Three College Basketball Teams the AP Poll Got Wrong

College basketball’s long-awaited preseason AP poll was released on Monday, Oct. 19.

After an eventful offseason with the transfer portal and the NCAA implementing the new “five in five” rule, there are plenty of teams loaded with talent going into the 2026-27 college basketball season. However, with only 25 spots, there were bound to be some talented teams on the outside looking in.

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In particular, these three teams deserved a spot and could make voters look foolish by the end of the season.

Missouri Was the First Team Out and Has the Roster to Prove It

The Tigers were actually the first team out in the others’ receiving votes category. But they definitely should have been in the Top 25.

Dennis Gates’ squad enters this season with an intriguing group of transfers. Additionally, they return several key pieces from last year’s NCAA tournament squad.

Missouri arguably got its best news of this week, as Mark Mitchell was granted a temporary injunction, which for now makes him eligible to compete this season. Mitchell was outstanding for the Tigers last season, as he led the team in points, rebounds, and assists, en route to being named second-team All-SEC.

Shawn Phillips Jr. also received a fifth year of eligibility on his lawsuit that was granted in early July. He was a key player on the interior for Mizzou last year, starting in all 31 games he played in. He led the team in field goal percentage and averaged 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds while also leading the team in blocks.

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As rare as it is in the new era of college basketball, Missouri has three of its starters returning for this season: Mitchell, Phillips, and Trent Pierce. Pierce was third on the team in minutes per game last season and in points per game at 10.4 points per contest. He is also an excellent shooter, shooting 38.4 percent from three on nearly five attempts per game at 6-foot-10.

The Portal Gave Mizzou the Pieces to Challenge Florida

In terms of new additions, incoming five-star freshman…

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Publish date : 2026-10-30 13:30:00

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