After coming out of the preseason coaches poll before last season No. 1, the IU men's basketball team will start the team much farther down, No. 24, when the team kicks off the regular season Nov. 8 against Chicago State.
The poll, released today at noon, included five Big Ten teams, with the Hoosiers last of those five, which included Michigan State (No. 2), Michigan (No. 9), Ohio State (No. 10) and Wisconsin (No. 21).
Although the Hoosiers and IU Coach Tom Crean have received a lot of criticism for a weak 2013-14 non-conference schedule, IU will play No. 7 Syracuse during the Big Ten-ACC Challenge Dec. 3 at Syracuse. The Hoosiers will also face No. 22 Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic on a neutral court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Dec. 14.
Crean's squad also has the potential to play another top 25 team Nov. 22 during the team's second game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. No. 19 Connecticut and unranked Boston College will face off in the first round, while IU takes on Washington.
Kentucky, who finished last season unranked and missed the NCAA Tournament, sits atop the poll. According to an article by USA Today, this marks this first time since the poll began in the 1991-92 season that a team will begin the season No. 1 after finishing the previous season unranked. The hype on the Wildcats is largely due to their No. 1 recruiting class, which includes eight freshmen.
