Following an exciting NCAA Men’s Basketball season, ending with a Villanova buzzer-beater to defeat UNC, many basketball fans are looking forward to the new season and filling out multiple March Madness brackets. While trick-or-treaters were out collecting candy on Halloween night, the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll were released. The difference between the AP poll and the USA Today poll is that the AP poll is created by sportswriters, while the USA Today Poll is created by head coaches across the country. College basketball will start November 11, 2016 and will conclude April 3, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Below you can see the preseason polls. How different will these polls look at the end of the season when a new champion is crowned?

AP Top 25:

1. Duke
2. Kentucky
3. Kansas
4. Villanova
5. Oregon
6. North Carolina
7. Xavier
8. Virginia
9. Wisconsin
10. Arizona
11. Indiana
12. Michigan State
13. Louisville
14. Gonzaga
15. Purdue
16. UCLA
17. Saint Mary’s
18. Connecticut
19. Syracuse
20. West Virginia
21. Texas
22. Creighton
23. Rhode Island
24. Iowa State
25. Maryland

USA Today Coaches Poll

1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Villanova
4. Kentucky
5. Oregon
6. North Carolina
7. Virginia
8.  Xavier
9. Michigan State
10. Wisconsin
11. Arizona
12. Indiana
13. Gonzaga
14. Louisville
15. Purdue
16. Connecticut
17. Syracuse
18. West Virginia
19. Saint Mary’s
20. UCLA
21. Maryland
22. Texas
23. Creighton
24. Rhode Island
25. Cincinnati