AP releases preseason men's basketball poll, including 4 ACC teams in top 25
The Associated Press released its annual preseason men’s basketball top 25 on Monday morning.
The ACC was well-represented in the first poll, with four teams appearing in the ranking. Four more ACC teams received votes, but didn’t quite crack the preseason top 25.
Unsurprisingly, Duke tops the list at No. 9. The Blue Devils have one of the most talented rosters in the country, led by 5-star freshmen Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin. Banchero and Griffin are both in contention to be top-five picks in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Elsewhere in the ACC, this will be the first season for new North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis. The Tar Heels always have high expectations, and will be looking for their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2018-19.
At the top of this year’s rankings are Gonzaga and UCLA. The Bulldogs and Bruins met in last season’s Final Four and will be contenders to get back to that stage this season. Kansas, Villanova and Texas round out the top five. Baylor, last season’s National Champion, is at No. 8.
Here’s a breakdown of the ACC teams who made the cut:
- No. 9 Duke
- No. 19 North Carolina
- No. 20 Florida State
- No. 25 Virginia
Here are the ACC teams who received votes: Virginia Tech (25), Syracuse (5), Notre Dame (3) and Louisville (3).
KenPom’s preseason rankings were also released this week with just two ACC teams being included in the preseason top-25: No. 10 Duke and No. 23 Florida State. However, Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia Tech and North Carolina were all included in the preseason KenPom top-40.