RON'S WEEKLY TOP 25 BALLOTS

Top 25 - 03 Nov 10: PRESEASON - [] Column

Glory Days return to Chapel Hill as Roy Williams returns home to coach North Carolina (and the UNC-Duke heads back up into the stratosphere).

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Connecticut
4. Texas
5. Arizona
6. Michigan State
7. Florida
8. Missouri
9. Wake Forest
10. Kentucky
11. Syracuse
12. Illinois
13. Kansas
14. Gonzaga
15. St. Joseph's
16. Notre Dame
17. Wisconsin
18. Pittsburgh
19. Louisville
20. Stanford
21. Oklahoma
22. Cincinnati
23. California
24. Xavier
25. Marquette

Worth keeping an eye on:

Illinois-Chicago, Louisiana-Lafayette, East Tennessee State, Manhattan, Austin Peay.

Top 25 - 03 Nov 17 - [] Column

Mighty Mouse (aka Jameer Nelson) led St. Joseph's to the minor upset over Gonzaga in the COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC in New York.

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Connecticut
4. Texas
5. Arizona
6. Michigan State
7. Florida
8. Missouri
9. Wake Forest (1-0)
10. Kentucky
11. Syracuse
12. Illinois
13. Kansas
14. St. Joseph's (1-0)
15. Gonzaga (0-1)
16. Notre Dame
17. Wisconsin
18. Pittsburgh (1-0)
19. Louisville
20. Stanford
21. Oklahoma
22. Cincinnati
23. California
24. Xavier (2-0)
25. Marquette (1-0)

Honorable Mention:

Oakland (2-0).

Top 25 - 03 Nov 24 - [] Column

Texas Tech and Utah made it to the semis of the PRESEASON NIT. Cal Poly-SLO knocked off Cal. Rice won the TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC. Elsewhere, it doesn't appear that there are any splash teams that can disturb the water so far.

1. Connecticut (3-0)
2. Texas (1-0)
3. North Carolina (1-0)
4. Duke (1-0)
5. Arizona
6. Florida
7. Missouri
8. Michigan State (1-0)
9. Wake Forest (2-0)
10. Kentucky (1-0)
11. Syracuse
12. Illinois (1-0)
13. Kansas (1-0)
14. St. Joseph's (1-0)
15. Gonzaga (1-1)
16. Notre Dame
17. Wisconsin (1-0)
18. Pittsburgh (2-0)
19. Louisville
20. Stanford (1-0)
21. Oklahoma (2-0)
22. Cincinnati (1-0)
23. Texas Tech (3-0)
24. Utah (2-0)
25. Xavier (3-0)

Honorable Mention:

Cal Poly-SLO (1-0), Georgia Tech (3-0), Rice (3-0).

Top 25 - 03 Dec 1 - [] Column

Georgia Tech's 'tweeners won the PRESEASON NIT (routing [1A] Connecticut and Texas Tech in NYC). Purdue beat [1B] Duke to win the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT. Florida nipped Arizona in the TIP-OFF CLASSIC. Kansas beat Michigan State at home. Dayton won the MAUI INVITATIONAL and South Carolina won the GUARDIANS CLASSIC. Rhode Island (LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL) and Boston College (PARADISE JAM) won round-robin tournaments. Charlotte won at Syracuse. Iowa edged Louisville in the JOHN WOODEN TRADITION.

1. Georgia Tech (5-0)
2. Florida (2-0)
3. Arizona (1-1)
4. Texas (3-0)
5. Connecticut (4-1)
6. Purdue (4-0)
7. Kansas (2-0)
8. North Carolina (3-0)
9. Michigan State (3-1)
10. Duke (3-1)
11. Kentucky (2-0)
12. Illinois (3-0)
13. Wake Forest (3-0)
14. Cincinnati (3-0)
15. Wisconsin (3-0)
16. Pittsburgh (4-0)
17. Stanford (3-0)
18. Notre Dame (2-0)
19. Texas Tech (4-1)
20. Oklahoma (3-0)
21. St. Joseph's (3-0)
22. Gonzaga (3-1)
23. Missouri (1-0)
24. Marquette (3-0)
25. Dayton (4-0)

Honorable Mention:

Charlotte (3-1), Iowa (3-0), South Carolina (6-0), Rhode Island (4-1), Boston College (4-0).

