runamokduck's Week 2 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Florida remains 1a for me, and it will generally take a momentous change for anything to alter this. ...that being said, though... |
| 2 | Duke | ...I sincerely considered elevating Duke above Florida to occupy the true apex of my rankings, but the Blue Devils remain 1b for now. they sure have been dominant, though! |
| 3 | Illinois | speaking of dominance--good lord, Brad Underwood. the abundance of injuries they have suffered in the season's incipience have not hindered them one bit as they have torn through teams thus far |
| 4 | Houston | death, taxes, and exemplary Kelvin Sampson coaching and a brilliant Houston program. (that's how that precept goes, right?) Houston is superb once more, in all seriousness |
| 5 | Virginia | I am perhaps one of the most optimistic neutrals in regards to this Virginia team's prospects. I *really* like their roster and coaching, and I genuinely think they have national title upside |
| 6 | UConn | I would expect nothing less than this stellar start from Dan Hurley, quite honestly. I actually wasn't expecting quite this much from Braylon Mullins, actually, but heck yeah for him and the Huskies! |
| 7 | Louisville | I'm quite curious to see how Louisville fares against Memphis on Sunday, actually, given the Tigers' seeming resurgence this season |
| 8 | Michigan State | yet more utter, immutable dominance against inferior competition from yet another one of these teams. about what you would expect, to be sure |
| 9 | Gonzaga | good for Xaivian Lee, who appears reinvigorated and far more so akin to his Princeton self than his Florida self! I am also watching Davis Fogle's career with great interest |
| 10 | UCLA | what a strong showing from the Bruins to start the season! I think I overlooked the quality and depth of this roster, quite honestly, and I especially didn't pay enough attention to Kusturica |
| 11 | Arizona | I believe Arizona will likely still be quite good. however, I also get the sense that both their floor and their ceiling may be somewhat shakier than last year's squad (which is to be expected) |
| 12 | Nebraska | Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager remain as electric of a shooting duo as any tandem in the country. I am quite buoyant about the Cornhuskers' offense and overall firepower |
| 13 | Texas | Vokietaitas may very well set free throw records of some sort by the time all is said and done, and I'm only partly joking. Texas is as advertised so far |
| 14 | St. John's | second part of an aforementioned precept: death, taxes, and Rick Pitino being a damn good basketball coach |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | goodness, Mark Byington just excels at all that he does in this college basketball milieu. I like the makeup of this Vanderbilt team more and more as time passes |
| 16 | Alabama | you know, while Alabama's schedule rigor has always been rightfully praised, I want to especially commend Nate Oats for the quality of mid-major opponents. Ark. St and SHSU are no jokes, themselves |
| 17 | BYU | pretty good week for the Cougars! it was about as evident and expected as possible that Robert Wright III would be absolutely transcendental this season, but Jaxon Kohler has been superb, too |
| 18 | Kansas | I think this Kansas team really does have some juice this season that I have not seen from the Jayhawks in rather a while. I'm curious to see how this all shakes out for the illustrious Bill Self |
| 19 | Miami (FL) | a respectable performance from the Hurricanes against Florida, despite still losing fairly soundly. I still really like this team overall and Jai Lucas, specifically |
| 20 | Michigan | all things considered, I think Michigan has looked a little better than I perhaps expected they would this season. the roster is still very solid, despite the considerable coaching quality shift |
| 21 | Texas Tech | I don't really know what to do with this Texas Tech team, to be honest with you. I sort of feel as though I am reserving more optimistic judgment of them until JT Toppin makes his triumphant return |
| 22 | Tennessee | while I am still slightly apprehensive about some aspects of this Volunteer roster, I was perhaps a tad too reactive to not rank them in the preseason. they should still excel this year |
| 23 | Iowa State | I think there may very well end up being no shame in losing to Memphis this year, but that still isn't the most auspicious start for Iowa State. a couple of tune-ups this week may cure what ails them |
| 24 | Arkansas | John Calipari, get Ryan Odomed. I think the Razorbacks' rout at the hands of Virginia really exposed their frontcourt deficiencies. still some major growing pains for Arkansas |
| 25 | Kentucky | this feels a bit trollish to have Kentucky below Arkansas when one team is undefeated and the other is not, but I still have a bit rosier of an outlook for the Hogs than for Big Blue |
Overall Rationale
BIGGEST RISERS: UCLA (#23 to #10); BYU (#24 to #17); and Tennessee (unranked to #22) BIGGEST FALLERS: Iowa State (#10 to #23); Arizona (#3 to #11); Michigan (#15 to #20); and Purdue (#25 to unranked) ALSO CONSIDERED, in no particular order: Saint Louis; Southern California; Marquette; High Point; best team in the nation East Texas A&M!!! As is seemingly invariably the case, what a exhilarating and breakneck start to the college basketball season! Overall, with the exception of Oklahoma falling to East Texas A&M, I feel as though nothing *too* crazy has yet occurred in the season's inchoacy--though this is certainly bound to change, of course. I feel as though my rankings are still somewhat muddled, in some senses, but I suspect that I will be able to achieve gradually more clarity as more and more marquee matchups occur between the cream of the crop of this cohort.