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The new basketball polls are out. Let's see if they make any sense or not.
Coaches Poll
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Ohio St. somehow jumps from #6 all the way to #3 Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Their best win to date has been a weak Marquette team on the road. Wyoming isn't a bad win, but I'm not sure why they get to jump Kentucky.
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Syracuse rises from 7 to 5, and it is much more justifiable than the insane OSU bump. Syracuse defeated two top 50 teams and another, California, on the cusp of the top 50.
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Arizona zooms up to #2, and I can see it after beating Duke on a neutral floor, and top 50 Drexel in the same week.
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Kentucky was 4 last week, and stays 4. Why? Probably because they don't have any top 50 wins yet. They get a chance to change that real quick and in a hurry.
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Kansas dropping all the way down to 7th after losing a close game to a solid Villanova squad makes no sense in isolation, but they did struggle against UTEP, so I can give that a reluctant pass. I think the coaches are being particularly hard on young teams, apparently believing that 2013 undid 2012. I expect that is more a jealousy factor than anything else. The coaches poll really is mock-worthy most of the time.
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Duke still at 8 after winning ... wait for it ... 1 top 100 game — against Alabama? Can you say, "Not on your f-ing life," boys and girls? I knew you could.
Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
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1 | Michigan State (31) | 7-0 | 799 | 1 |
2 | Arizona (1) | 7-0 | 758 | 3 |
3 | Ohio State | 6-0 | 695 | 6 |
4 | Kentucky | 7-1 | 683 | 4 |
5 | Syracuse | 7-0 | 682 | 7 |
6 | Louisville | 6-1 | 607 | 9 |
7 | Kansas | 6-1 | 597 | 2 |
8 | Duke | 6-2 | 547 | 5 |
9 | Wisconsin | 8-0 | 517 | 11 |
10 | Wichita State | 8-0 | 484 | 12 |
11 | Oklahoma State | 7-1 | 476 | 8 |
12 | Florida | 6-1 | 426 | 13 |
13 | Oregon | 7-0 | 417 | 15 |
14 | Connecticut | 7-0 | 410 | 14 |
15 | Memphis | 5-1 | 311 | 19 |
15 | Gonzaga | 7-1 | 311 | 10 |
17 | UCLA | 7-0 | 261 | 21 |
18 | Iowa State | 5-0 | 245 | 22 |
19 | Villanova | 7-0 | 201 | 42 |
20 | Baylor | 7-1 | 195 | 17 |
21 | Michigan | 5-2 | 156 | 20 |
22 | Massachusetts | 6-0 | 122 | 26 |
23 | Indiana | 6-1 | 76 | 25 |
24 | Iowa | 7-1 | 63 | 23 |
25 | North Carolina | 4-2 | 62 | 16 |
Others Receiving Votes: Virginia 42, New Mexico 36, San Diego State 35, VCU 35, Pittsburgh 33, Dayton 26, Boise State 21, Creighton 17, Saint Mary's 13, Florida State 10, Missouri 10, Colorado 8, Charlotte 6, Marquette 4, Notre Dame 2, George Washington 1 |
AP Top 25
This poll is usually more logical than the Coaches Poll. Let's see if that is so this time:
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Okay, Syracuse at 4 I will believe. Ohio St. at five. That makes sense.
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No quibble with Arizona being this high. They have done the work.
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Kansas is a much more reasonable 6th in this poll. Liking it better already.
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Duke falling only to 10th is a tiny bit suspect. They've now lost against both top ten teams they played, and Alabama is their only top 100 victory.
That's about all I have. Your comments are welcome, and encouraged.
Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
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1 | Michigan State (63) | 7-0 | 1623 | 1 |
2 | Arizona (2) | 7-0 | 1547 | 4 |
3 | Kentucky | 7-1 | 1473 | 3 |
4 | Syracuse | 7-0 | 1375 | 8 |
5 | Ohio State | 6-0 | 1340 | 7 |
6 | Kansas | 6-1 | 1240 | 2 |
7 | Louisville | 6-1 | 1139 | 9 |
8 | Wisconsin | 8-0 | 1094 | 10 |
9 | Oklahoma State | 7-1 | 1070 | 5 |
10 | Duke | 6-2 | 1021 | 6 |
11 | Wichita State | 8-0 | 911 | 12 |
12 | Connecticut | 7-0 | 836 | 13 |
13 | Oregon | 7-0 | 801 | 14 |
14 | Villanova | 7-0 | 785 | 37 |
15 | Florida | 6-1 | 758 | 15 |
16 | Memphis | 5-1 | 748 | 21 |
17 | Iowa State | 5-0 | 623 | 17 |
18 | UCLA | 7-0 | 548 | 19 |
19 | Gonzaga | 7-1 | 380 | 11 |
20 | Baylor | 7-1 | 377 | 18 |
21 | Massachusetts | 6-0 | 274 | 24 |
22 | Michigan | 5-2 | 223 | 22 |
23 | Iowa | 7-1 | 171 | 23 |
24 | San Diego State | 5-1 | 150 | |
25 | Dayton | 6-1 | 90 |
Others Receiving Votes: Indiana 74, Virginia 73, New Mexico 71, North Carolina 62, Florida State 40, Pittsburgh 36, Boise State 36, VCU 30, Charlotte 20, Creighton 17, Colorado 17, Missouri 16, Harvard 10, Illinois 10, Cincinnati 8, Ole Miss 3, George Washington 2, Saint Mary's 2, Xavier 1 |