Preseason Top 25 College Basketball Rankings


Preseason college basketball rankings for the top 25 heading into the opening weekend. Three blue bloods pace the field as we get ready for the 2016-17 season.


It’s finally here.

The college basketball season tips off Friday with a huge slate of games, highlighted by the Armed Forces Classic pitting Michigan State against Arizona and Kansas vs. Indiana – four teams all featured in the debut edition of the Campus Insiders Top 25.

These rankings look a little different from the preseason AP Top 25, as there always will be some disagreements in the voting process. Everyone can agree on one thing, though – Duke is loaded and the clear No. 1 team heading into the 2016-17 college basketball season.

Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Amile Jefferson return to team up with quite possibly coach Mike Krzyzewski’s best recruiting class, which features Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden.

Kentucky has its own crop of five-star freshmen, but possibly the biggest win of the recruiting season was Bill Self luring Josh Jackson to Kansas. Jackson has the potential to be the No. 1 pick in the summer’s NBA draft, and he gives the Jayhawks an above-the-rim phenom to team up with a strong cast of returnees like Frank Mason III and Carlton Bragg.

Oregon is going to make a Final Four push behind Dillon Brooks, and no one can forget about defending champion Villanova, led by All-American Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson.

Here’s a look at the preseason Campus Insiders Top 25 heading into Friday’s openers.

Preseason College Basketball Rankings

1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Kentucky
4. Oregon
5. Villanova
6. North Carolina
7. Wisconsin
8. Virginia
9. Michigan State
10. Xavier
11. Arizona
12. Indiana
13. UCLA
14. Louisville
15. Purdue
16. Gonzaga
17. UConn
18. Texas
19. St. Mary’s
20. Syracuse
21. West Virginia
22. Dayton
23. Maryland
24. FSU
25. Miami (FL)

MORE: Men’s Basketball AP Top 25: Takeaways From Preseason Poll