Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has the Tigers in line to be ranked No. 1 if Tennessee stumbles. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- I apologize for using this line twice in three days but the preliminaries are over.

It's time for Winthrop, Brown and UTEP to disappear from the local men's college basketball schedules as everybody locks into conference play.

It's time to determine how many of the 11-2 records are legit and how many are built on creative scheduling. And not a minute too soon.

But first, my weekly ballot in the Associated Press men's college basketball Top 25 poll.

  1. Tennessee (12-0): It appears the Vols' SEC opener will be against John Calipari Saturday in Knoxville. Rick Barnes has always won his share against Cal.
  2. Auburn (11-1): Ken Pomeroy's formula has the Tigers going a dazzling 15-3 in a stacked SEC.
  3. Iowa State (10-1): The Cyclones start the Big 12 slog Monday night at Colorado.
  4. Duke (10-2): KenPom has the Blue Devils finishing 4 games ahead of the second-place teams in the punchless ACC.
  5. Alabama (11-2): With help from Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats has made the state of Alabama the heartbeat of SEC basketball.
  6. Florida (13-0): When was the last time that a 13-0 team opened SEC play against Kentucky in Rupp Arena?
  7. Kansas (9-2): The Jayhawks have a Top 10 defense but lack a Top 25 offense. Weird.
  8. Oklahoma (13-0): Despite their perfect record, the Sooners are likely to be underdogs in two (at Bama and at Georgia) of their first three SEC games.
  9. Houston (8-3): The Cougars open Big 12 play Monday night at Oklahoma State.
  10. UConn (10-3): The Huskies don't get Marquette or St. John's until February.
  11. Cincinnati (10-1): The Bearcats also open Big 12 play on the road with Kansas State.
  12. Kentucky (10-2): The Wildcats have had time to reflect on what went wrong against Ohio State.
  13. Oregon (12-1): Dana Altman always has the Ducks hanging around the Top 25.
  14. Marquette (11-2): Some people argue that Golden Eagles' wing Kam Jones is the best player in the country.
  15. Texas A&M (11-2): The Aggies have stacked quality wins over Ohio State, Texas Tech and Purdue.
  16. St. John's (11-2): Rick Pitino will start New Year's Even in Omaha with a Big East game against Creighton. Cheers!
  17. UCLA (11-2): Mick Cronin finally got that elusive first win over Gonzaga.
  18. Michigan State (10-2): The Spartans have won their last four by at least 17 points.
  19. Maryland (11-2): The Terps will get their trip to the West Coast over quickly by visiting Washington and Oregon this weekend.
  20. Illinois (9-3): The Illini will be on the same West Coast journey with the Terps.
  21. Mississippi State (11-1): Another solid SEC team with a Top 30 offense and defense.
  22. Baylor (8-3): The Bears have to visit Iowa State Saturday.
  23. Drake (12-0): The Bulldogs have wins over Miami, Vanderbilt and Kansas State.
  24. Michigan (10-3): The Wolverines flexed on Western Kentucky Sunday night.
  25. Memphis (10-3): The Tigers have wins over Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Clemson, Virginia and Ole Miss.

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