Jerry Tipton on UK basketball

With final exams and a glut of “guarantee games,” there’s much of a shakeup in the college basketball world. My top 25 ballot for The Associated Press reflects the static nature of things. That’s surely to change once we enter conference play.

My top seven remained unchanged. Only three teams dropped out of my top 25: Missouri, Ohio State and Arizona State. And three new teams joined the top 25: Butler, Illinois and West Virginia.

Why the changes? Missouri and Ohio State lost one-sided games. Missouri lost 75-59 to Illinois, and Ohio State got swamped by West Virginia 76-48. I rewarded the winners with spots in the top 25. WVU, which has only lost to Davidson (by three points) and Kentucky (in a neutral site game the Mountaineers controlled before unraveling down the stretch). Illinois has only one loss (by two to Clemson). Also West Virginia (No. 12) and Illinois (No. 9) have solid RPI numbers.

I added Butler as a reward for beating Xavier 74-65. Plus Butler has only one loss: by three points at Ohio State.

Arizona State fell out of my top 25 after continuing to scrap by against low-profile competition (victories by five points against Idaho State, one against BYU and by one in overtime against IUPUI).

Kentucky? With a RPI of 68 and strength of schedule at 109, the Cats need a big victory against a high-profile opponent,  say, Louisville on Sunday.

Here’s this week’s top 25 ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Oklahoma

5. Duke

6. Texas

7. Wake Forest

8. Purdue

9. Notre Dame

10. Michigan State

11. Syracuse

12. Gonzaga

13. Xavier

14. Villanova

15. Louisville

16. Clemson

17. Minnesota

18. Georgetown

19. UCLA

20. Tennessee

21. Michigan

22. Illinois

23. Butler

24. West Virginia

25. Baylor

A victory over Louisville on Saturday earned Minnesota a place on my top 25 ballot this week. I placed Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers at No. 20.

I considered placing unbeaten Minnesota on the ballot last week. But a relatively weak schedule led to a decision to wait to see what happened against Louisville. The neutral-site victory clinched a spot for Minnesota while slipping Louisville from last week’s No. 9 spot on the ballot to No. 14.

Louisville could have stayed in the top 10. The Cards had a difficult chore of two capable opponents within 48 hours sandwiched around a flight from the Eastern Time zone to the Pacific Time zone. But U of L’s uneven play this season, which continued in a Thursday night victory over Ole Miss, merited exclusion from the top 10.

It was a week of change for the Tipton ballot. Michigan State re-entered at No. 15 after beating Texas. Much like Minnesota, Clemson had  been undefeated against a modest schedule and unranked till a signature victory. Clemson won at Miami (Fla.) by double digits and came in at No. 16.

Leaving the Tipton top 25 ballot were Miami (Fla.), Davidson and Memphis.

Kentucky? UK is improving. Now the Cats need a signature victory. UK is 0-2 against teams with a top 25 Ratings Percentage Index (according to CollegeRPI.com) and 1-2 against the top 50.

So we’ll be watching the Kentucky game against Louisville on Jan. 4.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Oklahoma

5. Duke

6. Texas

7. Wake Forest

8. Gonzaga

9. Xavier

10. Purdue

11. Syracuse

12. Notre Dame

13. Villanova

14. Louisville

15. Michigan State

16. Clemson

17. UCLA

18. Georgetown

19. Ohio State

20. Minnesota

21. Baylor

22. Missouri

23. Tennessee

24. Michigan

25. Arizona State

It’s getting harder and harder to place a SEC team on my top 25 ballot for The Associated Press.

For the second straight week, I placed only one SEC team on my ballot: Tennessee. And the Vols slipped from No. 8 to No. 19 on my ballot because of the double-digit loss at Temple.

In recent seasons, the SEC got off to stumbling starts that included embarrassing losses, coaches counseled patience (which is in ever-decreasing supply throughout sports and society) and, sure enough, the league saved face by March.

So, that has to be the plus side to this season’s stumbling start. Through Sunday, the SEC had a 1-4 record against ranked teams. Tennessee beat Georgetown for the only victory.

Maybe more telling is the SEC’s 6-12 record against teams from the other major conferences: ACC (1-4), Big 12 (1-2), Big Ten (1-2), Big East (2-2) and Pac 10 (1-2).

Embarrassing losses include Mercer beating Alabama and Auburn, Oregon outclassing Alabama in Maui, Missouri State beating Arkansas, Loyola of Chicago beating Georgia, VMI beating Kentucky, Charleston beating South Carolina and Illinois-Chicago beating Vanderbilt.

True, Arkansas lost at Missouri State and South Carolina at Charleston in tight, competitive games. But Vandy lost by 19 at home to Illinois-Chicago.

The SEC will have a few chances to score public relations points this week. Tennessee plays against Marquette in Nashville on Tuesday and Mississippi State plays at Cincinnati on Thursday.

