Some coach(es) out there think that the WKU Hilltoppers are for real, too. The Tops garnered three votes in the season's first ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, which was good for a 42nd place tie with Vanderbilt. The Tops sit just behind Miami-FL and just ahead of the group of two-vote teams (Cal, UNLV, Ohio, Utah State, and Oral Roberts). If the Tops can string together some early season wins, then they will not have to come from completely off the radar to crack the Top 25. While the real value of polls is minimal, it sure helps with exposure and name recognition.
It is also nice to see that the coaches recognize that George Washington and Nevada belong in the preseason Top 25. Old Dominion and Bucknell probably deserve more votes than they got.
Can't get enough of Top 25 polls? Head over to YOCO's rankings composite. See what a lot of the experts think.
My distaste for polls has been well-documented here, but in case you missed the unveiling of my preseason brackets, here were my top 6 seeds (or my "Top 24" if you prefer)
1 seeds: Duke, Texas, Michigan State, Villanova
2 seeds: UConn, Oklahoma, Boston College, Arizona
3 seeds: Gonzaga, Louisville, West Virginia, Kentucky
4 seeds: Stanford, Illinois, UCLA, Iowa
5 seeds: Washington, Memphis, Iowa State, Maryland
6 seeds: George Washington, Alabama, Nevada, Wisconsin
