North Carolina surprised almost everyone last year by putting together a talented team led by first-year coach Hubert Davis. Earned the 8th seed in the NCAA Tournament and qualified for the National Title Game.
Tar heels aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year.
Four starters returned from the team, lost to Kansas In New Orleans, tar heels Runaway Pick as Preseason No. 1 in AP Top 25 Released on Monday. They earned his first-place votes of 47 of his 62 votes by a national media panel, easily surpassing Gonzaga, his top team in the preseason for the past two years.
“When I opened my locker for my first practice last year, there was a picture of the New Orleans Superdome. I wanted them to see where we were going in April. ‘” Davis recalled last week. “Hard work and preparation, the practice it takes to be able to do it. This year it’s the same approach as last year. The only difference this year is the noise outside.
“Last year,” Davis said. Outside noise this year we think we are. ”
Gonzaga received 12 votes, followed by Houston in 3rd place and Kentucky in 4th place. two others. Houston has the best preseason ranking since his 1983, when the Cougars’ phi his slama his jamm his third on his team reached the title his game for the second year in a row. . Kentucky has its highest preseason ranking since 2019, when the season ended amid the pandemic.
There was a tie for fifth place between the Jayhawks, who hoisted their latest national title banner inside Allen Fieldhouse earlier this month, and Big 12 rivals Baylor, who hoisted their own championship banner last season.
It was the 10th time North Carolina finished first in the preseason, breaking a tie with Duke for the most. AP voteOut of these ten, two Tar Heels teams have won NCAA titles. His 1981-82 team coached by Dean Smith and featuring James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan, and the 2008-09 team coached by Roy Williams and featuring Tyler. Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson.
The third of Williams’ 2015-16 squad lost to Villanova on Chris Jenkins’ buzzing 3-pointer.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our team’s potential,” Davis said of winning the top spot in the poll.We will prepare, practice and play to the best of our ability. That’s it. ”
Caleb Love One of four returning starters in North Carolina Along with RJ Davis, Leaky Black and Armando Bacot, he said the focus will be on improving each day ahead of the ACC grind.
Duke, with John Schaer replacing Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzewski, ranked seventh and UCLA eighth. Clayton clinched his highest preseason ranking at No. 9, followed by Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, TCU, and Auburn.
Blue Jays coach Greg McDermott said of last season’s preseason rankings in the Big East, “I don’t really care when I get the No. 9 pick. You go to work every day and try to get better every day.” We will try, and it is important that we approach this year in the same way.”
The No. 13 Hoosiers earned their first ranking since January 2019 and their best preseason ranking since 2016.
Vilanova, with Kyle Neptune replacing Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, ranked 16th, the Wildcats’ lowest preseason ranking since 2008. Arizona, Virginia, San Diego State and Alabama followed.
The final five are Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Dayton and Texas Tech.
“When I was in school as a player, I never accepted rankings, no matter what the media said about our franchise. You still have to go out and play games,” said Mike Woodson of the Hoosiers. the coach said. “Hell, in my senior year, we were ranked #1, but we didn’t make it. After all, it’s kind of nice for players who haven’t experienced it.” Again, you have to go out and play, which means you have to prove it on the basketball floor, and that’s when it counts.
conference watch
The Big 12 and SEC lead with five ranked teams. Big Ten, Pac 12, and ACC have 3 each, and Big East has 2. The West Coast, Atlantic 10, Mountain West, and American Athletic Conference each have one team participating in the voting.
peek outside
Texas A&M was the first team to drop out of the ballot, followed by UConn with 24 of the 62 votes. Miami, Purdue and St. Louis were also eyeing the top 25 when the first regular season ballot was announced on November 14.
mark the calendar
Most teams’ seasons start on November 7th, but as usual, the heavyweight’s first meeting will be the Champions Classic on November 15th in Indianapolis. row, before No. 5 Kansas played No. 7 Duke at Nightcap.
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