I previously did a summary and average of the top teams in college basketball.  It ended up at a Top 39 because of the number of different teams that ended up on the preseason rankings that I sampled.  I’m going to try and keep my own personal Top 25 for Men’s College Basketball and update it weekly.  I’m also going to include MadZee’s Top 25 with mine, so we can see at the end of the year who has a better handle on the state of college basketball.

PRESEASON TOP 25 – MadDog (Top 10 with comments)

  1. Kentucky – The preseason AP poll has Kentucky at #2 and my average of the polls also had them at #2.  The consensus #1 in those polls is Michigan State.  Aside from being a homer (which I am), why bump UK up here?  Three reasons.  One, I’ve seen Kentucky play and they look the part.  Two, Michigan State did one of those untelevised scrimmages and lost to Gonzaga.  Three, Langford is out for a few months.  He’s their best or second best player.  Without him they’re not #1.  So, UK gets the top spot.
  2. Michigan State – I bump them down here because they’re still going to be really good.  Just not #1 good.
  3. Kansas – They’re #3 in the AP and deserve their top 5 ranking.  I’m bearish on them as the season goes on, but for now, I’ll give them this spot.
  4. Florida – I’m putting Florida a few spots above the AP (#6) and my average (#7).  They don’t have a super challenging schedule in the non-conference, so I expect them to look good going into conference play.
  5. Duke – They’ve got talent.  Top 5 talent.  Can K make them a team?  We’ll see.
  6. Louisville – They’re #5 in my average and the AP.  I’m from Missouri on this team.  Many have them pegged to the Final Four.  I’m not so sure.
  7. Maryland – I’m going to look into this team more to see why they’re so highly ranked.  I’m going with the crowd here.
  8. Gonzaga – They beat Michigan State in that scrimmage I referenced earlier.  They’re going to rack up the wins out west.
  9. North Carolina – They’re killing it in recruiting for 2020.  This is a team I think finishes in the top two of the ACC.
  10. Seton Hall – I think they may dominate the Big East and hit March with a high seed.
  11. Ohio State
  12. Texas Tech
  13. Villanova
  14. Virginia
  15. Memphis
  16. Oregon
  17. Arizona
  18. Baylor
  19. Utah State
  20. Xavier
  21. Purdue
  22. St. Mary’s
  23. Auburn
  24. LSU
  25. Tennessee

PRESEASON TOP 25 – MadZee

  1. Michigan State
  2. Kansas
  3. Kentucky
  4. Louisville
  5. Duke
  6. Maryland
  7. North Carolina
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Villanova
  10. Florida
  11. Seton Hall
  12. Virginia
  13. Memphis
  14. Oregon
  15. Texas Tech
  16. Ohio State
  17. Arizona
  18. Xavier
  19. LSU
  20. Auburn
  21. Baylor
  22. St. Mary’s
  23. Purdue
  24. VCU
  25. Michigan