The AP released its preseason poll on Monday, and while most of the rankings were to be expected based on last year’s results, there are a few surprises and rankings to take note of.
For the first time in the school’s history, the Purdue Boilermakers are the AP preseason No. 1. The Boilermakers got 35 of 61 first-place votes, beating out the Houston Cougars and the Florida Gators.
Purdue retained most of their key contributors from last year, including senior guard Braden Smith, senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and senior guard Fletcher Loyer. This gives them a strong roster that has built strong team camaraderie. Being ranked first sets high expectations for Purdue that must be met throughout the season. Last season, the Boilermakers went 24-12 and lost to Houston in the Sweet 16. Despite the loss, Purdue gained more postseason experience and now has a more mature lineup that is motivated to push further than a Sweet 16 this season.
Houston and Florida round out the top three, with the former losing to the latter in last year’s national championship game. The Cougars earned 16 first-place votes and will return senior guard Milos Uzan and senior guard Emanuel Sharp, who will be the core of another strong lineup for head coach Kelvin Sampson. Houston also had the No. 2 recruiting class, bringing in strong freshman talent in guard Isiah Harwell and forward Chris Cenac Jr.
The Gators will have to face the tough expectation of trying to repeat as national champions. In his third season as head coach of Florida, Todd Golden reached the pinnacle of college basketball with a squad led by star guard Walter Clayton Jr., guard Alijah Martin, and guard Will Richard. All three of those guys are now in the NBA, and Florida had to rebuild through the portal, bringing in sophomore guard Boogie Fland from Arkansas, senior guard Xaivian Lee from Princeton, and retaining junior forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. This is a Gator squad with potential to repeat as national champions, which is something Florida did before in 2006 and 2007.
The UConn Huskies come in at No. 4 in what will be head coach Dan Hurley’s eighth year leading the program. UConn has a tough non-conference schedule and is scheduled against five teams in the preseason top 25: Florida, No. 18 BYU, No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 Illinois and No. 19 Kansas. These early-season tests will determine if the Huskies truly are an elite team. And at No. 5, Rick Pitino’s St. John’s makes program history with its highest preseason ranking ever. After a disappointing postseason, getting eliminated in the second round by #10 seed Arkansas, Pitino rebounded, picking up by forward Bryce Hopkins and guard Ian Jackson from the transfer portal and retaining a key contributor to the Johnnies last year, forward Zuby Ejiofor.
Beyond the top five, college basketball is experiencing a shifting landscape. Blue bloods like Duke, Kentucky and Michigan remain loaded with future NBA prospects who will attempt to earn a national championship before declaring for the draft.
Top 10 newcomers, such as BYU and Texas Tech, have had a different journey to getting their top-10 rankings. BYU brought in the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, freshman forward AJ Dybantsa, who is looking to skyrocket them into the national championship conversation. Dybantsa chose BYU over programs like Kansas and North Carolina because of head coach Kevin Young and his experience in the NBA.
Young used to be an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, gaining experience that has translated into a strong recruiting class of players looking to go pro. The Red Raiders, on the other hand, have relied heavily on NIL in a year where Texas Tech is set to spend nearly $55 million across all sports in 2025. This has helped the Red Raiders bring in star forward JT Toppin, who is entering his second year with the team.
The biggest surprise from the poll is the Kansas Jayhawks’ abnormally low No. 19 ranking. This is a rare sight for such a historically dominant program, and the Jayhawks will rely on their top recruits, like guard Darryn Peterson, as they continue a transition period since John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. After Bruce Pearl retired unexpectedly last year, the Auburn Tigers are ranked preseason No. 20 despite making the Final Four. Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, will now lead the Tigers as they look to continue their NCAA tournament success.
Gonzaga made it into the preseason Top 25 for the 25th consecutive season, and reemerging programs like UCLA and Louisville are both inside the top 15.
While the poll plays into many fanbases’ expectations for their teams, the rankings have to be taken with a grain of salt. Florida was preseason No. 21 last year, yet ended up winning the national championship, while Kansas was preseason No. 1 and didn’t make it past the first round.