Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

Indiana tops preseason media hoops poll

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

New York, NY – Indiana will start the season as the nation's top-ranked men's college basketball team, according to the Associated Press.

The Hoosiers received 43 first-place votes and a total of 1,592 points from a nationwide media panel, outdistancing Louisville and Kentucky -- two Final Four teams from a year ago -- for the top spot.

Louisville, which lost to eventual champion Kentucky in the national semifinals last spring, earned 20 first-place votes and 1,568 points, while the Wildcats picked up the remaining two No. 1 tallies.

Indiana also fell victim to Kentucky's ride to the 2012 national championship, falling to the Wildcats in the South Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers return all five starters from last season's team and will start the year atop the poll for the first time since 1979-80.

Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina State, Kansas, Duke, Syracuse and Florida complete the preseason top 10. Ohio State and Kansas were also Final Four participants last year. The Jayhawks beat the Buckeyes before losing to Kentucky in the championship game.

The second 10 consists of North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA, Michigan State, Missouri, Creighton, Memphis, UNLV, Baylor and San Diego State.

Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Florida State are the last five teams ranked.

The Big Ten has the most teams in the preseason poll with five, including three in the top five, while the ACC and Big East each have four teams. Three SEC teams are ranked, while the Big 12, Pac-12 and Mountain West all have two teams in the poll.

Many teams begin the season on Nov. 9, and one matchup on that Friday will feature a pair of ranked teams as Syracuse and San Diego State play aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego harbor.