The Associated Press released its preseason men’s basketball Top 25 poll Monday, just three weeks before the season officially tips off on Nov. 3. In an era of constant coaching changes and roster turnover, these polls are tougher to get right than ever, but they still set expectations for fans throughout the sport and shape early season narratives up and down the country.
Purdue earns top spot
Entering a year even head coach Matt Painter admits has a national-title-or-bust vibe to it, Purdue will carry the weight of the preseason No. 1 label with it. The Boilermakers earned 35 first-place votes to edge out Houston, which received 16 votes. Florida (eight) and UConn (two) also received first-place votes.
The lofty expectations in West Lafayette, Ind., are justified. Star point guard Braden Smith is arguably the best returning player in the country, and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn is another potential All-American. The frontcourt has been solidified via the portal with South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff, and Israeli guard Omer Mayer is a potential x-factor. Houston may have been the safer choice analytically after finishing in the top two of KenPom’s national rankings in four straight years, but the Boilermaker buzz is certainly warranted.
That said, recent history for preseason No. 1s isn’t great. Kansas earned the title the previous two years and failed to escape the first weekend of the NCAA tournament each time. In 2023, preseason No. 1 North Carolina missed the Big Dance altogether. Of the last 10 national champions, only one (2021 Baylor) was the preseason No. 1 team … and just three of the 10 preseason No. 1s (ignoring 2020’s COVID-canceled tournament) even made the Final Four.
Voters back UConn over St. John’s in Big East
One of the most intriguing conference title races on paper is in the Big East, where UConn and St. John’s both look like legitimate national title contenders. The AP voters gave a slight edge to UConn in the preseason, with the Huskies coming in at No. 4 in the initial poll and Red Storm right behind them at No. 5.
UConn had a disappointing 2024–25 after winning the previous two national championships, finishing outside the final AP Top 25 after entering the year as preseason No. 3. The Huskies look primed to bounce back after adding backcourt reinforcements in the spring, signing top transfer Silas Demary Jr. from Georgia to run the point and adding elite freshman shooter Braylon Mullins on the wing. Meanwhile, St. John’s has loaded up on talent as it looks to avenge last year’s shock round of 32 loss to Arkansas, adding highly regarded backcourt transfers Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, Oziyah Sellers and Dylan Darling as well as a pair of athletic forwards in Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell to pair with center Zuby Ejiofor.
Six SEC teams in poll
After a historic season where the SEC sent 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA tournament, AP voters showed the league preseason respect with six Top 25 teams, tied for the most of any conference along with the Big Ten. Topping the league was defending national champion Florida, which enters the season ranked No. 3 behind 2025 runner-up Houston. Kentucky is next at No. 9, with Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn all ranked within six spots of one another between No. 14 and No. 20. Six other SEC teams received at least one Top 25 vote.
Kansas receives lowest preseason ranking in 16 years
Kansas came in at No. 19 in the preseason poll, its lowest ranking in quite some time. The Jayhawks were preseason No. 1 each of the last two seasons and have entered the season outside the preseason top five just once since the 2012–13 season, so having to scroll all the way down to see the Jayhawks in the bottom third of the poll was quite the adjustment. The last time Kansas was ranked this low in the preseason was ahead of the 2008–09 season, when it entered the season at No. 24 per the voters. But after underachieving in consecutive seasons, it’s clear the voters want to see more before buying into this Jayhawks team, though super freshman Darryn Peterson could quickly win them over with early tests against North Carolina, Duke and a trip to the Players Era Festival in the season’s first month.
Mid-majors left out
The NIL and portal era has led to the further consolidation of the best players to high-major programs, and that’s evidenced by the lack of any true mid-major team cracking the Top 25. Gonzaga, a perennial power with a budget that matches most power-conference counterparts, was the lone team from outside the top five conferences to make the cut. It’s the second straight year this has happened after at least one non-Gonzaga team outside true high-major basketball made the cut the previous five years. San Diego State was the highest-ranked mid-major, ranking third among those receiving votes.
Full AP Preseason Top 25
1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. Florida
4. UConn
5. St. John’s
6. Duke
7. Michigan
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Tech
11. Louisville
12. UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Arkansas
15. Alabama
16. Iowa State
17. Illinois
18. Tennessee
19. Kansas
20. Auburn
21. Gonzaga
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24. Wisconsin
25. North Carolina
