GHooLion's Ballot for Week 19 of 2017-18
Submitted on Monday, March 12, 2018 at 9:30AM EDT
FYI: This is a provisional ballot. It does not count towards this poll's results.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Virginia
|
Earned the ACC double-dipper with a strong showing in NYC. The clear, obvious choice for #1 in every regard. |
| 2 |
Villanova
|
Earned the Big East Tournament title by ripping through Marquette and Butler, then surviving a "team of destiny" in Providence. Clear #2. |
| 3 |
Xavier
|
Lost its chance to move up by dropping a close game to the aforementioned Providence. This is a legit #1 seed, any way you slice it. |
| 4 |
Cincinnati
|
Marched through the AAC field and defeated an extremely feisty Houston team for the title. Metrics say that UC > KU. |
| 5 |
Michigan State
|
No games since the last poll, but this team has earned the respect it is being given heading into the NCAAs. |
| 6 |
Kansas
|
Shook off its tendency of having letdown games and blitzed through the Big XII tournament to earn the double dipper. Penn now awaits. |
| 7 |
Gonzaga
|
Walloped San Francisco and BYU to earn the double dipper in the WCC. Xavier should be pissed to have this in the Sweet 16. |
| 8 |
Michigan
|
No games since the last poll. This is one team that I was tickled not to see in Virginia's bracket. Beilein + postseason = magic. |
| 9 |
Arizona
|
Excluding the 3 losses in Atlantis, this team has lost just 4 games all season. The talent is finally putting it all together - scary. |
| 10 |
Purdue
|
No games since the last poll. In any regard, this team can play with anyone in their NCAA bracket, Villanova included. |
| 11 |
Duke
|
This team is just schizo enough to be down to UNC by 16 with 6:00 to go yet almost still win the game. How does that project for NCAAs? |
| 12 |
Tennessee
|
Fell to a surging Kentucky squad in the SEC title game, but make no mistake: Barnes has this team poised as a threat in the NCAAs. |
| 13 |
North Carolina
|
A 3-1 week in the ACC Tournament, with a single-digit loss to #1, is worthy of commendation, despite 10 losses (against a killer schedule). |
| 14 |
Ohio State
|
No games since the last poll. A 5-seed on its face seems a little unfair, but facing Gonzaga in the Round of 32 is a travesty. |
| 15 |
Auburn
|
More concerning than the loss to a Jeykll-and-Hyde Alabama in the SEC Tournament is the skid upon which they are ending their season. |
| 16 |
Houston
|
This team has come on like a freight train in the second half of the season, even taking Cincinnati to the wire in the AAC Title game. |
| 17 |
West Virginia
|
Once again, had a 3+ possession lead on Kansas. Once again, saw that lead evaporate like rain on the desert. Favorable NCAA draw. |
| 18 |
Wichita State
|
No shame in losing a 3-point game in your conference tournament to a team as hot as Houston. Tough matchup in the Round of 32. |
| 19 |
Kentucky
|
Those 4 straight losses seem like a fairly distant memory now. This absurdly young team is starting to gel. Ridiculous NCAA draw, though. |
| 20 |
Texas Tech
|
Dough goes in, a 2-5 record in its last 7 games comes out. I don't really want to explain that. |
| 21 |
Clemson
|
Gave #1 overall a solid game in the ACC semifinals. Brownell's job at succeeding and keeping this train on the tracks is impressive. |
| 22 |
Loyola Chicago
|
This team is good. Its only loss in the last 2 months is a 2-point road loss to a decent Bradley team. Upset potential. |
| 23 |
Arkansas
|
There's about 15 teams that could be in this range, but Arkansas looks the "okayest" to me. No shame in a loss to Tennessee. |
| 24 |
Miami (FL)
|
Started out 14-0 against UNC in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, then proceeded to get dump trucked. Who else to put here, though? |
| 25 |
Nevada
|
Had some real trouble with SDSU to end the season, exemplified by the 2 double-digit losses in its last 3 games. Still a good team. |