HickeysBay's Ballot for Week 17 of 2017-18
Submitted on Monday, February 26, 2018 at 1:52AM EST
FYI: This is a provisional ballot. It does not count towards this poll's results.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Virginia
|
(1) They haven't really looked that stellar since the VT game, but they are still winning (which is the whole point of the game). |
| 2 |
Michigan State
|
(3) MSU should be the best team in the country, but the way the offense disappears at times (against NW and UW) would have me worried. |
| 3 |
Xavier
|
(4) This will be a controversial pick. Fact is, X is more consistent than Nova. They are really good night in and night out despite the D.. |
| 4 |
Villanova
|
(3) When they are hitting shots at their average clip, they are the best team in the nation. When they aren't hitting, anyone can beat them. |
| 5 |
Kansas
|
(6) I admit, I didn't think that KU was going to win a ton of games this year. Self has proven his worth this year. |
| 6 |
North Carolina
|
(7) This team is similar to Xavier in that they don't seem to dominate teams from start to finish, but they know how to win games. |
| 7 |
Duke
|
(8) The zone has vastly improved their defense to the point where they are balanced enough to possibly be tournament favorites. |
| 8 |
Purdue
|
(9) The shots aren't falling at the same rate as they were a while back. Carsen seems to be carrying them a bit, but the pieces are there. |
| 9 |
West Virginia
|
(13) They looked like they were on the verge of collapse a few weeks ago, but they have looked especially locked in lately. |
| 10 |
Wichita State
|
(11) The offense is just so good. Yeah, some of their games are a little closer than you'd expect, but they keep winning. |
| 11 |
Texas Tech
|
(5) This is a very different team from the one that went into Allen and won a while back. They just aren't clicking right now. |
| 12 |
Auburn
|
(10) The loss to Florida isn't great, but it was on the road. This team is doing better than expected given their lack of depth up front. |
| 13 |
Ohio State
|
(14) They keep grinding and winning. Nothing about this team says "elite", but they will battle with anyone. |
| 14 |
Michigan
|
(15) They are rolling right now. They look good. I might take them to win the B1G tourney. |
| 15 |
Tennessee
|
(16) Similar to Texas Tech, Tennessee is sputtering a bit, but they aren't collapsing. They are still battling, and all the pieces are there |
| 16 |
Cincinnati
|
(19) Their offense is coming around (albeit against bad teams). If they can get both the O and D rolling by March, they will be dangerous. |
| 17 |
Gonzaga
|
(17) So is life in the WCC. They aren't losing... so there's that. |
| 18 |
Clemson
|
(12) Add Clemson to the list of great teams that are sputtering a bit (Texas Tech and Tennessee). They can't let sputter turn into collapse. |
| 19 |
NC State
|
(23) This team is fucking good, and they're fucking hot. Kevin Keatts is a god damn winner. |
| 20 |
Creighton
|
(25) Biggest win of the week over Nova. If Epperson can adequately fill in for the loss of Krampelj, they are looking good. |
| 21 |
Virginia Tech
|
(21) Solid squad that doesn't appear to be much more than solid. They seemed destined for the 8/9 game in the tourney. |
| 22 |
Butler
|
(UR) When focused, they're great. When they get caught off guard, they can't recover. |
| 23 |
Kentucky
|
(UR) They might've turned a corner. If a team with this much talent gets it together, they will be deadly. |
| 24 |
Seton Hall
|
(UR) They are playing more like the team we expected. While there are issues with mental toughness, their physical toughness is unmatched. |
| 25 |
Kansas State
|
26. Arizona 27. TCU 28. Nevada 29. Houston 30. URI 31. St. Mary's 32. Baylor 33. FSU 34. Providence 35. Louisville |