Here's a little "inside baseball"--er, inside basketball?--for you.

We're struggling to come with a "lead"--journalist speak for intro--to this week's Top 10. What? You don't read these paragraphs we slave over every week?

Good.

Here are the Rotoballer college hoops rankings as of January 24, 2018 (won-loss records in parentheses).

NCAA College Basketball (CBB) Rankings

1. Villanova, (18-1)

The Wildcats keep winning. What else is new? Well, forward Eric Paschall emerging as a scorer is new. He popped off for 17 in a game this week to up his season average to 10.1 PPG.

2. West Virginia, (16-3)

We know. You want our love affair with the Mountaineers to be over, but we still like the makeup of this team, and feel it looks set for a deep run in March. Guard Jevon Carter's stat line (16.9 PPG/5.2 RPG/6.5 APG/3.4 SPG) is worthy of, well, admiration.

3. Virginia, (18-1)

The Cavs are a perfect 10--as in 10 wins in a row. But while most pollsters acknowledge that they're good, few seem willing to put them at the top of the pile. Not yet anyway. Guard Ty Jerome (9.3 PPG/3.2 APG) is a nice player, but he won't make anyone forget Oklahoma's Trae Young anytime soon.

4. Purdue, (19-2)

We keep waiting for the Boilermakers to fade. They may not. Guard Carsen Edwards (17.2 PPG/4.0 RPG/3.1 APG/1.1 SPG) is a poor man's Jevon Carter.

5. Duke, (17-2)

Even though we're lazy, we'd like to see a little more movement in our rankings. However, teams like the Blue Devils won't slip up. Part of the reason why: freshman Trevon Duvall (11.5 PPG/6.0 APG) already looks like a player.

6. Michigan State, (18-3)

Michigan State has rebounded a bit and thus gets to keep its spot at No. 6. Actually, forward Nick Ward (7.5 RPG) is rebounding more than a bit.

7. Xavier, (18-3)

Finally, some movement... The Big East's second-best team is also the seventh best in the country, at least according to us. Guard J. P. Macura doesn't make friends when he plays, he just makes plays (13.4 PPG/4.2 RPG/3.3 APG/1.5 SPG).

8. Cincinnati, (17-2)

And the Musketeers' crosstown rivals are right on their heels. The Bearcats' guard Jacob Evans (13.9 PPG/4.1 RPG/3.4 APG/1.3 SPG/1.3 BPG) is leading the chase.

9. Kansas, (16-3)

After some early season struggles (by their standards), the Jayhawks are back on the radar. Senior guard Devonte' Graham has never been off it (17.8 PPG/7.4 APG). Most scouts have him going in the second round of the NBA Draft, because of his size, but things could change if he takes KU on a deep run in the postseason.

10. Gonzaga, (17-4)

Mid-major or Big 12? Mid-major or Big 12? Neither (take that Jay Bilas). We'll round out the poll with the 'Zags, who also are led by a projected second-round pick in power forward Johnathan Williams (13.8 PPG/7.2 RPG).

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