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 |
