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North Carolina Tar Heels share No. 1 spot with Kentucky Wildcats

By The Sports Xchange
North Carolina Tar Heels Just Watts watches Kentucky Wildcats Terrence Jones (3) react after Jones makes a basket in the first half at the NCAA Final Four East Regional Round of 8 game at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on March 27, 2011. The Wildcats and Tar Heels share the No. 1 spot in the preseason coache's poll. File photo by UPI/John Angelillo
North Carolina Tar Heels Just Watts watches Kentucky Wildcats Terrence Jones (3) react after Jones makes a basket in the first half at the NCAA Final Four East Regional Round of 8 game at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on March 27, 2011. The Wildcats and Tar Heels share the No. 1 spot in the preseason coache's poll. File photo by UPI/John Angelillo | License Photo

Oct. 15 -- There's room for two at the top of the preseason men's basketball Top 25 coaches poll.

Kentucky and North Carolina were voted No. 1 in the USA Today poll released Thursday ahead of Maryland, Duke and Kansas. North Carolina received more first-place votes (12) than Kentucky (11).

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The USA Today Sports Board of Coaches is comprised of 32 Division I men's basketball coaches.

Maryland, the former ACC member now in the Big Ten, plays at North Carolina on Dec. 1 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and also plays Georgetown and No. 24 UConn in the first 25 days of the season.

Kentucky did not lose a regular-season game and the Wildcats are counting on another top-ranked recruiting class to get them back to the Final Four, where Wisconsin dealt John Calipari's team its only loss in 2014-15.

National champion Duke lost three of its top players from the team that cut down the nets in Indianapolis: Freshman of the Year Jahlil Okafor, forward Justise Winslow and point guard Tyus Jones all were first-round NBA draft picks.

Iowa State is seventh behind Virginia but the Cyclones are under the direction of a new coach following Fred Hoiberg's departure for the Chicago Bulls.

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Oklahoma gives the Big 12 three of the nation's top eight in the poll.

Arizona, Gonzaga, Wichita State and Michigan State are next.

Rank Team 2014-15 record

1 Kentucky 38-1

1 North Carolina 26-12

3 Maryland 28-7

4 Duke 35-4

5 Kansas 27-9

6 Virginia 30-4

7 Iowa St. 25-9

8 Oklahoma 24-11

9 Villanova 33-3

10 Arizona 34-4

11 Gonzaga 35-3

12 Wichita St. 30-5

13 Michigan St 27-12

14 California 18-15

15 Indiana 20-14

16 Utah 26-9

17 Wisconsin 36-4

18 Notre Dame 32-6

19 Louisiana State 22-11

20 Vanderbilt 21-14

21 Baylor 24-10

22 Butler 23-11

23 West Virginia 25-10

24 Purdue 21-13

24 Connecticut 20-15

Others Receiving Votes: Michigan 108; Louisville 93; Texas A&M 58; UCLA 48; Georgetown 45; Cincinnati 43; North Carolina State 36; Oregon 33; Texas 29; Xavier 25; Florida State 25; Miami (Fla.) 11; San Diego State 10; Iowa 8; Davidson 5; Boise State 5; Providence 5; Stephen F. Austin 2; Belmont 2; Ohio State 2; Tulsa 1; Dayton 1; Old Dominion 1; Marquette 1.

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