GHooLion's Ballot for Week 14 of 2017-18
Submitted on Monday, February 5, 2018 at 9:30AM EST
FYI: This is a provisional ballot. It does not count towards this poll's results.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Virginia
|
Extremely thin margin. UVA's road wins, plus better offensive efficiency than Villanova's defensive efficiency, merit UVA at #1. |
| 2 |
Villanova
|
It almost doesn't matter how Villanova's defense fares when Villanova scores that many points that efficiently. |
| 3 |
Purdue
|
Still the best balance of offense and defense in college basketball. The narrow wins over inferior opponents do raise an eyebrow. |
| 4 |
Michigan State
|
Six straight wins, despite single-digit victories over Penn State and at Indiana. Not perfect, but still darned good. |
| 5 |
Xavier
|
Wins are wins, no matter how derived, thus it is so for Xavier with close wins at St. John's and over Georgetown in OT. |
| 6 |
Cincinnati
|
Fourteen straight wins for the Bearcats. There's really no one in the AAC to challenge Cronin's best team. |
| 7 |
Auburn
|
I have both feet firmly planted on the Auburn hype train. Two respectable wins over the SEC's dredges makes Auburn 19 of its last 20. |
| 8 |
Texas Tech
|
Followed up a shaky win against Texas with a nice win at TCU. Tortillas are in the driver's seat in the Big XII. |
| 9 |
Kansas
|
The most dominating home court advantage in college basketball really is absent. The Cowboys aren't an awful team, however. |
| 10 |
Arizona
|
Blasted Washington State on the road, but fell at Washington in dramatic fashion. That's somewhat excusable. |
| 11 |
Duke
|
St. John's is just an atrocious, inexcusable loss. 11th seems right, because that's how many conference losses in a row St. John's had. |
| 12 |
Ohio State
|
As much as I love Tony Bennett, Chris Holtmann should be national Coach of the Year for the job he's done in Columbus. |
| 13 |
Tennessee
|
Six straight wins, good computer numbers, and two thumpings of SEC teams (weak though they may be), merit the jump for me. |
| 14 |
Saint Mary's
|
I want to believe in this team, because the metrics tell me so, but then St. Mary's has to squeak by San Diego. Tough to gauge this team. |
| 15 |
Gonzaga
|
Just like St. Mary's, the Top 10 KenPom rating doesn't jive with my eyeball test or the SOS rankings. |
| 16 |
URI
|
When Rhode Island beat Seton Hall in the preseason NIT, most took it as an aberration. It wasn't. This team is dangerous. |
| 17 |
Oklahoma
|
Not exactly confidence-inspiring. OU is one diarrhea-stained Baylor mattress away from being 0-2 this week. Chemistry is an issue. |
| 18 |
West Virginia
|
WVU looked as poorly as I've seen them when getting hammered by ISU. Then, WVU woodsheds a game Kansas State squad. Questions abound. |
| 19 |
Michigan
|
Michigan didn't win style points with wins over Northwestern and Minnesota, but 2-0 is 2-0, which is better than most of the field. |
| 20 |
Wichita State
|
I like it when KenPom and I agree. However, losing to a Temple team with umpteen losses makes not a good week. |
| 21 |
Clemson
|
Admittedly, I'm still in a bit of "wait and see" mode without Grantham. However, 2-0 is impressive when it includes UNC |
| 22 |
Miami (FL)
|
A 2-0 "TCB" week, especially with the 9-point win at Virginia Tech, will get Miami back on the page. A bit of an underrated team. |
| 23 |
North Carolina
|
If the season ended today, UNC would be seeded 8th in the ACC Tournament. I doubt UNC falls there, but 7 losses is a bit troubling. |
| 24 |
Nevada
|
Followed up the altitude-induced loss to Wyoming with "business as usual" in the MWC. I'd hate to draw this team as a 6-7 seed. |
| 25 |
Arizona State
|
I threatened to drop you out with another 1-1 week, yet here you are. That's what extreme carnage on the bottom of the Top 25 does. |