Duke again starts season at No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports college basketball coaches poll

We’re a long way from March Madness, but today we present one early indicator of which teams are expected to be there. The preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll is out, and for the second consecutive year, Duke will be the No. 1 team entering the campaign.

That could be good or bad news if you’re a Blue Devils fan. It’s the seventh time overall since USA TODAY began administering the coaches poll that Duke is the preseason No. 1. But the Blue Devils finished as NCAA champions in only one of those prior seasons when they successfully defended the title in 1992.

Duke was No. 1 last season and struggled for much of the season before winning the ACC tournament and an early NCAA exit in the second round against South Carolina.

Based on its strong recruiting class and returning talent, Duke received 20 of 32 first-place votes. The Blue Devils head a group of five ACC members in the top 25, the most for any conference.

TOP 25:The preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

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Michigan State will begin the year at No. 2. The Spartans, who were voted first by nine coaches on the panel, will be led by Miles Bridges, the preseason Big Ten player of the Year. 

Three other Big Ten members are ranked, a list that includes No. 20 Northwestern. This marks the Wildcats’ first appearance in the USA TODAY coaches Top 25, one year after they shed the label of being the only power conference team that has never played in the NCAA tournament.

Some more familiar basketball notables round out the top five. No. 3 Kansas is one of three Big 12 schools in the top 25. The SEC also has three, headed by No. 4 Kentucky and No. 7 Florida. Florida, however, is the lone SEC member to get a first-place nod. No. 5 Arizona, which received the remaining two No.-1 mentions, leads three Pac-12 teams in the poll.

Sixth-ranked Villanova leads three teams from the Big East. The American and West Coast Conference have two ranked teams each.

One of the teams from the American is Wichita State, which checks in at No. 8 after making the move to the conference from the Missouri Valley in the offseason. It's the highest preseason ranking in school history for the Shockers.

TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE PRESEASON COLLEGE BASKETBALL POLL