Heels are unanimous No. 1 in hoops poll
To absolutely no one’s surprise, North Carolina – which returns its top six scorers from last season – was a unanimous choice as the preseason No. 1 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Since ESPN began participating in the coaches’ poll in 1997-98 — USA Today began the poll in 1991 — the Tar Heels are the first unanimous preseason No. 1. They’re also the top-ranked team for the second straight preseason.
The Tar Heels return national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, a 6-9 senior forward on pace to set school and Atlantic Coast Conference scoring records. Hansbrough averaged a team-best 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds last season. Additionally, the Tar Heels return five more top scorers in 6-4 Wayne Ellington (16.6 points), 5-11 Ty Lawson (12.7), 6-6 Danny Green (11.5) and 6-8 Deon Thompson (8.4).
North Carolina will try to win the school’s fifth national championship, second under Coach Roy Williams.
In the history of the poll, only two preseason No. 1 teams — Florida in 2006-07 and Connecticut in 2003-04 — have gone on to win the national title. The eventual champs have been in the preseason top 10 in nine of the past 11 years.
Connecticut and Louisville are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, as the Big East set a record with seven teams among the preseason Top 25. Previously, a conference had five preseason Top 25 teams on seven occasions.
Defending national champion Kansas, which lost most of its big contributors from last season, is No. 23.
Arizona, whose longtime coach Lute Olson abruptly announced his retirement last week for health reasons, isn’t in the preseason poll for the first time since USA Today took it over. Also missing for the first time in that span: Kentucky.
Here is the ESPN/USA Today poll, with WagerWeb.com odds to win the national title:
1. North Carolina (+250)
2. Connecticut (+1400)
3. Louisville (+1200)
4. UCLA (+1500)
5. Duke (+800)
6. Pittsburgh (+2000)
7. Michigan State (+3000)
8. Texas (+1500)
9. Notre Dame (+2000)
10. Purdue (+2000)
11. Gonzaga (+4000)
12. Memphis (+2000)
13. Tennessee (+1200)
14. Oklahoma (+3500)
15. Arizona State (+5000)
16. Miami, Fla. (+3000)
17. Marquette (+4000)
18. Georgetown (+1500)
19. Florida (+1200)
20. Davidson (+2500)
21. USC (+3000)
21. Wisconsin (+4000)
23. Kansas (+2500)
24. Wake Forest (+8000)
25. Villanova (+3000)
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