Duke is the consensus No. 1 team in America at the start of the new college basketball season. The Blue Devils are on top of both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Mike Krzyzewski’s team received 58-of-65 votes for No. 1 in the AP Poll and 27-of-32 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, which debuted last Monday.
College basketball rankings: Duke tops preseason polls, to the surprise of no one
Duke’s mix of proven veterans and top freshmen have the program atop of the first poll of the college basketball season.
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
There is some disparity in the top five between the two polls after Duke even though the teams — Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova and Oregon -- are the same. Kentucky is No. 2 in the AP Poll but only No. 4 in the Coaches poll. Kansas is No. 2 in the Coaches Poll but No. 3 in the AP Poll. Kentucky is the only team in the top five who failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament last season.
The ACC and Big Ten each have five schools in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll. The ACC also had six other teams receive votes that failed to make the top 25. Duke has been considered the favorite for preseason No. 1 since last season ended because an enticing mix of veterans (led by guard Grayson Allen) and the top-ranked recruiting class in the country.
For in-depth previews of college basketball’s best teams, check out the SB Nation top 25 countdown for the 2016-17 season.
Here’s the AP Poll:
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke (58) | 0-0 | 1,612 |
| 2 | Kentucky (2) | 0-0 | 1,479 |
| 3 | Kansas | 0-0 | 1,476 |
| 4 | Villanova (4) | 0-0 | 1,465 |
| 5 | Oregon (1) | 0-0 | 1,343 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 1,314 |
| 7 | Xavier | 0-0 | 1,167 |
| 8 | Virginia | 0-0 | 1,149 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 1,135 |
| 10 | Arizona | 0-0 | 1,004 |
| 11 | Indiana | 0-0 | 917 |
| 12 | Michigan State | 0-0 | 903 |
| 13 | Louisville | 0-0 | 755 |
| 14 | Gonzaga | 0-0 | 699 |
| 15 | Purdue | 0-0 | 672 |
| 16 | UCLA | 0-0 | 540 |
| 17 | Saint Mary's | 0-0 | 512 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 0-0 | 504 |
| 19 | Syracuse | 0-0 | 464 |
| 20 | West Virginia | 0-0 | 360 |
| 21 | Texas | 0-0 | 250 |
| 22 | Creighton | 0-0 | 231 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 0-0 | 199 |
| 24 | Iowa State | 0-0 | 168 |
| 25 | Maryland | 0-0 | 144 |
| Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 110, Dayton 98, Florida State 88, California 74, San Diego State 48, Miami 35, NC State 29, Butler 21, Wichita St 21, Ohio State 18, Virginia Tech 18, Florida 18, Texas A&M 14, Mississippi State 14, Oklahoma 11, Colorado 10, Michigan 8, Monmouth 7, Notre Dame 6, Washington 5, Seton Hall 5, Princeton 2, Ohio 1, Vanderbilt 1, Harvard 1 | |||
Here’s a look at the first Coaches Poll of the year:
- Duke
- Kansas
- Villanova
- Kentucky
- Oregon
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Xavier
- Michigan State
- Wisconsin
- Arizona
- Indiana
- Gonzaga
- Louisville
- Purdue
- UConn
- Syracuse
- West Virginia
- St. Mary’s
- UCLA
- Maryland
- Texas
- Creighton
- Rhode Island
- Cincinnati
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