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Monday, January 16, 2006
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Gonzaga is back to its accustomed status as the unanimous first place choise of all 31 voters in the latest Mid-Major Top 25. Last week Northern Iowa had received votes for the top spot as well, but the Panthers loss to Creighton cost them. It also cost UNI the second spot in that poll, with Bucknell, last week's No. 3 team, edging them for the second spot by 4 votes this week.

Those two are reversed in the others receiving votes category of the latest AP Poll, with UNI getting 16 votes, Bucknell 14, making them No. 33 and 34 in that poll. Syracuse jumps into the top 25 at the No. 20 spot this week -- don't get us started.

In the new ESPN-USA Today Coaches Poll, Bucknell and Northern Iowa each picked up 10 votes, sharing the 33rd spot.

Perhaps the most entirely bogu excuse for a poll is the CBS Sportsline Top 25. In ranking Maryland No. 25, they say "you can't hold a loss to Duke against them, everybody is losing to the Blue Devils." Fair enough. But Syracuse being ranked No. 10 and Bucknell being unranked is even harder to fathom if losses to Duke don't count.

Not saying Bucknell should or should not be in the Top 25, just that after beating Syracuse on its own floor, they certainly deserve as much consideration as the Orangemen.

And then there is Louisville, ranked No. 19, with a comment "The Cardinals need a statement win. They've faced three teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of their meeting and they've lost all three." Actually, none of the Cardinals wins are very impressive

If that lack of a win over a Top 25 team still allows them to be No. 19, then what about the team that beat your No. 10 team?
Published at 6:51 PM by Hoop Time.
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