The college basketball season tips off in just a few weeks. In anticipation of that, we bring you the preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, presented in conjunction with the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Kansas, one of the perennial powers, will open the year at No. 1. The Jayhawks were voted first by 23 of the 32 panelists. It will be the first preseason No. 1 ranking for Kansas since 2018, and its fifth since USA TODAY began administering the coaches poll in the 1991-92 season. Purdue opens at No. 2, its highest ever preseason spot in the coaches poll. The Boilermakers received five first-place votes, with three more No. 1 nods going to Duke. The Blue Devils will start at No. 3, followed by No. 4 Michigan State. The final first-place vote went to defending national champion Connecticut, which will begin at No. 5 overall. It is inevitable that somebody not rated at the start of the year will have a breakthrough season. USA TODAY Sports picks a few teams not in the Top 25 that seem well positioned for a successful season. Those teams are Illinois, Kansas State, Maryland, Texas Christian University (TCU) and Boise State. Tap on the link in our bio to read all of the 2023-2024 men's basketball preseason coverage.