The Gophers men's basketball team moved up to No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, which were both released Monday.
Even without a ranking, Minnesota is a prominent program on the national scene. There's Tubby Smith, Big Ten membership, a 2009-10 NCAA tournament appearance, etc.
But the Associated Press has decided to take away the state's vote in the weekly top 25 poll this season, as part of a poll reconfiguration.
According to one of my AP colleagues, other states have been given more votes in this year's poll because they have multiple Division I programs.
But Minnesota, with only one Division I team, lost its top 25 vote. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
It's not about the number of teams, it's about the quality of the teams in each state. Minnesota has a nationally ranked program. Someone in this state should have a vote, right?
The weekly polls have a lot more to do with barbershop talk, Internet chatter and egos than anything else. At the end of the day, it doesn't sway the NCAA tournament selection committee, however, it's a great barometer for sports fans, coaches, media and players.
I voted in the AP poll last year. And if I don't get that opportunity in the future that's fine. I still think that Minnesota, as a state, should have a vote in this season's poll. Every state with a Big Ten program, one of the top conferences in the country, should have one.
