I’ve missed this ballot the past two weeks, and I’m not sure how you guys have managed to survive without it. Well I’m back and I’ve brought a couple new schools with me.
The two week absence can be mainly attributed to my trip to Charlottesville for the Duke/UVa game, a bonkers Super Bowl (where I had my final winner of the season, the 2H under…thanks to Seattle play calling), my Friday spent at the Dayton/GW game as well as a very hectic work schedule (no, posting once or twice a week in this space isn’t enough to pay a bill, let alone the bills).
Since we last met for this ballot, Virginia lost a game as well as Justin Anderson for the rest of the regular season, but are still the runaway #1 team in the Atlantic 11. VCU lost their stud guard Briante Weber for the season with a knee injury, as he was about to claim the all time NCAA steals record. Treveon Graham has also missed a few games, as the Rams try to hold on to first place in the A10.
Maryland, VCU, Georgetown and GW have all been uneven, however the first three will definitely be dancing; GW has some work to do and this weeks blowout loss to Duquesne didn’t help.
My alma mater ODU continues to circle the globe in C-USA play, where they inexplicably just played two games in three days in the state of Texas. I didn’t realize the Monarchs were now part of the NBA’s Southwest Division. The move to C-USA (and as a result move to D-1 for football) was a chance they couldn’t turn down, but I sure hope there is a grand plan to jump ship from that conference to a more geographically appropriate league. C-USA membership and travel is a huge disadvantage for all the other sports. By the way, I came across an interesting article about the top 10 MLB players who started their careers in college, you can check it out here https://bellyupsports.com/2023/03/top-10-mlb-players-who-started-their-careers-in-college/.
At the bottom of the poll, we say goodbye to American and Norfolk State and welcome two streaking teams, Radford and JMU.
Now, time to dust off the pith…onto the poll.
Every week, The DC Sports Bog (an online site managed by The Washington Post) will post their Atlantic 11, which comprises the top 11 D-1 college hoops teams within DC, Maryland and Virginia (27 in total, for those counting at home). This poll is conducted by a group of voters, myself included, who vote for their top 10. Every week, I’ll post my ballot here.
Even though it’s the “Atlantic 11″, they only ask the voters for their top 10 teams. Just in case anyone thought I was that poor at math.
1: Virginia: “The Cavaliers style is so boring”, said fans of 349 D-1 teams ranked below the Cavaliers.
Last Week: W at NC State, 51-47. W vs Wake Forest. 61-60
This Week: Pittsburgh, Florida State
2: Maryland: The Terps are so desperate for a rival in the B1G 10, they tried to convince the league commissioner that Duke is actually located in Sandusky, Ohio.
Last Week: W vs Indiana, 68-66. W at Penn State 73-70
This Week: Nebraska
3: VCU: One way of looking at their schedule this week is that VCU plays Saint Louis and UMass. Another way of looking at their schedule this week is that Gwar plays Nelly and Dinosaur Jr.
Last Week: L vs LaSalle, 74-69. W at George Washington, 79-66.
This Week: Saint Louis, UMass
4: Georgetown: Don’t miss Hispanic Appreciation Night at Verizon Center this Tuesday, when the Hoyas break out their “Jorgetown” jerseys.
Last Week: W at Seton Hall, 86-67.
This Week: St. John’s, DePaul
5: George Washington: GW students wear kimonos to games in honor of Japanese forward Yuta Watanabe. No khakis and government issued lanyards for Fairfax, VA native Kethan Savage?
Last Week: L at Duquesne, 78-62 L vs VCU, 79-66
This Week: Davidson, at Richmond
6: Old Dominion: One more C-USA road trip and the Monarchs will be eligible for free admission to the Admirals Club Lounge.
Last Week: L at UT-San Antonio, 72-67. L at UTEP, 62-47.
This Week: Southern Miss, La Tech
7: Richmond: The student section singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” during the Fordham game was a low point for college basketball student sections everywhere.
Last Week: W vs Fordham, 73-71. L at George Mason, 71-67 (OT)
This Week: at Saint Bonaventure, George Washington
8: William & Mary: Delaware became the first team to win at W&M this year. Their trick? Skipping pregame warmups and riding the Loch Ness Monster three times instead.
Last Week: W vs Elon, 77-58. L vs Delaware, 73-70.
This Week: At Northeastern, At Hofstra
9: JMU: Somewhere in North Carolina, a really disappointed kid was at JMU/Elon after he told his parents he wanted to go to the “Duke” game for his birthday.
Last Week: W at Delaware, 67-54. W at Elon, 86-75.
This Week: Drexel, College of Charleston
10: Radford: I’m guessing that “#2 team in Southwestern Virginia!” isn’t going to be a recruiting ploy for Buzz Williams.
Last Week: W vs Longwood, 80-75. W at Presbyterian, 62-56.
This Week: Coastal Carolina, at UNC-Asheville
