Men's basketball team tabbed No. 8 in preseason coaches poll Men's basketball team tabbed No. 8 in preseason coaches poll

Wichita State is No. 8 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, released last week. It's the program's highest preseason ranking in 36 years. With all five starters and their top-eight scorers back, the Shockers (31-5 last year) are a trendy choice heading into their inaugural year in the American Athletic Conference.

WSU tallied 543 poll points -- 28 more than defending national champion North Carolina. Spots 1-7 went to Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Villanova and Florida. New American rival Cincinnati checked in at No. 13.