UNC overwhelming No. 1 pick; champion UConn No. 4
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North Carolina broke a tie with its fiercest rival and moved into one with one of college basketball's most storied programs.
The Tar Heels, who return all five starters from the team that reached the regional finals last season, were the runaway No. 1 in the Associated Press men's preseason Top 25 on Friday. It is the eighth time they have received that honor since the preseason poll started in 1961-62.
That breaks a tie with Duke, North Carolina's Tobacco Road rival, and moves them into a tie with UCLA, the program that dominated the sport unlike any other under coach John Wooden.
"It shows that North Carolina basketball has had a tremendous level of success over a long, long period of time," coach Roy Williams said. "We are very proud of that and this is another indication of the program's great history."
North Carolina received all but three of the No. 1 votes cast by the 65-member national media poll, finishing well ahead of Kentucky, the team that eliminated the Tar Heels last season one step from the Final Four.
With the frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller all passing up the chance to enter the NBA Draft and point guard Kendall Marshall having a chance to run the team for the whole season instead of just the final 20 games, the Tar Heels have the personnel to start the season comfortably atop the poll.
"I'm happy that people feel this positive about our team, but the great thing about college basketball is you have to get it done on the court," Williams said. "This gives us a goal and it's up to us to work hard and be the best team we can be to reach that goal."
North Carolina has been the preseason No. 1 in three of the past five seasons. In 2008-09, the Tar Heels were a unanimous preseason No. 1 with five starters back, and that season ended with a national championship.
The Tar Heels' other preseason No. 1s were in 2007-08 (Final Four), 1993-94 (second round), 1986-87 (regional final), 1983-84 (regional semifinals), 1981-82 (national championship) and 1977-78 (first round).
Roy Williams' Heels get all but three of the No. 1 votes from the 65 members. (Getty Images) "We have the opportunity to win it all, and we have the opportunity to completely fail," Barnes has said. "It's just a matter of we continue to stay humble and continue to take the right steps and get our way back on top like we did last year."
Ohio State, which got one first-place vote, was third and defending national champion Connecticut, which received the other two No. 1 votes, was fourth.
Kentucky has starters Terrence Jones and Darius Miller back to lead yet another outstanding recruiting class by coach John Calipari. Ohio State has All-America Jared Sullinger and senior guard William Buford back, while Connecticut has to find a way to replace All-America Kemba Walker, the all-everything guard who carried the Huskies through their 11-game winning streak to the national championship. Don't feel too bad for Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun as freshman Andre Drummond will give the Huskies a presence under the basket.
Syracuse, Duke, Vanderbilt, Florida, Louisville and Pittsburgh rounded out the top 10.
Memphis was 11th followed by Baylor, Kansas, Xavier, Wisconsin, Arizona, UCLA, Michigan, Alabama and Texas A&M. The final five teams were Cincinnati, Marquette, Gonzaga, California and Missouri.
Fourteen of the teams in the preseason poll were ranked in last season's final poll. Ohio State was No. 1 entering the NCAA tournament and the Buckeyes lost to Kentucky in the regional semifinals.
Duke was No. 1 in the 2010-11 preseason poll and went on to finish third in the final poll before losing to Arizona in the regional semifinals. Connecticut wasn't ranked before last season but worked its way to No. 9 in the final poll.
Vanderbilt had the longest stretch of not being in the preseason Top 25. The Commodores were last in the rankings in 1993-94. Xavier was next with its last preseason appearance in 2002-03, while Cincinnati was last in 2003-04.
Vanderbilt has all the starters back from a team that came on strong at the end of the regular season only to be knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the first round by Richmond.
"There has been some fixation on our early exits from the tournament, but we have been very excited about this team for a very long time. For good reason, we have good players," coach Kevin Stallings said. "If this team can stay healthy, I think we have a chance to have the best team we have ever had."
The Big East has six ranked teams, two more than the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 had three each. Even with all the offcourt doings in the Big East -- Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving, TCU never really showing up and some others ready to head elsewhere -- the conference that set the record for teams in an NCAA tournament last season is going to be tough again.
"In the past five years we've had the best basketball league in the country," Calhoun said. "We had 11 teams in the NCAA tournament last year and on paper today nine of them would be in it again."
Duke has the longest current streak of being ranked at 78 polls, a run that started with the preseason poll in 2007-08. Kansas is next with 46, a streak that began on Feb. 2, 2009.
Calhoun ' 55 / 45' after returning to the sideline UConn
SARASOTA, Florida-Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said Friday night he is "55 / 45" percent leaning toward returning for next season.
UConn coach Jim Calhoun and the national champion Huskies visit to the White House on Monday. (Getty Images) "At the moment I honestly you can say, I'm 55 / 45" on the way back, Calhoun told ESPN.com. "I'm kind of on honeymoon now at this time [after the Championship]."
"Everybody thinks that I again coach can."
Calhoun was to increase Carlton Sarasota in dozens of the head coach at the sixth annual Dick Vitale Gala at the Ritz for funds for the V Foundation for cancer research. At the event he brought together longtime tennis coach Nick Bollettieri and North Carolina Coach of Roy Williams, who awarded the Kentucky coach John Calipari.
"Everything I do is UConn basketball where must it be," Calhoun said. "After 25 years and so much equity that has been established, would I weiterhin-it - if I happen to be head coach or am not coach." "I need just a little time [, to take a decision]."
In April, Calhoun, 68, won his third national title with the Huskies. He is already in the Hall of Fame, 39 seasons and won seven big East title have trained.
If he returns, he must in the Huskies opening string of Big East suspended three game games for the program in violation of NCAA rules are.
Calhoun said, that he is not tired people it questions whether he will return next season.
'What you will do next week?' "Is OK," Calhoun said. "" What want you to do for the rest of your life? --to be honest, this is a little more in depth.
"After all that what I do is very honestly, people say ' if I am on Oct. 1, I will be there [as coach]." If I don't, I want not.' "
UConn, two scholarships of academic assessment to lose
HARTFORD, Connecticut--the national champion Connecticut men's basketball program lose two scholarships for the coming season due to a poor academic performance rating by the NCAA.
The APR is the classroom performance of each Division I student athletes, compose a music for each team.
The national academic performance rating is next week, but a link to an internal copy of the report ended UConn chat on Friday on a Board. A University with knowledge of the situation official confirmed the figures in the report, and said, the school release had given the link to the preparation of the next week.
The official spoke with the associated press on condition of anonymity, because the report is not scheduled until Tuesday will be made public.
The rating is four-year rating to 893, under the NCAA minimum score of 925 the basketball program. The score for the academic year 2009 / 10 is 826.
The school had no official comment on the report Friday.
UConn has one of its 13 scholarships because of NCAA recruiting violations were docked. The loss of scholarships on the basis of the APR report leave the school with 10 for the next academic year.
The Huskies, the last month announced that forward reflected Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, have eight scholarship players for next season. You also a recruit have signed guard Ryan Boatright from Illinois.
In the past year took UConn on a four-year APR of 930, including a 844 for the 2008 / 09 season.
"Eight straight years, we the APR," Calhoun said after is Governor and the legislature praised the during "Husky day" at the State Capitol last month. "If as someone soon leave or not to end, all these different things, that you get if you have 16 children..." "[for the professionals] in a period of 10 years more leave, you are more likely [a low APR] happens."
A low rating is costly for Calhoun personally. His contract calls him donations to US$ 100,000 to a UConn Scholarship Fund, if the program meets not the APR. He becomes stale also his postseason bonus of $87,500, while UConn's run, acquired for the national title.
