College basketball AP Top 25: SEC lands 9 teams in preseason poll

College basketball is almost back and we now officially have a top 25 for the 2024-25 season. The Associated Press revealed their initial rankings for the new season on Monday.

And it’s hard to not see the SEC as the best conference in the country heading into the season. Incredibly, 9 SEC programs will start the year within the top 25, listed as follows:

• No. 2 Alabama
• No. 11 Auburn
• No. 12 Tennessee
• No. 13 Texas A&M
• No. 16 Arkansas
• No. 19 Texas
• No. 21 Florida
• No. 23 Kentucky
• No. 24 Ole Miss

Incredibly, you could make the argument there should be 10 SEC teams in the Top 25. Mississippi State not cracking the rankings is baffling considering who they return – even with Tolu Smith on the way out. Chris Jans has done an excellent job in Starkville, and the Bulldogs will have one of the best defenses in the conference right alongside Tennessee, Auburn and Texas.

Otherwise, this is a pretty solid preseason ballot from the AP. You could make the argument that Ole Miss isn’t quite a Top 25 team based on the forecast for their defense, but it’s hard to ignore the immense amount of talent Chris Beard has assembled on offense.

Outside the SEC, Kansas gets the top spot at No. 1, followed by the Tide, UConn, Houston and Iowa State.

The college basketball season tips off on November 4, just about 3 weeks away. Here’s a look at the full AP Top 25.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.