Top 25 - 03 Dec 8 - [] Column

The ACC won 7-2 over the Big 10 in the ACC-BIG 10 CHALLENGE. Stanford beat Kansas in the JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC. Gonzaga won the BB&T CHALLENGE (over host Maryland). Iowa won its showcase HAWKEYE CHALLENGE; UC-Irvine came out on top in the round-robin McCAFFREY CLASSIC at Fresno State.

1. Georgia Tech (7-0)
2. Florida (5-0)
3. Texas (4-0)
4. Connecticut (6-1)
5. Arizona (2-1)
6. North Carolina (5-0)
7. Purdue (6-0)
8. Duke (5-1)
9. Wake Forest (5-0)
10. Cincinnati (4-0)
11. Pittsburgh (6-0)
12. Illinois (4-1)
13. Kentucky (4-0)
14. Stanford (4-0)
15. Oklahoma (5-0)
16. Kansas (3-1)
17. St. Joseph's (5-0)
18. Gonzaga (6-1)
19. Wisconsin (4-1)
20. Missouri (3-0)
21. Michigan State (3-3)
22. Marquette (5-0)
23. Vanderbilt (5-0)
24. South Carolina (8-0)
25. Florida State (6-0)

Honorable Mention:

Maryland (4-2), SMU (3-1), BYU (3-1), Wichita State (3-1).

Top 25 - 03 Dec 15 - [] Column

Arizona outran Texas and rallied to beat Marquette. Florida lost at home in OT to Maryland and then on the road at Louisville. Gonzaga added Missouri to its list of name wins. Kentucky and Michigan State played before 78,129 fans.

1. Georgia Tech (8-0)
2. Arizona (4-1)
3. Connecticut (7-1)
4. Texas (5-1)
5. North Carolina (6-0)
6. Duke (6-1)
7. Wake Forest (5-0)
8. Kentucky (5-0)
9. Oklahoma (7-0)
10. Purdue (7-1)
11. Florida (5-2)
12. Stanford (5-0)
13. Gonzaga (7-1)
14. St. Joseph's (7-0)
15. Maryland (6-2)
16. Illinois (6-2)
17. Cincinnati (4-0)
18. Pittsburgh (7-0)
19. Kansas (4-1)
20. Missouri (3-1)
21. Marquette (5-1)
22. Wisconsin (6-1)
23. Vanderbilt (7-0)
24. Florida State (7-0)
25. Louisville (4-1)

Honorable Mention:

Providence (4-1), Mississippi State (7-0), Winthrop (5-2).

Top 25 - 03 Dec 22 - [] Column

Wake Forest outlasted North Carolina after 3 overtimes in Chapel Hill. Duke thrashed Texas in a "home" game in New York. Stanford decisioned Gonzaga in the PETE NEWELL CHALLENGE in Oakland. Elsewhere, SMU edged Purdue in West Lafayette to take the BOILERMAKER INVITATIONAL; and Nevada thumped Kansas at home to take the WOLF PACK CLASSIC.

1. Georgia Tech (10-0)
2. Duke (8-1)
3. Connecticut (8-1)
4. Wake Forest (7-0)
5. Kentucky (6-0)
6. Stanford (7-0)
7. Oklahoma (8-0)
8. North Carolina (6-1)
9. Cincinnati (6-0)
10. Pittsburgh (9-0)
11. St. Joseph's (8-0)
12. Gonzaga (7-2)
13. Maryland (6-2)
14. Purdue (8-2)
15. Florida (6-2)
16. Arizona (5-1)
17. Texas (5-2)
18. Wisconsin (7-1)
19. Illinois (6-2)
20. Missouri (4-1)
21. Kansas (5-2)
22. Marquette (6-2)
23. Vanderbilt (8-0)
24. Florida State (9-0)
25. Louisville (5-1)

Honorable Mention:

SMU (5-3), Nevada (5-3), Louisiana State (6-0).

