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College basketball rankings, Preseason AP Top 25: UNC edges out Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky for No. 1

By Cody Williams

Feb 28, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Leaky Black (1) and guard Caleb Love (2) and guard R.J. Davis (4) and forward Armando Bacot (5) react in overtime at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Leaky Black (1) and guard Caleb Love (2) and guard R.J. Davis (4) and forward Armando Bacot (5) react in overtime at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The preseason AP Top 25 college basketball rankings have dropped and the UNC Tar Heels have the No. 1 spot but with huge programs hot on their, well, heels.

We’re in the thralls of college football season but college basketball season is also about to make its own return. The new campaign with the Kansas Jayhawks as the reigning national champions will tip off in early November, but that never stops the world of prognostication and projection in sports. Thus, we have the newly minted preseason AP Top 25 college basketball rankings ready to roll.

And lo and behold, it’s the team that Kansas beat in the National Championship Game, the UNC Tar Heels, who top the polls. In his second season at the helm in Chapel Hill, Hubert Davis will come into the year coaching the No. 1-ranked team in the country. And the Heels edged out some big-name programs in the poll to get that spot as they’re followed by No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 5 Kansas.

So what does the rest of the ranking look like? Let’s take a gander at the Top 25.

Preseason AP Top 25 college basketball rankings: UNC at No. 1 ahead of Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky

  1. North Carolina Tar Heels
  2. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  3. Houston Cougars
  4. Kentucky Wildcats
  5. Kansas Jayhawks
  6. Baylor Bears
  7. Duke Blue Devils
  8. UCLA Bruins
  9. Creighton Bluejays
  10. Arkansas Razorbacks
  11. Tennessee Volunteers
  12. Texas Longhorns
  13. Indiana Hoosiers
  14. TCU Horned Frogs
  15. Auburn Tigers
  16. Villanova Wildcats
  17. Arizona Wildcats
  18. Virginia Cavaliers
  19. San Diego State Aztecs
  20. Alabama Crimson Tide
  21. Oregon Ducks
  22. Michigan Wolverines
  23. Illinois Fighting Illini
  24. Dayton Flyers
  25. Texas Tech Red Raiders

It’s no surprise that North Carolina topped the polls as, though they disappointed in the regular season, the Tar Heels return four starters from the team that made it to the title game last year. Meanwhile, Houston has been a force under Kelvin Sampson and, while the Zags lost Chet Holmgren, Drew Timme is back and Mark Few has a host of new talent to break in.

Perhaps the biggest question mark is Duke at No. 7. With Mike Krzyzewski retiring and making way for replacement Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils enter a season of unknowns.

Regardless, the preseason rankings only give us a baseline of where these teams should be based on what we know. But the beauty of college basketball is that we ultimately know nothing and things will change almost as quickly as the first ball of the season is put into the air.

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