AP ballot: reward UConn, dip UK, give Purdue props

Keeping in mind that The Associated Press encourages free expression in its top 25 balloting, Connecticut made a big splash on my ballot this week.

I had not included UConn in my top 25 until seeing them win the EA Sports Maui Invitational last week. To show you how thin a line there is between winning and losing, the Huskies trailed Wichita State much of that first-round game before — who else? — Kemba Walker led a late second-half charge.

UConn got stronger as the tournament unfolded and ranked No. 8 on my ballot.

I dropped Kentucky three spots (from 10 to 13).

Unbeaten Notre Dame — a future UK foe — got on my ballot. So did Wichita State, which went to Maui intent on winning the tournament and showed the talent to validate those ambitions.

The other team of note on this week’s ballot is Purdue. Or should I say PURDUE?

I put the Boilers in all caps as a salute to their fans, who flooded my e-mail with protests when I did not include Purdue on previous ballots. Robbie Hummel’s season-ending torn ACL put me off Purdue.

It didn’t help that Purdue’s strength of schedule was not in the top 200. But as a reward to that keyboard-loving fan base, and ignoring the loss against Richmond in nearby Chicago, I put PURDUE at No. 25.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

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1. Duke
2. Ohio State
3. Pittsburgh
4. Kansas State
5. Kansas
6. Syracuse
7. Missouri
8. Connecticut
9. Michigan State
10. Minnesota
11. Texas
12. Illinois
13. Kentucky
14. West Virginia
15. Memphis
16. Florida
17. Georgetown
18. San Diego State
19. Notre Dame
20. Vanderbilt
21. North Carolina
22. UNLV/Virginia Tech winner
23. Tennessee
24. Wichita State
25. PURDUE