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Feast Week always leads to a shakeup. With most teams playing two or three games against quality competition, there’s bound to be some differences in opinion, and this year, that was especially the case.
When the dust settled, Gonzaga’s three wins at the Advocare Invitational was enough to put the Bulldogs narrowly ahead of Saint Mary’s for the top spot.
While all our ballots looked pretty similar in the top seven or eight spots, after that, there wasn’t much we could agree on.
Some punished Northern Iowa severely for losing to Xavier twice, while others acknowledged that the Musketeers are one of the best teams in the country and limited the punishment. BYU, which also lost twice, was a similar subject of disagreement. Ultimately, both teams fell, though neither outside of the top 12.
Then there’s the “also receiving votes” category, where the eight of us listed 27 different teams that did not make the cut. Hopefully over the next couple weeks, as teams build up their resumes, the picture will become clearer.
Until then...enjoy!
Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga (6) | 6-0 | 2 | 198 |
| 2 | Saint Mary’s (2) | 5-0 | 1 | 194 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 5-1 | 3 | 181 |
| 4 | Wichita State | 5-2 | 4 | 170 |
| 5 | VCU | 5-1 | 5 | 164 |
| 6 | Dayton | 4-2 | 7 | 153 |
| 7 | Valparaiso | 6-1 | 9 | 143 |
| 8 | Davidson | 4-1 | 10 | 116 |
| 9 | UNC Wilmington | 5-1 | 12 | 115 |
| 10 | San Diego State | 3-1 | 11 | 111 |
| 11 | BYU | 4-2 | 6 | 103 |
| 12 | Northern Iowa | 3-2 | 8 | 83 |
| 13 | Ohio | 4-0 | 15 | 78 |
| 14 | New Mexico | 4-2 | 13 | 56 |
| 15 | St. Bonaventure | 3-2 | 17 | 52 |
| 15 | Monmouth | 4-2 | 24 | 52 |
| 17 | Arkansas State | 6-1 | NR | 50 |
| 18 | Vermont | 6-2 | NR | 49 |
| 19 | Nevada | 5-2 | 20 | 45 |
| 20 | Richmond | 4-2 | NR | 41 |
| 21 | Florida Gulf Coast | 3-3 | 18 | 38 |
| 22 | East Tennessee State | 5-1 | NR | 35 |
| 23 | Princeton | 2-2 | 21 | 31 |
| 23 | Akron | 5-1 | NR | 31 |
| 25 | Tennessee State | 6-0 | NR | 30 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Chattanooga 27; Fort Wayne 27; Middle Tennessee 20; UT Arlington 19; Iona 17; Old Dominion 17; George Washington 15; Saint Joseph’s 14; Missouri State 12; Yale 11; Oakland 11; Illinois State 10; Portland 10; Grand Canyon 9; North Dakota State 8; North Dakota 8; Massachusetts 8; South Dakota 7; Little Rock 6; William & Mary 5; College of Charleston 5; Eastern Washington 4; Bakersfield 4; New Mexico State 3; Stephen F. Austin 2; Wright State 1; Fairfield 1. | ||||