Top 25 - 03 Dec 29 - [] Column

A big week for Conference USA: Louisville beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena; Cincinnati routed MAUI-winner Dayton to remain undefeated; and Memphis edged Missouri at home. Give a salute to Air Force, which pulled off the Unwelcome Guest win over California to win the GOLDEN BEAR CLASSIC, and to Georgia State which won on the road at previously unbeaten Auburn.

1. Georgia Tech (11-0)
2. Duke (8-1)
3. Connecticut (9-1)
4. Wake Forest (7-0)
5. Stanford (9-0)
6. Cincinnati (8-0)
7. Pittsburgh (11-0)
8. Oklahoma (8-0)
9. North Carolina (7-1)
10. St. Joseph's (9-0)
11. Gonzaga (8-2)
12. Florida State (10-1)
13. Maryland (7-3)
14. Louisville (7-1)
15. Florida (8-2)
16. Arizona (7-1)
17. Kentucky (7-1)
18. Texas (5-2)
19. Purdue (9-2)
20. Wisconsin (8-1)
21. Kansas (5-2)
22. Illinois (7-2)
23. Marquette (7-2)
24. Vanderbilt (9-0)
25. Syracuse (5-1)

Honorable Mention:

Memphis (7-2), Georgia State (4-3), Air Force (6-2).

Top 25 - 04 Jan 5: PRECONFERENCE - [] Column

Georgia beat Georgia Tech at home in double-OT. Kentucky hit just enough outside shots to beat North Carolina at home. Arizona won its own showcase FIESTA BOWL CLASSIC; Hawaii won the RAINBOW CLASSIC; Western Michigan won the HOOPS CLASSIC (over host Arizona State); Penn won the ECAC HOLIDAY FESTIVAL (over host Manhattan); and BYU took the CABLE CAR CLASSIC (over host Santa Clara).

1. Georgia Tech (12-1)
2. Duke (10-1)
3. Connecticut (11-1)
4. Wake Forest (9-0)
5. Stanford (11-0)
6. Oklahoma (10-0)
7. Pittsburgh (13-0)
8. Cincinnati (9-0)
9. Louisville (9-1)
10. Kentucky (9-1)
11. Florida (9-2)
12. Arizona (9-1)
13. North Carolina (8-2)
14. St. Joseph's (11-0)
15. Gonzaga (10-2)
16. Maryland (8-3)
17. Florida State (11-2)
18. Texas (7-2)
19. Purdue (10-3)
20. Wisconsin (9-2)
21. Illinois (9-2)
22. Vanderbilt (11-0)
23. Syracuse (9-1)
24. Kansas (7-2)
25. Marquette (8-2)

Honorable Mention:

Georgia (8-3), Colorado St (7-4), Belmont (6-3).

Top 25 - 04 Jan 12 - [] Column

Connecticut walloped Oklahoma out of conference. Stanford handled Arizona on the road to stake an early claim to the Pac-10 title. North Carolina's pace was too much even for road-dog Georgia Tech. (After losing on the road to Iowa,) Purdue edged Illinois on the road. N.C. State clubbed BYU at home and then beat Florida State on the road.

