Two human polls made up the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.
| Increase in ranking | |||
| Decrease in ranking | |||
| Not ranked previous week | |||
| Italics | Number of first place votes | ||
| (#-#) | Win–loss record | ||
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The Associated Press (AP) preseason poll was released on November 2, 2009. This poll is compiled by sportswriters across the nation. In Division I men's and women's college basketball, the AP Poll is largely just a tool to compare schools throughout the season and spark debate, as it has no bearing on postseason play. Generally, all top 25 teams in the poll are invited to the NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness.
The Coaches Poll is the second oldest poll still in use after the AP Poll. It is compiled by a rotating group of 31 college Division I head coaches. The Poll operates by Borda count. Each voting member ranks teams from 1 to 25. Each team then receives points for their ranking in reverse order: Number 1 earns 25 points, number 2 earns 24 points, and so forth. The points are then combined and the team with the highest points is then ranked #1; second highest is ranked #2 and so forth. Only the top 25 teams with points are ranked, with teams receiving first place votes noted the quantity next to their name. Any team receiving votes after the top 25 are listed after the top 25 by their point totals. However, these are not real rankings: They are not considered #26, #27, etc. The maximum points a single team can earn is 775. The preseason poll was released on November 2, 2009.
Various publications and news sources release their preseason top 25 months before the season commences.
| Athlon[1] | Lindy's[2] | Sporting News[3] | Fox Sports[4] | CBS Sports[5] | SI.com[6] | Sports Illustrated[7] | Rivals.com[8] | Blue Ribbon Yearbook[9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas |
| 2. | Michigan State | Texas | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | Michigan State | Michigan State | Kentucky | Michigan State |
| 3. | Texas | Michigan State | Michigan State | Texas | Michigan State | Connecticut | Villanova | Michigan State | Texas |
| 4. | Purdue | Villanova | North Carolina | Michigan State | Texas | Villanova | Texas | Villanova | Villanova |
| 5. | North Carolina | North Carolina | West Virginia | North Carolina | North Carolina | Kentucky | Kentucky | Purdue | North Carolina |
| 6. | Kentucky | Purdue | Texas | West Virginia | Villanova | Texas | Purdue | Texas | Purdue |
| 7. | Villanova | Butler | Purdue | Villanova | Connecticut | Purdue | North Carolina | North Carolina | Kentucky |
| 8. | Tennessee | Kentucky | Duke | California | Purdue | West Virginia | West Virginia | Duke | California |
| 9. | Oklahoma | Michigan | Villanova | Washington | West Virginia | North Carolina | Washington | West Virginia | Duke |
| 10. | West Virginia | California | Mississippi State | Purdue | Duke | Butler | Connecticut | California | Tennessee |
| 11. | Connecticut | Duke | Georgetown | Tennessee | Butler | Washington | California | Butler | Butler |
| 12. | Butler | Tennessee | Tennessee | Connecticut | Washington | Duke | Duke | Connecticut | West Virginia |
| 13. | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | Washington | Duke | Clemson | Tennessee | Tennessee | Ohio State | Georgia Tech |
| 14. | California | Oklahoma | Butler | Butler | Tennessee | California | Butler | Michigan | Minnesota |
| 15. | Mississippi State | Louisville | Connecticut | Ohio State | Oklahoma | Ohio State | Michigan | Washington | Syracuse |
| 16. | Vanderbilt | Washington | California | Michigan | Minnesota | Michigan | Ohio State | Oklahoma | Ohio State |
| 17. | Washington | Dayton | Clemson | Georgia Tech | Dayton | Clemson | Louisville | Tennessee | Oklahoma |
| 18. | Duke | West Virginia | Wake Forest | Illinois | Ohio State | Georgetown | Mississippi State | Georgetown | Connecticut |
| 19. | Louisville | Tulsa | Ohio State | Georgetown | Michigan | Dayton | Georgetown | Oklahoma State | Dayton |
| 20. | BYU | Maryland | Maryland | Minnesota | California | Siena | Siena | Louisville | Maryland |
| 21. | Georgetown | Mississippi St | Illinois | Oklahoma | Siena | Mississippi St | Georgia Tech | Siena | Oklahoma St |
| 22. | Maryland | Ohio State | Notre Dame | Siena | Louisville | South Carolina | Dayton | Dayton | Michigan |
| 23. | Michigan | UCLA | Dayton | Vanderbilt | Illinois | Georgia Tech | Maryland | Clemson | Washington |
| 24. | Clemson | South Carolina | Michigan | Xavier | Georgetown | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Illinois | Georgetown |
| 25. | Dayton | Illinois | Florida State | Mississippi | Gonzaga | Gonzaga | Illinois | Georgia Tech | Siena/Illinois |