AP High 25: Kansas will get No. 1 nod forward of Alabama, UConn in preseason ballot

Kansas was picked first within the AP High 25 preseason males’s college basketball ballot Monday, getting the No. 1 nod on half of the 60 ballots from a nationwide media panel to start out the season forward of Alabama and two-time defending nationwide champion UConn.

Kansas scooped up 30 first-place votes from the AP panel. The Crimson Tide, led by All-American guard Mark Sears and star ahead Jarin Stevenson, earned 14 first-place votes and UConn, which is making an attempt to turn out to be the primary college since John Picket’s groups at UCLA to win three straight titles, obtained 11 first-place votes and is third.

Houston earned 4 first-place votes and is fourth forward of Iowa State, which returns its prime 4 scorers from a staff that was a No. 2 seed within the NCAA Event. Gonzaga obtained one first-place vote and is sixth.

Duke, led by consensus No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg, is seventh forward of Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona within the prime 10.

The Jayhawks have been preseason No. 1 a yr in the past, too, however the season hardly went as deliberate. They have been dragged down by accidents and struggled in Big 12 play, and a staff led by All-American middle Hunter Dickinson finally was routed by Cincinnati within the convention event and Gonzaga within the second spherical of the NCAA Event.

Kansas coach Invoice Self retooled within the offseason, touchdown one of many nation’s prime switch courses. A.J. Storr of Wisconsin, South Dakota State guard Zeke Mayo and Rylan Griffen from Alabama are a part of a flexible bunch becoming a member of Dickinson and fellow seniors Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams — each a part of their 2022 nationwide title squad — to type a deeper and extra proficient staff.

“We welcome being No. 1, particularly with our returning gamers like Hunter, Dajuan and KJ, and then you definitely add the gamers we introduced in,” Self mentioned. “The purpose is to be No. 1 on the finish of the season, and although we welcome this, it isn’t the tip purpose.”

The brand new-look Massive 12, which misplaced Oklahoma and Texas however welcomed Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, has three of the highest 5 and 5 of the highest 10 within the preseason AP ballot. The SEC leads the way in which with 9 within the High 25.

“To have three Massive 12 groups within the prime 5 and 5 within the prime 10 simply reveals how aggressive this league will likely be,” Self mentioned. “Yearly we discuss concerning the Massive 12 being the hardest convention within the nation and with the 4 additions it grew to become even stronger.”

No. 11 Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M begin off the second 10, adopted by Purdue and Creighton. John Calipari has Arkansas at No. 16 with Indiana, Marquette, Texas and Cincinnati — making its first ballot look since 2019 — within the prime 20.

The Boilermakers try to win a 3rd straight Big Ten title after the departure of AP participant of the yr Zach Edey.

“We’ve got three starters again from a Closing 4 staff,” Purdue coach Matt Painter mentioned. “We’ve got 5 freshmen. We’ve got a whole lot of guys with expertise exterior of these three starters. We’re enthusiastic about it. We’re enthusiastic about this group.”

Florida, UCLA, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Rutgers spherical out the preseason High 25.

“I’m excited concerning the expectations,” mentioned Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell, whose staff is ranked within the preseason ballot for the primary time since 1978. “We at all times had excessive expectations, and now in a league with 18 groups, you understand, persons are saying, ‘How good are you? There [are] 18 groups. They’re nice coaches.’ I don’t know the place we sit. Should you got here to our observe yesterday, you’d say, ‘Oh, boy.’ And should you got here a few days earlier, you would possibly assume, ‘Hey, they’re going to be fairly good.'”

[Read more: College basketball rankings: Kansas, UConn, Alabama sit atop John Fanta’s preseason top 25]

Illinois is tops amongst others receiving votes after reaching the Elite Eight. Rick Pitino has St. John’s on the doorstep together with Xavier, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. The primary regular-season ballot is due out Nov. 11.

4 colleges which have by no means appeared within the High 25 obtained preseason votes, led by McNeese State, which went again to the NCAA Event final season. Little Rock, Grand Canyon and High Point additionally obtained votes.

This is the complete prime 25:

1. Kansas
2. Alabama
3. UConn
4. Houston
5. Iowa State
6. Gonzaga
7. Duke
8. Baylor
9. North Carolina
10. Arizona
11. Auburn
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Purdue
15. Creighton
16. Arkansas
17. Indiana
18. Marquette
19. Texas
20. Cincinnati
21. Florida
22. UCLA
23. Kentucky
24. Ole Miss
25. Rutgers

Reporting by The Related Press.

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