The game I’ll be looking for is LSU against Texas A&M in Houston on Saturday. The unbeaten Tigers will get on my ballot with a victory.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Xavier

7. Gonzaga

8. Duke

9. Louisville

10. Syracuse

11. Wake Forest

12. Purdue

13. Villanova

14. Miami (Fla.)

15. Notre Dame

16. Davidson

17. UCLA

18. Georgetown

19. Tennessee

20. Ohio State

21. Baylor

22. Missouri

23. Michigan

24. Memphis

25. Arizona State

If only all the picks were as easy as voting North Carolina No. 1. Then this top 25 balloting for The Associated Press media poll would be as easy as predicting a Detroit Lions loss.

But after typing in North Carolina at No. 1, there immediately are more choices than New Circle Road exits. This week I decided to flipflop Connecticut and Pittsburgh at Nos. 2 and 3. UConn’s narrow win at Buffalo (68-64) influenced my thinking. But less than 12 hours later, I’m having second thoughts. Pittsburgh hasn’t played a ranked team yet with its most eye-catching victory coming against Washington State.

Duke slipped from No. 4 to 7 after losing at Michigan. Teams on the rise (at least on my ballot) included Tennessee (from No. 12 to and Xavier (from No. 13 to 9). Tennessee’s only loss has been to Gonzaga. We’ll know a lot about the Vols before SEC play because of games against Marquette, Gonzaga and at Kansas. Xavier has solid wins against Memphips and Missouri, plus an upcoming game against Duke.

I added Missouri (7-1) to my ballot and dropped Florida after the Gators lost to Florida State.

Teams under consideration for the final five slots, but didn’t make my ballot were Ohio State (5-0), Washington State (6-2), Clemson (9-0) and Michigan (6-2).

Kentucky? The Cats are getting better and would have merited consideration with a victory over Miami (Fla.). Miami came to Rupp Arena intent on making a statement. Kentucky did not match that zeal. UK got outplayed on its homecourt.

It’s early. Kentucky is getting more cohesive and getting improving play from its point guards. But the Miami game was an opporturnity lost. It was UK’s fifth straight loss to a ranked opponent, and UK probably won’t play another ranked team until going to Louisville in early January. So for the next several weeks, Kentucky figures to be in neutral from a national standpoint with its most impressive victories coming against Kansas State (picked eighth in the Big 12) and West Virginia (picked ninth in the Big East).

Here’s my ballot for this week:

1. North Carolina

2. Pittsburgh

3. Connecticut

4. Texas

5. Gonzaga

6. Oklahoma

7. Duke

8. Tennessee

9. Xavier

10. Purdue

11. Michigan State

12. Louisville

13. Notre Dame

14. UCLA

15. Syracuse

16. Davidson

17. Miami (Fla.)

18. Kansas

19. Arizona State

20. Wake Forest

21. Baylor

22. Georgetown

23. Missouri

24. Villanova

25. Memphis

Kentucky returned to being under consideration for my top 25 ballot in The Associated Press media poll. But I couldn’t pull the trigger. Not yet, even though Kentucky won the Las Vegas Invitational to improve to 4-2.

Why did I hesitate? Here’s three reasons:

1. 54 turnovers in the two games in Las Vegas. That’s a huge number to get past. UK’s ball-handling and decision-making improved, but it’s got a long ways to go to make my top 25 ballot.

2. Kansas State and West Virginia are good teams. But neither is ranked. West Virginia was picked to finish ninth in the Big East. Kansas State was picked to finish eighth in the Big 12. And Kentucky had to rally to win both games. Kentucky has few opportunities to impress voters in the pre-conference portion of the schedule. One chance comes Saturday against Miami (Fla.).

3. Kentucky’s got plenty of improvement to make, and, conveniently, plenty of time to improve. Time will tell if Kentucky makes the top 25. Based on guts, I’d put Kentucky on any top 25.

By the way, Kentucky did not appear on any ballots for The AP top 25 this week.

As an aside, people seemed troubled by my No. 25 vote for VMI. Well, I dropped the Keydets after they lost to Jacksonville State last week. But we’ll keep our eyes on VMI.

Here’s this week’s ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Connecticut

3. Pittsburgh

4. Duke

5. Notre Dame

6. Texas

7. Gonzaga

8. Oklahoma

9. Purdue

10. Michigan State

11. Louisville

12. Tennessee

13. Xavier

14. UCLA

15. Georgetown

16. Syracuse

17. Davidson

18. Kansas

19. Miami (Fla.)

20. Memphis

21. Baylor/Wake Forest winner

22. Baylor/Wake Forest loser

23. Arizona State

24. Florida

25. Villanova

Here’s my top 25 ballot submitted on Sunday. There were no changes in the top five. Among those moving up were Duke (11 to 8), Purdue (12 to 9) and Davidson (21 to 16). Those moving down included Memphis (9 to 19) and UCLA (6 to 12).

A few random thoughts:

– Although I wonder about Duke’s inside game, the Blue Devils won a early-season tournament convincingly.

– Losses to Michigan and Xavier dropped UCLA and Memphis. I rewarded Xavier with a spot in my top 25 for the first time. LSU and OKlahoma also joined my top 25.

– I’m nothing if not stubborn. I continued to place VMI at No. 25. The Keydets, who scored 133 points in their last game, have lost only once: at Virginia.

