Kansas Tops AP Top 25 Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll for 2024-25 Season

The AP Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll for the 2024-25 season has been released, with the Kansas Jayhawks securing the top spot. Kansas garnered 30 first-place votes out of the 60 ballots cast by a national media group, solidifying their position as the number one team heading into the season.

Following closely behind Kansas are the Alabama Crimson Tide and the two-time reigning national champions, the UConn Huskies. Alabama received 14 first-place votes, while UConn collected 11 first-place votes, placing them in the second and third positions, respectively.

The Houston Cougars, with four first-place votes, landed the fourth spot, and Iowa State, returning its leading four scorers from last season, was ranked fifth. Gonzaga, with one first-place vote, is positioned sixth, followed by Duke, Baylor, North Carolina, and Arizona to complete the top 10.

Kansas coach Bill Self has revamped the roster, bringing in one of the nation’s top transfer classes, including A.J. Storr from Wisconsin, Zeke Mayo from South Dakota State, and Rylan Griffen from Alabama. This, combined with returning players like Hunter Dickinson and seniors Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams Jr., has created a deeper and more skilled lineup.

The newly structured Big 12 conference, which includes new additions like Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, boasts three teams in the top five and five in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll. The SEC leads with nine teams in the Top 25.

Other notable teams in the poll include Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue, Creighton, and Arkansas. Purdue aims to secure a third consecutive Big Ten title, while Cincinnati makes its first poll appearance since 2019.

The preseason poll also highlights teams that received votes but did not make the top 25, including Illinois, St. John's, Xavier, Texas Tech, and Wake Forest. Four institutions that have never been in the Top 25—McNeese State, Little Rock, Grand Canyon, and High Point—also garnered votes.