Kansas was at the top of the first Associated Press Top 25 poll ahead of the 2024-25 men's basketball season.

The Jayhawks received 30 first-place votes, securing the top spot over Alabama. UConn, Houston and Iowa State rounded out the top five.

For the holdovers from last season, a second-round exit to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament provides plenty of motivation. Among the players returning is Hunter Dickinson, who was second on the team in points (17.9) and first in rebounds (10.9) and blocks (1.4).

Head coach Bill Self also brought AJ Storr from Wisconsin, Rylan Griffen from Alabama and Zeke Mayo from South Dakota State out of the transfer portal.

Injuries caught up with the Jayhawks a year ago. Assuming they are spared a similar misfortune, they have as much talent and depth as any team in the country.

Alabama will have something to say about that as three of its top five scorers return. Mark Sears, who averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists, is the standout of the group and one of seven players who is either a senior or graduate student.

Experience and continuity will be two strengths for Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats.

UConn won't have the same luxury as it tries to win a third straight national title.

Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer all left for the NBA, although the Huskies got a boost when Alex Karaban withdrew his name from the 2024 draft pool.

Head coach Dan Hurley bolstered his ranks with the additions of Aidan Mahaney, who averaged 13.9 points at Saint Mary's, and Liam McNeeley, the 17th overall recruit in the 247Sports rankings.

UConn's position in the AP poll shows that a three-peat is more than plausible.

Perhaps no team will be as intriguing as Duke.

Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain made their way to the NBA, while others made their way to exit via the transfer portal. Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell and Sean Stewart were the notable players in this group.

However, the Blue Devils have cleaned up their recruiting game. Head coach Jon Scheyer and his team were No. 1 in men's basketball. Cooper Flagg is the early favorite to pick No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft and is one of four 5-star signees alongside Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel. New transfers Cameron Sheffield, Sion James, Mason Gillis and Maliq Brown help make up for the lack of experience.

Duke has plenty of talent, but the lack of continuity could be difficult to overcome.

Speaking of poor continuity, Arkansas head coach John Calipari wasn't kidding when he quipped to reporters in April that “there's no such thing as a team” when addressing the roster he inherited.

DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivišić and Kareem Watkins followed Calipari from Kentucky to the Razorbacks. Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond reneged on their commitments to the Wildcats and also signed with Arkansas after Coach Cal's move.

His biggest additions were Florida Atlantic's Johnell Davis and Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo, both of whom averaged double-digit points last season.

With a rejuvenated Calipari and a dramatically changed roster, Arkansas could pull off a major turnaround after finishing at 16-17 and missing the Big Dance.