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Less than a month ago, people wanted to bury VCU’s at-large chances. That loss at Rhode Island sent the Rams to 4-2 in a bad Atlantic 10 with two sub-100 losses overall.
Only VCU hasn’t lost since then and has played its way back into the projected NCAA Tournament field as the strongest 11 seed per Bracket Matrix. A narrow win at Dayton on Saturday has also put the Rams into the top 10 of The Other Top 25 and, slightly less importantly, into a tie for first in the A-10.
Murray State joins VCU in the top 10, up from 14 last week. The Racers continue to take care of business the Ohio Valley and will run the table in February barring a bizarre upset. We all dream of an OVC semifinal of Belmont, Jacksonville State, Murray State, and Austin Peay.
Here’s the full The Other Top 25, where, surprisingly, no new teams joined the poll. That’s what happens when teams in the 20s all win, I guess.
The Other Top 25 Week 18
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK | POINTS |
| 1 | Gonzaga (13) | 28-2 | 1 | 325 |
| 2 | Wofford | 28-4 | 2 | 307 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 28-3 | 3 | 298 |
| 4 | Nevada | 28-3 | 4 | 289 |
| 5 | Murray State | 27-4 | 9 | 251 |
| 6 | VCU | 25-6 | 6 | 247 |
| 7 | Utah State | 25-6 | 7 | 238 |
| 8 | Belmont | 26-5 | 5 | 230 |
| 8 | New Mexico State | 27-4 | 8 | 230 |
| 10 | UNC Greensboro | 28-5 | 12 | 204 |
| 11 | UC Irvine | 27-5 | 13 | 173 |
| 12 | Lipscomb | 25-7 | 10 | 165 |
| 13 | Davidson | 23-8 | 15 | 141 |
| 14 | Liberty | 28-6 | 18 | 138 |
| 15 | Vermont | 25-6 | 17 | 135 |
| 16 | Furman | 25-7 | 14 | 122 |
| 17 | Toledo | 25-6 | 19 | 120 |
| 18 | Hofstra | 26-6 | 20 | 109 |
| 19 | South Dakota State | 24-8 | 11 | 93 |
| 20 | Fresno State | 22-8 | 22 | 70 |
| 21 | Dayton | 21-10 | 23 | 62 |
| 22 | Old Dominion | 23-8 | 15 | 42 |
| 23 | Saint Mary’s | 20-11 | 24 | 34 |
| 24 | East Tennessee State | 24-9 | 21 | 27 |
| 25 | Utah Valley | 23-8 | NR | 26 |
Also receiving votes: Montana 23, Dayton 22, Texas State 21, Charleston 20, Jacksonville State 15, Georgie State 13, Northern Kentucky 11, San Diego State 6, Drake 5, Northeastern 4, St. Francis PA 1, Norfolk State 1, Loyola University Chicago 1.