Gonzaga Leads 2020-21 College Basketball Preseason AP Top 25 Rankings

The first poll of the 2020–21 men's college basketball season is here, with Gonzaga taking home top preseason honors. It's the first time in program history that the Zags are No. 1 to open a season.

The No. 1 Bulldogs received 28 first-place votes, edging out No. 2 Baylor (24 first-place votes) and No. 3 Villanova (11 first-place votes). No. 4 Virginia (one) was the only other team to receive a first-place vote.

Traditional powers like Kansas (No. 6), Duke (No. 9), Kentucky (No. 10), Michigan State (No. 13) and UNC (No. 16) are scattered throughout the Top 25. The Big 12 and Big Ten each have two teams in the top 10, with Iowa and Illinois filling the spots in the latter.

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Rutgers, which was on pace to break its 29-year NCAA tournament drought before March Madness 2020 was canceled earlier this year, checks in at No. 24, its first appearance in a preseason AP poll since 1979. 

The 2020–21 college basketball season kicks off on Nov. 25, delayed from its original early November start due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No. 1 Gonzaga will open the season on Thanksgiving Day with a clash against No. 6 Kansas in Fort Myers, Fla.

The full men's preseason AP Top 25 is below:

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Villanova
4. Virginia
5. Iowa
6. Kansas
7. Wisconsin
8. Illinois
9. Duke
10. Kentucky
11. Creighton
12. Tennessee
13. Michigan State
14. Texas Tech
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Houston
18. Arizona State
19. Texas
20. Oregon
21. Florida State
22. UCLA
23. Ohio State
24. Rutgers
25. Michigan

Others receiving votes: LSU 146, Memphis 69, Florida 69, Alabama 50, Indiana 48, Louisville 41, Richmond 40, Stanford 14, Providence 9, Saint Louis 8, Auburn 8, San Diego State 6, Connecticut 6, BYU 4, Loyola Chicago 3, Seton Hall 2, UNC Greensboro 1, Northern Iowa 1