UNC No. 1 in preseason AP basketball poll

CHAPEL HILL, NC (UNC) — The University of North Carolina is ranked number one in the nation in the Associated Press’s preseason men’s basketball poll that was released Monday. This is the ninth time Carolina has opened the season atop the poll and the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Roy Williams enters his 13th season as UNC’s head coach. This is the fourth time his teams have opened the season No. 1 in the AP poll.

“I do feel like we’re going to be a good basketball team,” says Williams. “I’m excited for our kids, because this is one of the best groups that I’ve ever worked with.  We made a nice run last year but were disappointed with the way it ended.  Hopefully we will use that as fuel to be the best team we can be this year.  There are so many good teams, I don’t see how anybody could pick just one to be No. 1 at this point of the season.  But it’s certainly nice to be one of those teams under consideration.”

Carolina was also No. 1 in the preseason AP poll in 1977-78, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1986-87 and 1993-94 under head coach Dean Smith and 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2011-12 under Williams.

This is the 109th time the Tar Heels have been ranked No. 1. UNC has a 185-30 record as the AP’s top team.

Williams’ UNC teams are 47-6 in 27 weeks as the nation’s No. 1 team in the AP poll.

Carolina plays host to Guilford in a exhibition game on Friday, November 6, at the Smith Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The Tar Heels open the regular season on November 13 vs. Temple at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in the Veterans Day Classic.

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By The Associated Press

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ preseason 2015-16 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final 2014-15 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last year’s final ranking:

1. North Carolina (35) 26-12 1,566 15
2. Kentucky (10) 38-1 1,520 1
3. Maryland (14) 28-7 1,487 12
4. Kansas (5) 27-9 1,410 10
5. Duke 35-4 1,350 4
6. Virginia (1) 30-4 1,347 6
7. Iowa St. 25-9 1,185 9
8. Oklahoma 24-11 1,088 13
9. Gonzaga 35-3 1,047 7
10. Wichita St. 30-5 1,032 14
11. Villanova 33-3 1,013 2
12. Arizona 34-4 917 5
13. Michigan St. 27-12 838 23
14. California 18-15 757 –
15. Indiana 20-14 755 –
16. Utah 26-9 499 19
17. Wisconsin 36-4 433 3
18. Vanderbilt 21-14 393 –
19. Notre Dame 32-6 360 8
20. UConn 20-15 307 –
21. LSU 22-11 268 –
22. Baylor 24-10 265 16
23. Purdue 21-13 236 –
24. Butler 23-11 223 24
25. Michigan 16-16 126 –
Others receiving votes: Oregon 116, SMU 112, West Virginia 84, Texas A&M 72, Cincinnati 63, Miami 48, Louisville 46, Georgetown 23, NC State 19, Florida St. 18, Texas 18, Rhode Island 17, Dayton 12, Xavier 12, Providence 10, Iowa 6, BYU 5, Valparaiso 5, Boise St. 4, Old Dominion 3, Oklahoma St. 2, San Diego St. 2, UCLA 2, Cent. Michigan 1, Iona 1, UC Irvine 1, Yale 1.

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