Men's basketball preseason Coaches Poll set for Thursday release
Which team is the best in the country?
Don't ask Kentucky coach John Calipari, who's hardly the biggest fan of preseason polls.
"I think people see the poll and think it's what really happens," Calipari told Paste BN Sports. "In 2012, we were picked in the top three and then we went to the NIT. Last season, we were No. 1 and then lost the first big game of the season.
"I really like our team but I think there are 4-5 other teams that could easily be voted No. 1."
With tip-off of the 2014-15 season three weeks away, fans will get a glimpse of the best teams in the country Thursday at noon ET when the preseason top 25 teams are unveiled in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll.
How will it all shake out? The Wildcats will be heavily favored to win a national title after finishing as runner-up last season. This season Calipari and his staff will have something he didn't last season: Returning talent.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison all return from UK's Final Four squad. And thanks to another strong recruiting class — led by big men Karl Towns and Trey Lyles — the Wildcats should be one of the deepest teams in the country.
Though one of the strongest storylines last season was one of the best freshman classes in recent memory, the projected top teams in 2014-15 are built on returning talent. Final Four finisher Wisconsin returns its nucleus, and Elite Eight finisher Arizona brings back a loaded roster.
Paste BN Sports will be the destination for college hoops fans Thursday. You can find extensive coverage of the preseason poll on the college basketball page of the website or interact via Twitter. Here's a look at some more background on the top 25 rankings:
- The first-regular season poll will be released early on the afternoon of Nov. 14, shortly after the regular season begins on Nov. 17.
- The poll will be released every Monday thereafter until Selection Sunday, March 16, when the final regular-season poll will be released that evening around the time the NCAA tournament selections are announced.
- A final poll will be conducted following the national championship game April 7 and released the following day. The voting panel for 2014-15 consists of 32 Division I head coaches representing each of the conferences that receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
- All voters are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and are selected by the NABC in consultation with Paste BN Sports.There has been an NCAA men's basketball coaches poll since the 1950-51 season. Paste BN Sports has administered the poll since the 1991-92 season.