The WyoPreps Preseason Basketball Rankings for 2022-23 are Here

The first prep basketball rankings for the new 2022-23 season are here with the release of the preseason WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls.

Five defending champions begin this season atop the rankings, and only one of the eight divisions between the boys and girls had single-digit teams receive votes.

The only unanimous choice for No. 1 was in Class 1A girls, where defending champion Southeast is the preseason favorite. The Cyclones got all 13 first-place votes in the preseason rankings. Cokeville is a narrow choice for second. The Panthers are three points ahead of Burlington and Upton, who are tied for third. The Riverside Rebels, who dropped down to 1A in the reclassification cycle, are at No. 5. A total of 12 teams picked up votes in the first poll.

In Class 2A, the Rocky Mountain Lady Grizz starts the season on top. The defending champions earned nine of the 14 first-place votes. Wyoming Indian is second, and the Chiefs received the other first-place votes. Tongue River is third, followed by Burns and Sundance. Eleven teams got votes in the preseason poll.

Two-time defending champion Douglas is still at the top of Class 3A. The Bearcats received 16 of the 22 first-place votes. They also garnered votes in all five spots of the poll. The Lyman Eagles have finished second the last two years, and are second by a slim margin in the rankings. They are six points in front of Newcastle, who sits third. Buffalo is fourth, and Mountain View rounds out the top five. The top four teams all received at least one first-place vote. Five more teams picked votes in the poll.

Finally, in Class 4A girls, the Cody Fillies begin the new season ranked No. 1. Last year’s runner-up, the Fillies garnered only six first-place votes, but a majority of the second-place votes pushed Cody to the top of the preseason rankings. Two-time defending champion Cheyenne East is second. The Thunderbirds received 12 of the 20 first-place votes but are still 21 points back of the Fillies. The two Gillette schools occupy the next two spots in the poll. Thunder Basin sits as a solid choice for No. 3, while Campbell County is fourth. Natrona County checks in at No. 5 in the preseason rankings. Six other schools got votes.

Here is a look at the voting by the coaches and media for the girls’ preseason poll.

On the boys’ side, only two defending champions start at the top.

Class 1A saw last season’s champ Upton narrowly get voted to No. 1. The Bobcats were one of five teams that got first-place votes. Upton earned six nods for the top spot, and they are only three points ahead of Saratoga, who is second. The Panthers received four first-place votes. Burlington checks in at three. The Huskies are nine points in front of Dubois. Last year’s runner-up, the Rams are fourth. Southeast rounds out the top five. A total of 11 teams got votes in the preseason poll.

Defending champion Pine Bluffs starts the season on top of Class 2A. The Hornets are a near-unanimous choice in the preseason rankings with 13 of the 14 first-place votes. County rivals Big Horn and Tongue River are tied for second. The Eagles were the only other team that got a first-place vote. Wind River and Rocky Mountain are fourth and fifth, respectively. Six more schools earned at least one vote in the poll.

Class 3A boys are the one division where last season’s champs are not in the preseason top five. Douglas is the preseason favorite. The Bearcats received 14 of the 22 first-place votes. Worland is the pick at No. 2. The Warriors got six first-place votes. Buffalo garnered a first-place vote, and the Bison are third. Powell and Lyman complete the top poll at four and five. Defending champion Rawlins got a first-place vote and votes in all five positions, but the Outlaws are just outside the top five. This was the only division that didn’t have a double-digit number of schools get votes in the preseason poll.

In 4A boys, last season’s runner-up Cheyenne East is the preseason pick. The Thunderbirds received 11 of the 17 first-place votes. Defending champion Thunder Basin is second and got the other six first-place votes. Cheyenne Central, Kelly Walsh, and Sheridan complete the preseason rankings in 4A. This division had 13 of its 16 teams earn at least one vote.

This is a look at how the coaches and media voted in the boys’ rankings.

The WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Rankings are selected in voting by coaches and media around the state. Every coach and numerous media members can vote each week throughout the season.