SufferingfOrLife's Week 2 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | (+0) 2-0. Comfortable wins over Lehigh and Towson. They won the second game ugly (65-48), but defense was dominant and freshman Kingston Flemings stepped up offensively. |
| 2 | Michigan | (+0) 1-0. Huge, record-setting offensive blowout over Oakland (121-78). They showed a completely new, high-powered style under second-year coach Dusty Mau |
| 3 | Louisville | (+0) 2-0. Two overwhelming blowouts of South Carolina State (104-45) and Jackson State (106-70), showcasing their incredible portal depth. |
| 4 | Duke | (+0) 1-0. Decisive home win over Western Carolina (95-54), plus a quality neutral-site win over Texas. They simply handled business as expected. |
| 5 | Purdue | (+0) 2-0. Solid wins over Evansville and Oakland. They won, but perhaps didn't look as dominant as other top teams. |
| 6 | Texas Tech | (+1) 2-0. Dominant wins over Lindenwood (98-60) and Sam Houston (98-77). Sophomore Christian Anderson had a massive game against Lindenwood (34 points, 11 assists), |
| 7 | Arizona | (+1) 2-0. A tight road win over Florida (93-87 in a neutral site game in Las Vegas) and a massive win over Utah Tech (113-42). |
| 8 | Florida | (-2) 1-1. A tough, narrow loss to Arizona (93-87) followed by a decisive bounce-back win over North Florida (104-64) |
| 9 | BYU | (+1) 2-0. The Cougars started their season with a quality neutral-site victory over Villanova (71-66) and followed it up with a home blowout of Holy Cross (98-53) |
| 10 | UCLA | (+1) 2-0. The Bruins defeated Eastern Washington (80-74) and then secured a home victory over Pepperdine (74-63) a bit tighter than you would hope for a top 10 team. |
| 11 | UConn | (+1) 2-0. The Huskies won their season opener over New Haven (79-55) and followed up with a dominant 110-47 blowout win over UMass Lowell |
| 12 | Alabama | (+1) 2-0. The Crimson Tide won their season opener and then defeated #15 St. John's on the road at MSG with a high-scoring 103-96 victory. They shot well and had multiple 20+ point scorers in the win |
| 13 | Illinois | (+1) 2-0. The Fighting Illini won their first two home games decisively against mid-major opponents, showcasing balance and strength. |
| 14 | St. John's | (-5) 1-1. The Red Storm opened with a massive 108-74 win over Quinnipiac but then suffered a close home loss to #12 Alabama (103-96) |
| 15 | Michigan State | (+2) 2-0. The Spartans secured a tough, quality 69-66 victory over a ranked Arkansas team. Freshman Cam Ward was key with 18 points and 10 rebounds. |
| 16 | Creighton | (-1) 1-0. The Bluejays defeated South Dakota 92-76 in their season opener. They demonstrated a strong offense with five players in double figures |
| 17 | Iowa State | (-1) 2-0. The Cyclones dominated their first two home games, beating FDU 88-50 and Grambling State 102-62, with excellent efficiency. |
| 18 | Kentucky | (+0) 2-0. The Wildcats won their season opener and then defeated Valparaiso 107-59. The team was highly efficient, with six players scoring in double figures in the blowout win. |
| 19 | Gonzaga | (+0) 2-0. The Bulldogs secured a strong 83-68 win over Oklahoma. They used a large first-half lead and got a double-double from Graham Ike. |
| 20 | Baylor | (+0) 1-0. The Bears won their season opener against UTRGV 96-81. They overcame an early deficit with a large run fueled by strong perimeter shooting and freshman scoring. |
| 21 | Iowa | (+1) 2-0. The Hawkeyes opened with two decisive home victories, defeating Robert Morris 101-69 and Western Illinois 77-58. They averaged a winning margin of over 25 points. |
| 22 | Tennessee | (+1) 2-0. The Volunteers won their opener 76-61 over Mercer and followed up with a 95-56 win over Northern Kentucky. Freshman Nate Ament paced the balanced scoring attack in both games. |
| 23 | San Diego State | (+1) 1-0. The Aztecs defeated Long Beach State 77-45 in their season opener. Their defense shined in the victory, holding the opponent to a low shooting percentage and forcing turnovers. |
| 24 | NC State | (NEW) 2-0. The Wolfpack secured a massive 114-66 win over North Carolina Central and then defeated UAB 94-70. They showcased scoring depth with multiple players in double figures in both games. |
| 25 | Oregon | (+0) 2-0. The Ducks won a tight season opener against Hawaii (60-59), with Takai Simpkins hitting the go-ahead basket late. They followed up with a 67-63 win over Rice, rallying in the second half . |
Overall Rationale
I tried to keep things aligned with my preseason poll and not change things too much, but I did move teams around where I saw appropriate. I am not going to penalize a team too much for losing to a top team, but they will still move down a bit. Next Five: #26 North Carolina, #27 Arkansas, #28 Kansas, #29 Clemson, #30 Saint Mary's New To The Poll: #24 NC State Dropped From The Poll: #21 Arkansas Biggest Risers: Michigan State +2, 10 Teams Tied +1 Biggest Fallers: Arkansas -6, Saint John's -5