How a team performs in the preseason is much less important than how it finishes.
UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley undoubtedly would agree with that statement.
So there couldn’t have been any fretting in the UConn practice gym on Monday afternoon when the Huskies learned they held the No. 4 position in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll.
Some preseason recognition and the right to brag a bit always is nice, but in no way does a No. 1 ranking forecast who will cut down the nets in April.
All 25 teams in the poll find themselves in the same situation. Will the No. 20 team in the preseason really end in that spot in the postseason? Probably not. Will No. 1 Florida win the national championship?
Florida dominated the balloting in the poll, garnering 47 of the 59 first-place votes. Duke was No. 2 (10 votes), followed by Illinois (two votes), UConn and Arizona to round out the top five.
It’s a familiar bunch, with all but Florida reaching the Final Four last season. Michigan, the defending national champion after defeating UConn in the title game in April, enters as preseason No. 16 after the loss of key players and head coach Dusty May.
How are preseason teams judged?
So exactly how do the AP voters – select sportswriters and broadcasters – come up with their top 25 teams when they have yet to see them in regular-season action?
A 2023 Associated Press story addressed that question with the focus on football, but it’s the same principle for men’s and women’s basketball, most likely.
The main consideration, per the AP article, is the number and quality of returning starters “but only if the team was good the previous season.” Comings and goings in the transfer portal, as well as the abilities of the coaching staff, also come into play.
Three voters interviewed said they also consider information taken from computerized rankings, analytics that predict performance, depth charts and even preseason magazines.
Does it matter that UConn in No. 4?
Not at all.
At this point, without a look at teams playing games that count in the standings, it’s all just a best guess for voters.
Remember this: UConn has won six national titles, coming in 1999, 2004 and 2011 under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun; in 2014 with Kevin Ollie on the bench; and in 2023 and 2024 with Hurley in charge.
What were the preseason rankings of those teams?
1999, No. 2
2004, No. 1
2011, unranked
2014, No. 18
2023, unranked
2024, No. 6
From unranked to national champion. Twice. See, it doesn’t matter where you start – just where you finish.
The Top 25 in full
This is the full preseason AP Top 25 poll. The teams in italics are on UConn’s regular-season schedule. The Huskies will play Michigan State in a preseason game on Tuesday night in East Lansing, Mich.
1. Florida, 47 first-place votes
2. Duke, 10
3. Illinois, 2
4. UConn
5. Arizona
6. Michigan State
7. Texas
8. Tennessee
9. Virginia
10. Houston
11. Louisville
12. Arkansas
13. St. John's
14. Miami (FL)
15. Gonzaga
16. Michigan
17. Kansas
18. Iowa State
19. Texas Tech
20. Alabama
21. Southern California
22. UCLA
23. Kentucky
24. Vanderbilt
25. BYU
Others receiving votes: Missouri 167, Nebraska 70, Purdue 53, OhioState 39, North Carolina 20, TCU 17, Saint Louis 13, VCU 12, Iowa 12, Virginia Tech 10, Indiana 8, Texas A&M 6, Villanova 6, Auburn 4, Marquette 3, Nevada 2, Grand Canyon 2, Utah State 2, Santa Clara..