If you've been paying attention to college basketball lately, you can feel the anticipation building with the start of preseason just around the corner. The big story dominating discussions right now is all about the teams perched atop the AP and Coaches polls. Purdue is entering the 2025-26 season as the consensus number one, leading both rankings. Right behind them, Houston holds the second spot, with Florida and UConn rounding out the top four in both the AP and Coaches polls. St. John's, a team that has rapidly climbed in pre-season projections, is holding strong at number five. These rankings are shared by ESPN, CBS Sports, and NCAA.com, confirming Purdue’s status as the team to beat.

Powerhouse programs like Duke, Michigan, BYU, and Kentucky are all looking poised for big things. Kentucky, in particular, has had a lot of eyes on it after Sports Illustrated highlighted how Mark Pope was able to reshape their roster almost overnight. Now, with a mix of returning talent and new faces, fans are expecting Kentucky to get right back into championship contention.

As for standout players, Andy Katz from NCAA.com recently spotlighted top international talents who are expected to make a major impact this season, adding even more intrigue for fans who love watching emerging stars. No major upsets or scandals have rocked the headlines yet, but that’s sure to change once the exhibition slate heats up in October.

Speaking of exhibitions, there’s no shortage of high-profile matchups to keep fans entertained before the games start counting. College Hoops Today highlights some of the marquee October exhibitions: Grand Canyon travels to Baylor on October 10th; Boston College faces UConn in Connecticut on the 13th; and later in the month, Bluebloods like UCLA head to San Diego State, while Saint Mary’s squares off against Arizona. These tune-up games are more than just warmups—they’re early litmus tests for teams with championship aspirations.

Recruiting buzz continues to swirl with 247Sports tracking the top incoming classes, although the focus really is on how returning veterans and new transfers mesh in live action. Everyone’s eager to see if Purdue’s experience and depth can finally translate to a deep tournament run after coming so close in recent seasons.

That’s the latest in college hoops as we stand on the edge of the season. Thanks for tuning in, and remember to subscribe for all the updates and analysis you need. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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