No. 1 Kansas leads preseason men’s basketball poll ahead of Alabama, UConn

The start of the long journey toward ‘One Shining Moment’ is just a couple of weeks away, and our panel of voters has weighed in to determine who gets the honor of entering the men’s basketball season as the No. 1 team. Well, that honor can be a curse in some cases, as fans of this year’s choice are well aware.

For the second consecutive year, Kansas tops the preseason USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. The Jayhawks are one of four teams getting first-place votes, however, so it’s fair to say there might not be a clearcut favorite for the upcoming campaign. Kansas was voted No. 1 by 15 of the 31 coaches, and heads a group of five teams from the bigger Big 12 in the preseason top 10.

Alabama, coming off its first ever trip to the Final Four, will open at No. 2, finishing just one poll point ahead of two-time defending national champion Connecticut. Both the Crimson Tide and Huskies received six first-place nods. The remaining four No. 1 votes went to Houston, which will start the season at No. 4 overall. Perennial power Duke rounds out the top five.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball poll

IN-DEPTH: Season outlooks for every team in the preseason Top 25

Iowa State opens at No. 6, its highest starting point since USA TODAY began administering the coaches poll for the 1991-92 season, followed by No. 7 Gonzaga. The Big 12 holds the next two spots with Baylor at No. 8 and league newcomer Arizona at No. 9. North Carolina rounds out the top 10, though Duke and UNC are the only ACC squads in the Top 25.

In addition to claiming half the top 10 positions, the Big 12 is also represented by No. 20 Cincinnati for a total of six ranked teams. But it is the SEC that leads the overall conference numbers with nine in the Top 25. Among those is No. 25 Mississippi, making its first appearance in the preseason poll. The Big Ten has four, led by last year’s runner-up Purdue opening at No. 13. The Big East begins with three, meaning the so-called power-five leagues with the exception of Gonzaga comprise the entire Top 25.