The AP preseason college basketball poll has been released, marking another milestone as we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2019-20 season.
The AP Top 25 matches Sporting News' own preseason rankings, giving Michigan State the top spot in the first poll. Tom Izzo and the Spartans bring back All-American Cassius Winston and a strong supporting cast from last year's Final Four team.
MORE: Sporting News' updated 2019-20 preseason top 25
Rounding out the top five is Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and Louisville in the Nos. 2-5 spots, respectively. Other notables include Florida at No. 6, Maryland at No. 7, Gonzaga at No. 8, defending champion Virginia at No. 11 and new-look Memphis at No. 14.
The ACC, Big Ten and SEC lead the way with four top-25 teams represented each, followed by the Big 12 and Big East (three apiece), Pac-12 and West Coast conferences (two) and Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and AAC (one).
Check out the full AP Top 25 preseason poll below:
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Points | 2018-19 record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State | 1,619 (60) | 32-7 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 1,497 (2) | 30-7 |
| 3 | Kansas | 1,457 (3) | 26-10 |
| 4 | Duke | 1,399 | 32-6 |
| 5 | Louisville | 1,386 | 20-14 |
| 6 | Florida | 1,313 | 20-16 |
| 7 | Maryland | 1,134 | 23-11 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | 1,096 | 33-4 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,060 | 29-7 |
| 10 | Villanova | 1,048 | 26-10 |
| 11 | Virginia | 1,007 | 35-3 |
| 12 | Seton Hall | 863 | 20-14 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | 837 | 31-7 |
| 14 | Memphis | 773 | 22-14 |
| 15 | Oregon | 742 | 25-13 |
| 16 | Baylor | 523 | 20-14 |
| 17 | Utah State | 491 | 28-7 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 407 | 20-15 |
| 19 | Xavier | 356 | 19-16 |
| 20 | Saint Mary's | 330 | 22-12 |
| 21 | Arizona | 265 | 17-15 |
| 22 | LSU | 234 | 28-7 |
| 23 | Purdue | 230 | 26-10 |
| 24 | Auburn | 210 | 30-10 |
| 25 | VCU | 193 | 25-8 |
Others receiving votes: Washington 164; Colorado 152; Tennessee 78; Marquette 68; Florida State 36; Davidson 34; Harvard 24; Illinois 14; Missouri 13; Mississippi State 12; Houston 11; Georgetown 11; Cincinnati 8; Notre Dame 7; Creighton 4; Syracuse 3; NC State 3; Vermont 2; Alabama 2; USC 2; Liberty 2; Michigan 2; Dayton 1; Colgate 1; Providence 1