Preseason AP Top 25: Andy Katz's takeaways on first ranking of 2021-22 season
By Andy Katz
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst
The 2021-22 college basketball season became a bit more of a reality Monday, when the preseason AP Top 25 poll came out, with a healthy dose of "blue bloods" near the top of the list.
But it's not the exact shade of blue you might have expected making real noise before the season tips off. In other words, it's not UNC blue or Blue Devil blue.
Villanova, which has won two of the past five national championships and seven of the past eight Big East regular-season titles, checked in at No. 4. The Wildcats can make an argument as the bluest of blue bloods in today’s game.
Kansas came in at No. 3 in the poll. The Jayhawks return four starters and welcome transfer guard Remy Martin, who is a popular pick for Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
Coming off a memorable Cinderella run to the Final Four last season, UCLA checked in at No. 2. And yes, Gonzaga is No. 1. Deal with it. The Zags are now a traditional power, making a yearly appearance as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga secured the top player in the 2021 class in Chet Holmgren. In 2020, the Bulldogs nabbed his Minnesota peer, Jalen Suggs, arguably one of the two best freshmen last season. The Zags also might have the player of the year or, at the very least, a first-team All-American in Drew Timme.
Gonzaga plays a national schedule, something it has to do with the weaker West Coast Conference. Games against No. 2 UCLA in Las Vegas, No. 5 Texas in Spokane, No. 9 Duke in Las Vegas and No. 14 Alabama in Seattle are the highlights.
While Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas and Villanova take up the top four spots, traditional "blue bloods" still made their mark in the first poll of the season.
Duke, which missed the 2021 NCAA Tournament, is at No. 9, in large part due to the arrival of Paolo Banchero. He and Holmgren could make up this season’s Suggs-Cade Cunningham competition for freshman of the year/top-five NBA draft pick.
Kentucky, which also didn’t make the NCAA Tournament in March, comes in at No. 10 in the preseason. The Wildcats are loaded with high-profile transfers Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia) and Kellan Grady (Davidson) and a highly touted freshman guard in TyTy Washington.
North Carolina, under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, checked in at No. 19 with the returns of Caleb Love and Armando Bacot, as well as significant transfers Brady Manek (Oklahoma) and Dawson Garcia (Marquette).
Memphis, with a pair of highly touted freshmen in Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates, is at No. 12 after winning the NIT under Penny Hardaway.
Reigning champion Baylor comes in at No. 8. Scott Drew's team will count heavily on Arizona transfer James Akinjo in the backcourt to go with returnees Matthew Mayer and Adam Flagler.
Kofi Cockburn’s return catapulted Illinois back into the Top 25, with the Illini coming in at No. 11. Auburn, which sat out the 2021 NCAA Tournament due to a self-imposed postseason ban, is at No. 22, in large part because of highly touted freshman Jabari Smith and UNC transfer Walker Kessler.
Finally, get used to seeing No. 14 Alabama and No. 16 Arkansas in the polls, with Eric Musselman and Nate Oats, respectively, leading those programs.
St. Bonaventure is the one team cracking the Top 25 that isn’t a traditional brand. The Bonnies, who return the core five from an A-10 championship, sit at No. 23.
The Big Ten, the best league in college basketball the past two seasons, had five ranked teams in Michigan (6), Purdue (7), Illinois (11), Ohio State (17) and Maryland (21) and could have had a sixth if Indiana had gotten more love. Expect the Big Ten to have a regular rotation of at least five teams in the Top 25 throughout the season.
One thing is clear from this poll: There is no dominant team, but there are plenty of contenders for the national title.
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.