Pete Iorizzo, Albany Times Union - I voted Memphis No. 2 every week this season … until this past one

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Memphis stays at No. 2 in AP Poll
January 1, 2008 at 6:11 pm by Pete Iorizzo, Staff writer

I tried.

I voted Memphis No. 2 every week this season … until this past one. The Tigers body of work is now way too impressive to ignore. They were the No. 1 team on my Associated Press Poll ballot this week.

So I gave Siena a shot to face the No. 1 team in the land.

It didn’t work.

Memphis stayed No. 2 in the poll.

Still, the Saints face quite a challenge, to say the least.

Consider Memphis’ big victories: At Oklahoma, at Connecticut, USC on a neutral court, at Cincinnati, Georgetown and Arizona.

Don’t get me wrong — North Carolina is good. But the Tar Heels haven’t played that kind of schedule yet. Its best wins are at Davidson, at Ohio State and at Kentucky.

I might swing back Carolina’s way when ACC play starts. But for now, I’m rewarding the team that’s played the better schedule.

Here’s the poll, followed by my ballot:

AP Top 25

1. North Carolina (45)
2. Memphis (26)
3. Kansas (1)
4. Washington State
5. UCLA
6. Michigan State
7. Georgetown
8. Tennessee
9. Duke
10. Marquette
11. Indiana
12. Texas A&M
13. Pittsburgh
14. Texas
15. Vanderbilt
16. Butler
17. Villanova
18. Mississippi
19. Clemson
20. Dayton
21. Arizona
22. USC
23. Rhode Island
24. Stanford
25. Wisconsin

Others Receiving Votes
Saint Mary’s 85, Miami (FL) 59, Oklahoma 46, Brigham Young 27, Baylor 19, West Virginia 15, Xavier 11, Virginia 11, Houston 10, Massachusetts 8, Drake 8, Arizona State 6, Gonzaga 5, Notre Dame 3, Oregon 3, Florida 2, Louisville 1, New Mexico 1, Sam Houston State 1.

Pete’s ballot

1. Memphis
2. North Carolina
3. Kansas
4. UCLA
5. Georgetown
6. Michigan State
7. Washington State
8. Duke
9. Tennessee
10. Pittsburgh
11. Marquette
12. Indiana
13. Texas A&M
14. Butler
15. Texas
16. Villanova
17. Arizona
18. Vanderbilt
19. Clemson
20. Dayton
21. USC
22. Mississippi
23. Stanford
24. Rhode Island
25. Saint Mary’s