The Final Regular Season AP Men's Top 25 Poll for College Basketball's 1997-98 Season

Updated August 28, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Taken before start of NCAA tournament.

The sportswriters & broadcasters poll: first place votes in parentheses; records through Monday, March 9, 1998; total points (based on 25 for 1st, 24 for 2nd, etc.); record in NCAA tourney and team lost to; head coach (career years and record including 1998 postseason), and preseason ranking. Teams in bold type went on to reach NCAA Final Four.

    Mar. 9
Record
Points NCAA Recap Head Coach Preseason
Rank
1 North Carolina (55) 30-3 1734 4-1 (Utah) Bill Guthridge (1 yr: 34-4) 4
2 Kansas (13) 34-3 1652 1-1 (Rhode Island) Roy Williams (10 yrs: 282-62) 2
3 Duke 29-3 1601 3-1 (Kentucky) Mike Krzyzewski (23 yrs: 505-212) 3
4 Arizona (2) 27-4 1580 3-1 (Utah) Lute Olson (25 yrs: 565-205) 1
5 Kentucky 29-4 1439 6-0 Tubby Smith (7 yrs: 159-66) 8
6 Connecticut 29-4 1429 3-1 (North Carolina) Jim Calhoun (26 yrs: 520-256) 12
7 Utah 25-3 1216 5-1 (Kentucky) Rick Majerus (14 yrs: 309-111) 16
8 Princeton 26-1 1194 1-1 (Michigan St.) Bill Carmody (2 yrs: 51-6) 58
9 Cincinnati 26-5 1129 1-1 (West Virginia) Bob Huggins (17 yrs: 387-149) 28
10 Stanford 26-4 1114 4-1 (Kentucky) Mike Montgomery (20 yrs: 389-209) 14
11 Purdue 26-7 1005 2-1 (Stanford) Gene Keady (20 yrs: 432-187) 9
12 Michigan 24-8 961 1-1 (UCLA) Brian Ellerbee (1 yr: 25-9) 25
13 Mississippi 22-6 880 0-1 (Valparaiso) Rob Evans (6 yrs: 86-81) 23
14 South Carolina 23-7 859 0-1 (Richmond) Eddie Fogler (11 yrs: 227-144) 7
15 Texas Christian 27-5 784 0-1 (Florida St.) Billy Tubbs (24 yrs: 519-247) 41t
16 Michigan St. 20-7 717 2-1 (North Carolina) Tom Izzo (3 yrs: 55-36) NR
17 Arkansas 23-8 487 1-1 (Utah) Nolan Richardson (18 yrs: 433-155) 30
18 New Mexico 23-7 474 1-1 (Syracuse) Dave Bliss (23 yrs: 440-262) 11
19 UCLA 22-8 464 2-1 (Kentucky) Steve Lavin (2 yrs: 48-17) 6
20 Maryland 19-10 417 2-1 (Arizona) Gary Williams (20 yrs: 371-240) 27
21 Syracuse 24-8 377 2-1 (Duke) Jim Boeheim (22 yrs: 528-181) 35
22 Illinois 22-9 366 1-1 (Maryland) Lon Kruger (16 yrs: 282-205) 40
23 Xavier-OH 22-7 275 0-1 (Washington) Skip Prosser (5 yrs: 98-47) 10
24 Temple 21-8 124 0-1 (West Virginia) John Chaney (26 yrs: 581-208) NR
25 Murray St. 29-3 71 0-1 (Rhode Island) Mark Gottfried (3 yrs: 68-24) NR
Others receiving votes: 26. Clemson (18-13) 60 pts; 27. West Virginia (22-8) 58; 28. Oklahoma St. (21-6) 46; 29. St. John's (22-9) 45; 30. Massachusetts (21-10) 37; 31. George Washington (24-8) 32; 32. UNLV (20-12) 30; 33. Rhode Island (22-8) 24; 34. Hawaii (19-8) 16; 35. UNC-Charlotte (19-10) 15; 36. Illinois St. (24-5) and Tennessee (20-8) 10; 38. Oklahoma (22-10) 5; 39. Indiana (19-11) 4; 40. Iona (27-5) 3; 41. Eastern Michigan (20-9), Northern Arizona (21-7) and Utah St. (25-7) 2.

 

Orlando Magic 1997-98 Season NCAA Men's Division I Tournament Seeds

 

 
1997-98 Season
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