WILNER’S AP TOP 25 BALLOT

Gonzaga remained on top after a narrow win over West Virginia, but I flipped the No. 2 and 3 teams: Baylor jumped Iowa following its victory over Illinois, which was in my top 10 last week. Top climber of the week: Texas, which jumped seven spots, to No. 7, after an impressive week in which the Longhorns beat Indiana and North Carolina and dropped a close game to Villanova. Meanwhile, Kansas climbed three positions, to No. 8, after a strong of wins that included Kentucky. (That result alone carries less than half the normal value given the Wildcats’ woeful start.) The current center of college basketball, one could argue, is Harrisonburg, Va. Within 100miles of the city, which is tucked into the Shenandoah Valley, you’ll find three teams that are on the ballot below (West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia).

And there’s a fourth team in the region, Richmond, that received strong consideration.

Only two Pac-12 teams landed on the ballot: Arizona State is No. 18, while UCLA grabbed the final spot. I removed Oregon after the loss to unranked Missouri.

The ballot:

1. Gonzaga

2. Baylor

3. Iowa

4. Michigan State

5. Villanova

6. Creighton

7. Texas

8. Kansas

9. Duke

10. Virginia Tech

11. Illinois

12. West Virginia

13. Houston

14. Virginia

15. Wisconsin

16. North Carolina

17. San Diego State

18. Arizona State

19. Tennessee

20. Rutgers

21. Indiana

22. Texas Tech

23. Oklahoma State

24. Xavier

25. UCLA