The AP Top 25 preseason men’s college basketball rankings are here for the 2025-26 season. Purdue leads the poll, marking the first time in school history that the Boilermakers begin the season in the top spot.
Below is the full AP Top 25, along with some takeaways from the rankings:
RANKING
TEAM
POINTS
1
Purdue (35)
1485
2
Houston (16)
1459
3
Florida (8)
1382
4
UConn (2)
1299
5
St. John’s
1203
6
Duke
1123
7
Michigan
1084
8
BYU
1078
9
Kentucky
1056
10
Texas Tech
1015
11
Louisville
966
12
UCLA
741
13
Arizona
715
14
Arkansas
695
15
Alabama
620
16
Iowa State
616
17
Illinois
567
18
Tennessee
462
19
Kansas
453
20
Auburn
424
21
Gonzaga
387
22
Michigan State
188
23
Creighton
158
24
Wisconsin
136
25
North Carolina
104
Others receiving votes: NC State 101, Oregon 98, San Diego St. 74, Texas 35, Ohio St. 23, Kansas St 13, Mississippi 11, Southern Cal 10, Missouri 8, Washington 7, Vanderbilt 7, Iowa 6, Boise St. 4, Mississippi St. 3, VCU 2, Virginia 2, Saint Mary’s 2, Indiana 1, Oklahoma 1, Baylor 1.
Purdue opens the year at No. 1
The Boilermakers secured the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll for the first time in the school’s history, earning 35 first-place votes.
Purdue is coming off a 24-win season and a Sweet 16 berth, where the Boilermakers fell to Houston. With the return of All-American guard Braden Smith and All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who averaged 20.1 points per game, this team is positioned to make a championship run.
Houston redemption year?
After falling just short in last season’s national championship, the Cougars open at No. 2 with 16 first-place votes. This marks the team’s best preseason AP ranking since 1967-68. Houston fell 65-63 to Florida in the title game, but with a veteran roster returning, the Cougars look poised to make another run at the championship.
🔙 READ MORE: Top 10 bounce back teams for the 2025-26 season
The reigning champs are No. 3
With eight first-place votes, the Florida Gators open the season with their highest preseason ranking since 2006-07 — the last time they entered as defending national champions
The 2024-25 national champions return a strong core in Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, while adding two standout transfers — Arkansas’ Boogie Fland and Princeton’s Xaivian Lee — as they aim for a championship repeat.
📺 WATCH: Florida vs. Houston – 2025 men’s national championship highlights
UConn and St. John’s round out the top five
UConn takes the No. 4 spot, earning the remaining two first-place votes. St. John’s caps off the top five, led by Zuby Ejiofor, who could emerge as one of the Big East’s top players this season.
📊 COMPARE: Andy Katz’s preseason Power 37
Other notable rankings
Two Final Four teams are absent from this year’s top five. Duke just missed the cutoff, coming in at No. 6, while Auburn starts the season at No. 20 despite last year’s Final Four appearance.
