{"id":114304,"date":"2024-10-15T06:03:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T23:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114304"},"modified":"2024-10-15T06:03:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T23:03:04","slug":"kansas-alabama-uconn-top-ap-top-25-preseason-mens-basketball-poll-key-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114304","title":{"rendered":"Kansas, Alabama, UConn top AP Top 25 preseason men\u2019s basketball poll: Key takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>By Brendan Marks, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"MnxN0D3I7uZczxCd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/justin-williams-MnxN0D3I7uZczxCd\/\">Justin Williams<\/a> and Mark Cooper<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For the second consecutive season, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"385\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/kansas-jayhawks-college-basketball\/\">Kansas<\/a> will begin the year as the No. 1 team in men\u2019s college basketball. This time, the Jayhawks hope to stay there.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas received 30 of 60 first-place votes to top the preseason AP Top 25 on Monday, putting it narrowly ahead of No. 2 <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"554\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/alabama-crimson-tide-college-basketball\/\">Alabama<\/a> (14 first-place votes) and two-time defending champion Connecticut, which was ranked third. The Huskies received 11 first-place votes.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"285\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/houston-cougars-college-basketball\/\">Houston<\/a> (four first-place votes) and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"389\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/iowa-state-cyclones-college-basketball\/\">Iowa State<\/a> rounded out the top five. <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"613\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/gonzaga-bulldogs-college-basketball\/\">Gonzaga<\/a>, which received one first-place vote, was sixth, followed by <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"305\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/duke-blue-devils-college-basketball\/\">Duke<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"387\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/baylor-bears-college-basketball\/\">Baylor<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"300\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/north-carolina-tar-heels-college-basketball\/\">North Carolina<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"526\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/arizona-wildcats-college-basketball\/\">Arizona<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas, which went 23-11 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, returns three starters \u2014 <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"W0LL4ajo6nwELJUr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/hunter-dickinson-W0LL4ajo6nwELJUr\/\">Hunter Dickinson<\/a>, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"OkZaRqXVs6ldcwKm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/kj-adams-jr-OkZaRqXVs6ldcwKm\/\">KJ Adams Jr.<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"i8UZbBaOg2Wg4upb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/dajuan-harris-jr-i8UZbBaOg2Wg4upb\/\">Dajuan Harris Jr.<\/a> \u2014 and added a litany of transfers, including former Wisconsin guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"KMEZD6p9UKRqGbmo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/aj-storr-KMEZD6p9UKRqGbmo\/\">AJ Storr<\/a>, former Alabama guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"z4k7WHKIzjp8aeUO\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/rylan-griffen-z4k7WHKIzjp8aeUO\/\">Rylan Griffen<\/a> and former South Dakota State guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"Qh0rZvCiSj1RpGay\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/zeke-mayo-Qh0rZvCiSj1RpGay\/\">Zeke Mayo<\/a>, the Summit League player of the year. It\u2019s the 13th consecutive year Bill Self\u2019s program has begun the season ranked in the top 10, and the fifth time in KU history that it will open the season No. 1. The Jayhawks trail only North Carolina (10), Duke (nine) and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"532\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/ucla-bruins-college-basketball\/\">UCLA<\/a> (eight) for the most since preseason rankings began in 1962.<\/p>\n<p>Five Big 12 teams ranked in the top 10. The SEC led all conferences with nine teams in the Top 25.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ath_table_327554\" class=\"tab-content relative\">\n<p>Preseason AP men&#8217;s Top 25<\/p>\n<div id=\"table-preview-327554\" class=\"table-responsive border-transparent-imp freeze-col-sel-2\">\n<table class=\"in-article table border-transparent-imp in-article-striped in-article-no-column-border-right in-article-no-column-border-left\" style=\"max-width: none; margin: 0;\">\n<thead class=\"allcaps\">\n<tr>\n<th class=\"width-50px user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">RANK<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">TEAM<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">CONFERENCE<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>West Coast<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>ACC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>ACC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>10<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>13<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>14<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big Ten<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>15<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>16<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>17<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big Ten<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>18<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>19<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>20<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big 12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>21<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>22<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big Ten<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>23<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt relative team\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>24<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>SEC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><span>25<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"ia-hlt team relative\"\/>\n<td>\n<p><span>Big Ten<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Others