Once they're in, they stay in. In football, if you begin to lose, you are out. In basketball, winning and losing are almost irrelevant. Believe it or not, Seton Hall, which is trying to win enough games just to qualify for the Big East Tournament, actually got one vote in the coaches' poll this week. Please don't tell me polls don't matter.
Polls are a perception thing.
They absolutely are a factor in recruiting. They matter to alumni and fans. Allegedly, the NCAA Tournament selection committee is not influenced by anything except the cold numbers, how teams did against other top teams, how they finished, how they are likely to do in the tournament. I don't believe it. They are influenced by the polls.