Seventeen of the 25 teams in The Associated Press top 25 lost last week. That made for a lot of second-guessing in filling out this week’s ballot.
For the third straight week, I put Kentucky at No. 13. A wobbly finish to a victory again dulled the urge to advance UK.
Ohio State at No. 1 was the easy part. Then the second-guessing began.
At the other end of the top 25 ballot, I put North Carolina at No. 24. The Tar Heels are 15-5, plus own a RPI of 15 and strength of schedule of 18.
I also rewarded Tennessee for hanging in there in a season full of distractions.
Here’s the ballot:
1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Pittsburgh
6. Connecticut
7. BYU
8. San Diego State
9. Missouri
10. Purdue
11. Villanova
12. Syracuse
13. Kentucky
14. Notre Dame
15. Minnesota
16. Louisville
17. Washington
18. Georgetown
19. Arizona
20. Texas A&M
21. Wisconsin
22. Illinois
23. Vanderbilt
24. North Carolina
25. Florida
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
1 comment so far ↓
What was your reward for Tennessee? Just a mention in your article? Because I don’t see them on your ballot.