1. Connecticut (13-1)
2. Stanford (13-0)
3. Duke (12-1)
4. Wake Forest (11-0)
5. Cincinnati (11-0)
6. Louisville (11-1)
7. Kentucky (10-1)
8. North Carolina (10-2)
9. Pittsburgh (15-0)
10. Florida (11-2)
11. Georgia Tech (12-2)
12. St. Joseph's (13-0)
13. Gonzaga (12-2)
14. Maryland (9-3)
15. Arizona (10-2)
16. Texas (9-2)
17. Wisconsin (11-2)
18. Oklahoma (10-1)
19. Texas Tech (12-2)
20. Syracuse (11-1)
21. Purdue (11-4)
22. Kansas (8-2)
23. Illinois (10-3)
24. Marquette (10-2)
25. South Carolina (13-1)

Honorable Mention:

N.C. State (9-2), Iowa (8-4), Iowa State (9-2).

Top 25 - 04 Jan 19 - [] Column

North Carolina edged Connecticut in the biggest matchup of star players so far. Wake Forest lost handily at Texas and then at Duke. Georgia snapped Kentucky's 19-game SEC win streak. Maryland beat UNC, but lost to Georgia Tech. Purdue just beat Wisconsin to take the lead in the Big 10. Georgia State's Herman Favors' FTs with :00 left sank Troy State.

1. Duke (14-1)
2. Stanford (14-0)
3. Cincinnati (13-0)
4. Connecticut (14-2)
5. Louisville (13-1)
6. North Carolina (11-3)
7. Pittsburgh (17-0)
8. Georgia Tech (14-2)
9. St. Joseph's (14-0)
10. Wake Forest (11-2)
11. Maryland (10-4)
12. Texas (11-2)
13. Kentucky (11-2)
14. Florida (11-3)
15. Gonzaga (14-2)
16. Syracuse (13-1)
17. Texas Tech (14-2)
18. Arizona (11-3)
19. Purdue (12-4)
20. Wisconsin (11-3)
21. South Carolina (16-2)
22. Vanderbilt (13-2)
23. Oklahoma State (12-2)
24. Kansas (10-2)
25. Mississippi State (14-1)

Honorable Mention:

Georgia (9-5), Northern Iowa (9-5), Western Michigan (12-1), Georgia State (9-4).

Top 25 - 04 Jan 26 - [] Column

Louisville routed Cincinnati and Connecticut edged Pittsburgh as two more unbeatens lost for the first time. Providence won at UConn; Mississippi State won at Florida; Oklahoma State won at Texas. Florida State's comeback streak converged with Wake Forest's tailspin.

1. Duke (16-1)
2. Stanford (16-0)
3. Louisville (14-1)
4. Pittsburgh (18-1)
5. North Carolina (12-4)
6. Connecticut (15-3)
7. St. Joseph's (17-0)
8. Cincinnati (14-1)
9. Georgia Tech (15-3)
10. Kentucky (13-2)
11. Mississippi State (16-1)
12. Texas Tech (16-2)
13. Oklahoma State (13-2)
14. Arizona (13-3)
15. Texas (12-3)
16. Wake Forest (11-4)
17. Gonzaga (15-2)
18. Maryland (11-5)
19. Florida (12-4)
20. Purdue (14-4)
21. Wisconsin (13-3)
22. Providence (13-3)
23. N.C. State (11-4)
24. Florida State (13-5)
25. South Carolina (17-2)

Honorable Mention:

Richmond (11-8), Air Force (13-2), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (13-5), Kent State (11-3).

Top 25 - 04 Feb 2 - [] Column

Duke's balanced attack held off host Georgia Tech. Stanford (without F Justin Davis) rallied from 19 down on the road at Oregon to stay unbeaten. Health issues sidelined Louisville's Rick Pitino (temporarily) and Utah's Rick Majerus (indefinitely). Second wave teams Charlotte and Seton Hall are making their move into the first division.

