www.roanoke.com

Last night I sent another Top 25 ballot off to The Associated Press.

I booted Creighton after its 0-2 week. Creighton has now lost three straight.

I evicted Miss. St. after its OT home loss to Georgia. Miss. State has lost two of its last four games.

I booted Southern Miss. after its loss to UAB.

I also kicked out Harvard after its loss to Princeton.

Here is my ballot:

1. Kentucky stays here after beating Florida and winning at Vandy. Next: Sat. vs. Ole Miss.

2. Syracuse stays here after beating Georgetown in OT and defeating UConn. Next: big game at Louisville tonight, and a Sunday visit to Rutgers.

3. Missouri moves up one spot after winning at Oklahoma and beating  Baylor. Next: Wed. vs. Oklahoma State and Sat. at Texas A&M.

4. Kansas moves up three spots after winning at Baylor and beating Oklahoma State. Next: tonight at Kan. State and Sat. vs. Texas Tech.

5. Duke moves up eight spots after winning at UNC and beating Maryland. Next: Thursday vs. N.C. State and Sunday at BC.

6. Mich. State  moves up six spots after beating Penn St. and winning at Ohio. St. Next: big game Thurs. vs. Wisconsin and a Sun. visit to Purdue.

7. North Carolina falls three spots after losing to Duke and beating UVa. Next: Wed. at Miami and Sat. vs. Clemson.

8. Ohio State falls five spots after beating Purdue and losing to Mich. State. Next: Tues. at Minn. and big game sat. at Michigan.

9. UNLV moves up eight spots after beating San Diego State. Next: Tues. at TCU and big game Sat. at New Mexico.

10. Baylor falls four spots after losing to Kansas and Missouri. Baylor has been swept by both teams. Next: good game tonight vs. Iowa State and Sat. vs. Kansas State.

11. Georgetown moves up four spots after losing at Syracuse in OT and beating St. John’s. Next: Sat. at Providence.

12. San Diego State moves up two spots after losing 65-63 at UNLV (teams like Georgetown and San Diego St. get  moved up because they had close losses to good teams and so many other teams lost last week). Next: big game Wed. vs. New Mexico and a Sat. game at Air Force.

13. Murray State falls five spots after losing to Tenn. St. and beating Austin Peay. Next: Wed. at Southeast Mo. State and a huge game in BracketBusters on Sat. vs. Saint Mary’s.

14. Saint Mary’s falls five spots after losing at Gonzaga and beating Santa Clara. Next: Wed. vs. Loyola Marymount and the big game Sat. at Murray State, where Dick Vitale will be courtside.

15. Florida State falls four spots after losing at BC and beating Miami. Next: Thursday at home vs. the Hokies, where I will be in attendance, and Sat. at N.C. State.

16. Missouri Valley leader Wichita State  cracks my ballot here after beating Northern Iowa and winning big at Creighton. Wichita State has the feel of a top 20 team to me after that good week. Gregg Marshall’s team has only lost four games and owns a Dec. win over UNLV. Next: Wed. vs. Missouri State and a Bracketbusters visit to dangerous Davidson on Sat.

17. Wisconsin moves up two spots after winning at Minn. in OT. Next: big game Thurs. at Mich. State and a Sun. game vs. Penn St.

18. Michigan moves up five spots after beating Nebraska and Illinois. Next: big game Sat. vs. the Buckeyes.

19. Notre Dame moves up five spots after winning at WVU and beating DePaul. Next: Wed. vs. Rutgers and Sat. at Villanova.

20. Marquette moves up five spots after beating DePaul and Cincinnati. Next: Sat. at UConn.

21. Gonzaga returns to my ballot here after beating Saint Mary’s (for a split in the season series) and Loyola Marymount. Next: Thurs. at Santa Clara and Sat. at San Francisco.

22. Florida falls 12 spots after losing by 20 at Kentucky and losing at home to Tenn. Bad week. Next: Tues. at Alabama and Sat. at dangerous Arkansas.

23. UVa falls three spots after beating Wake and losing at UNC. UVa starting to feel less and less like a Top 25 team and more and more like  just the fourth-best team in a ho-hum ACC. Next: Tues. at Clemson and Sat. vs. Maryland.

24. Indiana returns to my ballot here after beating Illinois. Indiana has won 3 of its last 4, so its week in the penalty box is over. Next: Wed. vs. Northwestern and Sunday at Iowa.

25. For this last spot, it was a toss-up between Louisville and Temple.

Louisville has won six in a row, including a good win Sat. at WVU. Louisville is in the AP Top 25 today for the 2nd straight week.

But I decided to wait one more week before putting Louisville back on my ballot — we’ll see how they do vs. Syracuse tonight.

Instead, I gave my No. 25 spot to a team that did not make today’s AP poll — A-10 leader Temple. The Owls have won eight in a row, including Saturday’s win over reeling Xavier, and own good nonleague wins over Duke and Wichita State. Next: Wed. at St. Bonaventure and Sat. vs. Duquesne.