Live-blogging the Week #12 BlogPoll Top 25 vote

Time to submit the BlogPoll Top 25 Vote for this week! So here is how I am voting:

#1: Toss-up: Memphis or Kansas? Kansas or Memphis? Since I don't see any difference, I'll just give Memphis the #1 this week, and Kansas #2.

#3: UCLA: The fact that they are hard to beat gives the edge over the Tobacco Road which follows. UNC leads Duke because they are a better team with inside and out game, versus the Dookies with inside and sideline game:)

But Georgetown is ahead of the Tobacco road duo as well. Why? Because just like UCLA, Georgetown can win games during the last four minutes.

Tennessee takes the #7 spot, simply because I can't find a team to put ahead of them. The #8 spot is a three-way battle between Butler, Michigan State and Washington State. Throw them in a hat, and ... pull them out!

At #11, we give the mid-majors some love. People are singing the praises of Drake, and their record looks good given that they don't have the scheduling luxuries of a BCS team. Four road wins in the Valley of Darkness. I haven't watched them play which is probably why they are ranked high :)

The run and gun duo of Texas and Arizona continues, with Texas being all over the place, and we have to average them somewhere in-between, while Arizona played like a top 10 team twice this week. But they need to deliver more quality games and wins before they move in the top 10.

From here on, things are even messier. Let's see how to sort them out. Indiana's home loss to the UConn Minus Two Huskies makes them look a lot worse because they haven't beaten any team in the RPI top 40 (best wins: @ Southern Illinois, Illinois State, @ Minn). Given EG, DJ White, and that I can't find any other team to put here, Indiana gets the #14 but walking on eggshells.

#15 we have probably the craziest team of the year: Xavier. They win big and lose big. Where do you rank them? Some will say too high, others would say too low. This is crazy. Ultimately, their strong RPI numbers, including five top 50 wins, get them this spot.

Next up, St Mary's at #16, Marquette at #17, Ole Miss at #18, Oklahoma at #19 (four top 50 wins). Looks like St Mary's lost! Given the softness of the WCC schedule, they should be "punished" for the loss. So everyone shifts up one spot, and St. Mary's goes to #21.

Then another team that is better than its record, USC, with OJ Mayonthal and crew, at #20, with Stanford at #21.

Then, desperately looking for teams to put in the top 25, Vandy is at #22, and Oregon may seem a crazy or wild, but if you watched the games, you have seen that they are a good team and a match up nightmare. The record alone does not tell the whole story. Had it not been for the Hairston injury they could have swept both SoCals.

At #24, we give mid-majors some love and pick Kent State, sight unseen, based on their record.

And at #25, we have an even harder time picking a team out of the mess! If South Alabama had beaten a team in the top 99, then I would give them consideration. Tempted to pick Georgia Tech - they are now able to play well and win on the road. How about UConn? Okay, enough, Michael Beasley wins out and gets Kansas State the #25 :) I could pick about 50 different teams in this spot!