This is the ninth and final installment of a regular column in which Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch explains his weekly AP Top 25 basketball ballot. Read here for his criteria and further explanation. Since the NCAA tournament selection committee revealed its own rankings of sorts on Sunday, an early look at the top 16 teams as they stand, the AP poll is no longer a relevant ranking, even as a discussion piece.
The NCAA tournament selection committee’s early evaluation of Michigan State’s basketball team was a jarring reminder of the flaws in the system.