible this year, but 3 points is a little close. |
| 19 |
Tennessee
|
Close win over the SEC's doormat, then an impressive showing against the Big XII's "doormat". This team continues to impress. |
| 20 |
North Carolina
|
Worst week in the Top 25 by a large margin. Pretty much injected life into two bubble teams. Big drop, but UNC has 6 losses now. |
| 21 |
Arizona State
|
I said last week, ASU cannot keep trading wins in a "good-not-great" Pac-12. One more week of that will boot them off the page. |
| 22 |
Kansas State
|
Welcome to the board, Wildcats! 2 more wins last week on the back of two Top 25 wins the week before. Solid, underrated squad. |
| 23 |
Michigan
|
Not going to penalize a team severely for walking into Purdue and falling 3 points short. Showed they can play with anyone. |
| 24 |
Florida State
|
Typical Leonard Hamilton team: athletic and talented enough to get into the Top 25, but not coached well enough to really threaten. |
| 25 |
Creighton
|
This year's prototypical "hanging around the fringes of the Top 25 all season" team. Two wins get them on the board. |