1. Duke (18-1)
2. Stanford (18-0)
3. Pittsburgh (19-1)
4. Connecticut (17-3)
5. Louisville (16-2)
6. St. Joseph's (18-0)
7. Mississippi State (18-1)
8. Oklahoma State (14-2)
9. Texas (14-3)
10. Georgia Tech (16-4)
11. Wake Forest (13-4)
12. Gonzaga (17-2)
13. Kentucky (14-3)
14. North Carolina (13-5)
15. Texas Tech (16-4)
16. Cincinnati (15-2)
17. South Carolina (18-3)
18. N.C. State (12-5)
19. Vanderbilt (14-4)
20. Wisconsin (14-3)
21. Florida (13-5)
22. Arizona (14-4)
23. Charlotte (13-5)
24. Seton Hall (14-4)
25. Marquette (12-5)

Honorable Mention:

Clemson (9-10), Washington (9-8), Tennessee (11-6), Ohio State (10-10), Iowa State (13-4).

Top 25 - 04 Feb 9 - [] Column

North Carolina gave it everything they had, but Duke had an answer in another thriller at Chapel Hill. Stanford's streak stayed alive against Arizona thanks to an impossible buzzer-beater. Kansas passed its first real Big 12 test in flying colors, dispatching Texas Tech at home. Memphis edged Louisville to pull into first place in Conference USA. Southern Illinois won at Creighton, staking its claim as the best of the mid-majors.

1. Duke (20-1)
2. Stanford (20-0)
3. Connecticut (19-3)
4. Pittsburgh (21-1)
5. St. Joseph's (20-0)
6. Mississippi State (19-1)
7. Oklahoma State (16-2)
8. Texas (16-3)
9. Louisville (17-3)
10. Kentucky (16-3)
11. Gonzaga (19-2)
12. North Carolina (14-6)
13. N.C. State (14-5)
14. Georgia Tech (17-5)
15. Kansas (14-4)
16. Florida (14-6)
17. Wake Forest (13-6)
18. Texas Tech (17-5)
19. Cincinnati (16-3)
20. South Carolina (19-4)
21. Vanderbilt (14-5)
22. Wisconsin (15-4)
23. Illinois (15-5)
24. Memphis (16-4)
25. Southern Illinois (17-2)

Honorable Mention:

Wisconsin-Milwaukee (15-6), Utah State (19-1), Michigan State (12-8), California (11-9).

Top 25 - 04 Feb 16 - [] Column

N.C. State legitimized its entire season with its game upset of Duke. Pitt stumbled at Seton Hall but rebounded with a solid win over Connecticut. Wake Forest came back at home to beat Cincinnati out of conference. Elsewhere, Boston University (over Vermont), Austin Peay (over Murray State) and Pacific (over Utah State) each beat its rival for league supremacy.

1. Stanford (21-0)
2. St. Joseph's (22-0)
3. Pittsburgh (22-2)
4. Duke (21-2)
5. Oklahoma State (18-2)
6. Mississippi State (21-1)
7. N.C. State (16-5)
8. Gonzaga (21-2)
9. Texas (17-4)
10. Louisville (17-4)
11. Georgia Tech (18-6)
12. Kentucky (17-4)
13. North Carolina (15-7)
14. Wake Forest (15-6)
15. Connecticut (19-5)
16. Wisconsin (17-4)
17. South Carolina (20-5)
18. Illinois (16-5)
19. Memphis (18-4)
20. Arizona (16-6)
21. Providence (17-5)
22. Cincinnati (17-4)
23. Southern Illinois (20-2)
24. LSU (17-4)
25. Syracuse (16-5)

Honorable Mention:

Boston University (18-3), Austin Peay (14-7), Pacific (17-7).

Top 25 - 04 Feb 23 - [] Column

Wake Forest continued its roll, beating Duke at home and then winning at Georgia Tech. Louisville and Cincinnati slumped their way through an OT struggle. BRACKET BUSTER SATURDAY shined on Manhattan (at Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Kent State (over Creighton), Southern Illinois (over Hawaii), Western Michigan (over College of Charleston), Wichita State (over Austin Peay), East Tennessee State (at Fresno State), Rice (over Louisiana-Lafayette) and Nevada (over Toledo).

