My AP Top 25 Ballot This Week

I've been one of SMU's biggest supporters among AP Top 25 voters most of this season. I was one of only two to vote for the Mustangs after they beat UConn on Jan. 4 and kept with them for a couple of weeks until they stumbled at South Florida.

But after Saturday night's whipping of Cincinnati in Dallas, SMU is back on my ballot in its highest spot yet -- No. 20. Yes, it would be nice to see the Mustangs win a tough road game. But they've defeated Memphis, Cincy and, of course, UConn at home thus far at home, and here's betting they beat either Memphis, UConn or Louisville on the road before the season's over.

Speaking of UConn, I only drop it one spot after losing at Cincy Thursday, then rebounding with Sunday night's 20-point trouncing of UCF. Can't punish the Huskies too much for losing to the No. 7 team in the country on the road, without one of their best players. Plus, a bunch of other teams I had ranked right around the Huskies -- Harvard, Oklahoma, Gonzaga and Oklahoma State -- all fell off my ballot this week. Their replacements are SMU, George Washington, Ohio State and Wisconsin. I like the A-10 this year and I wanted to get another team in there besides Saint Louis.

As for OSU and Wisconsin, they both seem to be straightening themselves out a bit after horrid stretches over the prior two weeks.

1.       Syracuse

2.       Florida

3.       Arizona

4.       San Diego State

5.       Wichita State

6.       Villanova

7.       Kansas

8.       Michigan State

9.       Cincinnati

10.   Louisville

11.   Saint Louis

12.   Kentucky

13.   Duke

14.   Iowa State

15.   Iowa

16.   Michigan

17.   Texas

18.   Virginia

19.   Creighton

20.   SMU

21.   UConn

22.   Memphis

23.   George Washington

24.   Ohio State

25.   Wisconsin