AP’s rankings for the top 25 college basketball plummeted before the season, and UNC Tar Heels took the top spot but with hot mega programs on the heels.
We’re in a buoyant college football season, but college basketball season is about to return by itself. The new campaign will kick off with the Kansas Jayhawks as the national champion in early November, but that won’t stop the world of prediction and prediction in sports. Thus, we have Newly minted pre-season AP top 25 college basketball ratings ready to roll out.
And here’s the team that defeated Kansas in the national championship game, the UNC Tar Heels, which is topping the polls. In his second season at the helm at Chapel Hill, this year Hubert Davis will enter as coach of the nation’s #1 ranked team. The Heels beat out some big-name shows in the poll for this spot as it was followed by No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 5 Kansas.
So what does the rest of the arrangement look like? Let’s take a look at the top 25.
Pre-Season AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings: UNC in No. 1 ahead of Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Houston Cougars
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Baylor Bears
- Duke Blue Devils
- UCLA Bruins
- Creighton Blue Jays
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas Longhorns
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Horned Frog TCU
- Auburn tigers
- Villanova Wildcats
- Arizona Wildcats
- Virginia Cavaliers
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Oregon Ducks
- Michigan Wolverines
- Illinois fighting Illini
- Dayton Flyers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
Not surprisingly, North Carolina topped the polls, although to their disappointment in the regular season, the Tar Heels brought back four Rookies from the team that made it to the title game last year. Meanwhile, Houston has been a force under Kelvin Sampson, and while Zags Chet Holmgren has lost, Drew Tim is back, and Mark Vue has a host of new talent to break into.
Perhaps the biggest question mark is Duke in 7. With Mike Krzyzewski retiring and making way for substitute Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils are entering an unknown season.
Regardless, the pre-season rankings only give us a baseline of where these teams are should be based on what we know. But the beauty of college basketball is that we don’t know a thing at the end, and things will change almost as quickly as the first ball of the season is shot up in the air.
For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinions, and features, check out more from our FanSided college basketball section to stay up to date on the latest happenings.
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