So....What are we ranked on Monday - 1/6/2025?

[Scoop Snoop]

You know, I really love this comment. To me this shows that Shaka really knows what he wants. He is going to play the way he thinks is best and is confident in who he is recruiting. And he is focusing primarily on player development, which I think if it is done well, is going to give MU a huge edge down the road.

Exactly! Really nice post Sultan. We may stumble sometimes, but let's stay focused on the points made here. Patience. Shaka has us looking really good this season and our future is bright.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

You can't trust the AP to correctly report on the AP Top 25.

Hope we don't get pushed out after the weekly erroneous-pull-down adjustments!

"Journalists" are better at polls.

[NCMUFan]

Congrats to the team for breaking the top 25.
Now can we keep it?

[Daniel]

Last year at this t8me 4 Big East teams ranked, but not MU.   We were not even receiving votes.  So. . . At his at 24 is cool

[mileskishnish72]

Last year at this t8me 4 Big East teams ranked, but not MU.   We were not even receiving votes.  So. . . At his at 24 is cool

Yeah, Dan, but then we were ranked  -  and it was the kiss of death.

But that was that team and not this one. This team seems ascendant - I don't think making the AP is going to stifle them. If we can beat PC
and hold serve vs. SHU it will give these guys some swagger going to Nova 12/31. If last year's team could beat them, why not this years?

Warriors.

[MU24]

Its bonkers how WI is ranked so high.

[JWags85]

Its bonkers how WI is ranked so high.

Their best win is Marquette.  I guess they are getting a lot of credit for a Maryland win that looks a lot less impressive these days

[Daniel]

Yeah, Dan, but then we were ranked  -  and it was the kiss of death.

But that was that team and not this one. This team seems ascendant - I don't think making the AP is going to stifle them. If we can beat PC
and hold serve vs. SHU it will give these guys some swagger going to Nova 12/31. If last year's team could beat them, why not this years?

Warriors.

I agree.   Providence game is a key to win to get this team moving forward in a big swagger way!  Go Marquette!   Will be tough one

[GoldenEagles03]

I agree.   Providence game is a key to win to get this team moving forward in a big swagger way!  Go Marquette!   Will be tough one

According to a PaintTouches conversation on Twitter, Marquette has never started 2-0 in Big East play in the realigned version of the Big East.  They've only won the 1st league game of the season 3 times counting this year.

[MU82]

I agree.   Providence game is a key to win to get this team moving forward in a big swagger way!  Go Marquette!   Will be tough one

The morning of every game we all here will think that game is "a key to win." And we all will be right.

[Daniel]

The morning of every game we all here will think that game is "a key to win." And we all will be right.

True!  The most important game of the year is the next one haha

[4everwarriors]

Dat didant last long, aina?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Dat didant last long, aina?

Quicker than Rico with a fleshlight, aina?

[NCMUFan]

Dat didant last long, aina?

Such is life at a rank of 24 or 25.

[Scoop Snoop]

How are the voters in the AP and also the UPI/Coach's poll selected? The "Wisconsin chick" (as one scooper dubbed her) was the worst screwup that I have ever seen in the polling, but there have been other AP voters with some weird votes. I believe that the publications are selected and whoever they assign to cover bball gets to vote, but if so, how are the publications selected and by whom?

The same with the coaches who are voters-how are they chosen?

My guess is that, despite the MVSU fiasco and the occasional voters who make some strange choices, there are plenty of knowledgeable voters to assure that the polls are fairly solid. 

[Newsdreams]

How are the voters in the AP and also the UPI/Coach's poll selected? The "Wisconsin chick" (as one scooper dubbed her) was the worst screwup that I have ever seen in the polling, but there have been other AP voters with some weird votes. I believe that the publications are selected and whoever they assign to cover bball gets to vote, but if so, how are the publications selected and by whom?

The same with the coaches who are voters-how are they chosen?

My guess is that, despite the MVSU fiasco and the occasional voters who make some strange choices, there are plenty of knowledgeable voters to assure that the polls are fairly solid.

Legendary JB is not just one Scooper...

[MU82]

How are the voters in the AP and also the UPI/Coach's poll selected? The "Wisconsin chick" (as one scooper dubbed her) was the worst screwup that I have ever seen in the polling, but there have been other AP voters with some weird votes. I believe that the publications are selected and whoever they assign to cover bball gets to vote, but if so, how are the publications selected and by whom?

The same with the coaches who are voters-how are they chosen?

My guess is that, despite the MVSU fiasco and the occasional voters who make some strange choices, there are plenty of knowledgeable voters to assure that the polls are fairly solid.

I'm no longer connected to this, so I can only tell you how AP voters used to be selected. I do think the process is similar today, but I don't know for certain.

There are a few voters who cover college basketball for national publication/sites. Otherwise, the voters are spread around the country so most regions are represented. Usually in each region it is a beat writer who covers a major program, but in some cases it is a columnist who covers a ton of college hoops.

The state of Wisconsin usually has received one voter, and I believe it has alternated annually between the person who covers UW-Madison and Marquette. So next season, Steele probably will have the vote - unless someone else replaces him as MU beat writer for the Journal Sentinel. Similar decisions are made in other states/regions.

