The 2020-21 NCAA basketball season kicks off in just over two weeks, and there’s finally an AP poll. Gonzaga ranks first in the pre-season rankings, followed by Baylor No. 2 and then Villanova No. 3. The Bulldogs finished 31-2 in the 2020 short-circuited season and Joel Ayayi and Corey Kispert returned. Gonzaga is not backing off his non-conference schedule as they are scheduled to face No. 6 Kansas, Auburn, No. 2 Baylor and No. 5 Iowa before starting to play at the West Coast Conference.
NCAA 2019 champion still reigning the season, Virginia Cavaliers kicks off the season at fourth, and Iowa takes fifth. The Big Ten tops all conventions with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five and the ACC Team with four.
Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Duke, and Kentucky were No. 6-10 respectively.
Houston is the sole representative of AAC, and Arizona tops the 18th Trio of Pac-12 teams – No. 20 Oregon and No. 22 UCLA – in the primary rankings. Despite the bad 11-26 in 2019-20, the North Carolina Tar Heels are preparing to rebound in 16th.
Here is the full survey:
AP Poll – Pre-Season
| Rank | School | conference |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | conference |
| 1 | Gonzaga | World Council of Churches |
| 2 | Baylor | Big 12 |
| 3 | Villanova | The Great East |
| 4 | Virginia | ACC |
| 5 | Yes | Big Ten |
| 6 | KS | Big 12 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 8 | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 9 | duke | ACC |
| 10 | Kentucky | SEC |
| 11 | Creighton | The Great East |
| 12 | Tennessee | SEC |
| 13 | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 14 | Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| 15 | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 16 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 17 | Houston | AAC |
| 18 | Arizona State | Buck 12 |
| 19 | Texas | Big 12 |
| 20 | Oregon | Buck 12 |
| 21 | Florida | ACC |
| 22 | University of California | Buck 12 |
| 23 | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 24 | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 25 | Michigan | Big Ten |
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