SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's basketball was ranked No. 2 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports/Coaches poll, which was released Tuesday. North Carolina edged out the Bulldogs for the top spot.
In the preseason balloting, GU received 759 poll points and five first-place votes, while UNC had 778 points and 23 first-place votes. Houston was close behind in third with 713 points and one first-place vote. Kentucky collected the other three first-place votes in fourth and Kansas rounded out the top five. Gonzaga and Kentucky square off in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 20.
Gonzaga opens in the top-20 of the poll for the 10th straight year. GU appears in the coaches' preseason poll for the 13th straight season. Last year, the Zags beat out UCLA for the top spot. It marked the first the Bulldogs led the preseason balloting since USA TODAY started administering the poll in 1991.
Baylor was just outside the top five in sixth and the Zags face the Bears 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. 19. Michigan State, who is five spots out of the Top 25 receiving 29 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, Friday 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 USA TODAY/Coaches Poll
| RANK |
TEAM |
POINTS |
| 1 |
North Carolina (23) |
778 |
| 2 |
Gonzaga (5) |
759 |
| 3 |
Houston (1) |
713 |
| 4 |
Kentucky (3) |
697 |
| 5 |
Kansas |
660 |
| 6 |
Baylor |
632 |
| 7 |
UCLA |
560 |
| 8 |
Duke |
552 |
| 9 |
Creighton |
500 |
| 10 |
Arkansas |
498 |
| 11 |
Tennessee |
486 |
| 12 |
Texas |
449 |
| 13 |
Arizona |
352 |
| 14 |
Indiana |
334 |
| 15 |
Auburn |
318 |
| 16 |
Texas Christian |
317 |
| 17 |
Villanova |
300 |
| 18 |
Virginia |
287 |
| 19 |
Alabama |
176 |
| 20 |
San Diego St. |
173 |
| 21 |
Oregon |
128 |
| 22 |
Michigan |
122 |
| 23 |
Illinois |
115 |
| 24 |
Texas Tech |
107 |
| 25 |
Dayton |
75 |
Others receiving votes: Purdue 44; Texas A&M 37; Miami-Florida 31; Connecticut 31; Michigan St. 29; Providence 22; Iowa 22; Syracuse 13; Florida State 13; Virginia Tech 9; Southern California 9; Saint Mary's 8; Wyoming 7; Wisconsin 7; UAB 6; Ohio St. 5; Florida 5; Iowa State 4; Xavier 3; Toledo 2; Rutgers 2; Drake 2; Boise St. 1.
