MSU hoops ranked No. 2 in preseason AP top 25 poll

The preseason hype for Michigan State continues to grow as the regular season nears.

The Spartans were ranked No. 2 behind Duke in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll released Wednesday.

Michigan State received 13 of the 65 first-place votes from a national media panel, while Duke garnered 33 to become the top preseason team for the second straight season.

The Spartans won't have to wait long for a chance to overthrow the Blue Devils for the top spot when the teams square off in what will likely be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown at the Champions Classic on Nov. 14 in Chicago.

Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky rounded out the top five. Michigan and Oakland weren't ranked but received six and two votes, respectively.

PRESEASON AP TOP 25

1. Duke (33 first-place votes), 28-9 record, 1,572 points (last season's final ranking: 7)

2. Michigan State (13), 20-15, 1,520 (NR)

3. Arizona (18), 32-5, 1,506 (4)

4. Kansas (1), 31-5, 1,439 (3)

5. Kentucky, 32-6, 1,340 (6)

6. Villanova, 32-4, 1,284 (1)

7. Wichita State, 31-5, 1,270 (19)

8. Florida, 27-9, 1,100 (20)

9. North Carolina, 33-7, 1,047 (5)

10. Southern Cal, 26-10, 995 (NR)

11. West Virginia, 28-9, 840 (13)

12. Cincinnati, 30-6, 837 (18)

13. Miami, 21-12, 836 (NR)

14. Notre Dame, 26-10, 814 (14)

15. Minnesota, 24-10, 642 (NR)

16. Louisville, 25-9, 570 (10)

17. Xavier, 24-14, 544 (NR)

18. Gonzaga, 37-2, 500 (2)

19. Northwestern, 24-12, 473 (NR)

20. Purdue, 27-8, 362 (15)

21. UCLA, 31-5, 340 (8)

22. Saint Mary’s (Cal), 29-5, 333 (22)

23. Seton Hall, 21-12, 274 (NR)

24. Baylor, 27-8, 163 (12)

25. Texas A&M, 16-15, 130 (NR)

Others receiving votes: Alabama 86, Virginia 57, Rhode Island 49, TCU 46, Providence 34, Missouri 19, Virginia Tech 16, Wisconsin 14, Butler 13, Texas 10, Maryland 7, Oklahoma 7, Nevada 7, Michigan 6, Dayton 5, Middle Tennessee 4, Ball State 4, SMU 3, Oakland 2, Oregon 2, South Carolina 1, Harvard 1, UCF 1.