The first men’s basketball polls of the season are officially out. Duke and Michigan State are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
College basketball polls: Duke and Michigan State sit atop the first rankings
The preseason polls are out in men’s college basketball.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The initial polls don’t feature too many big surprises. Duke has another big freshman class coming in, led by potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Marvin Bagley III in the front court. They also return senior Grayson Allen at guard.
The Michigan State Spartans might have the preseason favorite for player of the year in sophomore wing Miles Bridges. Bridges leads a tremendous Spartans frontcourt that also includes sophomore post scorer Nick Ward and freshman stretch forward Jaren Jackson Jr. The Arizona Wildcats are No. 3 in the AP Poll after their involvement in the FBI scandal. Arizona has one of the great inside-outside duos in the country with freshman center DeAndre Ayton and junior shooting guard Allonzo Trier.
The Kansas Jayhawks are No. 3, and the Kentucky Wildcats are No. 4 in the Coaches Poll. Last year’s champs, North Carolina, come in at No. 9 in the Coaches Poll after losing star wing Justin Jackson to the NBA and their entire front court to graduation. Gonzaga also suffered heavy attrition to both the pro ranks and graduation. The Zags come in at No. 19 in the Coaches Poll, three spots ahead of conference foe St. Mary’s.
Here’s the AP Poll:
AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
RANK | TEAM | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke (33) | 1,572 |
| 2 | Michigan State (13) | 1,520 |
| 3 | Arizona (18) | 1,506 |
| 4 | Kansas (1) | 1,439 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 1,340 |
| 6 | Villanova | 1,284 |
| 7 | Wichita State | 1,270 |
| 8 | Florida | 1,100 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,047 |
| 10 | USC | 995 |
| 11 | West Virginia | 840 |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 837 |
| 13 | Miami | 836 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 814 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 642 |
| 16 | Louisville | 570 |
| 17 | Xavier | 544 |
| 18 | Gonzaga | 500 |
| 19 | Northwestern | 473 |
| 20 | Purdue | 362 |
| 21 | UCLA | 340 |
| 22 | Saint Mary's | 333 |
| 23 | Seton Hall | 274 |
| 24 | Baylor | 163 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 130 |
*Others receiving votes: Alabama 86, Virginia 57, Rhode Island 49, TCU 46, Providence 34, Missouri 19, Virginia Tech 16, Wisconsin 14, Butler 13, Texas 10, Oklahoma 7, Maryland 7, Nevada 7, Michigan 6, Dayton 5, Middle Tennessee 4, Ball State 4, SMU 3, Oakland 2, Oregon 2, UCF 1, South Carolina 1, Harvard 1
The entire coaches poll is below:
- Duke
- Michigan State
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Arizona
- Villanova
- Florida
- Wichita State
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
- USC
- Miami (FL)
- Cincinnati
- Notre Dame
- Minnesota
- Louisville
- Xavier
- UCLA
- Gonzaga
- Northwestern
- Purdue
- St. Mary’s
- Seton Hall
- Baylor
- Alabama
See More:
