Big East in the AP Poll - Creighton and 'Nova Crack Top 25

The Associated Press released its preseason top 25 college basketball rankings on Monday, three weeks out from the first games on the CBB calendar.

In a somewhat surprising poll, only two Big East teams cracked the top 25, with two additional teams in the “receiving votes” category.

The top story for the Big East is Creighton, which sits as the #9 ranked team in the country, its highest preseason ranking ever and just the fifth time in program history the Jays have cracked the preseason top 25.

The only other Big East team to find itself in the top 25 is the conference's most successful program in recent memory, Villanova, coming in at #16.

It’ll be a different look for the Wildcats this season, as head coach Jay Wright’s retirement leads to new leadership under head coach Kyle Neptune.

The other Big East teams receiving votes include UCONN and Xavier, who both could easily crack the top 25 with some early season success.

Across other major conferences, the Big 12 and SEC each have the most schools in the top 25 with five apiece. The Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 each have three ranked teams.

The top-ranked teams include North Carolina at the summit, followed by Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky, Baylor and Kansas.

The college basketball season tips off three weeks from today on November 7, including action from eight Big East schools.

Full AP poll here: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings