Winona State was selected as the 2012-13 NSIC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' favorite in the overall poll and in the NSIC South Division poll.
They received 219 points and ten first place votes. Defending NSIC/Sanford Health Men's Basketball Tournament Champions of Southwest Minnesota State came in second with 209 points and four first place votes.
Minnesota State was third with 185; St. Cloud State was fourth with 174 and MSU Moorhead fifth with 170 points and a first place vote. Augustana was sixth with 155 points and a first place vote. MSU Moorhead was the coaches pick in the NSIC North Division as they amassed 46 points and five first place votes.
| Overall |
Points |
North Division |
Pts |
| 1. Winona State (10) |
219 |
1. MSU Moorhead (5) |
46 |
| 2. Southwest Minnesota State (4) |
209 |
2. St. Cloud State (2) |
43 |
| 3. Minnesota State |
185 |
3. Northern State (1) |
35 |
| 4. St. Cloud State |
174 |
4. Minnesota Duluth |
34 |
| 5. MSU Moorhead (1) |
170 |
5. Bemidji State |
25 |
| 6. Augustana (1) |
155 |
6. U-Mary |
21 |
| 7. Minnesota Duluth |
139 |
7. Minnesota, Crookston |
10 |
| 8. Northern State |
133 |
Minot State |
10 |
| 9. Concordia-St. Paul |
105 |
South Division |
Pts |
| 10. Wayne State |
102 |
1. Winona State (6) |
48 |
| 11. Sioux Falls |
85 |
2. SMSU (1) |
42 |
| 12. Bemidji State |
72 |
3. Minnesota State |
36 |
| Upper Iowa |
72 |
4. Augustana (1) |
33 |
| 14. U-Mary |
53 |
5. Concordia-St. Paul |
24 |
| 15. Minot State |
26 |
6. Wayne State |
18 |
| 16. Minnesota, Crookston |
21 |
7. Upper Iowa |
12 |
| first place votes in ( ) |
|
8. Sioux Falls |
11 |
NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.
