NEW YORK -- Wichita State and Cincinnati both debuted in the Associated Press Preseason Poll Top 25 released on Wednesday. The Shockers were tabbed No. 7 in the poll, while the Bearcats ranked 12th. Both SMU and UCF received votes in the poll.
In October, Cincinnati was narrowly voted the preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference, collecting seven of 12 first-place votes to best Wichita State by a single point in the poll.
It's the fourth time in five years that the Shockers have opened in the AP Top-25. Prior to that, WSU teams had appeared just three other times since 1961 when the AP began publishing preseason rankings.