Kansas is the runaway choice for No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason college basketball poll.
The Jayhawks return all five starters and welcome one of the country's top recruiting classes. They are coming off a 27-8 season that ended in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Kansas received 55 first-place votes Thursday from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots. The Spartans return seven of their top nine scorers from last season's national runner-up squad.
Texas, Kentucky and Villanova round out the top five. North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season that won the national title, was sixth. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee complete the top 10.

1. Kansas (55) 27-8 1,612 14
2. Michigan St. (5) 31-7 1,515 8
3. Texas (1) 23-12 1,397 --
4. Kentucky (3) 22-14 1,372 --
5. Villanova 30-8 1,347 11
6. North Carolina (1) 34-4 1,320 2
7. Purdue 27-10 1,284 17
8. West Virginia 23-12 1,115 --
9. Duke 30-7 1,064 6
10. Tennessee 21-13 897 --
11. Butler 26-6 864 22
12. Connecticut 31-5 844 5
13. California 22-11 800 --
14. Washington 26-9 776 15
15. Michigan 21-14 578 --
16. Ohio St. 22-11 465 --
17. Oklahoma 30-6 410 7
18. Mississippi St. 23-13 393 --
19. Louisville 31-6 335 1
20. Georgetown 16-15 326 --
21. Dayton 27-8 318 --
22. Georgia Tech 12-19 301 --
23. Illinois 24-10 282 --
24. Clemson 23-9 217 24
25. Minnesota 22-11 172 --