Michigan State tops preseason

Michigan State has an impressive list of accomplishments in its men’s basketball program, including 10 Final Four trips and two national championships. One thing the Spartans haven’t achieved in their long history is the No. 1 ranking in the preseason poll – until now.

The voters in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll made Michigan State the overwhelming choice for the No. 1 spot. Coming off an appearance in the national semifinals and returning national player of the year favorite Cassius Winston, the Spartans were picked first by 30 of the 32 panelists.

The rest of the top 10 features a lot of familiar perennial powers as well. Kentucky will open the campaign at No. 2, the ninth consecutive top-five start for the Wildcats.

Kansas and Duke begin in the third and fourth positions, respectively, each receiving a first-place vote. This will be the sixth top-five opening in a row for the Jayhawks and the seventh for the Blue Devils. Louisville rounds out the top five. The rest of the top 10 features more name-brand programs. Florida will start at No. 6, followed by Gonzaga and Maryland. Defending champion Virginia checks in at No. 9, followed by 2018 titlist Villanova.

There are a couple of new names in the preseason poll. No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 19 Utah State have appeared in the Top 25 over the course of past seasons, but they are ranked in the preseason poll for the first time.

Nine conferences are represented. The Southeastern Conference has the most ranked squads with five, with Auburn, LSU and Tennessee claiming the last three slots. The Vols narrowly edged out Virginia Commonwealth by two points for the 25th position.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has four teams ranked, all in the top 11. The Big Ten also has four in the top 25, while the Big 12 and Big East start with three each.

❚ Top 25 poll, 4C

❚ Poll snubs, 4C