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Full 2014-15 men's basketball AP preseason Top 25 poll released

Maryland receives a surprising three points before the year starts.

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland basketball begins play tomorrow in an exhibition against San Francisco State, which means basketball season is finally, actually here. The arrival of the AP Preseason Top 25 poll, with Kentucky at the top and Wisconsin leading the way among Big Ten teams at No. 3.

Former ACC rival Duke comes in at No. 4, first among teams not receiving any first-place votes, while North Carolina slots in at No. 6. The ACC has five teams in the poll (including new arrival Louisville and nearly new arrival Syracuse), while the Big Ten also has five (a more bottom-loaded group, however).

More surprising (and much more interesting to Maryland fans) is that the Terrapins received three points in the poll, two less than Georgetown and the same amount as fellow Big Ten school Illinois. Maryland missed both the NCAA Tournament and NIT last season and saw five transfers leave the program in the offseason, but at least one voter sees them among the Top 25. It could be one voter placing them at No. 23 or multiple in the Nos. 24-25 range -- we've seen the same for football this season, which received three points after their wins over Indiana and Iowa.

The full poll:

2014-15 AP Preseason Top 25

Rank Team Record Pts
1 Kentucky Wildcats (52) 0-0 1604
2 Arizona Wildcats (5) 0-0 1518
3 Wisconsin Badgers (8) 0-0 1483
4 Duke Blue Devils 0-0 1415
5 Kansas Jayhawks 0-0 1346
6 North Carolina Tar Heels 0-0 1274
7 Florida Gators 0-0 1153
8 Louisville Cardinals 0-0 1114
9 Virginia Cavaliers 0-0 1090
10 Texas Longhorns 0-0 1061
11 Wichita State Shockers 0-0 1027
12 Villanova Wildcats 0-0 885
13 Gonzaga Bulldogs 0-0 840
14 Iowa State Cyclones 0-0 781
15 Virginia Commonwealth Rams 0-0 574
16 San Diego State Aztecs 0-0 560
17 Connecticut Huskies 0-0 552
18 Michigan State Spartans 0-0 521
19 Oklahoma Sooners 0-0 426
20 Ohio State Buckeyes 0-0 340
21 Nebraska Cornhuskers 0-0 309
22 SMU Mustangs 0-0 285
23 Syracuse Orange 0-0 178
24 Michigan Wolverines 0-0 167
25 Utah Utes 0-0 98
25 Harvard Crimson 0-0 98
Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St. 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, N.C. State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, Geo. Wash. 7, Oklahoma St. 6, Notre Dame 6, Dayton 6, Florida St. 5, Georgetown 5, Maryland 3, Illinois 3, UNLV 2, BYU 2, UTEP 1, S.F. Austin 1, Baylor 1, West Virginia 1