The much-anticipated journey towards ‘One Shining Moment’ will kick off in just a few weeks, and our panel of voters has cast their ballots to decide which team deserves the title of preseason No. 1. This title can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing, as the fans of this year’s chosen team can attest.

For the second year in a row, Kansas has been named the top team in the preseason YSL News Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. The Jayhawks topped the list with 15 out of 31 votes, but they are joined by three other teams that also received first-place votes, indicating a wide-open race for the upcoming season. Kansas leads a total of five Big 12 teams in the preseason rankings.

Alabama, fresh off their inaugural appearance in the Final Four, is set to begin the season at No. 2, narrowly edging out two-time defending national champion Connecticut, which finished just one poll point behind. Both Alabama and UConn received six first-place votes. Houston claimed the remaining four first-place votes and is positioned at No. 4. Duke completes the top five.

Iowa State opens at No. 6, marking its highest preseason ranking since YSL News started the coaches poll in the 1991-92 season, followed by Gonzaga at No. 7. The Big 12 continues to dominate the rankings with Baylor at No. 8 and newcomer Arizona stepping in at No. 9. North Carolina rounds out the top 10, making Duke and UNC the only representatives from the ACC in the Top 25.

Furthermore, the Big 12 boasts half of the top 10 teams, and is also represented by No. 20 Cincinnati, totaling six teams in the rankings. However, the SEC leads overall conference representation with nine teams in the Top 25, including Mississippi at No. 25, marking its inaugural entry in the preseason rankings. The Big Ten follows with four teams, led by last year’s runner-up, Purdue, starting at No. 13. The Big East enters with three teams, while the power-five conferences (with Gonzaga as the only exception) fill out the entire Top 25.