Two human polls made up the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.
Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking Not ranked previous week Italics Number of first place votes (#-#) Win–loss record т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
AP poll The Associated Press (AP) preseason poll was released on November 2, 2009. This poll is compiled by sportswriters across the nation. In Division I men's and women's college basketball, the AP Poll is largely just a tool to compare schools throughout the season and spark debate, as it has no bearing on postseason play. Generally, all top 25 teams in the poll are invited to the NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness.
ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll The Coaches Poll is the second oldest poll still in use after the AP Poll. It is compiled by a rotating group of 31 college Division I head coaches. The Poll operates by Borda count. Each voting member ranks teams from 1 to 25. Each team then receives points for their ranking in reverse order: Number 1 earns 25 points, number 2 earns 24 points, and so forth. The points are then combined and the team with the highest points is then ranked #1; second highest is ranked #2 and so forth. Only the top 25 teams with points are ranked, with teams receiving first place votes noted the quantity next to their name. Any team receiving votes after the top 25 are listed after the top 25 by their point totals. However, these are not real rankings: They are not considered #26, #27, etc. The maximum points a single team can earn is 775. The preseason poll was released on November 2, 2009.
Preseason polls Various publications and news sources release their preseason top 25 months before the season commences.
Athlon Lindy's Sporting News Fox SportsFinal preseason top 25 for 2009–10 , Fox Sports, retrieved October 22, 2009 CBS SportsFinal Preseason Top 25 (and one): Distractions don't KO KU from top, CBS Sports, retrieved October 22, 2009 SI.comKansas, Michigan State are 1–2 in first Power Rankings of 2009–10, SI.com, retrieved October 22, 2009Sports IllustratedRivals.com Blue Ribbon Yearbook 1. Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas 2. Michigan State Texas Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky Michigan State Michigan State Kentucky Michigan State 3. Texas Michigan State Michigan State Texas Michigan State Connecticut Villanova Michigan State Texas 4. Purdue Villanova North Carolina Michigan State Texas Villanova Texas Villanova Villanova 5. North Carolina North Carolina West Virginia North Carolina North Carolina Kentucky Kentucky Purdue North Carolina 6. Kentucky Purdue Texas West Virginia Villanova Texas Purdue Texas Purdue 7. Villanova Butler Purdue Villanova Connecticut Purdue North Carolina North Carolina Kentucky 8. Tennessee Kentucky Duke California Purdue West Virginia West Virginia Duke California 9. Oklahoma Michigan Villanova Washington West Virginia North Carolina Washington West Virginia Duke 10. West Virginia California Mississippi State Purdue Duke Butler Connecticut California Tennessee 11. Connecticut Duke Georgetown Tennessee Butler Washington California Butler Butler 12. Butler Tennessee Tennessee Connecticut Washington Duke Duke Connecticut West Virginia 13. Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Washington Duke Clemson Tennessee Tennessee Ohio State Georgia Tech 14. California Oklahoma Butler Butler Tennessee California Butler Michigan Minnesota 15. Mississippi State Louisville Connecticut Ohio State Oklahoma Ohio State Michigan Washington Syracuse 16. Vanderbilt Washington California Michigan Minnesota Michigan Ohio State Oklahoma Ohio State 17. Washington Dayton Clemson Georgia Tech Dayton Clemson Louisville Tennessee Oklahoma 18. Duke West Virginia Wake Forest Illinois Ohio State Georgetown Mississippi State Georgetown Connecticut 19. Louisville Tulsa Ohio State Georgetown Michigan Dayton Georgetown Oklahoma State Dayton 20. BYU Maryland Maryland Minnesota California Siena Siena Louisville Maryland 21. Georgetown Mississippi St Illinois Oklahoma Siena Mississippi St Georgia Tech Siena Oklahoma St 22. Maryland Ohio State Notre Dame Siena Louisville South Carolina Dayton Dayton Michigan 23. Michigan UCLA Dayton Vanderbilt Illinois Georgia Tech Maryland Clemson Washington 24. Clemson South Carolina Michigan Xavier Georgetown Oklahoma Oklahoma Illinois Georgetown 25. Dayton Illinois Florida State Mississippi Gonzaga Gonzaga Illinois Georgia Tech Siena/Illinois
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