North Carolina took the top spot in the first AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the 2022-23 season Monday. Following UNC at No. 2 is Gonzaga, followed by Houston, Kentucky, Baylor and Kansas (tied for fifth), Duke, UCLA, Creighton and Arkansas in the top 10.
The Tar Heels earned a trip to the Final Four last season and defeated Duke, led by Mike Krzyzewski in his final game as a head coach, in the national semifinal, but fell to Kansas in the championship game.
Monday’s poll marked the first time UNC has been the No. 1 team in preseason since the 2015-16 season, when the Tar Heels posted a 33-7 record and entered the NCAA tournament as the top-ranked team before finishing the season as the national runner-up to Villanova. The last time UNC won the championship during a season in which it was ranked first in the preseason was 2008-09.
This is the 10th time UNC has been ranked No. 1 in preseason polling, a national record, and breaks a tie with Duke. UCLA is third with eight, followed by Kentucky in fourth with six. Arizona, Indiana, Kansas and Michigan are tied with three in preseason No. 1 rankings.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our team’s potential but the only way for us to reach any of our dreams and goals will be to improve each and every day by our commitment to preparing, practicing and playing to the best of our ability,” coach Hubert Davis said.
Full top 25:
1. North Carolina
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
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
(Photo: Bob Donnan / USA Today)
