Kansas, Alabama, UConn top preseason AP Top 25 basketball poll

Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll on Monday, receiving approval from half of the 60 ballots cast by a national media panel to start the season ahead of Alabama and two-time defending champion UConn.

Kansas received 30 first-place votes from the AP panel. The Crimson Tide, led by All-America guards Mark Sears and Jarin Stevenson, received 14 first-place votes, and UConn, trying to become the first school since John Wooden’s teams at UCLA, won three straight titles won, receiving 11 first place votes. Place votes and is third.

Houston received four first-place votes and is fourth, just ahead of Iowa State, which returns its top four scorers from a team that was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga received one first-place vote and is in sixth place.

Duke, led by consensus No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg, is No. 7, ahead of Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona, which round out the top 10.

Even a year ago, the Jayhawks were the No. 1 seed in the preseason, but the season didn’t go as planned. They were hampered by injuries and struggled in Big 12 play, and a team led by All-American center Hunter Dickinson was ultimately defeated by Cincinnati in the conference tournament and by Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Kansas coach Bill Self retooled in the offseason and landed in one of the best transfer classes with AJ Storr (Wisconsin), guard Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama) alongside Dickinson and fellow seniors Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams of Country Jr. — both part of the Jayhawks’ 2022 national title squad — to create a stronger and more talented team.

“We’re excited to be No. 1, especially with our returning players like Hunter, Dajuan and KJ, and then there’s the players we brought in,” Self said. “The aim is to be number 1 at the end of the season and although we welcome that, it is not the end goal.”

The new-look Big 12, which lost Oklahoma and Texas but welcomed Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, has three of the top five and five of the top 10 in the preseason AP poll. Overall, the SEC is at the top with nine ranked teams.

“Having three Big 12 teams in the top five and five in the top 10 just shows how competitive this league is going to be,” Self said. “Every year we talk about the Big 12 being the toughest conference in the country, and with the four additions it has become even stronger.”

No. 11 Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M start the second 10, followed by Purdue and Creighton. John Calipari has Arkansas at No. 16, with Indiana, Marquette, Texas and Cincinnati — appearing in a poll for the first time since 2019 — also in the top 20.

The Boilermakers are trying to win a third straight Big Ten title following the departure of AP Player of the Year Zach Edey.

“We have three starters back from a Final Four team. We have five newcomers. We have a lot of guys with experience outside of those three starters,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We are happy about it. We’re excited about this group.”

Florida, UCLA, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Rutgers round out the preseason top 25.

“I’m excited about the expectations,” said Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell, whose team is ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1978. “We always had high expectations, and now in an 18-team league, you know, people say, ‘How good are you? There are 18 teams.” I don’t know where we sit. If you came into our office yesterday, you’d say, ‘Oh, boy.’ And if you came in a few days earlier, you might think, ‘Hey, they’re going to be pretty good.’”

Look from the outside in

Among other things, Illinois is at the top and receiving votes after reaching the Elite Eight. Rick Pitino has St. John’s on his doorstep, as do Xavier, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. The first regular season poll is scheduled for November 11th.

I’m trying to make history

Four schools that have never been ranked in the top 25 received preseason votes, led by the McNeese Cowboys, who returned to the NCAA Tournament last season. Little Rock, Grand Canyon and High Point also received votes.

Stats and Streaks

Kansas is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll for the fifth time, trailing only North Carolina (10), Duke (9) and UCLA (8) for the most finishes since preseason rankings were introduced in 1962. … Houston’s longest active top-25 streak is in week 86. The Jayhawks are in second place with 65. … Iowa State has its best preseason ranking in school history. Texas A&M did its best. … Kentucky is participating in the preseason poll for the 57th time. The Tar Heels are making their 55th appearance.