SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's basketball was ranked No. 2 in the preseason Associated Press poll, which was released Monday. North Carolina beat out the Bulldogs for the top spot.
This marks the 22nd straight season GU has been ranked in the AP poll. It's the 13th consecutive year the Zags have appeared in the preseason poll, starting in the top-20 for the 10th straight season. It's the ninth time GU has been ranked in the Top-10 in the preseason AP ranking.
The Bulldogs' 114 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Villanova second at 59. Gonzaga has been in the Top 10 for a national-best 81 straight polls, with Baylor second at 50, and in the Top 5 for 50 consecutive polls, Arizona is next closest at six.
The Bulldogs' 50 straight appearances in the Top 5 ranks as the third-longest in AP poll history, while its 81 straight polls in the Top 10 is fourth. The 114 consecutive appearances in the Top 25 is 14
th all-time in the poll's history.
The Zags opened the last two seasons at No. 1 in the AP poll. Gonzaga had 1,479 points in this year's preseason poll, with 12 first-place votes. Last year, the Zags had 1,562 points in the preseason poll, with 55 first-place votes.
Houston and Kentucky were third and fourth in this season's preseason poll, and both received first-place votes. Gonzaga and Kentucky square off in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 20. Baylor and Kansas both revied 1,200 points rounding out the top-five. The Zags face Baylor in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 2.
The Bulldogs travel to Texas on Nov. 16. The Longhorns were No. 12 in the rankings. GU and Alabama meet in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 17. The Crimson Tide start the season at No. 20. Michigan State, who is just outside of the Top 25 receiving 35 votes, plays GU in San Diego on Nov. 11.
Gonzaga faces Tennessee, No. 11 in the preseason poll, in an exhibition, the Legends of Basketball Charity Classic, Oct. 28 in Frisco, Texas. The Zags host Warner Pacific in an exhibition Nov. 2, before opening the regular season against North Florida Nov. 7.
2022-23 Preseason AP Poll
| RANK |
TEAM |
2021-22 RECORD |
POINTS |
| 1 |
North Carolina (47) |
29-10 |
1532 |
| 2 |
Gonzaga (12) |
28-4 |
1479 |
| 3 |
Houston (1) |
32-6 |
1404 |
| 4 |
Kentucky (2) |
26-8 |
1364 |
| T-5 |
Baylor |
27-7 |
1200 |
| T-5 |
Kansas |
34-6 |
1200 |
| 7 |
Duke |
32-7 |
1168 |
| 8 |
UCLA |
27-8 |
1093 |
| 9 |
Creighton |
23-12 |
1060 |
| 10 |
Arkansas |
28-9 |
1026 |
| 11 |
Tennessee |
27-8 |
880 |
| 12 |
Texas |
22-12 |
844 |
| 13 |
Indiana |
24-14 |
745 |
| 14 |
TCU |
21-13 |
735 |
| 15 |
Auburn |
28-6 |
623 |
| 16 |
Villanova |
30-8 |
578 |
| 17 |
Arizona |
33-4 |
543 |
| 18 |
Virginia |
21-14 |
462 |
| 19 |
San Diego State |
23-9 |
394 |
| 20 |
Alabama |
19-14 |
281 |
| 21 |
Oregon |
19-15 |
260 |
| 22 |
Michigan |
19-15 |
229 |
| 23 |
Illinois |
23-10 |
215 |
| 24 |
Dayton |
24-11 |
170 |
| 25 |
Texas Tech |
27-10 |
122 |
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 112, UConn 101, Miami 66, Purdue 56, Saint Louis 36, Michigan State 35, Florida State 32, Xavier 29, Wyoming 25, Ohio State 23, Iowa 13, Rutgers 4, Florida 3, USC 3, Toledo 1, Virginia Tech 1, Memphis 1, Notre Dame 1, UAB 1
