Tarheels No 1 in pre-season poll

No big surprises here...

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

AP Top 25
1. North Carolina (72) 0-0 1,800
2. Connecticut 0-0 1,661
3. Louisville 0-0 1,638
4. UCLA 0-0 1,487
5. Pittsburgh 0-0 1,319
6. Michigan State 0-0 1,311
7. Texas 0-0 1,259
8. Duke 0-0 1,250
9. Notre Dame 0-0 1,243
10. Gonzaga 0-0 1,162
11. Purdue 0-0 1,099
12. Oklahoma 0-0 987
13. Memphis 0-0 977
14. Tennessee 0-0 920
15. Arizona State 0-0 645
16. Marquette 0-0 592
17. Miami (FL) 0-0 570
18. USC 0-0 414
19. Florida 0-0 403
20. Davidson 0-0 347
21. Wake Forest 0-0 312
22. Georgetown 0-0 311
23. Villanova 0-0 256
24. Kansas 0-0 233
25. Wisconsin 0-0 196

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. North Carolina (31) 0-0 775
2. Connecticut 0-0 707
3. Louisville 0-0 694
4. UCLA 0-0 650
5. Duke 0-0 578
6. Pittsburgh 0-0 576
7. Michigan State 0-0 572
8. Texas 0-0 538
9. Notre Dame 0-0 525
10. Purdue 0-0 465
11. Gonzaga 0-0 437
12. Memphis 0-0 425
13. Tennessee 0-0 408
14. Oklahoma 0-0 387
15. Arizona State 0-0 304
16. Miami (FL) 0-0 233
17. Marquette 0-0 219
18. Georgetown 0-0 175
19. Florida 0-0 161
20. Davidson 0-0 158
21. USC 0-0 153
21. Wisconsin 0-0 153
23. Kansas 0-0 130
24. Wake Forest 0-0 129
25. Villanova 0-0 122

yeah yeah yeah...can't wait until March rolls around. Probably my favorite time of the year other than waking up on Saturday mornings to find College Gameday on and the leaves turnin' colors.

Not a lot of surprises but some interesting picks.

Davidson in the top 20 caught my attention. Stephen Curry is awesome. I'll be interested in seeing how things play out with UT this year. Both VT and Kentucky got a few votes but not enough to be ranked.

4 big east teams in the top 10.

Looking forward to seeing if Kentucky will be any better this year.

They play @ UNC in a week I believe.

I listen to the KY Blue Network radio shows sometimes, and there's definitely a lot of frustration among Wildcat fans.

I think a lot of people blamed all of Kentucky's problems on Tubby Smith and just assumed that when he left, the program would turn around. I think its going to take more than a coaching change for KY to re-establish themselves as a top tier basketball program. Right now, Kentucky is not competitive in recruiting the best talent.


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bkbasketball</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Looking forward to seeing if Kentucky will be any better this year. </div></div>

UK has the money and facilities (and the coach) to get them back on the national stage, but it will take some time

one thing that hurts is that the kids who are 16, 17 and 18 right now were 6, 7, and 8 years old when UK last won the title in 1998, so that aura of Kentucky basketball just isn't "real" to them

A lot of kids don't want to play that slow down 50-45 basketball either.

that isn't really Gillispie's style, he had to cater to the personnel he was given

think about the team he had at Texas A&M with Acie Law

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: vthokie22</div><div class="ubbcode-body">UK has the money and facilities (and the coach) to get them back on the national stage, but it will take some time

one thing that hurts is that the kids who are 16, 17 and 18 right now were 6, 7, and 8 years old when UK last won the title in 1998, so that aura of Kentucky basketball just isn't "real" to them </div></div>


You forget the biggest detriment uk basketball has against it, no matter what it has:

It's still in Kentucky!!!!

Kentucky is going to be good this year. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they beat UNC on Monday night. Patterson and Meeks will both be at least 2nd team SEC. Harrellson has very good potential. And as far as the top talent not wanting to come to UK right now, that is crazy. Patterson last year, Liggins and Miller this year. Top 9 class next season, with the #12 player. And a top 5 player for 2010 in Dominique Ferguson.

Didn't they get another big man to commit? Orton maybe?

Maybe this year we can seal the deal and win it all again.

don't get lofty expectations...UK will not win it this year, and the only reason they'd have a shot against UNC next week is without Hansbrough

UK is a true PG, a swingman, and another post to compliment Patterson away from being relevant on the national stage

yeah Daniel Orton is the guy coming in next season. He is injured and will miss all of his senior year though. Probably cost him being a McDonald's All American. They will be much better this season but next year they should be elite again, especially if Patterson stays. Lineup of Liggins, Meeks, Harris, Patterson, and Orton would be very tough. Miller, Hood, Harrellson, Galloway, Valirino, Stevenson, Porter, Stewart, and Pilgrim would be the bench (hope I'm not missing anyone). That isn't counting the walkons. I think they have like a 20 man team this year.

That's right because Hansrough has killed UK in the past. Here are his numbers against UK.
Game 1
1-5 FG 4-7 FT 6 PTS 10 REB 2 AST 1 TO in 33 minutes
Game 2
2-10 FG 3-6 FT 7 PTS 3 REB 1 AST 1 To in 30 minutes
Game 3
2-8 FG 10-12 FT 14 PTS 11 REB 0 AST 2 TO in 32 minutes

Granted UNC won all 3 games but to say that UK can only win if Hansbrough doesn't play is not true. He has never done anything against UK and this team is better than the last 2 he played against.

And UNC is better than those past teams also.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: plooolt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That's right because Hansrough has killed UK in the past. Here are his numbers against UK.
Game 1
1-5 FG 4-7 FT 6 PTS 10 REB 2 AST 1 TO in 33 minutes
Game 2
2-10 FG 3-6 FT 7 PTS 3 REB 1 AST 1 To in 30 minutes
Game 3
2-8 FG 10-12 FT 14 PTS 11 REB 0 AST 2 TO in 32 minutes

Granted UNC won all 3 games but to say that UK can only win if Hansbrough doesn't play is not true. He has never done anything against UK and this team is better than the last 2 he played against. </div></div>

well by your own admission he pulled a double-double in the most recent game between the 2, so there goes that argument

the old saying goes, "there's lies, damned lies, and statistics" and that's a good example...Hansbrough, while I hate every fiber of his being, does more than just gets points or rebounds (although he's averaging 8 boards a game against UK) he affects teams defensively and his hustle is something that cannot be forgotten...he runs the floor extremely well, which stretches defenses and causes them to protect the paint, opening up lots of options for everyone else, including a very nice inside-out game that they utilize very efficiently

so he's averaging 9 pts and 8 boards per game, almost a double-double against UK, so I'm pretty sure even by your own statistics that he's pretty integral to UNC's success, their offense runs through him, whether he scores or not