APNorth 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.
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.
Looking to regroup after the departure of National Player of the Year Kevin Durant, Texas (25-10) is 16th.
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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.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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