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Preseason AP Poll puts Gonzaga at No. 2

North Carolina, the runner-ups in last year’s championship game, earned the top honors.

NCAA Basketball: West Coast Conference Tournament-Gonzaga vs San Francisco Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will open the season ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation, according to the preseason AP Poll. After two years at the No. 1 preseason spot, those honors went to the North Carolina Tar Heels, the runner-ups in last year’s national championship game.

Four different teams earned first-place votes, a sign that there is a lot of hype being spread out throughout multiple squads. Houston came in at No. 3, followed by Kentucky at No. 4, and Baylor and Kansas tied at No. 5.

Based on the preseason top 25, the Zags will face off against two other teams in the top 5 (Kentucky and Baylor) as well as three other teams in the top 25 (Texas, Tennessee - sort of, an exhibition - and Alabama). With Michigan State hanging just outside the top 25 and the potential for a Duke final in the PK85, there is plenty of solid competition on the horizon.

Here is the full preseason poll for the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 AP Preseason Poll

rank teams points
rank teams points
1 North Carolina (47) 1,532
2 Gonzaga (12) 1,479
3 Houston (1) 1,404
4 Kentucky (2) 1,364
5 Kansas 1,200
5 Baylor 1,200
7 Duke 1,168
8 UCLA 1,093
9 Creighton 1,060
10 Arkansas 1,026
11 Tennessee 880
12 Texas 844
13 Indiana 745
14 TCU 735
15 Auburn 623
16 Villanova 578
17 Arizona 543
18 Virginia 462
19 San Diego State 394
20 Alabama 281
21 Oregon 260
22 Michigan 229
23 Illinois 215
24 Dayton 170
25 Texas Tech 122
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 112, UConn 101, Miami (FL) 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, Virginia Tech 1, Memphis 1, Toledo 1, Notre Dame 1, UAB 1