The Wildcats lived up to expectations last season, overcoming a midseason slump to reach the national championship game, where they lost to Connecticut.
With most of that team back and another stellar recruiting class in place, Kentucky received 52 first-place votes from the 65-member panel to become the fourth team to earn consecutive preseason No. 1s.
Arizona was No. 2, receiving five first-place votes. No. 3 Wisconsin, with most of its team returning from last year's Final Four run, had eight first-place votes but were 35 points behind Arizona in overall points.
Duke and Kansas round out the top five, followed by North Carolina, Florida, Louisville, Virginia and Texas.
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' preseason 2014-15 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2013-14 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last year's final ranking:
| Record | Pts | Prv | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kentucky (52) | 29-11 | 1,604 | — |
| 2. Arizona (5) | 33-5 | 1,518 | 4 |
| 3. Wisconsin (8) | 30-8 | 1,483 | 12 |
| 4. Duke | 26-9 | 1,415 | 8 |
| 5. Kansas | 25-10 | 1,346 | 10 |
| 6. North Carolina | 24-10 | 1,274 | 19 |
| 7. Florida | 36-3 | 1,153 | 1 |
| 8. Louisville | 31-6 | 1,114 | 5 |
| 9. Virginia | 30-7 | 1,090 | 3 |
| 10. Texas | 24-11 | 1,061 | — |
| 11. Wichita St. | 35-1 | 1,027 | 2 |
| 12. Villanova | 29-5 | 885 | 6 |
| 13. Gonzaga | 29-7 | 840 | — |
| 14. Iowa St. | 28-8 | 781 | 9 |
| 15. VCU | 26-9 | 574 | 24 |
| 16. San Diego St. | 31-5 | 560 | 13 |
| 17. UConn | 32-8 | 552 | 18 |
| 18. Michigan St. | 29-9 | 521 | 11 |
| 19. Oklahoma | 23-10 | 426 | 21 |
| 20. Ohio St. | 25-10 | 340 | 22 |
| 21. Nebraska | 19-13 | 309 | — |
| 22. SMU | 27-10 | 285 | — |
| 23. Syracuse | 28-6 | 178 | 14 |
| 24. Michigan | 28-9 | 167 | 7 |
| 25. Harvard | 27-5 | 98 | — |
| 25. Utah | 21-12 | 98 | — |
Others receiving votes: Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St. 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, NC State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, George Washington 7, Dayton 6, Notre Dame 6, Oklahoma St. 6, Florida St. 5, Georgetown 5, Illinois 3, Maryland 3, BYU 2, UNLV 2, Baylor 1, Stephen F. Austin 1, UTEP 1, West Virginia 1.
