The College Basketball season is upon us. With just under two weeks until the start of the season, AP has released its first Top 25 poll for the 2019-2020 season.
Fans won’t have to wait long for a marquee matchup as the No. 1 ranked Michigan State Spartans and No. 2 ranked Kentucky Wildcats will face off on Opening Night. This is the first time in program history that the Spartans have sat atop of the preseason poll, but the team was the overwhelming favorite for the top spot.
Kansas, Duke, and Louisville round out the rest of the top five, while Florida, Maryland, Gonzaga, North Carolina, and Villanova fill up the rest of the top 10. The reigning champion Virginia Cavaliers sit just outside the top ten at the No. 11 spot.
This year’s poll sees many of the usual suspects such as Oregon, Arizona, Purdue, and Texas Tech make the list, but there are also some notably uncommon additions to the top 25, such as Utah State and Saint Mary’s.
The SEC, ACC, and Big Ten lead all conferences in the number of ranked teams. Each of which has four teams in the preseason poll. The Big 12 boasts three teams while the Pac 12 is represented by only Oregon and Arizona.
The full top 25 poll:
1. Michigan State
2. Kentucky
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Louisville
6. Florida
7. Maryland
8. Gonzaga
9. North Carolina
10. Villanova
11. Virginia
12. Seton Hall
13. Texas Tech
14. Memphis
15. Oregon
16. Baylor
17. Utah State
18. Ohio State
19. Xavier
20. St. Mary’s (Calif.)
21. Arizona
22. LSU
23. Purdue
24. Auburn
25. VCU
