Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 team in college basketball. The Zags edged out Baylor and Villanova for the top spot in the preseason AP Top 25 in the poll released Monday, marking the first time in its history it is ranked No. 1 in the preseason rankings.
Baylor comes in at No. 2 and Villanova at No. 3, with Virginia and Iowa rounding out the top five.
It's the third consecutive season that Mark Few's Bulldogs are ranked inside the preseason top 10. In the last two seasons, they won a combined 64 games, more than any team in college basketball. They lost Filip Petrusev and Killian Tillie to the NBA this offseason, but return Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi while adding five-star freshman Jalen Suggs to the mix.
As good as Gonzaga is, though, Baylor has an equally impressive preseason resume. The Bears spent the majority of last season atop the AP rankings and return their top three scorers, led by All-America candidate Jared Butler.
Rounding out the top 10 of the poll is No. 6 Kansas, which ended last season at No. 1 in the rankings, as well as Wisconsin, Illinois, Duke and Kentucky.
Here's a look at the full AP Top 25.
AP Preseason Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' 2020-21 Top 25 preseason college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last season's final ranking:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga (28) | 0-0 | 1541 | 2 |
| 2 | Baylor (24) | 0-0 | 1540 | 5 |
| 3 | Villanova (11) | 0-0 | 1501 | 10 |
| 4 | Virginia (1) | 0-0 | 1540 | 16 |
| 5 | Iowa | 0-0 | 1273 | 25 |
| 6 | Kansas | 0-0 | 1221 | 1 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 1150 | 17 |
| 8 | Illinois | 0-0 | 1105 | 21 |
| 9 | Duke | 0-0 | 1073 | 11 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 0-0 | 1038 | 8 |
| 11 | Creighton | 0-0 | 922 | 7 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 0-0 | 919 | NR |
| 13 | Michigan State | 0-0 | 820 | 9 |
| 14 | Texas Tech | 0-0 | 790 | NR |
| 15 | West Virginia | 0-0 | 651 | 24 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 465 | NR |
| 17 | Houston | 0-0 | 438 | 22 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 0-0 | 402 | NR |
| 19 | Texas | 0-0 | 380 | NR |
| 20 | Oregon | 0-0 | 375 | 13 |
| 21 | Florida State | 0-0 | 351 | 4 |
| 22 | UCLA | 0-0 | 336 | NR |
| 23 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 270 | 19 |
| 24 | Rutgers | 0-0 | 190 | NR |
| 25 | Michigan | 0-0 | 160 | NR |
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