Louisville basketball receiving votes in preseason AP poll

The Louisville men’s basketball team will begin the 2020-21 without a national ranking next to its name.

The Cardinals received 41 votes in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll, good enough to place them sixth in the poll’s “also receiving votes” category. This marks the second time in the last three years that Louisville is beginning a season unranked.

Gonzaga is the AP’s preseason pick as the No. 1 team in the land. The Zags received 28 first-place votes to edge out No. 2 Baylor and No. 3 Villanova for the top spot. Virginia and Iowa round out the preseason top five.

Other ACC teams in the poll include Duke (No. 9), North Carolina (No. 16) and Florida State (No. 21). Non-conference opponents Wisconsin and Kentucky are both preseason top 10 squads, checking in at No. 7 and No. 10, respectively. Seton Hall and UNC Greensboro, two teams U of L will face at the KFC Yum Center near the beginning of the season, also received votes in the poll.

Here’s a full look at the preseason AP top 25:

1. Gonzaga (28)

2. Baylor (24)

3. Villanova (11)

4. Virginia (1)

5. Iowa

6. Kansas

7. Wisconsin

8. Illinois

9. Duke

10. Kentucky

11. Creighton

12. Tennessee

13. Michigan State

14. Texas Tech

15. West Virginia

16. North Carolina

17. Houston

18. Arizona State

19. Texas

20. Oregon

21. Florida State

22. UCLA

23. Ohio State

24. Rutgers

25. Michigan

Others receiving votes: LSU 146, Memphis 69, Florida 69, Alabama 50, Indiana 48, Louisville 41, Richmond 40, Stanford 14, Providence 9, Saint Louis 8, Auburn 8, San Diego State 6, Connecticut 6, BYU 4, Loyola Chicago 3, Seton Hall 2, UNC Greensboro 1, Northern Iowa 1