Preseason College Basketball Rankings Released

With less than a month until the start of the college basketball season, the preseason AP Top 25 was released earlier last week. Unsurprisingly, a familiar name sits at the top of the polls, as Gonzaga will be the preseason No. 1 team for a second consecutive season.

The Bulldogs received 55 of 63 first-place votes. After an undefeated regular season in 2020–21, the team is back and stronger than ever. The Zags brought back potential National Player of the Year Drew Timme, as well as senior guard Andrew Nembhard and junior forward Anton Watson. They also added No. 1 recruit Chet Holmgren, along with three other star freshmen in Nolan Hickman, Hunter Sallis and Kaden Perry, and graduate transfer Rasir Bolton from Iowa State. With a reloaded roster, Coach Mark Few will be looking to bring his team back to the national championship. 

As for the remaining eight votes, they were handed to No. 2 UCLA. This season, the Bruins will be one of the most experienced and talented teams coming into the year. The program returned all five starters from last year’s team that went on a miraculous dark horse run in March Madness. In addition to returning key players in Johnny Juzang and Tyger Campbell back, they have added Peyton Watson and Myles Johnson.

“We have a lot more depth. And Myles and Peyton are extremely talented players, so they’re gonna help us in so many ways. And it’s gonna help us as a team, man, so we’re all excited to play together. We couldn’t ask for more, you know what I mean?” Juzang told reporters.

We’ll see if UCLA can build off the momentum they developed in the 2021 NCAA tournament into this season.

Kansas, Villanova and Texas round out the top five. 

Blue Bloods Duke and Kentucky enter the season as the No. 9 and No. 10 teams in the country, respectively. Both struggled in their 2020–21 campaigns, with neither team reached the NCAA tournament last year and Kentucky had its worst season by record since the 1920s.

The Big Ten and the SEC are the most-represented conferences in the preseason poll, with five teams from each league ranked. 

The 2021–22 college basketball season opens on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 87, Indiana 41, USC 30, Arizona 26, Virginia Tech 25, Oklahoma State 25, Xavier 22, Texas Tech 17, Richmond 13, Rutgers 11, Colorado State 11, LSU 7, Belmont 7, San Diego State 5, St. John’s 5, Mississippi State 5, Syracuse 5, Drake 4, Colorado 4, BYU 3, Notre Dame 3, Louisville 3

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