Welcome back, college basketball! We've missed you.
With most Top 25 teams opting for cupcake games to start the season, this was a pretty straightforward ballot.
Tennessee, Villanova and Oregon all lost in shocking fashion. The Ducks were not in my preseason Top 25, so their loss to UC Irvine did not impact my ballot.
The Vols and Wildcats had similarly ugly losses. Villanova fell to Temple, who had just lost to Wagner (No. 261 Kenpom). Tennessee got smoked by Colorado, who was coming off a loss to Grambling State (No. 298). While UT's dreadful offensive numbers are of greater concern to me than 'Nova losing a close game to a Big 5 opponent, both do not appear on my ballot this week.
Tuesday night will be headlined by the Champions Classic featuring Kentucky vs. Michigan State and Duke vs. Kansas, but Memphis-Saint Louis is worth a watch. With two of the most experienced teams in college basketball and two excellent backcourts, this game will be one of the more intriguing contests of the non-conference season.
MY AP TOP 25 BALLOT:
1. North Carolina
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
5. Baylor
6. Creighton
7. Duke
8. Kansas
9. Arkansas
10. UCLA
11. Texas
12. Indiana
13. Auburn
14. TCU
15. San Diego State
16. Arizona
17. Virginia
18. Texas A&M
19. Dayton
20. UConn
21. Illinois
22. Alabama
23. Michigan
24. Texas Tech
25. Saint Louis
IN THE MIX:
Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Seton Hall, Xavier, Memphis, Iowa, Miami, Saint Mary's