Tar Heels are No. 1, Ohio State No. 3 in initial AP poll

Associated Press

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.

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.

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.

Ohio State has All-America Jared Sullinger and senior guard William Buford back.

Ohio State was No. 1 entering last season’s NCAA tournament but 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.