Fresh off an Elite Eight appearance in head coach Ben McCollum's first season at the helm of the Iowa men's basketball program, the Hawkeyes were excluded from the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Iowa didn't receive any votes in the preseason coaches poll either.
But, Iowa earned just three points to start last season in the preseason, and the Hawkeyes proceeded to author a 24-13 (10-10 Big Ten) campaign. It culminated with Iowa's first trip to the Elite Eight in 39 years.
Although Iowa lost its top three scorers from last year's team (Bennett Stirtz, Tavion Banks, and Alvaro Folgueiras), the Hawkeyes added key transfer portal additions in guard Ty'Reek Coleman and center Andrew McKeever. Iowa returns key cogs Cooper Koch, Cam Manyawu, Kael Combs, Tate Sage, and Isaia Howard.
Five Big Ten programs made their way into the preseason coaches poll, led by No. 3 Illinois. Illinois ended Iowa's season last year, advancing to its first Final Four in 21 years and the sixth in Fighting Illini history.
Joining Illinois in the preseason top 25 are No. 6 Michigan State, defending national champion and No. 20 Michigan, No. 22 USC, and No. 24 Purdue. Six Big Ten squads are receiving votes, including Nebraska (66 points), UCLA (64 points), Ohio State (31 points), Indiana (9 points), Wisconsin (5 points), and Maryland (1 point).
As for the poll itself, 11 Big Ten programs are represented, with five ranked inside the Top 25 and six programs receiving votes.
No. 3 Illinois leads the pack, followed by No. 6 Michigan State; defending national champion Michigan is No. 20, with No. 22 USC and No. 24 Purdue rounding out the Top 25. Nebraska (66 points), UCLA (64 points), Ohio State (31 points), Indiana (9 points), Wisconsin (5 points), and Maryland (1 point) are all receiving votes.
Here is a look at the full preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | 1st Place Votes | Previous | High/Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 732 | 20 | NR | 1/1 |
| 2 | Duke Blue Devils | 0-0 | 725 | 8 | NR | 2/2 |
| 3 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 0-0 | 683 | 2 | NR | 3/3 |
| 4 | Arizona Wildcats | 0-0 | 634 | 0 | NR | 4/4 |
| 5 | UConn Huskies | 0-0 | 612 | 0 | NR | 5/5 |
| 6 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 570 | 0 | NR | 6/6 |
| 7 | Texas Longhorns | 0-0 | 527 | 0 | NR | 7/7 |
| 8 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 486 | 0 | NR | 8/8 |
| 9 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 436 | 0 | NR | 9/9 |
| 10 | Virginia Cavaliers | 0-0 | 409 | 0 | NR | 10/10 |
| 11 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 369 | 0 | NR | 11/11 |
| 12 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 0-0 | 361 | 0 | NR | 12/12 |
| 13 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 0-0 | 345 | 0 | NR | 13/13 |
| 14 | St. John's Red Storm | 0-0 | 316 | 0 | NR | 14/14 |
| 14 | Iowa State Cyclones | 0-0 | 316 | 0 | NR | 14/14 |
| 16 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 0-0 | 314 | 0 | NR | 16/16 |
| 17 | Miami (FL) Hurricanes | 0-0 | 292 | 0 | NR | 17/17 |
| 18 | Kansas Jayhawks | 0-0 | 286 | 0 | NR | 18/18 |
| 18 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 286 | 0 | NR | 18/18 |
| 20 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 219 | 0 | NR | 20/20 |
| 21 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 0-0 | 164 | 0 | NR | 21/21 |
| 22 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 103 | 0 | NR | 22/22 |
| 23 | Kentucky Wildcats | 0-0 | 100 | 0 | NR | 23/23 |
| 24 | Purdue Boilermakers | 0-0 | 83 | 0 | NR | 24/24 |
| 25 | BYU Cougars | 0-0 | 76 | 0 | NR | 25/25 |
Others Receiving Votes
Nebraska 66; UCLA 64; Missouri 60; Ohio State 31; North Carolina 24; Texas A&M 19; Villanova 14; Indiana 9; Wisconsin 5; Saint Louis 4; Cincinnati 4; West Virginia 2; Creighton 2; Maryland 1; Auburn 1;
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball excluded from preseason Coaches Poll