2017-18 National Poll Rankings

[shocker3]

Bozich has dropped us from #12 last week to #16 this week. He moves Cincy up to #6 (from #9 last week) and has Houston at #20. http://www.wdrb.com/story/37644603/b...-top-25-ballot

[Play Angry]

Mark Berman drops us 2 spots to #11. Looks like the response so far is about what you'd hope and we're probably looking at slotting either at #13 or #14 this morning.

[wufan]

Wait, what? You mean we are going to finish the season the top 15?

[WuShock16]

Paging lawmaker. I repeat, paging lawmaker.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Small chance #9 UNC drops behind WSU after 2 losses. (home to unranked Miami before @Duke)
Good chance to stay ahead of #12 Texas Tech.
Will stay ahead of #13 Ohio State and #14 Auburn.
#15 Michigan will pass the Shox.
Should stay ahead of #16 Tennessee.
Zero chance anyone else passes WSU.

Best case: stay at #11
Worst case: fall to #14

[Stickboy46]

Losing by 1 point to the team ranked 1 above you means .... You were probably ranked exactly where you should have been.

[Stickboy46]

As i think we would ...

[WSUwatcher]

Odd -- what's your point, jd? So far we know that because their last shot missed, WSU is 0-1. They could finish that hypothetical series anywhere from 9-1 to 0-10. So there's lots of room for them to get to at least six.

[60Shock]

Right on if a Robot was doing the analysis, but anytime you get a bunch of humans with their own personal agendas, anything is, and will happen.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Luke DeCock’s AP Top 25 basketball poll ballot: Week 18" - News Observer

BY LUKE DECOCK
March 05, 2018 08:10 AM

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article203497724.html

6. Cincinnati (Last week: 10)

12. Wichita State (11)

23. Houston (NR)

[Cdizzle]

I hate stuff like this: "Florida’s back, too, and I have no idea what to think of the Gators (who lost at home to Loyola earlier this season)."

Yeah, that terrible 27-5 Loyola team with an RPI of 27 and a kenPom of 41.

It's not like they're Wofford.

[WSUwatcher]

Didn't read the link, and that's a silly comment about Loyola, but his handling of WSU and Cincinnati is reasonable -- Cincy should benefit far more than WSU is hurt.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

I guess home losses to South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia just don't *sound* as bad.

Also, Florida is "back"? How about "Florida is inconsistent"! Around Thanksgiving beat Gonzaga, then lost 4 of 5, with the 1 win in the middle over Cincinnati on a neutral court. Won their last 3 now, but had 5 losses the last 5 weeks, including twice to teams who won't sniff the Big Dance.

Sportswriters are dumb.

[SHOCKvalue]

I predict a bit of sad entertainment value about noon today, when we get to see a gaggle of P5’s who’ve lost a game in the past week to not-top-10 opponents have less downward movement than WSU losing by a single point to a legit top 10 team.

We have had very respectable poll treatment this year, but I’d still be surprised if the above doesn’t happen.

[WuShock Reaper]

"My AP top-25 basketball ballot:..." - Bay Area News Group

By JON WILNER
PUBLISHED: February 5, 2018 at 7:00 am

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/05/my-ap-top-25-basketball-ballot-virginia-holds-onto-no-1-while-duke-kansas-and-north-carolina-slide/

6. Cincinnati

20. Wichita State

24. Houston

[Cdizzle]

This is from February 5th.

[Stickboy46]

That's February 5th? Wilner had us 10 last week.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/05/my-ap-top-25-ballot-virginia-remains-no-1-followed-by-xavier-and-villanova-michigan-soars-miami-returns/

11 this week

[WuShock Reaper]

Sorry, my bad!

[WuShock Reaper]

"Final regular-season college hoops Power Rankings: What we got right and wrong" - ESPN

Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Posted: 03/05/18, 8:08 AM CT

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22645127/college-basketball-power-rankings-got-right-wrong

7. Cincinnati Bearcats (Record: 27-4, Last week: 10)
Cincinnati made a strong statement on Sunday afternoon, going into Wichita State and knocking off the Shockers by one. The Bearcats still don't have a ton of great wins -- Sunday was by far their best win of the season -- but they have elite efficiency numbers and 13 Quadrant 1 and 2 wins.

14. Wichita State Shockers (Record: 24-6, Last week: 13)
Wichita State saw its seven-game win streak snapped on Sunday at home against Cincinnati. The Shockers have had six straight games decided by seven points or fewer, with Wichita State winning five of them. Their defense continues to struggle, even against inferior opponents.

