Just like the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Kentucky Wildcats are the preseason No. 1 team in the Associated Press Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll that was released on Friday.
Joining the Wildcats in the top five are the Arizona Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers, Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks.
The defending national champions, the UConn Huskies, are ranked No. 17 to start the season and are the highest ranked American Athletic Conference team. They are joined in the top 25 by the No. 22 SMU Mustangs.
The Memphis Tigers and Cincinnati Bearcats are the only teams from the American among the others receiving votes.
During the season, as we have in the past, we will be posting both polls together when they come out on Mondays.
AP Top 25 | |||
RK | TEAM | REC | PTS |
1 | Kentucky (52) | 29-11 | 1,604 |
2 | Arizona (5) | 33-5 | 1,518 |
3 | Wisconsin (8) | 30-8 | 1,483 |
4 | Duke | 26-9 | 1,415 |
5 | Kansas | 25-10 | 1,346 |
6 | North Carolina | 24-10 | 1,274 |
7 | Florida | 36-3 | 1,153 |
8 | Louisville | 31-6 | 1,114 |
9 | Virginia | 30-7 | 1,090 |
10 | Texas | 24-11 | 1,061 |
11 | Wichita St | 35-1 | 1,027 |
12 | Villanova | 29-5 | 885 |
13 | Gonzaga | 29-7 | 840 |
14 | Iowa State | 28-8 | 781 |
15 | Virginia Commonwealth | 26-9 | 574 |
16 | San Diego St | 31-5 | 560 |
17 | Connecticut | 32-8 | 552 |
18 | Michigan St | 29-9 | 521 |
19 | Oklahoma | 23-10 | 426 |
20 | Ohio State | 25-10 | 340 |
21 | Nebraska | 19-13 | 309 |
22 | SMU | 27-10 | 285 |
23 | Syracuse | 28-6 | 178 |
24 | Michigan | 28-9 | 167 |
25 | Harvard | 27-5 | 98 |
25 | Utah | 21-12 | 98 |
Dropped from rankings: | |||
Cincinnati 15, Creighton 16, New Mexico 17, UCLA 20, Baylor 23, Saint Louis 25 | |||
Others receiving votes: | |||
Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, NC State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, George Washington 7, Notre Dame 6, Oklahoma St 6, Dayton 6, Georgetown 5, Florida St 5, Maryland 3, Illinois 3, UNLV 2, BYU 2, West Virginia 1, Baylor 1, Stephen F. Austin 1, UTEP 1 |