Gonzaga ranked No. 2 in first AP men's basketball poll of 2022-23 season

North Carlina stole the top spot from the Zags, who were also ranked No. 3 in KenPom's rankings released earlier this week

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the No. 2 team in the country in the first official Associated Press Top 25 poll of the 2022-23 college basketball season. GU, which opened as the top-ranked team this time last year, received 12 first-place votes.

The North Carolina Tar Heels took the No. 1 spot, earning 47 of the possible 62 first-place votes, breaking a tie with Duke for the most preseason No. 1 selections in the AP poll history. Houston and Kentucky round out the top four, while the reigning national champion Kansas Jayhawks will enter the preseason at No. 5, tied with Baylor.

Many expected the Bulldogs to crack the top three with so much talent returning from last season’s squad. Led by one of the country's best players in Drew Timme, GU brought back six of their top eight scorers including Rasir Bolton and Julian Strawther, all three of which were on the preseason All-WCC team. Nolan Hickman, a potential NBA draft pick next spring, is poised for a big year as the primary ballhandler for what a potent offensive attack should be given the surrounding weapons. Adding Malachi Smith and Efton Reid in the offseason ensures this will be one of the deepest squads in the country.

The initial Top 25 rankings reflect the difficult nonconference schedule that GU has put together for this season. Like last season, the front half of the schedule is loaded with some of the nation’s top-tier programs.

A total of four top-25 opponents are on the Bulldogs’ schedule to start the season, including back-to-back matchups against No. 12 Texas in Austin, Texas and No. 4 Kentucky in the Spokane Arena. No. 5 Baylor will battle the Zags in Sioux Falls on Dec. 2, a matchup fans have been waiting for since the two heavyweights were supposed to play each other in 2020. Then it’s off to face No. 20 Alabama in Birmingham eight days before Christmas.

There’s also a high chance the Zags and No. 7 Duke square off in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament championship round over Thanksgiving break.

KenPom’s preseason rankings have the Bulldogs ranked No. 3 behind the Wildcats and Longhorns, a much different assessment than what’s seen in the AP poll. Tennessee and Virginia round out the top five while the Tar Heels sit just inside the top ten at No. 9.

GU’s first preseason game is Oct. 28 against No. 11 Tennessee in the Legends of Basketball Charity Classic at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The game will be made available to watch through pay-per-view.

The regular season kicks off on Nov. 7 against North Florida in Spokane.

Here's the complete AP Top 25 Poll for this week:

AP Top 25 Poll

1. North Carolina (47)
2. Gonzaga (12)
3. Houston (1)
4. Kentucky (2)
T5. Baylor
T5. Kansas
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Creighton
10. Arkansas
11. Tennessee
12. Texas
13. Indiana
14. TCU
15. Auburn
16. Villanova
17. Arizona
18. Virginia
19. San Diego State
20. Alabama
21. Oregon
22. Michigan
23. Illinois
24. Dayton
25. Texas Tech

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, USC 3, Florida 3, Toledo 1, UAB 1, Memphis 1, Virginia Tech 1, Notre Dame 1.