finalfourcuse's Week 9 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | 1 of 2 undefeated teams and several convincing wins. |
| 2 | UConn | 1st loss of the season costs them the top spot. |
| 3 | Kansas | Looked very strong in December. Very well could repeat as champs. |
| 4 | Houston | Have rebounded since their loss to Bama. #1 on KenPom, BartTorvik and NET. |
| 5 | Arizona | Playing at a high level since the 12/1 loss to Utah. |
| 6 | UCLA | Close call against Wazzu but otherwise dominant for several weeks now. |
| 7 | Texas | Tested on the road at Oklahoma and came out on top. |
| 8 | Alabama | Convincing road win against Mississippi State. |
| 9 | Tennessee | Elite defensive numbers across the board. |
| 10 | Virginia | Entered the week set to face off against a pair of inferior and wiped the both out. |
| 11 | Gonzaga | Very few opportunities remaining for Gonzaga to improve their standing. |
| 12 | Miami (FL) | Several strong performances in the month of December. |
| 13 | New Mexico | The other undefeated team. The would be higher if not for the questionably poor schedule. |
| 14 | Duke | Xavier's win over Connecticut helps their resume, but the Blue Devils need to start helping themselves. |
| 15 | Saint Mary's | Losses to Washington and Colorado State don't help but the numbers don't lie. |
| 16 | Baylor | Down four spots after an embarrassing loss to Iowa State on the road. |
| 17 | Arkansas | A loss to LSU is not what the Razorbacks needed to start SEC play. |
| 18 | Charleston | Possibly vulnerable after overtime win vs Towson. |
| 19 | Xavier | New to the rankings after beating UConn. |
| 20 | Ohio State | Made easy work of Northwestern on the road. |
| 21 | TCU | After their bumpy start to the season TCU has been excellent. |
| 22 | Wisconsin | Only one game in the last several weeks. |
| 23 | Missouri | Recent wins have been very impressive. |
| 24 | Memphis | A loss to Tulane is not the way, but I'll hold onto them for now. |
| 25 | West Virginia | Just holding on after the Kansas State loss. |
Overall Rationale
Also Considered: Auburn, Kansas State, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Florida Atlantic, Illinois, LSU, Iowa State, Indiana, San Diego State, UAB, Marquette, Penn State, Maryland, Mississippi State, Utah State, Utah, Providence