receiving votes: <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"381\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/illinois-fighting-illini-college-basketball\/\">Illinois<\/a> 92, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"346\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/st-john-s-red-storm-college-basketball\/\">St. John\u2019s<\/a> 91, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"338\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/xavier-musketeers-college-basketball\/\">Xavier<\/a> 73, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"390\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/texas-tech-red-raiders-college-basketball\/\">Texas Tech<\/a> 58, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"313\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/wake-forest-demon-deacons-college-basketball\/\">Wake Forest<\/a> 37, Kansas St 30, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"376\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/michigan-state-spartans-college-basketball\/\">Michigan State<\/a> 29, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"377\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/ohio-state-buckeyes-college-basketball\/\">Ohio State<\/a> 29, Michigan 19, BYU 14, Oregon 12, McNeese State 11, Miami 11, Boise St. 9, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"333\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/saint-louis-billikens-college-basketball\/\">Saint Louis<\/a> 9, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"306\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/clemson-tigers-college-basketball\/\">Clemson<\/a> 9, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"342\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/providence-friars-college-basketball\/\">Providence<\/a> 9, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"557\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/mississippi-state-bulldogs-college-basketball\/\">Mississippi State<\/a> 6, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"324\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/vcu-rams-college-basketball\/\">VCU<\/a> 6, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"375\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/wisconsin-badgers-college-basketball\/\">Wisconsin<\/a> 5, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"614\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/saint-mary-s-gaels-college-basketball\/\">Saint Mary\u2019s<\/a> 5, Louisville 4, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"413\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/uab-blazers-college-basketball\/\">UAB<\/a> 4, Arkansas Little Rock 3, Grand Canyon 3, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"534\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/arizona-state-sun-devils-college-basketball\/\">Arizona State<\/a> 2, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"491\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/san-diego-state-aztecs-college-basketball\/\">San Diego State<\/a> 2, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"439\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/princeton-tigers-college-basketball\/\">Princeton<\/a> 2, High Point 1, Maryland 1.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Kansas is No. 1<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A number of teams have reasonable arguments to be No. 1. Alabama \u2014 fresh off its first Final Four appearance in program history \u2014 returns All-American guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"LnmQQtVeGz9Rj0o6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/mark-sears-LnmQQtVeGz9Rj0o6\/\">Mark Sears<\/a> and added the nation\u2019s second-ranked high school recruiting class. Houston has won 30 games or more three years running, and while point guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"7d8berzFhqvbEV9d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/jamal-shead-7d8berzFhqvbEV9d\/\">Jamal Shead<\/a> is off to the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/\">NBA<\/a>, the return of forwards <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"UECKwgjLrWWWnnCi\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/joseph-tugler-UECKwgjLrWWWnnCi\/\">Joseph Tugler<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"GDYWdYestwNtICed\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/terrance-arceneaux-GDYWdYestwNtICed\/\">Terrance Arceneaux<\/a> should once again make the Cougars one of America\u2019s deepest teams. Then there\u2019s Gonzaga, which returns four of five starters from last season\u2019s Sweet 16 squad, while also adding multiple new contributors via the transfer portal.<\/p>\n<p>But ultimately, it\u2019s hard to overlook Kansas\u2019 collection of talent, which is why the Jayhawks are a deserving preseason No. 1. Self not only returns a trio of tested starters in Adams, Harris and Dickinson, but went heavy in the transfer portal this spring, too, landing one of the nation\u2019s top transfer classes. Griffen, the former Alabama wing, shot 39.2 percent from 3-point range last season and will be a welcome 3-and-D addition on the perimeter, especially beside relative non-shooters in Adams and Harris. He was No. 7 in <em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s transfer portal rankings. Storr \u2014 who led Wisconsin in scoring last season \u2014 arrives as another key perimeter piece, and should allow Self a level of lineup versatility he hasn\u2019t had the last two seasons. Then there\u2019s Mayo, whose pull-up shooting will be a boon for a team that sometimes struggled to get a basket last year.<\/p>\n<p>Add in a pair of top-50 freshmen, and Self has another lineup seemingly built to go the distance. \u2014 <i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Brendan Marks, staff writer<\/i><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"282\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/connecticut-huskies-college-basketball\/\">UConn<\/a>\u2019s bid for a 3-peat begins at No. 3<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5843060\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5843060 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/14132749\/GettyImages-2147670388.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/14132749\/GettyImages-2147670388.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/14132749\/GettyImages-2147670388-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"table-cell-span\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">UConn will open the season ranked third. Last year, the Huskies were sixth in the preseason. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dan Hurley and Connecticut will attempt to do something that no men\u2019s college basketball program has done since John Wooden\u2019s UCLA dynasty: win three consecutive national titles.