5 Big Takeaways from College Basketball's AP Top 25

By Josh Hunter

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the world of college basketball! Now that football season is essentially in the rearview mirror, it's time to shift our attention to the upcoming winter sports season. In the coming months, the University of Iowa will look to reestablish their dominance over the rest of the nation in wrestling and women's basketball, and Drew Timme will also look to reestablish himself as the most dominant facial hair in the WCC. Overall, this one should be a season to remember.

For those who need to be brought up to speed, the Associated Press released their annual Preseason Top 25 rankings for men's basketball this morning. And, as always, it matched my expectations, surprising me a little bit but not much. Below, I've listed 5 key takeaways from the rankings, as well as why they should be taken away. Enjoy!

1. Don't Overlook Gonzaga...The Committee Clearly Didn't

After taking a crushing blow from Baylor in the 2021 National Championship and losing arguably their best two players from last season, the Zags are still on top of the polls. Why is that? Well, despite everything, Gonzaga is still Gonzaga. They still have Drew Timme, they still have Andrew Nembhard, they're adding top overall recruit Chet Holmgren, and Mark Few is still their coach. Will they contend for the title again this year? Until March, it'll always be too early to tell; however, they definitely look the part.

2. Ignore Duke and Kentucky...The Committee Clearly Didn't

Duke and Kentucky may still be recruiting powerhouses, but that doesn't necessarily give them a reason to both be ranked in the top 10 after each team barely played better than Northwestern last year. It really doesn't matter to me how much "potential" they each have, no team should make it into the preseason top 10 after missing the NCAA tournament the year before. Don't expect either of these teams to make the Sweet 16.

3. The Bonnies Are Back...Enjoy Them While They're Here

St. Bonaventure is ranked (ahead of far too many Big Ten teams) at 23, and that's all I really need to say. Looking ahead at the upcoming schedule for the highly-ranked Bonnies, I predict instant challenge from powerhouses Siena and Canisius. If they can eek out victories in those two matchups, there won't be much to stop them from finishing the season, as their remaining schedule is packed with cupcakes such as Boise State, UConn, Virginia Tech, and Dayton, among others.

4. Luka Garza Left a Mark

Last year, Wooden Award-winner Luka Garza led the Iowa Hawkeyes to an impressive 22-9 record and a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they once again lost in the second round to a more athletic team, Oregon. Now, Iowa sits far outside the Top 25, not even receiving so much as a vote to be in the rankings. Although Iowa has much to look forward to in rising stars such as Keegan Murray and Patrick McCaffery, the voters know that Garza truly was the most valuable player in all of college basketball last season, and they need Iowa to prove themselves without him before they consider moving them up.

5. Caitlin Clark Is Still the Best Player in College Basketball

Speaking of Iowa, the Hawkeye women's team should have very much to look forward to this season, as they not only have one of the most dominant centers in the nation in Monika Czinano, but they also have the best overall player in both men's and women's basketball, Caitlin Clark. Because there remains no clear evidence against this claim, no other human being can refute it: Clark could take on any men's college basketball player 1-on-1 and at the very least hold her own (if she doesn't win by 21). If any of you would like to prove otherwise (or have any other questions, comments, or concerns about anything I've been saying), let me know in the comments. God bless.

All non-original information in this article was taken from various locations on ESPN.com.