For a record 10th time, North Carolina is No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll released Monday.
The Tar Heels, who lost to Kansas in the national championship game in April, garnered 47 of 62 first-place votes to beat out Gonzaga for the top spot. Gonzaga was No. 1 in the preseason poll the past two years.
The Tar Heels return four starters with Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Leaky Black and Armando Bacot.
The Zags received 12 first-place votes, No. 3 Houston got one and No. 4 Kentucky the other two. This marks Houston’s highest preseason ranking since 1983.
The defending champion Jayhawks and Big 12 rival Baylor open tied at No. 5.
Duke, under first-year coach Jon Scheyer, opens at No. 7 with UCLA, Creighton and Arkansas rounding out the Top 10. The Blue Devils had been tied with rival UNC with nine No. 1 preseason rankings.
The Big 12 and SEC lead the way with five teams in the Top 25.
The rest of the poll:
11. Tennessee
12. Texas
13. Indiana
14. TCU
15. Auburn
16. Villanova
17. Arizona
18. Virginia
19. San Diego State
20. Alabama
21. Oregon
22. Michigan
23. Illinois
24. Dayton
25. Texas Tech
–Field Level Media
