ESPN/USA TODAY POLL
December 6, 1998
The Top Twenty Five teams in the USA Today/ESPN college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 6, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| Record | Points | Previous | |
| 1. Connecticut (19) | 6-0 | 737 | 1 |
| 2. Maryland (11) | 9-0 | 731 | 2 |
| 3. DUKE | 7-1 | 683 | 4 |
| 4. Cincinnati | 5-0 | 621 | 7 |
| 5. Kentucky | 7-1 | 583 | 8 |
| 6. North Carolina | 8-1 | 559 | 3 |
| 7. Stanford | 4-2 | 546 | 5 |
| 8. Kansas | 5-1 | 532 | 6 |
| 9. Purdue | 7-1 | 511 | 12 |
| 10. Arizona | 4-0 | 481 | 13 |
| 11. Indiana | 8-1 | 438 | 16 |
| 12. Syracuse | 7-1 | 355 | 11 |
| 13. Michigan State | 4-3 | 341 | 9 |
| 14. Temple | 4-3 | 334 | 10 |
| 15. New Mexico | 5-0 | 328 | 18 |
| 16. UCLA | 4-2 | 296 | 19 |
| 17. Washington | 4-2 | 232 | 14 |
| 18. Pittsburgh | 7-2 | 215 | 21 |
| 19. Clemson | 7-1 | 191 | 24 |
| 20. St. John's | 6-2 | 183 | 25 |
| 21. Oklahoma State | 4-2 | 180 | 15 |
| 22. Utah | 4-3 | 116 | 20 |
| 23. Arkansas | 5-2 | 114 | 17 |
| 24. Auburn | 8-0 | 56 | - |
| 25. Tennessee | 6-2 | 50 | - |