The Associated Press released its preseason men's Division I basketball poll Monday afternoon.
Duke is the overwhelming pick. Kentucky was the only other team to receive first-place votes. I have a few thoughts on the poll as it stands now. You can read those below the rankings, which we'll get to right away.
1. Duke (58 first-place votes)
2. Kentucky (2)
3. Kansas
4. Villanova
5. Oregon
6. North Carolina
7. Xavier
8. Virginia
9. Wisconsin
10. Arizona
11. Indiana
12. Michigan State
13. Louisville
14. Gonzaga
15. Purdue
16. UCLA
17. Saint Mary's
18. Connecticut
19. Syracuse
20. West Virginia
21. Texas
22. Creighton
23. Rhode Island
24. Iowa State
25. Maryland
Quick takeaways
1. Coaches poll vs. AP poll
The coaches poll, which came out Oct. 20, isn't drastically different from what we have above. In fact, most of it is interchangeable. Cincinnati being ranked there, and not in the AP, while Iowa State is ranked in the AP but not the coaches, is the only difference when it comes to inclusion. The top six teams are the same in each poll.
2. Duke ties UCLA for second-most preseason No. 1 rankings in the history of the poll
North Carolina's nine No. 1 preseason rankings is best, but Duke and UCLA now have eight apiece in the history of the poll, which began putting out a preseason list in 1962. Duke has been No. 1 in the AP poll 128 times in its history, and 73 times since the 1997-98 season. Mike Krzyzewski is 190-28 when coaching Duke as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Kentucky's showing this season is its 49th, which is the most in AP poll history.
3. Michigan State: Way too high?
The Spartans are still getting a lot of respect despite the fact the team is basically not capable of putting big men on the floor. The Spartans have a tough schedule, plenty of travel and don't host any of their toughest nonconference games this season. That means MSU is likely to take a plunge -- perhaps even be unranked -- within the first two weeks of the season. Doesn't mean the Spartans won't rally to be top-20 good in time, but this is one team I could see dropping out early and taking some time to work its way back.
