AP MEN'S PRESEASON TOP 25
The top 25 teams in the preseason Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 1997-98 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and final ranking:
| Record | Points | Previous | |
| 1. Duke (34) | 32-4 | 1,747 | 3 |
| 2. Connecticut (25) | 32-5 | 1,734 | 6 |
| 3. Stanford (12) | 30-5 | 1,652 | 10 |
| 4. Kentucky (1) | 35-4 | 1,508 | 5 |
| 5. Michigan State | 22-8 | 1,443 | 16 |
| 6. Maryland | 21-11 | 1,378 | 20 |
| 7. Temple | 21-9 | 1,076 | 24 |
| 8. Kansas | 35-4 | 1,067 | 2 |
| 9. Tennessee | 20-9 | 1,030 | - |
| 10. Utah | 30-4 | 983 | 7 |
| 11. North Carolina | 34-4 | 956 | 1 |
| 12. UCLA | 24-9 | 944 | 19 |
| 13. Oklahoma State | 22-7 | 809 | - |
| 14. Washington | 20-10 | 766 | - |
| 15. Cincinnati | 27-6 | 754 | 9 |
| 16. Purdue | 28-8 | 729 | 11 |
| 17. Xavier | 22-8 | 726 | 23 |
| 18. Arizona | 30-5 | 706 | 4 |
| 19. Arkansas | 24-9 | 535 | 17 |
| 20. New Mexico | 24-8 | 493 | 18 |
| 20. Syracuse | 26-9 | 493 | 21 |
| 22. Indiana | 20-12 | 328 | - |
| 23. Rhode Island | 25-9 | 288 | - |
| 24. Massachusettes | 21-11 | 249 | - |
| 25. Texas Christian | 27-6 | 150 | 15 |