The deep and talented Kentucky Wildcats are the heavy favorites to begin the college basketball season, earning 52 of 65 first-place votes in the preseason Associated Press Poll. John Calipari’s crew opens the season with 1,604 total points in the rankings, ahead of the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats’ 1,518.
College basketball rankings: Kentucky a favorite in preseason AP Poll
John Calipari’s team earned 52 of 65 first-place votes.
Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona earned five first-place votes, while the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers earned eight first-place votes. Duke and Kansas follow in the top five, while North Carolina, Florida, Louisville, Virginia and Texas round out the top 10 in that order.
Kentucky and Arizona were respectively picked first and second in the Coaches Poll as well. No. 3 Wisconsin drew a little more love from the Associated Press compared to the coaches, who ranked the Badgers fourth and behind Duke.
The preseason top-25 poll actually includes 26 teams, as Utah and Harvard tied at the final spot with 98 points.
2014-15 AP Preseason Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky Wildcats (52) | 0-0 | 1604 |
| 2 | Arizona Wildcats (5) | 0-0 | 1518 |
| 3 | Wisconsin Badgers (8) | 0-0 | 1483 |
| 4 | Duke Blue Devils | 0-0 | 1415 |
| 5 | Kansas Jayhawks | 0-0 | 1346 |
| 6 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 1274 |
| 7 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 1153 |
| 8 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 1114 |
| 9 | Virginia Cavaliers | 0-0 | 1090 |
| 10 | Texas Longhorns | 0-0 | 1061 |
| 11 | Wichita State Shockers | 0-0 | 1027 |
| 12 | Villanova Wildcats | 0-0 | 885 |
| 13 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 0-0 | 840 |
| 14 | Iowa State Cyclones | 0-0 | 781 |
| 15 | Virginia Commonwealth Rams | 0-0 | 574 |
| 16 | San Diego State Aztecs | 0-0 | 560 |
| 17 | Connecticut Huskies | 0-0 | 552 |
| 18 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 521 |
| 19 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 426 |
| 20 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 340 |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 0-0 | 309 |
| 22 | SMU Mustangs | 0-0 | 285 |
| 23 | Syracuse Orange | 0-0 | 178 |
| 24 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 167 |
| 25 (Tie) | Harvard Crimson | 0-0 | 98 |
| 25 (Tie) | Utah Utes | 0-0 | 98 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Utah 98, Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St. 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, N.C. State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, Geo. Wash. 7, Oklahoma St. 6, Notre Dame 6, Dayton 6, Florida St. 5, Georgetown 5, Maryland 3, Illinois 3, UNLV 2, BYU 2, UTEP 1, S.F. Austin 1, Baylor 1, West Virginia 1 | |||
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