The 2026-27 preseason men's college basketball AP Top 25 poll is out, and reigning champion Michigan is not No. 1. The Wolverines open at No. 16 following the offseason departure of head coach Dusty May. Instead, Florida holds the top spot to start the season, followed by Duke.
The offseason has been defined by 54 coaching changes, a busy transfer portal and college eligibility battles playing out in the courts. Together with tournament expansion, these factors make the 2026-27 campaign especially intriguing.
Florida finished 27-8 last season after losing to 9-seed Iowa in the round of 32. The Gators open Nov. 2 against Miami in Tampa, and their biggest early test comes Dec. 1 against Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Thomas Haugh, who averaged 17.1 points per game, anchors the projected starting lineup.
Duke went 35-3 last season, falling to 2-seed UConn in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils' biggest early-season game is a Nov. 25 matchup with UConn in Las Vegas. John Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points per game at Wisconsin, is among the key contributors. Illinois, UConn, Arizona, Michigan State, Texas and Tennessee round out the early storylines, with each team's projected lineup and marquee nonconference game detailed in the full preseason breakdown.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing