NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from preseason USA Today poll

Mar 19, 2016; Providence, RI, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) drives past Yale Bulldogs guard Nick Victor (21) and forward Brandon Sherrod (35) during the second half of a second round game of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Dunkin Donuts Center. Yale won 71 to 64. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2016-17 USA Today coaches preseason poll was released for NCAA basketball fans on Thursday.

With just 21 days until tip-off, the season is inching closer and closer by the minute.

But first, preseason rankings and awards continue to fill the college hoops headlines.

On Thursday, USA Today released their coaches preseason poll, with the Duke Blue Devils on top of the rankings.

The rest of the top five is rounded out by Kansas, Villanova, Kentucky and Oregon.

Here are some other observations that Busting Brackets took away from the recent poll:

I’m a bit surprised that Oregon is in the top-five despite Dillon Brooks foot injury. Brooks is the main cog in the Ducks’ attack and it is unknown as to when he will be returning to the floor. The Ducks are surely a top-five team with Brooks active, as they reached the Elite Eight last season and return most of their roster.
The defending national champs, Villanova, beat out the Kentucky Wildcats for a spot behind Duke and Kansas in the rankings. Jay Wright’s squad has more experience than UK, as return both Josh Hart (who could potentially win Big East Player of the Year and Kris Jenkins.
Wisconsin (10) and Arizona (11) are two teams that are being undervalued. The Badgers return virtually every key player from last season, while the Wildcats have a vaunted recruiting class headed to Tucson and return Allonzo Trier.
UConn is getting a lot of love out of the AAC. The Huskies are ranked 16th in the poll despite losing Sterling Gibbs, Daniel Hamilton and Shonn Miller. Kevin Ollie’s unit does possess a terrific one-two backcourt combo though.
It’s not surprise but the ACC has three teams in the top-10 (Duke, North Carolina and Virginia). The Big East and Big Ten both have two teams in the top-10. The ACC has five teams in the top-25 overall and should receive 9-to-11 NCAA Tournament bids this year, especially with the SEC and Big 12 expected have down seasons.
Maryland, Texas, UCLA and West Virginia are the early favorites to be the first teams to drop out of the poll. The Terps lose four starters, Texas loses almost 65 percent of their scoring from last season, Bruins’ freshman point guard Lonzo Ball will take some time to adjust to the college game and the Mountaineers still have to overcome the loss of their best player Devin Williams. This doesn’t mean these teams aren’t good or won’t enter the rankings again, but it simply means they will struggle early in the year.
Rhode Island landed a spot in the preseason coaches poll for the first time since 1998-99.

These rankings are obviously subject to a weekly change, but it’s always interesting to look back at the preseason poll.

Next: Previewing the Conference USA

There are teams that will lurk around the top-10 for the majority of the season, teams that will remain in the top-five and others that will bounce around as they search for consistency. The parity in college basketball is unmatched.

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