For the first time in history, two teams have been deemed the best team in the country by the USA Today’s Coaches’ Poll. UNC and Kentucky men’s basketball teams both received 479 points, with Carolina receiving one more 1st place (12) vote than the Wildcats. Maryland, Duke and Kansas all received at least one first place vote.
Here’s the full breakdown:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| T-1 | Kentucky | 749 | 11 |
| T-1 | North Carolina | 749 | 12 |
| 3 | Maryland | 723 | 5 |
| 4 | Duke | 686 | 3 |
| 5 | Kansas | 675 | 1 |
| 6 | Virginia | 667 | 0 |
| 7 | Iowa St. | 541 | 0 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 520 | 0 |
| 9 | Villanova | 498 | 0 |
| 10 | Arizona | 477 | 0 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | 468 | 0 |
| 12 | Wichita St. | 461 | 0 |
| 13 | Michigan St | 386 | 0 |
| 14 | California | 350 | 0 |
| 15 | Indiana | 312 | 0 |
| 16 | Utah | 250 | 0 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 181 | 0 |
| 18 | Notre Dame | 172 | 0 |
| 19 | LSU | 163 | 0 |
| 20 | Vanderbilt | 153 | 0 |
| 21 | Baylor | 145 | 0 |
| 22 | Butler | 132 | 0 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 125 | 0 |
| T-24 | Purdue | 110 | 0 |
| T-24 | Connecticut | 110 | 0 |
This is the first time Carolina has been named the preseason’s best team since the 2011-2012 season.
H/T: USA Today