Men's college basketball rankings: Preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, AP Top 25

The march toward the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season reached a milestone on Monday, Oct. 19, with the reveal of both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll preseason Top 25 along with the rankings from The Associated Press.

Both the Coaches Poll and AP voters selected Todd Golden’s Florida team as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. The Gators return one of the most talented rosters in the country, including return a talented nucleus of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, as they seek a second national title over the last three seasons.

GATOR BAIT: Florida is No. 1 for a reason. It cracked college basketball’s new code

BREAKDOWN: What to know about every preseason contender in the first rankings

From there, the voters do have a few small differences in their voting, though the polls do feature the same top-10 teams (different ordering notwithstanding). The coaches poll, for example, has Tommy Lloyd-led Arizona over Dan Hurley and No. 5 Connecticut, for example, whereas the AP flips the two teams.

Defending national champion Michigan, entering a new era without Dusty May at the helm, ranks No. 20 and No. 16 in the coaches and AP polls, respectively. Can Mike Boynton Jr. lead the Wolverines back to a Big Ten Conference title and deep run in the men’s NCAA Tournament?

Voters were not as kind to another traditional power with a new head coach, as North Carolina finished unranked in both preseason polls (but did receive votes in each).

With that, here’s a look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 — as well as how they differ:

25 — Brigham Young Cougars (23-12 in 2025-26, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament)

(William Purnell, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

24 — Purdue Boilermakers (30-9 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)

(Michael Hickey, Getty Images)

23 — Kentucky Wildcats (22-14 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Jordan Prather, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

22 — Southern California Trojans (18-14 in 2025-26)

(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)

21 — Vanderbilt Commodores (27-9 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(William Purnell, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

20 — Michigan Wolverines (37-3 in 2025-26, won the national championship against Connecticut)

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

T18 — Kansas Jayhawks (24-11 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Evert Nelson, USA TODAY Network)

T18 — Alabama Crimson Tide (25-10 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Network)

17 — Miami Hurricanes (26-9 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Jeff Curry, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

16 — Texas Tech (23-11 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Aryanna Frank, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

T14 — Iowa State Cyclones (29-8 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

T14 — St. John’s Red Storm (30-7 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

13 — Arkansas Razorbacks (28-9 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Eakin Howard, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

12 — Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-4 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(James Snook, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

11 — Louisville Cardinals (24-11 in 2025-26 lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

10 — Virginia Cavaliers (30-6 in 2025-26 lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

9 — Tennessee Volunteers (25-12 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)

(Saul Young, USA TODAY Network)

8 — Houston Cougars (30-7 in 2025-26, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Maria Lysaker, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

7 — Texas Longhorns (21-15 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

6 — Michigan State Spartans (27-8 in 2025-26 lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament)

(Nick King, USA TODAY Network)

5 — Connecticut Huskies (34-6 in 2025-26, lost in national championship game against Michigan)

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

4 — Arizona Wildcats (36-3 in 2025-26, lost in Final Four to Michigan)

(Robert Deutsch, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

3 — Illinois Fighting Illini (28-9 in 2025-26, lost in Final Four to Connecticut)

(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

2 — Duke Blue Devils (35-3 in 2025-26, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament)

(Zachary Taft, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

1 — Florida Gators (27-8 in 2025-26, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)

(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

Men’s college basketball preseason rankings

First-place vote in parentheses

Others receiving votes: Nebraska 66; UCLA 64; Missouri 60; Ohio State 31; North Carolina 24; Texas A&M 19; Villanova 14; Indiana 9; Wisconsin 5; Saint Louis 4; Cincinnati 4; West Virginia 2; Creighton 2; Maryland 1; Auburn 1.

REQUIRED READING: College basketball poll snubs: 5 teams getting way too little preseason respect

AP Top 25

Others receiving votes: Missouri 167, Nebraska 70, Purdue 53, Ohio State 39, North Carolina 20, TCU 17, Saint Louis 13, VCU 12, Iowa 12, Virginia Tech 10, Indiana 8, Texas A&M 6, Villanova 6, Auburn 4, Marquette 3, Nevada 2, Grand Canyon 2, Utah State 2, Santa Clara 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Men’s college basketball rankings: Preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, AP Top 25

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