Awards
Caleb Downs wins the Jim Thorpe Award, but Jeremiah Smith gets snubbed from the Biletnikoff Award.
The Associated Press released its Preseason Top 25 on Monday ahead of the men's college basketball season.
Five Big Ten teams made the cut: Wisconsin (No. 9), Indiana (No. 11), Michigan State (No. 12), Purdue (No. 15th) and Maryland (No. 25).
Ohio State registered at No. 35, a stark contrast to the No. 13 ranking the Buckeyes achieved in the first KenPom Ratings of the season. The Buckeyes are the highest non-ranked team in the Big Ten.
Thad Matta's team opens the 2016-17 season Friday, Nov. 11, in Annapolis, Maryland against Navy.
The full poll:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUKE | 25-11 | 1,612 | 58 | 19 |
| 2 | KENTUCKY | 27-9 | 1,479 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | KANSAS | 33-5 | 1,476 | – | 1 |
| 4 | VILLANOVA | 35-5 | 1,465 | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | OREGON | 31-7 | 1,343 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | NORTH CAROLINA | 33-7 | 1,314 | – | 3 |
| 7 | XAVIER | 28-6 | 1,167 | – | 9 |
| 8 | VIRGINIA | 29-8 | 1,149 | – | 4 |
| 9 | WISCONSIN | 22-13 | 1,135 | – | – |
| 10 | ARIZONA | 25-9 | 1,004 | – | 17 |
| 11 | INDIANA | 27-8 | 917 | – | 14 |
| 12 | MICHIGAN STATE | 29-6 | 903 | – | 2 |
| 13 | LOUISVILLE | 23-8 | 755 | – | 16 |
| 14 | GONZAGA | 28-8 | 699 | – | – |
| 15 | PURDUE | 26-9 | 672 | – | 12 |
| 16 | UCLA | 15-17 | 540 | – | – |
| 17 | SAINT MARY'S (CAL.) | 29-6 | 512 | – | – |
| 18 | CONNECTICUT | 25-11 | 504 | – | – |
| 19 | SYRACUSE | 23-14 | 464 | – | – |
| 20 | WEST VIRGINIA | 26-9 | 360 | – | 8 |
| 21 | TEXAS | 20-13 | 250 | – | – |
| 22 | CREIGHTON | 20-15 | 231 | – | – |
| 23 | RHODE ISLAND | 17-15 | 199 | – | – |
| 24 | IOWA STATE | 23-12 | 168 | – | 22 |
| 25 | MARYLAND | 27-9 | 144 | – | 18 |
