The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Borges’ AP Top 25: A Louisville leap
Pretty light week this past week. Most Top 25 teams played pre-Christmas cupcakes, with a few notable exceptions.
The only team that gets jettisoned from my ballot this week is South Carolina, which lost to instate rival Clemson. Replacing the Fightin’ Jackie Bradleys is Maryland. Considered a few others (NC State, Florida, even Monmouth) but went with the Terps instead.
The biggest jumper is Louisville, which moves from No. 14 to No. 6 after its rivalry win over Kentucky on Tuesday at the KFC Yum! Center. That also meant I had to drop a few teams down a slot even though they won their respective games this past week, but they’ll live.
That’s all for this week. Happy holidays!
Borges’ ballot
1. Villanova: Josh Hart may be the only senior who’s a lottery pick in June. 2. UCLA: Last time Bruins finished non-conference schedule unbeaten? 1994-95, their last title season. 3. Kansas: Bill Self a Hall of Fame candidate? Seems a bit soon, no? 4. Baylor: Bears recently beat a team named John Brown. Who’s next, Frederick Douglass U? 5. Duke: That Grayson Allen sure is a
trip, eh?
6. Louisville: Cards beat Kentucky for first time in six tries as dualranked opponents. 7. Gonzaga: Zags are off to the best start in program history. 8. Kentucky: Did Wildcats suffer two losses this week: Louisville, and Hamidou Diallo? 9. North Carolina: Is that 2005 national champion banner now imperiled due to academic fraud scandal? 10. Creighton: Did you know Blue Jays average nearly 17,000fans per home game. Great hoops school. 11. Wisconsin: Sophomore Ethan Happ has already put up five doubledoubles, four in last six games. 12. West Virginia: ‘Press Virginia’ is gonna tire these kids out by February, no? 13. Virginia: Some say Cavs’ style is a thing of beauty. I say it’s kinda boring. 14. Butler: Bulldogs got all they could handle from pesky Vermont Wednesday night at Hinkle. 15. Xavier: Bloomfield’s Tyrique Jones getting some run (10.5minutes per game) as frosh for Musketeers 16. Indiana: Tom Crean’s a little nuts, but he’s one of the good guys of college coaching. 17. Purdue: Caleb Swanigan has posted three career games of at least 20 points, 20 rebounds. 18. Saint Mary’s: Three straight double-doubles for Jock Landale. 19. USC: Trojans would be a lot better if former UConn target Bennie Boatwright was healthy. 20. Arizona: Remember ex-UConn target Chance Comanche? Scored career-best 14in win over New Mexico. 21. Florida State: Xavier Rathan-Mayes (son of New Haven’s Tharon Mayes) averaging nearly five assists per game. 22. Cincinnati: Took a Troy Caupain last-second shot in OT for Bearcats to avoid home loss to Marshall. 23. Oregon: I wonder if Coach K reprimanded Grayson Allen the way he did Dillon Brooks last March? 24. Seton Hall: Pirates edge Rutgers in the Jon Bon Jovi ... er, Bruce Springsteen ... er, Garden State Hardwood Classic. 25. Maryland: Melo Trimble playing the way he expected to play last season.