In many regions, the same voter has been doing it for years. In others, the voter changes more due to staffing changes at various publications.

Most sportswriters take the assignment seriously. If AP has reason to believe that's not the case, it will take the vote away and assign it to someone else. That's pretty rare, though.

Obviously, they are human and can make mistakes such as accidentally voting for the wrong team. Also, as in any other pursuit, some will be better at it and/or put more time and effort into it than others.

[Scoop Snoop]

I'm no longer connected to this, so I can only tell you how AP voters used to be selected. I do think the process is similar today, but I don't know for certain.

There are a few voters who cover college basketball for national publication/sites. Otherwise, the voters are spread around the country so most regions are represented. Usually in each region it is a beat writer who covers a major program, but in some cases it is a columnist who covers a ton of college hoops.

The state of Wisconsin usually has received one voter, and I believe it has alternated annually between the person who covers UW-Madison and Marquette. So next season, Steele probably will have the vote - unless someone else replaces him as MU beat writer for the Journal Sentinel. Similar decisions are made in other states/regions.

In many regions, the same voter has been doing it for years. In others, the voter changes more due to staffing changes at various publications.

Most sportswriters take the assignment seriously. If AP has reason to believe that's not the case, it will take the vote away and assign it to someone else. That's pretty rare, though.

Obviously, they are human and can make mistakes such as accidentally voting for the wrong team. Also, as in any other pursuit, some will be better at it and/or put more time and effort into it than others.

Thanks! Great reply and very informative. With that said. one more question please. Who are the "powers that be" at AP who make the decisions you mentioned (well, actually you did not say that, but....) and how are they chosen?

[MU82]

Thanks! Great reply and very informative. With that said. one more question please. Who are the "powers that be" at AP who make the decisions you mentioned (well, actually you did not say that, but....) and how are they chosen?

AP used to have a college basketball editor based in New York. I think they now do it regionally; John Marshall in Phoenix and Aaron Beard in Raleigh both have "AP College Basketball Writer" bylines. But there still is an editor in NY who oversees college basketball and maybe some other sports -- as I said, I'm no longer in the loop so I'm just making my best estimations based on history. AP also has a sports editor, deputy sports editor and assistant sports editor, all based in NY. If it came to the attention of, say, one of the college basketball writers that a voter wasn't taking his or her assignment seriously, he would kick it up the chain; ultimately, the AP sports editor would likely make the call to take action.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking re how the "powers that be" are chosen. As in most other workplaces, there is usually a situation of moving up the chain. The sports editor leaves and the deputy sports editor is promoted, etc. A person is chosen to be a college basketball writer after years of showing proficiency covering the game. The two people I mentioned also cover other sports in their regions, but they spend more time with college basketball, they cover the NCAAT and Final Four, etc.

In the case of the Mississippi Valley State silliness, I'm disappointed that whoever tabulates the vote didn't catch that and contact the voter to get clarification. If it's now tabulated by computer, I'm still disappointed that whichever editor is responsible for actually putting the Top 25 on the AP wire didn't catch it before publication. There's even a mechanism for catching it after publication and issuing a correction. There were many backstops and, on that occasion, all of them apparently failed. Getting a vote wrong in a poll is not "important" in the grand scheme of things, but AP prides itself on accuracy, so that was unfortunate.

[Jay Bee]

"AP prides itself on accuracy, so that was unfortunate"

Lol. Many journalists are bad. The flippin AP article last week said MU was #23 when the poll had them at #24. Nothing special about those losers at the AP

[The Equalizer]

How are the voters in the AP and also the UPI/Coach's poll selected? The "Wisconsin chick" (as one scooper dubbed her) was the worst screwup that I have ever seen in the polling, but there have been other AP voters with some weird votes. I believe that the publications are selected and whoever they assign to cover bball gets to vote, but if so, how are the publications selected and by whom?

The same with the coaches who are voters-how are they chosen?

My guess is that, despite the MVSU fiasco and the occasional voters who make some strange choices, there are plenty of knowledgeable voters to assure that the polls are fairly solid.

I guess you weren't around when Majerus put Temple in the top 10 despite a 6-12 record at the time.

(Yes, I know it was technically an assistant that filled out Majerus' ballot--but it was still ultimately his responsibility).

[MU82]

"AP prides itself on accuracy, so that was unfortunate"

Lol. Many journalists are bad. The flippin AP article last week said MU was #23 when the poll had them at #24. Nothing special about those losers at the AP

Flipping (or at least flippin'), not flippin.

It, not them.

Period at the end of a sentence.

[tower912]

Others receiving vote. 

[Scoop Snoop]

I guess you weren't around when Majerus put Temple in the top 10 despite a 6-12 record at the time.

(Yes, I know it was technically an assistant that filled out Majerus' ballot--but it was still ultimately his responsibility).

Wow! Maybe the assistant was really upset with Majerus and had another job lined up. What a great way to make your boss look like a total idiot. And maybe I should not have used teal.

[Scoop Snoop]

Thanks again 82.

While we are on the subject, does anyone know how the coaches are chosen who vote in the UPI poll? I'm guessing basically the same way as the AP, but is there a rotation system of some sort? Perhaps they have a vote for x number of years?