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Happy Monday, hoops fans! As you can see by my title, I've been listening to a decent amount of the BBB Podcast, hence the blending of Balls and Business. I think it's a pretty fitting title for this week's edition of the Metro Poll. See where everyone in this week's poll has risen or fallen to, as well as a breakdown of where some of the top teams are looking in terms of March Madness.
The Metro Poll
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Iona has been Iona, 8-0 in conference play, pretty much a guaranteed tournament team, so no need to harp on them for too long. Instead, let's talk St. Johns. After dropping four of their last five, the Johnnies tournament hopes are hanging on by the thinnest thread, and honestly, if you were to say that their chances are completely gone, I would have a hard time arguing against you. According to DRatings, who create their own NET ranking to predict seeding in the NCAA Tournament and NIT, don't even have the Johnnies as an NIT team right now. Still without a Quad One win this season, it seems that Mike Anderson's squad is regressing after two straight seasons of solid progress. If the Red Storm can bring back the offensive intensity we saw in non-conference play, as well as get some good defense from guys like Joel Soriano, the Johnnies could make one last push before facing a potentially long offseason.
As for Hofstra, DRatings still has Towson as the lone CAA representative in March Madness, but the Pride are really creeping up with their current 3 game win streak. Aaron Estrada has been on a tear for the pride, dropping 30 against Delaware, 26 against Drexel, and 16 against Northeastern. When it comes to mid-major tournament teams, the biggest it factor is solid guard play, which Hofstra has plenty of. They'll definitely have to win the CAA to grab a bid this year, but if they can threaten Towson on February 3rd, then I don't think it'd be crazy to call the Pride a tournament team.