<\/p>\n<p>The Huskies returned several key pieces last season from Hurley\u2019s first title team in 2022-23, but that\u2019s not the case this year. Four of five starters are gone, and the lone holdover \u2014 redshirt junior wing <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"a8Om17D1ndvXz161\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/alex-karaban-a8Om17D1ndvXz161\/\">Alex Karaban<\/a>, who passed on potentially becoming a first-round NBA Draft choice to return to college \u2014 will have to assume a much larger role. Still: Hurley\u2019s team has more than earned the benefit of the doubt, which is why UConn opens the year in the top three.<\/p>\n<p>Besides Karaban, UConn has three other rotational players back this season \u2014 guards <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"peDVTdN6AsNViYxW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/hassan-diarra-peDVTdN6AsNViYxW\/\">Hassan Diarra<\/a> and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"GN6bR4TVl2VS8O8l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/solomon-ball-GN6bR4TVl2VS8O8l\/\">Solomon Ball<\/a>, plus center <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"Z6FHtxiJbAwfYQgJ\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/samson-johnson-Z6FHtxiJbAwfYQgJ\/\">Samson Johnson<\/a> \u2014 who will compete for major playing time. But if the Huskies are reasonably going to compete for a third straight title, Hurley will need outsized contributions from Saint Mary\u2019s transfer <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"xQ04PxjnEAMfid3e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/aidan-mahaney-xQ04PxjnEAMfid3e\/\">Aidan Mahaney<\/a> and five-star freshman <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"li7n6DyMafqVgQ6m\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/player\/liam-mcneeley-li7n6DyMafqVgQ6m\/\">Liam McNeeley<\/a>, arguably his top two additions this offseason. We\u2019ll know a lot about UConn, and its relative chances of three-peating, by the time conference play begins; the Huskies are part of a stacked Maui Invitational field featuring four of the nation\u2019s top 11 teams\u00a0and then play <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"388\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/texas-longhorns-college-basketball\/\">Texas<\/a>, Baylor, and Gonzaga all in a row in mid-December. \u2014 <i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Marks<\/i><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Big 12 dominates the top 10<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot of Big 12 flavor at the top of the poll. The conference has three of the top five and half of the top 10 with Kansas, Houston, Iowa State, Baylor and Arizona. The sixth and final Big 12 team in the Top 25 is <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"283\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/cincinnati-bearcats-college-basketball\/\">Cincinnati<\/a> at No. 20. It\u2019s the Bearcats\u2019 first appearance in the AP poll since the end of the 2018-19 season, Mick Cronin\u2019s last as head coach of the program.<\/p>\n<p>The new-look, 16-team league features nine programs that made the NCAA Tournament last season, seven of which are returning members, and has been the top-rated conference four of the past six years, according to KenPom metrics. Kansas is the Big 12\u2019s most recent national champion from the 2021-22 season. <i>\u2014 Justin Williams, staff writer<\/i><\/p>\n<h2><strong>A stacked SEC<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Nine of the 16 SEC members appear in the preseason poll, led by Alabama at No. 2. The Crimson Tide are\u00a0the only SEC school in the top 10, followed by <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"558\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/auburn-tigers-college-basketball\/\">Auburn<\/a> at No. 11. League newcomer Texas clocks in at No. 19. Arkansas, under new head coach John Calipari, opens at No. 16, while his former school Kentucky and head coach Mark Pope are No. 23. <i>\u2014 Williams<\/i><\/p>\n<h2><strong>No love for mid-majors<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are zero mid-major or traditional non-power programs in the Top 25, with Gonzaga the only ranked team from outside the sport\u2019s five major conferences. The closest is McNeese State, which received 11 votes, followed by <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"494\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/boise-state-broncos-college-basketball\/\">Boise State<\/a> and Saint Louis with nine votes each. McNeese is coming off a 30-4 season under head coach Will Wade in which it set the program\u2019s single-season wins record and claimed the Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships. The <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"392\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/college-basketball\/team\/oklahoma-state-cowboys-college-basketball\/\">Cowboys<\/a> have never appeared in the Top 25 rankings. <i>\u2014 Williams<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>CJ Moore\u2019s ballot<\/h2>\n<p><em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s CJ Moore is a voter in the AP Top 25 this season.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how his ballot compared:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Alabama (actual: No. 2)<\/li>\n<li>Gonzaga (actual: No. 6)<\/li>\n<li>Houston (actual: No. 4)<\/li>\n<li>Kansas (actual: No. 1)<\/li>\n<li>Iowa State (actual: No. 5)<\/li>\n<li>Duke (actual: No. 7)<\/li>\n<li>UConn (actual: No. 3)<\/li>\n<li>Tennessee (actual: No. 12)<\/li>\n<li>Baylor (actual: No. 8)<\/li>\n<li>Arizona (actual: No. 10)<\/li>\n<li>Auburn (actual: No. 11)<\/li>\n<li>Texas A&amp;M (actual: No. 12)<\/li>\n<li>North Carolina (actual: No. 9)<\/li>\n<li>Purdue (actual: No. 14)<\/li>\n<li>Marquette (actual: No. 18)<\/li>\n<li>Florida (actual: No. 21)<\/li>\n<li>Texas Tech (actual: NR)<\/li>\n<li>Michigan (actual: NR)<\/li>\n<li>Indiana (actual: No. 17)<\/li>\n<li>Illinois (actual: NR)<\/li>\n<li>Cincinnati (actual: No. 20)<\/li>\n<li>Xavier (actual: NR)<\/li>\n<li>Kentucky (actual: No. 23)<\/li>\n<li>St. John\u2019s (actual: NR)<\/li>\n<li>UCLA (actual: 22)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Photo: Chris Gardner \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5842547\/2024\/10\/14\/ap-top-25-mens-basketball-preseason-poll\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Brendan Marks, Justin Williams and Mark Cooper For the second consecutive season, Kansas will begin the year as the No. 1 team in men\u2019s college basketball. This time, the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114304\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114304\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}