ItsAesthus's Ballot for Week 9 of 2020-21
Submitted on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 11:10PM EST
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Gonzaga
|
Both Pepperdine and Saint Mary's gave the Bulldogs brief scares, but were ultimately put away by fairly comfortable margins. |
| 2 |
Baylor
|
The debate over #1 opened up slightly between Gonzaga's minor WCC struggles and Baylor's impressive road win over Texas Tech. |
| 3 |
Villanova
|
The #3 team in the nation hasn't played since Christmas. Can they finally return to the court against Seton Hall on Tuesday? |
| 4 |
Iowa
|
For a bit, it seemed we were headed for an Iowa-NW shootout. But while Garza and co. hit their shots, the Wildcats ultimately did not. |
| 5 |
Texas
|
The Longhorns' penchant for heroic wins caught up to them, as the red-hot Red Raiders delivered a stunner on the road behind Mac McClung. |
| 6 |
Tennessee
|
Tennessee cruised past rival Vanderbilt in a balanced win, outscoring the Commodores by ten in each half. |
| 7 |
Houston
|
Houston delivered an emphatic statement win in its revenge over UCF, with a staggering 45-19 halftime lead over the only team to beat them. |
| 8 |
St. Louis
|
Much like Villanova, the Billikens' last game came on December 23. Likewise, they've taken advantage, rising from #25 to #8. |
| 9 |
Michigan
|
Michigan's last three games: dominant 82-57 win over MINN, dominant 77-54 win over WISC, 75-57 loss to MINN. Big Ten home court, folks. |
| 10 |
Kansas
|
After failing to complete a late comeback in Stillwater, Kansas must be dreading their visit to Waco to play #2 Baylor. |
| 11 |
Ohio State
|
The Buckeyes have overcome a slow start with three straight wins, including two—against Rutgers and Illinois—on the road. |
| 12 |
Oregon
|
Oregon sat idle this week as top Pac-12 rivals UCLA, USC, Colorado, and Arizona swept all their games. |
| 13 |
Drake
|
The echoes of Drake's resounding back-to-back wins over Southern Illinois will go on until at least the 26th after further postponements. |
| 14 |
UConn
|
UConn hardly looked the part of a top-fifteen team in their 60-53 win over 1-5 DePaul, but their overall resume is still glowing. |
| 15 |
Missouri
|
Missouri got in trouble against Texas A&M early, but stormed to a 41-28 second half to win handily in their first game since January 5. |
| 16 |
Wisconsin
|
Wisconsin recovered from a humiliating loss to Michigan in fine fashion, outduelling Rutgers on the road. |
| 17 |
Virginia
|
Virginia may well be the ACC's frontrunner after holding Clemson to just 17 in the first half, but are they good or just hot? |
| 18 |
Minnesota
|
Minnesota delivered swift vengeance for their January 6 loss to Michigan, giving the Wolverines their first blemish via a home blowout. |
| 19 |
Texas Tech
|
It's hard to deny Texas Tech after an impressive week in which they took down a top-five Texas and gave Baylor a tough fight. |
| 20 |
Louisville
|
All Louisville needed for a clear ACC lead was to beat 5-6 Miami, which had just given Boston College its first ACC win. Well...whoops. |
| 21 |
Virginia Tech
|
Virginia Tech pulled away late to beat Duke to remain squarely in the ACC title fight. If only they hadn't lost to Penn State, now 3-5... |
| 22 |
Creighton
|
Creighton had stormed to six straight wins, including victories over UConn and Xavier, but they hit a brick wall in a loss to...3-7 Butler? |
| 23 |
Clemson
|
Clemson faced UVA after beating Miami and NC State by five total points, so perhaps we should have anticipated their miserable first half. |
| 24 |
Florida State
|
Florida State tossed its hat into the top-of-the-ACC ring with wins over NC State and UNC, rarely struggling against either foe. |
| 25 |
Boise State
|
The Broncos stormed into the top 25 with back-to-back dominant road wins over Wyoming. Next five: Alabama, UCLA, Colorado, USC, LSU |