1. Stanford (23-0)
2. St. Joseph's (24-0)
3. Pittsburgh (23-2)
4. Oklahoma State (20-2)
5. Duke (22-3)
6. Texas (19-4)
7. Wake Forest (17-6)
8. Gonzaga (23-2)
9. Kentucky (19-4)
10. Mississippi State (21-2)
11. N.C. State (17-6)
12. Georgia Tech (19-7)
13. North Carolina (16-7)
14. Connecticut (21-5)
15. Illinois (18-5)
16. Providence (18-5)
17. Wisconsin (17-6)
18. Michigan State (15-9)
19. Kansas (16-6)
20. Memphis (19-4)
21. Southern Illinois (22-2)
22. Kent State (19-3)
23. Manhattan (21-4)
24. Western Michigan (20-3)
25. Vanderbilt (17-6)

Honorable Mention:

Wichita State (17-8), East Tennessee State (20-4), Rice (18-7), Nevada (16-8).

Top 25 - 04 Mar 1 - [] Column

St. Joseph's (barely) kept its undefeated streak alive with an escape at Rhode Island. Pittsburgh couldn't keep it's 40-game home streak alive, thanks to Syracuse. Wisconsin put an all-time hurt on Purdue. Cincinnati's preseason swagger is returning. Missouri's double-OT win over Oklahoma State might signal that the talented Tigers have turned a corner.

1. Stanford (25-0)
2. Duke (24-3)
3. Texas (21-4)
4. Wake Forest (19-6)
5. St. Joseph's (26-0)
6. Mississippi State (23-2)
7. Oklahoma State (21-3)
8. Pittsburgh (24-3)
9. Gonzaga (25-2)
10. Kentucky (21-4)
11. Connecticut (23-5)
12. Wisconsin (19-6)
13. Providence (20-5)
14. North Carolina (17-8)
15. N.C. State (18-7)
16. Illinois (20-5)
17. Michigan State (17-9)
18. Kansas (17-7)
19. Cincinnati (20-5)
20. Georgia Tech (20-8)
21. Syracuse (19-6)
22. Florida (17-8)
23. Missouri (15-10)
24. Southern Illinois (24-2)
25. Seton Hall (18-7)

Honorable Mention:

UAB (17-8), DePaul (17-8), UTEP (22-5).

Top 25 - 04 Mar 8: PRETOURNAMENT - [] Column

Stanford's perfect season survived at Washington State on a miracle finish but couldn't survive at Washington. Oklahoma State fought off Texas to take the Big 12 title. Georgia Tech ended Duke's 41-game home win streak (and their own 0-15 head-to-head losing streak). Syracuse kept it rolling with a home win over Connecticut. DePaul made it a 5-way tie atop Conference USA. Gonzaga escaped a tourney upset; Southern Illinois didn't. Central Florida emerged from the Battle Royale that was the Atlantic Sun tourney. Murray State turned the tables on unblemished Austin Peay in the OVC final. Hats off to Baylor for an honorable season.

1. Duke (25-4)
2. Pittsburgh (26-3)
3. Oklahoma State (23-3)
4. Stanford (26-1)
5. Saint Joseph's (27-0)
6. Kentucky (23-4)
7. Connecticut (24-6)
8. Mississippi State (25-2)
9. Georgia Tech (22-8)
10. Texas (21-6)
11. Wake Forest (19-8)
12. North Carolina State (19-8)
13. Wisconsin (21-6)
14. Illinois (22-5)
15. Syracuse (21-5)
16. North Carolina (18-9)
17. Michigan State (17-10)
18. Gonzaga (26-2)
19. Kansas (19-7)
20. Arizona (18-8)
21. Providence (20-7)
22. Cincinnati (21-6)
23. Memphis (21-6)
24. Texas Tech (21-9)
25. Western Michigan (23-4)

Honorable Mention:

Washington (17-10), Boston College (21-8), DePaul (19-8), Central Florida (25-5), Murray State (25-5), Baylor (8-21).