21. Houston Cougars (Record: 24-6, Last week: 25)
According to Bart Torvik's site, Houston is No. 6 nationally in adjusted efficiency over the past 10 games, with a top-15 ranking on both offense and defense. The Cougars' only losses since mid-January are at Cincinnati and, oddly enough, at Memphis. Kelvin Sampson has them rolling.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Cobbservations 010: This week's AP ballot..." - Times Free Press

by David Cobb
March 5th, 2018

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2018/mar/05/cobbservations-010/465191/

5. Cincinnati

12. Wichita State

22. Houston

[WuShock Reaper]

"Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll: Jerry Carino's ballot" - New Jersey Press

By Jerry Carino,
Published 5:00 a.m. ET March 5, 2018

https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/03/05/associated-press-top-25-mens-basketball-poll-jerry-carinos-ballot/394235002/

8. Cincinnati (27-4)

11. Wichita State (24-6)

20. Houston (23-6)

[WuShock Reaper]

"Murray's AP Top 25: Cincinnati on the rise,..." - Reno Gazette Journal

By Chris Murray
Published 7:23 a.m. PT March 5, 2018

http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2018/03/05/murrays-ap-top-25-cincinnati-rise-but-rhode-island-takes-tumble/394841002/

Team on the rise
* Cincinnati: The Bearcats went to Wichita State on Sunday and won, 62-61, to clinch the American Athletic Conference’s outright championship. The AAC is a good conference – it has three teams in the Top 25 – but Cincinnati went 16-2 in league play and 27-4 overall during the regular season. The Bearcats don’t have a bunch of great out-of-conference wins – their best two are over Buffalo and UCLA – but they’re seventh in the RPI, fourth in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings and I moved them from No. 13 to No. 7 on my ballot.


7. Cincinnati (Last week:13)

14. Wichita State (12)

20. Houston (25)

[WuShock Reaper]

"Elton Alexander's AP Top 25 vote impacted by 15 teams losing last week" - Cleveland Press

by Elton Alexander
Posted: 03/05/18, 5:01 AM

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2018/03/elton_alexanders_ap_top_25_vot_1.html

6. Cincinnati

15. Wichita State

19. Houston

[WuShock Reaper]

"College Basketball Rankings: Projected Top 25 for Week 18" - FanSided Sports

by Connor Muldowney
Posted: 03/04/18, 10:30pm, cst

https://fansided.com/2018/03/04/college-basketball-rankings-projected-top-25-week-18/

#21 - HOUSTON COUGARS, 24-6 Last Week: 25
Houston is playing its best basketball of the season lately and although the Cougars didn’t win the regular season AAC title, they are set up nicely to make a run in the conference tourney. The Cougars went on the road to beat a tough SMU team by 13 points and then closed out the week with a win against Connecticut. They will jump about four spots in the rankings.

#13 - WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS, 24-6 Last Week: 11
In their first year as members of the American Athletic Conference, the Shockers looked like they were about to win the league title. They had beaten Cincinnati on the road in the middle of a seven-game winning streak, but with the league title on the line Sunday, the Shockers were unable to handle the Bearcats for the second time, losing at home 62-61 in overtime.

#8 - CINCINNATI BEARCATS, 27-4 Last Week: 10
Cincinnati will make the leap inside the top 10 for getting revenge on Wichita State to clinch the outright regular season AAC title. That’s a big win in the final game of the regular season and it’ll set the Bearcats up nicely as the No. 1 seed in the conference tourney. If they win the tourney as well as the regular season, they will be almost a lock for a No. 2 seed.

[WuShock Reaper]

"College basketball rankings: Cincinnati and Michigan move into top 10 of Top 25 (and 1)" - CBS Sports

by Gary Parrish
Posted: 03/05/18, 10:00am cst

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-cincinnati-and-michigan-move-into-top-10-of-top-25-and-1/

Cincinnati won 62-61 at Wichita State on Sunday to finish with a 16-2 record in the American Athletic Conference and secure the AAC's regular-season title by two games. And if you're looking for a team that's good enough to beat anybody, and terrific at avoiding questionable losses, Mick Cronin's Bearcats are probably it.

9. Cincinnati

14. Wichita State

[WuShock Reaper]

"College Basketball Power Rankings 2018: Week 18 Rankings" - COED Sports

BY TYLER GAMBILL
Posted: 9:00am cst

https://coed.com/2018/03/05/college-basketball-rankings-week-18-power-standing-projections-top-25/

8. Cincinnati Bearcats
If their defense can be as great as it was when it held a dynamically gifted offense in Wichita State to 61 points come March Madness, the Bearcats could explode onto the scene as a serious Final Four contender. Although they may not possess the prolific shooters of today’s competitive offenses, the Bearcats have the length and strength to garner rebounds while making shots at the rim.

13. Wichita State Shockers
Sure, the loss to Cincinnati over the weekend was not pretty from an offensive perspective for the Shockers. However, Wichita State somewhat proved that they are capable of playing a brand of defense that, while not elite, is capable of doing enough to allow their exceptional offense to tick consistently whenever they have the basketball in their possession.

22. Houston Cougars
Coming into their own as a dynamically competitive program that can score with impressive efficiency (78 PPG) while relentlessly smothering their opponents defensively (65.2 PAPG), the Cougars are poised to go far in the American Athletic Conference Tournament and possibly in the NCAA Tournament as well. If the Cougars can continue to attack the glass as viciously as they have throughout this season (39.2 RPG), they have the intriguing versatility to at least get out of the first weekend come March Madness.