AP Top 25 Poll - Week 18 (UPDATE: Kentucky Climbs to #4)

[Joneslab]

Gonna be a North Carolina and Virginia Tech fan this week.

Watched Virginia played Notre Dame Saturday. They weren't good. They play such a weird game: slow it, slow it, grind, do some more grinding, get a little lead, then sit on that lead like your life depends on it.

It's a style that's fraught with so much risk, which I think is why they haven't had much success in March. It's much more difficult to hit those much-needed late shots when the pressure is up. March seems to reward teams that can play at all different styles and beat teams in numerous ways rather than just one, which is sort of what Virginia does.

[Joneslab]

Just me, but I expect a very different game at Tennessee. This is a really good basketball team that probably needed to be slapped down to get focused in.

Probably so. It's also likely that Tennessee counted on Williams picking up a deluge of fouls with the 100 flops he tries to pull off a game, and the refs weren't giving him the whistles early.

I haven't seen too many guys outside a Duke uniform pull that crap where they throw their head back 25 times a game trying to draw a foul. Our guys were having none of it--and thankfully the refs weren't either.

Honestly it was a pretty disgusting display. I'd like to say that it isn't the player Williams is, but that's not really true. Guy's an actor.

[Blue Heaven]

Zags beat dUKe and UT then beat the Zags. UT falls 4 spots and Gonzaga is #2? Those guys play NOBODY. Their conference is horrible. West Coast basketball is just terrible.

[Joneslab]

Kentucky holds at #4. Gonzaga new #1.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-gonzaga-takes-over-no-1-spot-in-ap-top-25-poll-duke-falls-to-no-3/

[KCKUKFan]

Zags beat dUKe and UT then beat the Zags. UT falls 4 spots and Gonzaga is #2? Those guys play NOBODY. Their conference is horrible. West Coast basketball is just terrible.

While this is true, I've watched Gonzaga a couple of times recently. That is good basketball team. Of course, they're not going to win a national championship, because they're Gonzaga, but they're not a pretender. A balanced, high-powered basketball team with pro talent.

[KCKUKFan]

Watched Virginia played Notre Dame Saturday. They weren't good. They play such a weird game: slow it, slow it, grind, do some more grinding, get a little lead, then sit on that lead like your life depends on it.

Anybody who bets on a Tony Bennett team to cut down the nets in March is a fool. I will never believe it until I see it. He's one of the only remaining coaches that runs an honest-to-God system on both ends of the court. Even Boeheim will adjust his offense based on his personnel. That day of basketball has ended, and it's why I wouldn't want Tony Bennet anywhere near Lexington when Cal eventually leaves. I don't care how many games he wins. He is not winning any titles.

[Joneslab]

Gonzaga could win a national championship. They were a few minutes away from one just a couple of years ago.

They beat Duke with Duke's full compliment of players. They probably have the best young player in the world not named Zion Williamson. They're totally legit and could easily win it.

The name Gonzaga should mean nothing at this point. They've been on the doorstep before and this team is probably just a notch away from that team.

[Joneslab]

Anybody who bets on a Tony Bennett team to cut down the nets in March is a fool. I will never believe it until I see it. He's one of the only remaining coaches that runs an honest-to-God system on both ends of the court. Even Boeheim will adjust his offense based on his personnel. That day of basketball has ended, and it's why I wouldn't want Tony Bennet anywhere near Lexington when Cal eventually leaves. I don't care how many games he wins, or his winning percentage. He is not winning any titles.

I've watched Virginia a bunch the last two and a half weeks, mostly hoping that they'd lose.

They're a weird team. It's hard to get a feel for them.

On one hand you have to give credit to their win/loss record. On the other they have this weird way of playing where they sort of get games really close to the vest and then count on their guards to hit a couple of threes late. Then they amp up the defense and kind of squeeze the life out of teams down the stretch.

It's a system that's fraught with risk. I do think the Hunter kid is a legitimate NBA player who can dominate games without scoring a whole lot. Anytime you have a player like that then you'll compete. But you always feel like Virginia is a missed three or two away from losing many of their games, and for that reason I'd still love to see Kentucky in their region.

[KCKUKFan]

I've watched Virginia a bunch the last two and a half weeks, mostly hoping that they'd lose.

They're a weird team. It's hard to get a feel for them.

On one hand you have to give credit to their win/loss record. On the other they have this weird way of playing where they sort of get games really close to the vest and then count on their guards to hit a couple of threes late. Then they amp up the defense and kind of squeeze the life out of teams down the stretch.

It's a system that's fraught with risk. I do think the Hunter kid is a legitimate NBA player who can dominate games without scoring a whole lot. Anytime you have a player like that then you'll compete. But you always feel like Virginia is a missed three or two away from losing many of their games, and for that reason I'd still love to see Kentucky in their region.

Again, that's a risk system that is not build for March success.

We watched Duke do it to them at Virginia a couple of weeks ago, and we watched that 16 seed do it to them in the tourney last year; if the opposing team is able to hit a few outside shots early, and shake Virginia's confidence in their system, they're done. Toast. Their offense clinches up even tighter, and the defense that previously appeared impenetrable breaks in half. Duke was just lighting them up from outside, and their body language was garbage.

It's also why I crave to be their 2 seed in Louisville rather than the 1 with North Carolina as our 2.

[JFCats22]

Gonzaga is completely legit. And, if healthy for the tourney, would be my pick to win it all right now.

[Joneslab]

I think the only thing about Gonzaga that you can look at and say they may have a problem with is that they've got four really good players. They don't have much behind those four.

Their fifth best player is a little white guard who's just kind of a shooter type. After him it gets real murky.

But through the top four guys Gonzaga's as good as anybody.

[KCKUKFan]

Gonzaga is completely legit. And, if healthy for the tourney, would be my pick to win it all right now.

I thought you were all on the "healthy Duke is unbeatable" train. Didn't I see you posting something like this on here or Rupp's Rafters a week or two ago?

[JFCats22]

I thought you were all on the "healthy Duke is unbeatable" train. Didn't I see you posting something like this on here or Rupp's Rafters a week or two ago?

I am not convinced (yet) that Zion plays again for Duke. If he does, that may change my opinion.

Coach K had a press conference today about VT and Zion. Zion's status has now gone from day-to-day to "we have no timetable right now".

[Joneslab]

If it comes down to Gonzaga and Kentucky at the end I like Kentucky's chances.

Gonzaga is built very much like Tennessee. I think we match up with teams like that well. If you can put power against power we've been pretty darn good in games like that.

I worry about a team with a lot of springy, bouncy length in the tournament. I also think Kentucky's very susceptible if Hagans doesn't play well, but that goes for every point guard out there.

But if Duke's removed I would have to take Kentucky with the way we've been playing.

[lilproUK98]

I think we can all agree it's going to be a VERY interesting and exciting March and April...