For the first time in program history, Michigan State is the preseason No. 1 team in college basketball in the USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released on Thursday. The Spartans earned No. 1 honors in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week. They return preseason Player of the Year Cassius Winston from last season’s team that made a run to the Final Four. Of a possible 32 first-place votes, Michigan State received 30.
The other two first-place votes were split between Kansas and Duke. Kentucky, which ranks No. 2 in the poll behind Michigan State, did not receive a first-place vote.
Kansas ranks No. 3 in the Coaches Poll followed by Duke and Louisville. Rounding out the top 10 is Florida, Gonzaga, Maryland, Virginia and Villanova.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State (30) | 792 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 734 |
| 3 | Kansas (1) | 687 |
| 4 | Duke (1) | 683 |
| 5 | Louisville | 670 |
| 6 | Florida | 619 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 544 |
| 8 | Maryland | 536 |
| 9 | Virginia | 532 |
| 10 | Villanova | 531 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 503 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 417 |
| 13 | Seton Hall | 403 |
| 14 | Oregon | 344 |
| 15 | Memphis | 331 |
| 16 | Ohio State | 280 |
| 17 | Arizona | 229 |
| 18 | Baylor | 228 |
| 19 | Utah State | 218 |
| 20 | Saint Mary’s | 163 |
| 21 | Xavier | 149 |
| 22 | Purdue | 123 |
| 23 | Auburn | 105 |
| 24 | LSU | 86 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 78 |
Others receiving votes: VCU 76; Marquette 62; Washington 59; Florida State 47; Michigan 28; Colorado 28; Houston 17; Creighton 13; Davidson 11; Southern California 9; Providence 8; Mississippi State 7; Wisconsin 6; UCLA 6; Texas 6; Syracuse 6; Georgetown 6; Liberty 5; Dayton 5; Harvard 4; Oklahoma 3; Illinois 2; NC State 1.
