OSU Hoops: Cowboys Fifth Team Out of AP Preseason Top 25

On Monday, the Associated Press released its Week 1 college hoops ranking, and the Cowboys didn’t quite make the cut. The Cowboys, sans Cade Cunningham, received 25 votes, which tied Virginia Tech as the fifth team out.

Here’s a look at the AP’s preseason ranking.

Here’s a breakdown of the preseason ranking by conference. The Big 12 is decently represented, but top-heavy.

Big Ten: 5
SEC: 5
ACC: 4
Big 12: 3
Big East: 2
Pac-12: 2
AAC: 2
West Coast: 1
Atlantic 10: 1

The Big 12 boasts three teams in the Top 8 in Kansas (3), Texas (5) and reigning national camps Baylor (8). In addition to OSU’s 25 votes, Texas Tech also received 17. Also included in the ranking is future Big 12 addition Houston at No. 15.

Oklahoma State debuted in the AP ranking at 23 briefly in Week 12 last season and then was ranked in the final three polls at 17, 12 and then landed with a final ranking of 11th.

This season the consensus All-Everything and No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham is gone, but the Cowboys return everyone else and brought in a vaunted four-player transfer class headlined by former five-stars Moussa Cisse and Bryce Thompson. Cisse and Thompson would have ranked fourth and eighth respectively in all-time recruits had they signed with OSU right out of high school.

The most significant thing about this poll is that it signals that the start of college hoops is on the horizion. The Cowboys get started in just over two weeks when they host UCO in an exhibition game, Nov. 5 with a preseason bout against UT-Arlington to follow on Nov. 9.