With the release of the first AP Poll for college basketball, the season is officially underway! Unsurprisingly, the Duke Devils have claimed the preseason top spot due to their stacked roster that includes Wendell Carter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III. Rounding out the top five are the typical high profile programs in Michigan State, Arizona, Kansas, and Kentucky respectively. Undoubtedly, these rankings will change drastically after the opening week of games, but for now, the perennial championship contenders are deservedly ranked higher than the rest of the notable teams.
Top 25 College Basketball Rankings 2017: Preseason
Amongst the more intriguing programs that are ranked high are the new members of the American Athletic Conference in Wichita State. Despite losing Rick Pitino recently, the Louisville Cardinals are still ranked 16th in the nation, suggesting that the committee behind the poll has a tremendous amount confidence in the talent that the Cardinals have. If the rankings are this interesting before the season starts, it’ll constantly be compelling to see how the rankings pan out as the season progresses.
| Ranking | Team (1st place votes) |
| 1 | Duke |
| 2 | Michigan State |
| 3 | Arizona |
| 4 | Kansas |
| 5 | Kentucky |
| 6 | Villanova |
| 7 | Wichita State |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | North Carolina |
| 10 | USC |
| 11 | West Virginia |
| 12 | Cincinnati |
| 13 | Miami |
| 14 | Notre Dame |
| 15 | Minnesota |
| 16 | Louisville |
| 17 | Xavier |
| 18 | Gonzaga |
| 19 | Northwestern |
| 20 | Purdue |
| 21 | UCLA |
| 22 | Saint Mary’s (CA) |
| 23 | Seton Hall |
| 24 | Baylor |
| 25 | Texas A&M |
If the Shockers can live up to their lofty expectations based on both their current place in the rankings and their induction into a more notable conference, they could arguably be considered a Final Four favorite come March.
