MADISON, WI (WSAU) – The Associated Press has released its first men’s college basketball poll of the season, and one of Wisconsin’s teams has landed in the top 20.
According to the poll, the Marquette Golden Eagles are beginning the season ranked 18th in the nation, while the Wisconsin Badgers are starting unranked after losing some key players during the off-season to the transfer portal.
Marquette is returning star guard Kam Jones, who many thought would decide to go to the NBA after he averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 assists per game last season but lost fellow guard and team leader Tyler Kolek, who did go to the NBA and now plays for the New York Knicks, so it remains to be seen what the new-look Golden Eagles will do this season.
Meanwhile, the Badgers lost their top scorers in guard Checky Hepburn, who transferred to Louisville, and forward A.J. Storr, who transferred to Kansas this off-season but were able to retool their roster by adding forward Xavier Amos who transferred from Northern Illinois, and guard Camren Hunter from Central Arkansas.
The top five in the poll consist of the Kansas Jayhawks ranked number one in the nation, with the Alabama Crimson Tide ranked two, the UConn Huskies ranked third, the Houston Cougars ranked fourth, and the Iowa State Cyclones ranked fifth.
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