My AP Top 25 Ballot This Week

Tough ballot this week. No fewer than 10 of the 25 teams I voted for last week lost at least once, and three (Ohio State, Oregon and Illlinois) lost twice. Gonzaga lost the lone game it played (to Portland).

With all that in mind, Oregon, Illinois, Gonzaga and Colorado get bumped this week. Those last few spots were tough to fill, and to be honest, I gave UConn consideration after a week in which it scored a (somewhat unimpressive) win over a good Harvard team, along with a very impressive win over a "meh" UCF squad. Ultimately, I left the Huskies off, though they can certainly get right back into the picture this week with games at Memphis on Thursday and at Gampel on Saturday night against Louisville. Should be a fun week.

Ultimately, I kept Kansas State on my ballot (barely), despite its 26-point loss at Kansas. Many others have been drubbed in Lawrence, and plus, the Wildcats boast wins over Oklahoma State, Gonzaga and George Washington this season. I also added Oklahoma after its big home win over Iowa State; Creighton, which is 14-2 and arguably has the best player in America; and Iowa (with a bullet, all the way to No. 14) after its ultra-impressive road win over the Buckeyes.

(UPDATE: Made a switch. For some reason, didn't acknowledge that Memphis had defeated Louisville AT Louisville earlier in the week. Recognizing that, I've moved Memphis up and Louisville down, changing the ranking of a few teams by a spot).

1.       Arizona

2.       Syracuse

3.       Wisconsin

4.       Michigan State

5.       Oklahoma State

6.       Villanova

7.       Wichita State

8.       Florida

9.       San Diego State

10.   Ohio State

11.   Kentucky

12.   Iowa State

13.   Iowa
14. Memphis

15.   Massachusetts

16.   Cincinnati

17.   Kansas

18.   Louisville

19.   Pittsburgh

20.   Creighton

21.   Duke

22.   Baylor

23.   Oklahoma

24.   New Mexico

25.   Kansas State