ItsAesthus's Ballot for Week 2 of 2021-22
Submitted on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 10:08PM EST
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Gonzaga
|
No surprise here. Gonzaga dismantled Texas to further strengthen their grip on the #1 spot. |
| 2 |
UCLA
|
UCLA delivered an emphatic overtime win over Villanova, with Juzang and Jaquez both topping 20 points. |
| 3 |
Kansas
|
Under the assumption that Michigan State is indeed a quality win, Kansas had a fantastic first week. |
| 4 |
Michigan
|
The win over Buffalo was...not bad, considering Buffalo isn't bad, but still left more questions for Michigan than the top three. |
| 5 |
Baylor
|
Not much can be said of Baylor yet, but they did show off some impressive depth in a rout of Incarnate Word. |
| 6 |
Duke
|
Duke wasted no time getting back to top-ten form with an impressive win over Kentucky, but they soon looked dodgy against Campbell. |
| 7 |
Villanova
|
Villanova has some great talent, but depth is evidently a concern: the bench scored only four points in an overtime loss to UCLA. |
| 8 |
Texas
|
Maybe that was just Gonzaga being really good? But...yikes. Getting outshot 54% to 44% isn't good against anyone, even #1. |
| 9 |
Memphis
|
Memphis has a fascinating non-conference slate coming up, including Saint Louis, WKU, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Tennessee. |
| 10 |
Purdue
|
Purdue controlled its first two games without much fanfare. Games against UNC and FSU lurk later in the month. |
| 11 |
Oregon
|
Oregon looked excellent against SMU, taking a double-digit lead after just 3:13 and never relinquishing it. |
| 12 |
Illinois
|
Illinois gets their first real test with a visit to Marquette, but they don't face a ranked team until January 2022. |
| 13 |
Kentucky
|
Kentucky's only meaningful game so far is a loss to Duke, and it should stay that way until December 11, when they go to Notre Dame. |
| 14 |
Tennessee
|
A showdown with Villanova should test the Vols' ability to take the next step and take the lead of a tough SEC. |
| 15 |
Arkansas
|
Who had JD Notae with 48 points through two games? The fifth-year player rescued Arkansas against Mercer and has been simply superb. |
| 16 |
Alabama
|
Summit leader South Dakota State gave Bama some trouble, but the Tide have 197 points in two games and aren't slowing down. |
| 17 |
Houston
|
An overtime escape from Hofstra wasn't great, but Houston bounced back well against Rice and now takes on an ailing Virginia. |
| 18 |
UConn
|
This looked like a solid-all-around kind of team, and that it has been, though Adama Sanogo's first two 20-point games have been cool. |
| 19 |
Virginia Tech
|
Rocking Navy by twenty points, just days after the Midshipmen upset Virginia? A pretty good feeling, I'd imagine. |
| 20 |
Texas Tech
|
Texas Tech doesn't play anyone remotely in their league until December—and then they play Tennessee and Gonzaga across two weeks. Fun! |
| 21 |
St. Bonaventure
|
The Bonnies' defense came up big, holding Canisius to just one point from 6:54 until garbage time, but it shouldn't have needed to. |
| 22 |
Ohio State
|
Once again, Ohio State started the season slow, flirting with disaster against Akron and Niagara. They'll probably be fine. Right? |
| 23 |
Loyola Chicago
|
Loyola-Chicago cruised through its first two games like few other teams, rising to the top 25 before facing YOUR 2-0 CHICAGO STATE COUGARS. |
| 24 |
BYU
|
Outside the high-profile tournaments, BYU's win over SDSU is among the best in basketball. Next up: Oregon. |
| 25 |
Colorado State
|
The 25-35 range is a mess, so CSU gets the nod for its impressively dominance so far. Next five: FSU, UMD, CSU, AUB, MSU |