ayushg3's Week 18 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | (0) Again, I think they are the number 1 overall seed in the bracket a week from now. Nail biter in Memphis, but they showed they can lean on their defense when the offense isn't clicking |
| 2 | UCLA | (+2) I know they had a pretty impressive win over Arizona, but it still feels weird to say this is the 2nd best team in the nation. |
| 3 | Kansas | (-1) Pretty clean defeat to UT, it's tough competition on the road, and I still think this team has net cutting potential |
| 4 | Alabama | (-1) Tough close loss against A&M, I think they had a shaky week but they still came away with a split in two close game |
| 5 | Marquette | (0) I can't jump them above the two other teams because I think there's a clear delineation between the tiers. Giving up 90+ to St. John's certainly doesn't help either |
| 6 | Purdue | (0) Another team with a perfect week, but not enough happened to warrant a jump, almost blew one against Illinois |
| 7 | UConn | (+4) Getting hot at the right time, takes advantage of the losses from teams above them |
| 8 | Texas | (+1) Unfortunate one against TCU, held Miles to 1 and the others showed up that night, have to commend this team for the bounce back against KU |
| 9 | Gonzaga | (-1) There's not punishment to this team, I just think Texas deserves a jump after the win against KU |
| 10 | Arizona | (-3) Never really felt like they had an opportunity against UCLA, felt like the Bruins controlled the game and ran away with it |
| 11 | Baylor | (-1) Run it back ISU! Let's see how it goes this time around |
| 12 | Miami (FL) | (+1) Just sneak past Pitt, need it after whatever that game was last week |
| 13 | Kansas State | (-1) Just when you feel good about a Big 12 team, they drop a competitive road game |
| 14 | Creighton | (+3) Still can't believe they were left out of last week's AP, I think I might be the only one with this team in the Top 15, but from what I've seen they deserve it |
| 15 | Xavier | (+5) Good bounce back and a strong victory over Providence, nothing more to say |
| 16 | Texas A&M | (+8) Probably the most impressive week of the bunch. Should they have done better against Ole Miss? Maybe? Does it matter? Not really |
| 17 | Virginia | (+1) Looked much more comfortable this week, needed those games just for some self-confidence |
| 18 | Indiana | (-3) Blowout against Iowa, nail-biter against Michigan? Still get the double-bye, but Race has to hit those FTs late |
| 19 | Tennessee | (-5) "And it's a downward spiral, Gotta figure it out" |
| 20 | Saint Mary's | (+1) No action, but I'm slowly coming around to this team, excited to see how they attack Gonzaga (if they lose to BYU...) |
| 21 | San Diego State | (-2) Tough loss to Boise, this is probably the mid-major tournament I am most excited for!!! |
| 22 | Providence | (-6) Ok, maybe I got a little excited with this team |
| 23 | Florida Atlantic | (0) Just keep winning, just keep winning |
| 24 | Oral Roberts | (+1) Just keep winning, just keep winning |
| 25 | Duke | (NR) After all this talk about a rocky season, undefeated at home, and a season sweep of the Tar Heels |
Overall Rationale
Dropped from rankings: Kentucky (22) // Others considered: TCU, that's it...? // Teams I'm high on: UConn, Texas, Creighton, TCU, Arkansas // Teams I'm low on: Purdue, Virginia, Providence