Poll Voters Defy Logic, Leave Texas Behind Kansas

We knew there would be a shakeup in the top two national polls this week after Ohio State became the last of the unbeatens to go down in defeat over the weekend.

The surprise is the Texas Longhorns, easily the hottest team in the country the last month, didn't leapfrog Kansas into the No. 1 spot in either poll. In fact, the Longhorns -- the only team to defeat the Kansas Jayhawks this season -- remained third in the AP poll behind Kansas and Ohio State while coming in No. 2 behind the Jayhawks by the slimmest of margins in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll which were both released Monday.

Maybe the move shouldn't be as surprising since Kansas occupied the No. 2 spot ahead of the Longhorns the past few weeks, despite falling at home to Texas last month. But you would figure that perhaps considering the Longhorns (22-3, 10-0), led by Jordan Hamilton and freshman post Tristan Thompson, are by far the most dominant team in the Big 12 right now (they have won 10 straight and their nine-point win over Baylor was their first non-double figure victory in league play) and the fact Kansas (24-1, 9-1) is looking up at them in the standings might actually mean something to voters.

Obviously it doesn't.

The good thing for the Longhorns is that the polls have no weight when it comes to NCAA Tournament seedings. Things like RPI and head-to-head competition will matter most when the weighted No.1 seeds are decided. Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes may indeed still be the No.1 overall seed while the Longhorns may be the second-best of the potential No.1 seeds if they do the unthinkable and finish Big 12 play undefeated and make it through the league tournament undefeated.

In the meantime, the Big 12 has something to celebrate this week with occupying the top two spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll. After Kansas received 14 of the first place votes and Texas received 13, it marked the second straight season the Big 12 has had the top two teams in the polls. The two were No.1 and No.2 for six straight weeks during the 2009-10 campaign.