LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — There won’t be the usual churn in the Associated Press men’s college basketball Top 25 poll this week.
Only one Top 15 team lost — Kentucky, which went down against four-loss Ohio State in Madison Square Garden. Purdue, now a four-loss team, led the pack of six other ranked teams that fell.
Southeastern Conference teams continue to lead my ballot. I included nine SEC teams this week with one (Duke) from the Atlantic Coast Conference and five from the Big Ten. That’s a tricky thing for me to count because Oregon and UCLA are strange fits for a league headquartered in Chicago.
But here is how I ranked them.
1. Tennessee (11-0) — The Vols have won four games against ACC teams, but their best wins were over Illinois and Baylor.
2. Auburn (11-1) — The Tigers beat Ohio State by 38 and Purdue by 18. Crown them Big Ten champs.
3. Iowa State (10-1) — The Cyclones have some nice wins but they also have five against teams ranked No. 301 or worse in Ken Pomeroy’s formula. Timid.
4. Duke (10-2) — The Blue Devils don’t play until they host Virginia Tech on New Year’s Eve. Seems like a tough joke somebody is playing on the Hokies.
5. Alabama (10-2) — The Crimson Tide have delivered against the 12th toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.
6. Florida (12-0) — The Gators win over North Carolina in Charlotte last week looked better after the Tar Heels took down UCLA.
7. Kansas (9-2) — Pomeroy has the Jayhawks picked to finish third, behind Iowa State and Houston in the Big 12.
8. Oklahoma (12-0) — The winners of the Battle 4 Atlantis are the forgotten team of the SEC.
9. Houston (8-3) — I don’t understand the voters who don’t have the Cougars in their Top 10. Houston lost to Auburn and to two others in overtime.
10. UConn (10-3) — The Huskies have played six games decided by six points or less and won four.
11. Kentucky (10-2) — The loss to Ohio State knocked the Wildcats from No. 9 to No. 17 in the NCAA Net formula and from No. 11 to 26 in Pomeroy.
12. Cincinnati (10-1) — With victories over Xavier and Dayton, the Bearcats are closing in on the state championship of Ohio.
13. Oregon (11-1) — The Ducks experienced how much easier life used to be in the Pac-12 by punishing former rival Stanford.
14. Gonzaga (9-3) — The Zags have a neutral floor game with UCLA before they disappear into West Coast Conference play.
15. Marquette (11-2) — Back to back wins over Butler and Xavier is a solid way to begin Big East play.
16. Texas A&M (10-2) — As usual, Buzz Williams has a Top 10 defense.
17. St. John’s (10-2) — Rick Pitino has a Top 30 offense and a Top 15 defense. Beware.
18. UCLA (10-2) — Mick Cronin cannot be pleased about the 59-43 lead the Bruins blew in the last 13 minutes against North Carolina.
19. Ole Miss (11-1) — My biggest concern about the Rebels is their non-SEC schedule. It ranks No. 323 at Pomeroy.
20. Michigan State (10-2) — Tom Izzo’s talented sophomores are starting to figure it out.
21. Maryland (10-2) — Only competitive losses to Marquette and Purdue keep the Terps from being unbeaten,
22. Illinois (8-3) — Former Louisville wing Tre White is making 61% of his two-point attempts and 94% of his free throws.
23. Mississippi State (11-1) — The Bulldogs lost to Butler, but have nice wins over Pitt, Memphis, SMU and Utah.
24. Baylor (7-3) — The Bears have played four Top 15 Pomeroy teams — and lost to three of them.
25. Drake (11-0) — Ben McCollum will be a hot commodity for job openings in March.
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