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The college basketball season is just around the corner, and we now have an official look at how programs across the country stack up against each other. On Monday, the Associated Press announced its first rankings of the 2022-23 season with the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
Despite falling short in the national championship game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the North Carolina Tar Heels sit atop the rankings with 47 first-place votes. UNC returns four starters from last year’s squad that just fell short of the title.
Gonzaga, the top preseason team the past two years, came in at No. 2 followed by No. 3 Houston and No. 4 Kentucky.
Defending national champion Kansas and Big 12 rival Baylor, meanwhile, tied for No. 5.
Where does your favorite team stand as we prepare for another season?
The full preseason AP Top 25 Poll can be seen below.
- North Carolina (47)
- Gonzaga (12)
- Houston (1)
- Kentucky (2)
- (t) Kansas
- (t) Baylor
- Duke
- UCLA
- Creighton
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Indiana
- TCU
- Auburn
- Villanova
- Arizona
- Virginia
- San Diego State
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Dayton
- Texas Tech
About the Associated Press Top 25 Poll
The Associated Press college basketball poll started on Jan. 20, 1949. The original poll had 20 teams, with Saint Louis the first school to hold the No. 1 ranking. From the 1961-62 season through 1967-68 only 10 teams were ranked. It expanded again to 20 teams from 1968-69 through 1988-89. The Top 25 began the next season, and it has stayed at that number ever since. The AP’s final poll is released after the field for the NCAA Tournament is selected.
