Could Iowa Basketball Defy Expectations and Crash the AP Top 25 This Season?

Alright, basketball fans, the moment we’ve been eagerly awaiting is almost upon us – the 2025-26 college hoops season is gearing up to tip off, and with it, the much-anticipated preseason AP Top 25 poll has finally landed. After a rollercoaster 2024-25 campaign, where the Hawkeyes wrapped up with a 17-16 record and a gritty 7-13 in Big Ten play, there’s been quite the shakeup in Iowa City. Out goes Fran McCaffery, and in strides Ben McCollum, a coach who’s got tongues wagging about what he might bring to the table. Now, the big question: will the pollsters back up the buzz Iowa fans are buzzing about, or is this season a wait-and-see? With six Big Ten teams cemented in the rankings, and six others, including the Hawkeyes, chasing votes, the conference is looking fierce. At the summit is Purdue, basking in the glory of their first-ever No. 1 preseason ranking – a historic feat that’s set the bar sky-high. Meanwhile, Iowa sits just outside the Top 25, nudging its way with some love from the voters. It’s shaping up to be a wild ride, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. LEARN MORE

With the 2025-26 college basketball season just around the corner, the preseason AP Top 25 poll has dropped.

The Hawkeyes have come a long way since their 2024-25 season concluded last March with a 17-16 (7-13 Big Ten) mark. Former head coach Fran McCaffery was dismissed and the Hawkeyes brought in one of the top coaches on the market as its new head coach in Ben McCollum.

As McCollum enters his first season at the helm of the Hawkeyes, the true question will be whether the AP poll voters agree with the hype the fan base feels surrounding the Iowa program.

In the preseason AP Top 25 poll, six Big Ten squads find themselves ranked and six more, including Iowa, make their way into the receiving votes category.

At the top of the list is No. 1 Purdue, followed by No. 7 Michigan, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois, No. 22 Michigan State, and No. 24 Wisconsin. It’s the first time in Purdue history that the Boilermakers begin the season as the nation’s top-ranked team.

The Hawkeyes are among 19 other programs in the receiving votes category as Iowa earned six points. The other five Big Ten teams joining them in that grouping are Oregon (98 points), Ohio State (23), USC (10), Washington (7), and Indiana (1).

As for the remainder of the entire rankings, the AP preseason men’s college basketball poll is listed as follows:

Rank	Team	Points
1	Purdue (35)	1485
2	Houston (16)	1459
3	Florida (8)	1382
4	UConn (2)	1299
5	St. John’s	1203
6	Duke	1123
7	Michigan	1084
8	BYU	1078
9	Kentucky	1056
10	Texas Tech	1015
11	Louisville	966
12	UCLA	741
13	Arizona	715
14	Arkansas	695
15	Alabama	620
16	Iowa State	616
17	Illinois	567
18	Tennessee	462
19	Kansas	453
20	Auburn	424
21	Gonzaga	387
22	Michigan State	188
23	Creighton	158
24	Wisconsin	136
25	North Carolina	104

Others receiving votes: NC State 101, Oregon 98, San Diego St. 74, Texas 35, Ohio St. 23, Kansas St 13, Mississippi 11, Southern Cal 10, Missouri 8, Washington 7, Vanderbilt 7, Iowa 6, Boise St. 4, Mississippi St. 3, VCU 2, Virginia 2, Saint Mary’s 2, Indiana 1, Oklahoma 1, Baylor 1.

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