Predicting AP Top 5 as of Monday 2/10

[ABtheVolsfan92]

My brother, Auburn has 12 Q1 wins this year. We're second in that category with 8. There's no way they should be ranked fourth.

it's not what have you done for me all season it's what have you done for me lately. And their latest performance was getting their ass kicked by a Florida team without Alijah Martin

 

[Mikevol1964]

I was honestly shocked when we went from 8 to 4 after going 1-1. I am not going to cry about Florida passing us and us not passing Duke. Keep winning and we will get a 1 seed. Drop more than a couple more and we won't.

Don’t bring logic into this I want to be pissed off that we dropped after two big wins

 

[connor]

So duke loses to unranked Clemson drops 1 spot unbelievable

yeah they lose to unranked Clemson and still are in the top 3… all you can do is laugh at this point

 

[omghulkhands]

What is that? 74 weeks in a row now we’ve been ranked?

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

yeah they lose to unranked Clemson and still are in the top 3… all you can do is laugh at this point

Clemson is #30 Net, 19-5 ( 12-2 ) and just behind Duke in the ACC standings. With that win against Duke they have now snuck back in the top 25 (#23). They aren’t a horrible team perse. Duke loss to Clemson was close, too.
Couple of not great losses by Clemson tho, and only big wins are Duke and Kensucky.
That said, if that would have been us we'd probably have dropped.
Only reason we took that favorable jump from 8 to 4 was because all the top 10 losses and they didn't have anyone else they wanted to hype that week.

 

[ThatVolGuy]

it's not what have you done for me all season it's what have you done for me lately. And their latest performance was getting their ass kicked by a Florida team without Alijah Martin

Says who?

 

[Ghost of Archvol]

Swing and a miss.

Me too. I know nothing obviously.

 

[cncchris33]

it's not what have you done for me all season it's what have you done for me lately. And their latest performance was getting their ass kicked by a Florida team without Alijah Martin

I get that might be your perception of how some voters comport themselves, but where is that rigid belief written in any sort of voters guide? This is especially true when we are ¾ of the way thru the season. Bodies of work start to matter and wild swings in voting are less likely in February than in November and December.

 

[Power_Sweep_Vol]

Really what does any of it matter? Zip

 

[VolCalls]

AP has their favorites and they never seem to hide it.
View attachment 720980

Vols went 2-0 top 15 win and blowout road win
Houston went 2-0 and one was a road win

Somehow though even with Auburn going 1-1 & Duke going 1-1 both teams were dropped a spot...

We did get a first-place vote.

 

[VolCalls]

Really what does any of it matter? Zip

Correct. What matters is this Saturday when the Selection Committee releases their top 16 teams at the moment. Then we’ll know where we currently stand.

 

[volfaninbuckeyeland]

I don't think we are moving back after going 2-0 during the week.

I just didn't think that a 3 loss Duke team would drop behind a 4 loss Tn team, regardless of the 2 most recent wins. I hesitated to list Bama as #1, but I reasoned that enough voters might think they were deserving. As we all know, there's a lot of basketball to be played, and Auburn and Bama have to play each other twice. If the Vols can hold serve down the stretch, I believe a #1 seed is a very real possibility. I have to admit that after the blowout loss to Fla and the back to back losses, this team has really surprised me with their incredible success since. I even posted that I thought the "Theme From the Magnificent 7" should be played over the house system as a tribute after their magnificent, albeit shorthanded, beatdown of the Gators! What a time to be a Vols' fan! I enjoy grinning so much more than groaning!!

 

[VolGee4]

I just didn't think that a 3 loss Duke team would drop behind a 4 loss Tn team, regardless of the 2 most recent wins. I hesitated to list Bama as #1, but I reasoned that enough voters might think they were deserving. As we all know, there's a lot of basketball to be played, and Auburn and Bama have to play each other twice. If the Vols can hold serve down the stretch, I believe a #1 seed is a very real possibility. I have to admit that after the blowout loss to Fla and the back to back losses, this team has really surprised me with their incredible success since. I even posted that I thought the "Theme From the Magnificent 7" should be played over the house system as a tribute after their magnificent, albeit shorthanded, beatdown of the Gators! What a time to be a Vols' fan! I enjoy grinning so much more than groaning!!

You were correct. Duke is just a media darling. Regardless of the number of losses, we are 8-4 in Q1 games while they are 5-3.

 

[cncchris33]

You were correct. Duke is just a media darling. Regardless of the number of losses, we are 8-4 in Q1 games while they are 5-3.

And that really is the major issue at play. If Clemson were #2 and had the exact same résumé as Duke and lost on the road to say, Louisville, they'd have gotten torpedoed in the rankings. Duke is really good, and truthfully is probably a top-4 team, but the double standard really is laughable.

 

[kckempf]

Something that's getting to me is voters like Bob Ballou who flipped us with St. John's after they beat Marquette and UConn. He in particular amuses me because he has Missouri ranked above us last week and is unimpressed with what he considered an upset.

 

[Lefteye]

I just didn't think that a 3 loss Duke team would drop behind a 4 loss Tn team, regardless of the 2 most recent wins. I hesitated to list Bama as #1, but I reasoned that enough voters might think they were deserving. As we all know, there's a lot of basketball to be played, and Auburn and Bama have to play each other twice. If the Vols can hold serve down the stretch, I believe a #1 seed is a very real possibility. I have to admit that after the blowout loss to Fla and the back to back losses, this team has really surprised me with their incredible success since. I even posted that I thought the "Theme From the Magnificent 7" should be played over the house system as a tribute after their magnificent, albeit shorthanded, beatdown of the Gators! What a time to be a Vols' fan! I enjoy grinning so much more than groaning!!

good stuff at the end. lol

 

[johnboyhunter]

Lot of shake up still possible

Bama has the hardest remaining schedule with based on current rankings 4 Top 5 matchups.

