TSL5_CBB's Week 2 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | KU is off to a great start to the season, picking up a good opening night win vs Howard and beating UNC in a shootout. Zeke Mayo has been an impressive scorer and depth piece so far. |
| 2 | Alabama | Bama also starts with a big win over UNC Asheville, and then Arkansas State gave them a solid fight but the Tide look like a team that can execute and finish games. |
| 3 | UConn | UCONN doesn't really play anyone the first 4 games of the season, which could affect them in the next ranking or so, but not this rankings, they have looked really good so far. |
| 4 | Gonzaga | Definitely an argument for Gonzaga to be the best team in CBB right now, but I am going off of the 1 game as of making my poll, so hopefully they looked good against ASU today. |
| 5 | Duke | No truly tough games so far for the Blue Devils, but they get Kentucky on Tuesday in the Champions Classic, would be a statement win for either side and I think it will be a solid game. |
| 6 | Auburn | In saying the same for the Zags, there is good reason for the Tigers to challenge the #1 spot, as they dismantled Vermont by 51, and beat Houston on a neutral floor in a game with a postseason feel. |
| 7 | Houston | Houston will drop for the loss, but they are still one of the best teams in the country. Their style is unique and hard to stop and they were just matched in intensity by a really good Auburn team. |
| 8 | Iowa State | The Cyclones drop due to really not playing any games, they beat MVSU handily, but they haven't proven anything so far. |
| 9 | Purdue | Purdue looked good against NKU after a shaky start against TAMU-CC, no reason to move them up or down. |
| 10 | Tennessee | Tennessee was physically imposing against a perimeter-oriented Louisville team as they went out on the road and forced the Cards to only put up 55 points. |
| 11 | Arizona | Arizona still looks really good offensively with Caleb Love, Trey Townsend, and Jaden Bradley. Their next 2 games are going to be interesting though playing at Wisconsin and then against Duke. |
| 12 | Baylor | Baylor splits their first 2 matchups, arguably 2 of their 3 or 4 toughest games of the year right out of the gate. So I think Baylor is still a really good team, I'll say I think Gonzaga is better. |
| 13 | North Carolina | UNC put up a fight against Kansas, and I didn't really expect it to come down to the final shot, but I still think rebounding will be a major problem for this team and I think they could lose more. |
| 14 | Indiana | Indiana looks good, they'll face their first Power 5 opponent South Carolina this upcoming week. |
| 15 | Florida | Florida can score in a lot different ways, and I think it'll translate into winning in a lot of ways, they won't always need Clayton to score, their backcourt is dangerous. |
| 16 | Creighton | Ryan Kalkbrenner might be the best CBB player currently. You don't just put up 49 on anybody, it is Zach Edey-like. |
| 17 | Texas Tech | Absolutely underrated team, they get wins and they compete, and I'd probably say there is an absolutely realistic shot they are in my top 10 by conference play at the tail end of December. |
| 18 | Kentucky | There is a good chance there will be a lot of points in Atlanta Tuesday night. Kentucky has scored 100+ in both of their 2 games, and an absolute abundance of scorers and guys who excel in their roles |
| 19 | Texas | It isn't really ideal for Texas to be in this spot, but the loss of Tramon Mark is absolutely prevalent and it needs to be magnified. However, Jordan Pope needs to play better, very underwhelming. |
| 20 | Ohio State | I'd say it's going pretty good for the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton played well and they had 33 bench points in their win over Texas in Vegas. |
| 21 | BYU | Egor Demin is so good, it's actually unbelievable. The big tandem of Keita and Traore is also something to note. |
| 22 | Cincinnati | Nothing much to talk about Cincy except for the Big blowout wins. |
| 23 | Ole Miss | I think a lot of people might be scared off by Ole Miss, but they were able to execute defensively to seal the win against Grambling, sometimes you have to win tough games and test yourself. |
| 24 | Illinois | No questions now, these freshmen have come to play and Illinois looks scary right now. |
| 25 | Oregon | After seeing BYU close with UC Riverside, there isn't any doubt that Oregon is capable of being a top 25 team, they even shut down a Big Sky favorite Montana by 31. |
Overall Rationale
Dayton is now just outside in my top 10 teams just outside but my top 5 out are: Miami (FL), Mississippi St, St. John's, UCF, and Rutgers.