Inside the AP Top 25 poll

Some quick impressions on the just-released Associated Press Top 25 poll:

- As expected, no teams from Virginia received even one vote. We'd like to argue, but at this point, we really can't.

- The ACC has five schools in the poll; only the Big East (7) has more. Miami (7), Duke (8), Maryland (11) and Georgia Tech (14) are all among the Top 14.

- No disrespect to North Carolina (No. 20) and Texas (24), but we're not sure these schools didn't make this cut more because of habit than actual merit.

- Same with UCLA, which lost its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer to a ruptured Achilles tendon, is adjusting to a new coach and was picked to finish fourth in its own conference. Yet the Bruins still check in at No. 22 in this poll, second to Stanford among Pac-12 teams.

- All 25 teams are from BCS conferences. The first of the so-called mid-majors among others receiving votes is Gonzaga, followed by Green Bay, Xavier, Dayton, Marist, Temple, Oral Roberts and Delaware. Not sure why Xavier is in there - the Musketeers were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 but received more support in this poll than any other team in the conference.

- Delaware's lone nod was a No. 25 pick from Deb Antonelli of Fox Sports. The Blue Hens are the only CAA team to receive a mention.

- The lone AP voter from Virginia is Katrina Waugh of the Roanoke Times. Her preseason ballot is as follows:

1. Notre Dame; 2. UConn; 3. Baylor; 4. Stanford; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Tennessee; 7. Miami; 8. Duke; 9. DePaul; 10. Georgetown; 11. Maryland; 12. Rutgers; 13. Gonzaga; 14. Green Bay; 15. North Carolina; 16. UCLA; 17. Oklahoma; 18. Ohio State; 19. Michigan State; 20. Louisville; 21. Florida State; 22. St. John's; 23. Kentucky; 24. Georgia; 25. Penn State.

- Use this link to follow the ballots of all AP voters throughout the season.


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