Now here’s that top 25 ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. Connecticut

3. Michigan State

4. Louisville

5. Pittsburgh

6. Texas

7. Gonzaga

8. Duke

9. Purdue

10. Notre Dame

11. Tennessee

12. UCLA

13. Arizona State

14. Florida

15. Marquette

16. Davidson

17. Xavier

18. Villanova

19. Memphis

20. St. Mary’s

21. Oklahoma

22. Kansas

23. LSU

24. Miami, Fla.

25. VMI

Kentucky got shut out in the voting for The Associated Press top 25 this week. None of the 72 media people put the Cats on a top 25 ballot.

The shutout was not surprising given UK’s home loss to Virginia Military Institute in last Friday’s season opener.

As for VMI, I stand alone as the only voter to place the Keydets on a ballot. I voted VMI at No. 25.

The AP will release the new top 25 poll later.

Here’s my top 25 ballot for this week. I included VMI at No. 25 as a reward for the victory at Kentucky and for playing a competitive game at Virginia less than 48 hours later.

Fans may notice that I dropped Duke from No. 5 to No. 11. The victory over Rhode Island on Sunday suggested that Duke again lacks an inside presence and will be overly dependent on perimeter play.

I dropped Alabama from the top 25 after the Sunday loss and added Kansas. As they say, dynasties don’t recruit, they reload.

Here’s my top 25 ballot:

1. North Carolina

2. UConn

3. Michigan State

4. Louisville

5. Pittsburgh

6. UCLA

7. Texas

8. Gonzaga

9. Memphis

10. Southern Cal

11. Duke

12. Purdue

13. Notre Dame

14. Tennessee

15. Miami (Fla.)

16. Arizona State

17. Florida

18. Marquette

19. Villanova

20. Texas A&M

21. Davidson

22. St. Mary’s

23. Wake Forest

24. Kansas

25. VMI

With the loss to Virginia Military Institute on Friday, Kentucky probably also lost any chance of being in The Associated Press top 25 poll this coming week. Deadline for ballots from the 72 voters is Sunday night, although a few votes are cast as late as Monday morning.

I was one of 13 voters who placed Kentucky on a ballot in the first poll two weeks ago. I voted UK No. 15, which, surprisingly, wasn’t the best vote the Cats got. One voter put Kentucky at No. 10.

Now with the next vote due Sunday night, I contemplate reasons to keep Kentucky in the top 25 and reasons to join the majority.

Three reasons to keep Kentucky on the ballot:

1. Although Billy Gillispie dismissed style of play as a factor, VMI’s style of play is unusual. The Cats probably won’t see another opponent with such a wide-open style that keeps constant pressure on a player to perform. At this early stage of the season, UK was not ready for such a test. Clearly, point guards Michael Porter and DeAndre Liggins were not ready to make snap judgments again and again. So as VMI freshman Michael Sparks suggested, the game was a “surreal” experience.

2. Early-season defeats can be meaningless. Kentucky lost to Gardner-Webb on Nov. 7 last season and went on to a 12-4 record in the SEC. In 2004-05, the Cats got drubbed at North Carolina and went on to win the SEC and came within an offensive rebound of reaching the Final Four. Then in 2002-03, fans howled when a loss to Louisville dropped UK’s record to 6-3. Thereafter, the Cats won 26 straight and came within a Keith Bogans sprained ankle of reaching the Final Four.

3. Kentucky gets an immediate chance to erase the loss to VMI by winning at North Carolina on Tuesday. No doubt, that’s a tall order. But the game will be basketball as Kentucky knows it. And there will not be the weird matchups of VMI that saw big men Patrick Patterson and Perry Stevenson guarding guards on the perimeter.

Three reasons to leave Kentucky off the ballot:

1. There must be consequences when a team loses to an unranked opponent picked to finish seventh in the Big South. VMI had not beaten a SEC team since 1976.

2. Kentucky was already a shaky top 25 pick. Now the Cats must be banished to the basketball wilderness. The Cats had not been left off the pre-season top 25 since 1990. The loss to VMI confirmed the skepticism surrounding the UK team.

3. There’s plenty of time for a revival. Denny Crum famously used early-season losses to get the attention of his Louisville teams. Gillispie showed last season that he can get a team to overcome obstacles. Meanwhile, it’s more important to get improved play from the players, especially the point guards.

Conclusion: I’m going to drop Kentucky from my top 25. If VMI plays well at Virginia Sunday afternoon, I’ll include the Keydets in the top 25.

Look for my ballot here on Monday morning.

For the first time since the 1990, Kentucky failed to be ranked in The Associated Press pre-season top 25 poll.

Kentucky appeared on 13 of the 72 ballots. The Cats finished sixth among the schools listed in the also-receiving-votes category.

Of the 13 voters who placed Kentucky on their top 25, six are based in states that are home to Southeastern Conference schools: Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. As I noted in an earlier blog, I voted Kentuiucky No. 15.

Dick Vitale, one of the poll’s two at-large voters, also included Kentucky in his top 25.

Kentucky made a brief appearance in The AP top 25 last year. The Cats were No. 20 in the pre-season poll, then fell out for good after the loss to Gardner-Webb.

The wire service will release its pre-season top 25 this afternoon.