And 68 years later, the poll has ranked a total of 200 schools through more than 1,100 polls — 59 at No. 1.
Now, for the first time, the AP is using that data to go past the Top 25 of the moment and determine the top 100 programs of all-time.
The teams at the top are a who's who of college basketball royalty. Starting with Kentucky, the all-time No. 1 with appearances in 75.4 percent of all polls and 124 No. 1 rankings.
The next top teams are North Carolina, Duke and UCLA, the only schools to be ranked at the top for more than 100 weeks.
Kansas, Indiana, Louisville, Arizona, Syracuse and Cincinnati round out a top 10 that includes only schools that have won national championships.