Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander, who has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s, laments the absence of Gary Parrish’s “Poll Attacks” column in a recent article. Parrish used to scrutinize the ballots of every voter on the Associated Press Poll to highlight any questionable rankings. Friedlander argues that Parrish’s column was essential for transparency and accountability in the polling process.
Friedlander points out that the latest AP Top-25 rankings have some puzzling selections, particularly the exclusion of Clemson despite their impressive performance and wins. He questions the reliance on metrics like the NET ranking and emphasizes that winning should be the most important factor in evaluating teams.
Despite playing in the struggling ACC, Friedlander believes Clemson and Louisville deserve more recognition for their achievements this season. He highlights Clemson’s strong resume, including wins over ranked teams like Kentucky, and suggests that they would likely be ranked if they were in a different conference.
Friedlander ends the article by proposing that if Clemson beats Duke in their upcoming game, they should earn a spot on all 62 AP ballots. He hints at the possibility of resurrecting Parrish’s “Poll Attacks” column to investigate any potential biases in the voting process.
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