AP preseason polls crown UConn women, Purdue men top

Preseason polls released this week underscored expectations and raised fresh questions for the college basketball season ahead, with UConn ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press women’s Top 25, Purdue earning its first preseason No. 1 in the men’s poll, and Southeastern Conference media picking South Carolina to repeat as SEC women’s champion even after the Gamecocks lost forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending ACL tear.

The AP women’s poll, released Tuesday, gave UConn 27 of 31 first-place votes and kept the Huskies atop the nation. South Carolina was slotted second with the remaining four first-place votes. UCLA, Texas and LSU rounded out the top five. The poll also highlighted SEC depth: eight conference teams made the Top 25, including five in the top 10, reflecting the league’s strong returnees, transfers and incoming freshmen.

South Carolina’s place near the top comes amid roster turnover. The Gamecocks went 35-4 last season and lost three starters to the WNBA draft, but added Florida State transfer TaNiya Latson and others. Coach Dawn Staley addressed Kitts’ injury at SEC media days, saying, "It will be business as usual," and stressing confidence in returning players and...