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Well, the AP basketball poll is out (it’s the only one I really care at all about), and as expected, Kentucky takes the #1 spot, although it was not unanimous by any means. I haven’t looked at every voter in the poll, but I have seen a couple that we all know well and who are worth singling out. For the record, Kentucky got 52 of the 65 total votes. Wisconsin was 2nd with 8, and Arizona 3rd with 5. Duke did not receive a single first-place vote, which is somewhat surprising to me.
- Rick Bozich — In case you think of him as a Louisville homer, he has it Kentucky, Wisconsin, Arizona, Duke and UNC. Louisville is down at #8.
- John Feinstein — Not sure why he’s allowed to vote, but Feinstein has Wisconsin #1. The Duke alum is consistent, though, putting Kentucky and Duke lower — UK at #3 and Duke at #7. Looks like an ageism vote to me. His top five are Wisconsin, Arizona, Kentucky, Florida and Virginia.
- Kevin Brockway — Kevin has Arizona, Kentucky, Duke, Wisconsin and Kansas in that order.
- Seth Davis — He has it Kentucky, Arizona, Wisconsin, Duke and Kansas in that order.
- Dick Vitale — Vitale has it Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Wisconsin and UNC.
I think UK is a deserving #1 (more deserving than they were last season), but you could make a case for Arizona, Wisconsin and even Duke. I don’t buy North Carolina that high, nor Louisville, but I suppose we shall see.
2014-15 AP Preseason Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky Wildcats (52) | 0-0 | 1604 |
| 2 | Arizona Wildcats (5) | 0-0 | 1518 |
| 3 | Wisconsin Badgers (8) | 0-0 | 1483 |
| 4 | Duke Blue Devils | 0-0 | 1415 |
| 5 | Kansas Jayhawks | 0-0 | 1346 |
| 6 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 1274 |
| 7 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 1153 |
| 8 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 1114 |
| 9 | Virginia Cavaliers | 0-0 | 1090 |
| 10 | Texas Longhorns | 0-0 | 1061 |
| 11 | Wichita State Shockers | 0-0 | 1027 |
| 12 | Villanova Wildcats | 0-0 | 885 |
| 13 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 0-0 | 840 |
| 14 | Iowa State Cyclones | 0-0 | 781 |
| 15 | Virginia Commonwealth Rams | 0-0 | 574 |
| 16 | San Diego State Aztecs | 0-0 | 560 |
| 17 | Connecticut Huskies | 0-0 | 552 |
| 18 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 521 |
| 19 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 426 |
| 20 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 340 |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 0-0 | 309 |
| 22 | SMU Mustangs | 0-0 | 285 |
| 23 | Syracuse Orange | 0-0 | 178 |
| 24 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 167 |
| 25 (Tie) | Harvard Crimson | 0-0 | 98 |
| 25 (Tie) | Utah Utes | 0-0 | 98 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Utah 98, Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St. 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, N.C. State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, Geo. Wash. 7, Oklahoma St. 6, Notre Dame 6, Dayton 6, Florida St. 5, Georgetown 5, Maryland 3, Illinois 3, UNLV 2, BYU 2, UTEP 1, S.F. Austin 1, Baylor 1, West Virginia 1 | |||