We're weeks away from the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season, and we now have the first AP Poll of the new season. Villanova checked in at No. 22.

'Nova has generally landed between 15 and 20 in the various preseason rankings lists that have filtered out through the fall, and its ranking in the preseason AP Poll is generally in line with that trend.

Villanova is the fourth-highest ranked Big East team, coming in behind Marquette (5), UConn (6) and Creighton (8). Those results also mirror the general preseason speculation.

The Wildcats will be looking to bounce back after missing the tournament in 2022-23 for the first time since 2012. A strong four-man haul in the transfer portal, along with the return of key contributors Justin Moore and Eric Dixon and the hope for sophomore leaps from Mark Armstrong and Brendan Hausen, have led to heightened expectations on the Main Line as the 'Cats look to reclaim their place among the college basketball elite. The national media appears to be buying in, even as the 'Cats will attempt to climb the rankings as the season progresses.