| Year: | 2010 |
| Preseason Number 1: | Duke |
| Ncaa Champions: | Connecticut |
Two human polls make up the 2010–11 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 October 28, 2010. 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 October 21, 2010.
Various publications and news sources release their preseason top 25 months before the season commences.
| Athlon | Lindy's | Sporting News[1] | Fox Sports[2] | CBS Sports[3] | Rivals.com[4] | Blue Ribbon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Duke | Duke | Michigan State | Duke | Duke | Duke | Duke |
| 2. | Purdue | Purdue | Duke | Purdue | Michigan State | Michigan State | Michigan State |
| 3. | Michigan State | Michigan State | Purdue | Michigan State | Purdue | Kansas | Ohio State |
| 4. | Kansas | Kansas State | Kansas | Ohio State | Ohio State | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh |
| 5. | Kansas State | Pittsburgh | Ohio State | Kansas State | Pittsburgh | Ohio State | Purdue |
| 6. | Villanova | North Carolina | Kansas State | Pittsburgh | Kansas State | Kansas State | Villanova |
| 7. | Ohio State | Ohio State | Syracuse | Villanova | North Carolina | Villanova | Kansas |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | Butler | Kentucky | Washington | Florida | Syracuse | North Carolina |
| 9. | Syracuse | Illinois | North Carolina | Missouri | Villanova | Baylor | Illinois |
| 10. | Baylor | Washington | Pittsburgh | Florida | Baylor | North Carolina | Kansas State |
| 11. | Gonzaga | Florida | Villanova | Kansas | Memphis | Gonzaga | Gonzaga |
| 12. | North Carolina | Tennessee | Memphis | Illinois | Kansas | Kentucky | Florida |
| 13. | Florida | Villanova | Missouri | North Carolina | Gonzaga | Florida | Syracuse |
| 14. | Missouri | Kentucky | Gonzaga | Memphis | Kentucky | Illinois | Tennessee |
| 15. | Kentucky | Baylor | Illinois | Kentucky | Temple | Missouri | Kentucky |
| 16. | Temple | Gonzaga | Baylor | Gonzaga | Illinois | Butler | Baylor |
| 17. | Memphis | Kansas | Georgetown | Baylor | Missouri | Purdue | Georgetown |
| 18. | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Wisconsin | Florida State | Washington | Memphis | Texas |
| 19. | Illinois | West Virginia | Butler | Minnesota | Butler | Virginia Tech | Memphis |
| 20. | BYU | Texas | Florida | Syracuse | Syracuse | Temple | Missouri |
| 21. | Butler | Syracuse | Virginia Tech | Temple | Tennessee | Washington | Virginia Tech |
| 22. | Washington | San Diego St | Tennessee | San Diego St | San Diego St | San Diego St | BYU |
| 23. | Richmond | Georgia | Washington | Tennessee | Wisconsin | West Virginia | Washington |
| 24. | Wisconsin | Temple | Wichita State | Butler | Georgia | Wisconsin | Temple |
| 25. | Tennessee | BYU | Florida State | BYU | BYU | Tennessee | NC State |