Before we get into the Power Poll, let’s start with this fact. There was no requirement that Rutgers had to be dropped off of everyone’s ballot because the Scarlet Knights lost to Fairleigh Dickinson. The voters’ only charge is to pick the teams that are playing the best given their recent body of work. Of course, losing to FDU might hurt those qualifications as well.
Thus, Rutgers, which was ranked fifth in last week’s poll, is nowhere to be found this week. Instead two mid-majors – Iona and Wagner – made big gains in the rankings. The Gaels of course crushed George Mason on Saturday. They don’t play again until Sunday at Florida Gulf Coast. So there’s some time to relax and celebrate. Wagner has been playing quite often lately – and winning – until last night when the Seahawks fell to St. Bonaventure in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase. Still, there’s an argument to be made that the Bonnies would be ranked fifth or sixth in this poll, so that’s not a bad loss by any stretch.
Enough of the babbling though. Let’s get onto the rankings. Note that there are ties at the top and the bottom of these rankings, but I have no good way of designating it:
- St. John’s – 56 points (3 first place votes)
- Stony Brook – 56 points (3)
- Seton Hall – 45 points
- Iona – 40 points
- Wagner – 37 points
- Manhattan – 32 points
- Fordham – 25 points
- St. Francis Brooklyn – 14 points
- Quinnipiac – 12 points
- Columbia – 6 points
- Princeton – 6 points
Dropped Out: Rutgers
Also receiving votes: Hofstra (1 point)
Note that the first team not to appear on all six writers’ ballots was St. Francis Brooklyn. The Thanksgiving holiday could mean very little movement in these rankings next week, but you never know what’s going to happen in the world of New York area college basketball.
NYC Buckets Archive 
St. Francis Brooklyn had no major upsets or near upsets this past week, so they apparently fall from grace on some ballots. The fact that they’re playing a Div III school this week is not going to help, although a solid win against Stony Brook would go a long way in convincing the skeptics.
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If the Terriers beat Stony Brook there will definitely be a shakeup in the rankings. Right now I feel like the play on the court is about establishing tiers and then conference play, when a lot of these teams play each other, will help us really figure out how to rank teams.
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Are the Terriers legit yet? Another tough win on the road should speak volumes. Jalen Cannon and Wayne Martin could very well be the toughest matchup duo in the Met area.
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I agree, Wagner’s loss to Bonnies was a “good” loss. They were the better team for a majority of the game. Their poor first 10 minutes is what set them up to lose, plus the fact that Bonnies shot 65% in the first half.
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Moody is a beast though. Wagner needs to keep giving him a lot of minutes and working the ball to him down low.
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I wholeheartedly agree, which is why he’s on my NEC Fantasy Basketball team. He needs to just do his part and stay out of foul trouble.
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Look for Iona to continue to rise. Scoring is no problem for the Gaels, but the real story is their defense. Huge improvement in Iona’s D this season. Iona has been the most consistent of all NY area programs the last 3 years, and has had the most success. That will continue.
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