Florida @ Bama may be the only thing really tripping them up.

We need to go 5-2 with remaining games.

VOLS
- @Ky , 15
- CANDY
- @TAM , 8
- @lsu
- BAMA, 2
-@Ole Piss, 19
-USCjr

GATORS
-@MISS ST, 22
-USCjr
-OK
-@LSU
-@GA
-TAM, 8
-@BAMA, 2
-Ole Piss, 19

BAMA
-TExas
-Auburn, 1
-@-Mizo, 21
-KY, 15
-MISS ST, 22
-@VOLS, 5
-Florida , 3
-@Auburn, 1
Play 1 x 2, 3, 5 = 4 top 5 matchups remaining.

 

[JMSqb11]

They wanted Auburn and Bama 1 vs 2. I’m shocked Duke didn’t drop outside the top 4 and let Florida and Tennessee move up. Maybe we would be #4 instead of Florida had we beat them by 31!

 

[Boca Vol]

Just stay relevant. That's all that matters. No one will remember who was ranked where a month from now....

 

[GBO18]

Lot of shake up still possible

Bama has the hardest remaining schedule with based on current rankings 4 Top 5 matchups.

Florida @ Bama may be the only thing really tripping them up.

We need to go 5-2 with remaining games.

VOLS
- @Ky , 15
- CANDY
- @TAM , 8
- @lsu
- BAMA, 2
-@Ole Piss, 19
-USCjr

GATORS
-@MISS ST, 22
-USCjr
-OK
-@LSU
-@GA
-TAM, 8
-@BAMA, 2
-Ole Piss, 19

BAMA
-TExas
-Auburn, 1
-@-Mizo, 21
-KY, 15
-MISS ST, 22
-@VOLS, 5
-Florida , 3
-@Auburn, 1
Play 1 x 2, 3, 5 = 4 top 5 matchups remaining.

Dang. Bama has a brutal schedule. Could easily lose 3 in a row during that stretch.

 

[pimo1]

I get the coaches poll the AP poll makes no sense.. I sort of get Them putting Florida above us since we split the series with them and they beat Auburn who beat us. I do not get them both having Florida jump us and Duke not drop behind us. Duke lost to a freaking unranked team (in the AP, ranked 21 in coaches) yes it was on the road. I get one or the other but not both.. Either Duke drops behind us or Florida jumps us not both. We had a week where we beat top15 team and won on the road. Duke hasn't played a ranked team since Auburn in I think week 5? UT has played 8 and all our single unranked loss was at least to a rival.

The messed up part is Duke does not have a single ranked team left on its schedule. They are about to Boise State themselves into a 1 seed AND the number 1 ranking by end of season. Bama and Auburn will take at least 1 loss (they play each other twice) plus both play other ranked SEC teams on the road. UT and Florida will both take at least 1 more loss likely. So Duke can end up playing a weaksauce schedule in a weaksauce league (this year at least the ACC sucks) and still end up with only 3 losses. It's sick. I get its not their fault the ACC sucks this year but dang.

 

[VolCalls]

You were correct. Duke is just a media darling. Regardless of the number of losses, we are 8-4 in Q1 games while they are 5-3.

They do have a win over Auburn.

 

[AllMidSouth65]

Whether it is ESPN or AP or any other media pollDuke is golden child as I said the other day. Never underestimate the arrogance of the Duke fandom or Duke-biased media.

 

[Lefteye]

I get the coaches poll the AP poll makes no sense.. I sort of get Them putting Florida above us since we split the series with them and they beat Auburn who beat us. I do not get them both having Florida jump us and Duke not drop behind us. Duke lost to a freaking unranked team (in the AP, ranked 21 in coaches) yes it was on the road. I get one or the other but not both.. Either Duke drops behind us or Florida jumps us not both. We had a week where we beat top15 team and won on the road. Duke hasn't played a ranked team since Auburn in I think week 5? UT has played 8 and all our single unranked loss was at least to a rival.

The messed up part is Duke does not have a single ranked team left on its schedule. They are about to Boise State themselves into a 1 seed AND the number 1 ranking by end of season. Bama and Auburn will take at least 1 loss (they play each other twice) plus both play other ranked SEC teams on the road. UT and Florida will both take at least 1 more loss likely. So Duke can end up playing a weaksauce schedule in a weaksauce league (this year at least the ACC sucks) and still end up with only 3 losses. It's sick. I get its not their fault the ACC sucks this year but dang.

Your surprise surprises me. Blue blood w the best player in the country, down conference year or not, isn’t taking much of a hit against the second best team in that conference on, especially the road.

 

[hUTch2002]

Nothing will come easy in Rupp, we may win, but it will be close. Dont see the line being more than 3. We will have to guard the 3 point shot better this time around. But it is safe to say we will not shoot 45 3s this time around. They got Butler back which will help them defensively some, but we gotta go down hill and make them defend the rim. Should be a great game tomorrow night in Rupp. Hope we get a good whistle tomorrow night. The joint will be jumping they really want to sweep our butt.

Agreed they’ll put up a fight but if we attack inside it’ll open up the outside shots and if we stick around 20 good 3s we will shoot well. We do need to avoid the occasional defensive lapses we had the first half last game, which led to some open 3s. The second half they stopped shooting 3s. I do think our legs were a little tired from the Auburn game but that could just be me looking for an excuse. I say we win by 14. 78-64.

Edit: I sure wouldn’t count on a favorable whistle.