College Basketball rankings 2016: Preseason AP Poll released

It’s time to get excited about the 2016 college basketball season with the release of the preseason AP Poll on Monday

There might not be a lot of people who realize this with all that’s going on in the sports world at the moment, but the wonderful, glorious sport of college basketball is returning rather soon, with the first full slate of games taking place on November 11. With the season that close to beginning, it’s time to find out who’s starting at the top with the release of the first AP Poll of the season.

On Halloween Monday, we were treated to that first AP Poll, and the teams at the top really shouldn’t be al that shocking to folks throughout the college basketball world.

We’re starting out the year with the Duke Blue Devils at the top, so we’re starting out the year making some people happy and some people angry. Anytime that we start the campaign with Coach K’s squad holding down the top of the mountain, we’re in for a pretty exciting beginning to the year as folks will either be rooting for them to hold on or to have a fall from grace.

With three starters returning from last year’s team that made the Sweet 16, however, and some top freshmen coming in, it’s really hard to argue against Grayson Allen and company being in the top slot.

As you can see, in the top five, we have perennial powers Kentucky and Kansas following the Blue Devils, with the defending national champion Villanova Wildcats taking the four slot. That top five is rounded out by what should be a pretty talented Oregon team.

Again, the college basketball season will start full steam on November 11 and this is how the rankings look as we get that journey started.