Syracuse University is ranked No. 10 in the NCAA college basketball preseason AP poll. Two Big East teams are ranked ahead of the Orange in the poll, Pittsburgh (No. 5) and Villanova (No. 6). The Georgetown Hoyas are ranked 20th by AP voters.
Defending national champion Duke is ranked No. 1 in the poll, followed by Michigan State, Kansas State and Ohio State. Duke will be looking to become the first team to win consecutive national championships since Florida in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
No conference had more than theBig East's four ranked teams. The Big Ten and Big 12 also each had four teams in the Top 25. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference both had three.
West Virginia was the only team in last season's Final Four not be included in this year's preseason Top 25.
In a recent vote by league coaches, Pittsburgh was chosen as the favorite to win the league. Syracuse placed fourth, St. John's sixth, Seton Hall 11th and Rutgers 15th in the 16-team conference.