The Kentucky Wildcats will open yet another season under John Calipari with a top-five ranking.
The first edition of the Coaches Top 25 Poll has been released, and UK came in at No. 4 in their first ranking. The defending national champion Villanova Wildcats came in at No. 3. The Kansas Jayhawks came in at No. 2, and finally, the Duke Blue Devils took home the top spot.
Duke is No. 1 in every major preseason poll, so that comes as no real surprise. Villanova ahead of UK is a bit surprising, but it's fair given that Nova did just win it all. Kansas ahead of UK is the real surprise. Though they certainly have enough talent to beat UK, the Jayhawks are replacing a lot from last year's team with a recruiting class that is mainly centered on Josh Jackson.
Alas, these are merely preseason polls that ultimately mean nothing in the long run. Here is a look at the entire poll:
TOP 25 TEAMS, WEEK 1
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES | PREV | CHANGE | HI/LOW |
| 1 | Duke | 25-11 | 792 | 27 | NR | 0 | – |
| 2 | Kansas | 33-5 | 721 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 3 | Villanova | 35-5 | 700 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 4 | Kentucky | 27-9 | 695 | 2 | NR | 0 | – |
| 5 | Oregon | 31-7 | 620 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 6 | North Carolina | 33-7 | 614 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 7 | Virginia | 29-8 | 596 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 8 | Xavier | 28-6 | 552 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 9 | Michigan St | 29-6 | 544 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 22-13 | 487 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 11 | Arizona | 25-9 | 468 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 12 | Indiana | 27-8 | 435 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 13 | Gonzaga | 28-8 | 371 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 14 | Louisville | 23-8 | 367 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 15 | Purdue | 26-9 | 324 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 16 | Connecticut | 25-11 | 239 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 17 | Syracuse | 23-14 | 224 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 18 | West Virginia | 26-9 | 204 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 19 | St. Mary's | 29-6 | 203 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 20 | UCLA | 15-17 | 185 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 21 | Maryland | 27-9 | 153 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 22 | Texas | 20-13 | 124 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 23 | Creighton | 20-15 | 113 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 24 | Rhode Island | 17-15 | 85 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 22-11 | 75 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |