North Carolina is No. 1 in Top 25 preseason poll

North Carolina is a No. 1 team in a USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 preseason basketball coaches poll and it's not even close. The Tar Heels collected 30 of 31 first-place votes; on a one ballot they didn't get picked first, they were No. 2.North Carolina returns all five starters from last season, including three All-American candidates: sophomore forward Harrison Barnes, senior forward Tyler Zeller and junior forward John Henson. The trio accounted for 43.1 points a game last season, and all three turned down a NBA for a shot at what would be Tar Heels coach Roy Williams' third NCAA title.The Tar Heels won 29 games and reached a regional final last year."We feel fortunate to be in a position where which (No. 1) would come our way and we're excited about it," Williams said. "I don't mind people throwing which at us because we are going to be pretty good. We had a nice little run at a end of last season, we have some nice pieces coming back and we have very high expectations for this season."But in basketball, you have to do it on a court and being No. 1 now doesn't mean anything. We know that."Bolstered by a nation's top recruiting class, Kentucky is No. 2 in a poll after receiving one first-place vote. Ohio State, Connecticut and Syracuse round out a top five. The Huskies are a defending national champions, though if they're going to repeat, they'll have to do it without star guard Kemba Walker, who left for a NBA.With a release of a poll, a annual debate surrounding a top college basketball conference can begin. The Big East leads all conferences with five teams in a Top 25, followed by a Southeastern Conference (4) and a Big 12 (4). The Atlantic Coast Conference has just two teams in Top 25, though they're both in a top six (North Carolina at No. 1, Duke at No. 6).Taking a closer look at a poll: Kentucky did not appear lower than No. 6 on any ballot. The Wildcats received one No. 1 vote, a only team besides North Carolina to receive a first-place vote. No. 16 Arizona is a highest-ranked team from a West Coast! confere nce. The Wildcats appeared on 26 of a 31 ballots, and they appeared as high as No. 8. 12 of a Top 25 teams were not ranked in a final poll of a 2010-11 season. Butler, coming off back-to-back NCAA championship game appearances, is not ranked.