Kansas is the runaway choice for No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason college basketball poll. The Jayhawks return all five starters and welcome one of the country's top recruiting classes. They are coming off a 27-8 season that ended in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Kansas received 55 first-place votes Thursday from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots. The Spartans return seven of their top nine scorers from last season's national runner-up squad. Texas, Kentucky and Villanova round out the top five. North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season that won the national title, was sixth. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee complete the top 10.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. |
