Syracuse, N.Y. -- The first AP Top 25 poll of the 2024-25 season dropped Monday.
Kansas is the preseason No. 1. The Jayhawks got 30 first-place votes, followed by Alabama (14), UConn (11), Houston (4) and Gonzaga (1).
As usual these days, Duke and North Carolina are the standard-bearers for the ACC, which placed exactly two teams in the Top 25.
I submitted my ballot last week; you can see how I voted and why I chose the teams I chose by scrolling past the poll results.
Here's the preseason poll. The number in parentheses represents the number of first-place votes.
Maybe it's because we have yet to talk with Syracuse players at the school's official media day. The season starts unofficially on Oct. 26 when the Orange plays its first exhibition game. Basketball in October still seems weird.
At any rate, it always takes a while to sort out the first ballot of the new season. It's even harder in the transfer portal era, where entire teams can be completely transformed.
Houston is my pick because the Cougars return four starters - including leading scorer LJ Cryer - and are preseason computer darlings. Continuity seems to be a key ingredient in early-season success. And Houston has become a powerhouse program under Kelvin Sampson. I was one of just four voters to put Houston at No. 1.
As for the ACC, Duke and the Cooper Flagg Phenomenon is the highest-ranked conference team. The Blue Devils have assembled an interesting array of talent. But that's a team that might need a bit of time to coalesce. I think Wake Forest tops the next tier of ACC talent (after UNC) and nearly included Clemson in my Top 25.