| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Louisville | As long as Coach Pitino can find enough depth, Louisville will be eyeing a trip to the Final Four…and more. | |
| 2 |  | Kentucky | The annual tradition of learning about the best freshmen in the nation is happening yet again at Kentucky. | |
| 3 |  | Indiana | The Hoosiers are relying on a freshman point guard a little too much, but the experience everywhere else is great. | |
| 4 |  | Ohio State | There are questions at Ohio State, but there is no lack in talent or leadership with Craft and Thomas. | |
| 5 |  | North Carolina | It may take a little time for North Carolina to work out its rotation, but the talent level is undeniable. | |
| 6 |  | Kansas | Kansas is the team to beat in the Big 12. Center Jeff Withey is a defensive stud and now the offense will come. | |
| 7 |  | North Carolina State | Last year's tournament success has created very high expectations for NC State. But they are not unfounded. | |
| 8 |  | Florida | Florida appears to have all of the pieces needed to make another serious run at an NCAA title. | |
| 9 |  | Syracuse | Syracuse is a bit young, but the senior leadership of Brancon Triche will go a long way on this talented roster. | |
| 10 |  | UCLA | Back at Pauley Pavillion, the Bruins have a home court advantage again. And they have the talent to win it all. | |
| 11 |  | Michigan | Michigan has yet to live up to the hype under Coach Beilein, but this could be the year for a Sweet Sixteen. | |
| 12 |  | Arizona | After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2012, Arizona will be hoping for more than just a berth this time. | |
| 13 |  | Notre Dame | Jack Cooley is the next big thing at Notre Dame. He had his breakout season last year and could be better now. | |
| 14 |  | Michigan State | Draymond Green's leadership and production will be greatly missed, but Coach Izzo has a lot of talent on hand. | |
| 15 |  | Missouri | Missouri should make a big splash in the SEC from day one and point guard Phil Pressey will lead the way. | |
| 16 |  | Wisconsin | Replacing Jordan Taylor will not be easy, but the rest of the Badgers are a year older and a year wiser. | |
| 17 |  | Creighton | The Bluejays return four starters to a team that reached the round of 32 last year. Doug McDermott is unstoppable. | |
| 18 |  | Memphis | The Tigers have way too much talent not to win the C-USA title. And now they actually have some experience too. | |
| 19 |  | San Diego State | The Aztecs and the Rebels will be one of the most intriguing conference battles in all of college basketball. | |
| 20 |  | Duke | If Duke can play better defense, they will remain a top ten caliber team all year long. They haven't proved it yet. | |
| 21 |  | Gonzaga | Gonzaga will have some new stars in the frontcourt, but Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell will lead the way for now. | |
| 22 |  | UNLV | The young talent on UNLV would make just about any coach jealous. Bennett and Birch will dominate. | |
| 23 |  | Baylor | The focus of Baylor will now shift to the backcourt where Pierre Jackson has been overshadowed for too long. | |
| 24 |  | Saint Louis | The Billikens have already had a tough offseason. If things can go well in the regular season, SLU will be very good. | |
| 25 |  | Texas | Coach Rick Barnes has a little reloading to do, but point guard Myck Kabongo is ready to become a superstar. | |
Men's Basketball 2012-2013 Preseason Top 25 Rankings
Thu, 10/18/2012
