Kentucky is the all-time No. 1 team in AP Poll history

This month marks the 75th anniversary of the Associated Press College Basketball Poll, and to celebrate, the AP just gave Kentucky another bragging right. The AP reviewed all 1,200+ polls from January 1949 through last season, and Kentucky is the all-time No. 1 team, edging out North Carolina for first place. Over 75 years, Kentucky has appeared in more than 75% of AP Polls.

For those unfamiliar with the AP Poll process, each week, the 63 voters rank teams using points, giving 25 points for a first-place vote, 24 for second place, and so on through the 25th team, which receives one point. Over 75 years, Kentucky totaled 17,852 total points in the poll, almost 600 more than North Carolina (17,268). Duke, Kansas, and UCLA rounded out the top five. Louisville finished sixth.

Rick Pitino, who coached at both Kentucky and Louisville, gave the AP a quote for the occasion.

“They all have an awesome following. They all recruit excellence. But it all goes back to the players,” Pitino said. “At Kentucky, every year you can get a great player, from Dan Issel and Pat Riley on down.”

While this list only goes through the 2022-23 season, this year’s Kentucky team is continuing the tradition of AP Poll excellence. The Cats have been ranked each week, currently coming in at No. 6, their highest position of the season.

“When I got here, it was just knowing that it matters in this state,” John Calipari added. “The fans are incredibly engaged. There were people who knew more about our recruiting than I did. That’s when you realize this is different.”

Kentucky may have the most total poll points, but Duke has been ranked No. 1 more than any other program. That’s an example of the variety of ways success can be measured and why the AP says it doesn’t intend the list to crown the greatest college basketball program — even if we’re totally going to use it that way.

“I think the poll got it right,” said ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, a longtime AP voter. “The voters take it seriously and make sure the most deserving teams are ranked. There’s a reason those teams are called the bluebloods, and this lends credence to that.”

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Total AP Poll Points – Jan. 1949-April 2023

1. Kentucky: 17,852
2. North Carolina: 17,268
3. Duke: 16,897
4. Kansas: 15,430
5. UCLA: 13,073
6. Louisville: 9,493
7. Arizona: 9,277
8. Indiana: 8,796
9. Syracuse: 7,890
10. Michigan State: 7,263

Here’s a nifty video showing how the poll has changed over time:

Kentucky is the all-time No. 1 team through 75 storied years of AP Top 25 college basketball polls.

See where your school ranks: https://t.co/r617klDUkm pic.twitter.com/cDwtv6Et1C

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) January 10, 2024

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