North Carolina will start the season as the top team in the country, but its hold is tenuous.

The Tar Heels top the preseason USA Today/ESPN college basketball coaches poll, released Friday, despite the fact that UCLA garnered more first-place votes.

North Carolina (31-7) received 10 first-place votes — two less than UCLA — and 739 points from a panel of 31 Division I coaches. The Tar Heels are headlined by junior center Tyler Hansbrough and stellar sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

North Carolina will be looking to rebound from a rough finish to last season, in which it gave up a late 11-point lead en route to a overtime loss to Georgetown in the East Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins (30-6) are close behind with 734 points. UCLA made its second straight Final Four appearance last season before losing to eventual champion Florida for a second consecutive time.

Memphis (33-4) is third, garnering eight first-place votes and 731 points. The Tigers are riding the nation’s longest home winning streak at 32 games.

The only other team to receive a first-place vote was Kansas (33-5), which sits fourth with 669 points.  Georgetown (30-7) rounds out the top five.

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Louisville (24-10) is sixth, ahead of Tennessee (24-11), Michigan State (23-12) and Indiana (21-11).

One of five Pac-10 Conference teams in the poll, Washington State is 10th coming off a unexpected 26-8 campaign.  The Cougars return four starters from a squad that reached the second round of the NCAAs last year.

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Duke (22-11) is 11th, in front of Marquette (24-10) and Oregon (29-8).  Gonzaga (23-11) and Texas A&M (27-7) are tied for 14th.

Looking to regroup after the departure of National Player of the Year Kevin Durant, Texas (25-10) is 16th.

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Arizona (20-11) is 17th, ahead of Southern California (25-12), Arkansas (21-14) and Pittsburgh (29-8).

Stanford (18-13) heads up the final five in 21st followed by Kentucky (22-12), Southern Illinois (29-7) and North Carolina State (20-16).

Villanova (22-11) rounds out the poll, which does not include either reigning champion Florida or national runner-up Ohio State.

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