I don’t love the “body of work” approach to poll voting in college basketball. Most teams change directions, trend in different ways — whatever you want to call it — during a season before revealing their true selves. It’s the nature of sports. Broadly speaking, I try to vote according to how teams are playing. If nothing else, it guides a lot of my decisions further down my ballot.
Here’s an example: The new AP Top 25 poll still has Villanova ranked ahead of Big East rival Marquette — and the metrics back that up — but I have it the other way. Why? Because the Golden Eagles have won eight of their last nine in a very tough league, the only loss coming by a bucket at first-place Providence and two of the eight wins coming at the expense of — wait for it — Villanova.
