The Associated Press released its annual preseason men’s basketball top 25 poll on Monday, with UNC beginning the year ranked No. 16 in the country.

This marks a return to the rankings for the Tar Heels, who spent most of last season unranked while limping to a 14-19 record. UNC began the season ranked ninth and remained in the next five polls, but losses dropped them out of the rankings for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.

The Tar Heels have now appeared in the preseason AP rankings in 50 of the last 55 seasons since 1966. This is the 924th time Carolina is ranked in an AP poll, which is more than any other school in college basketball history.

Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 team this season. The rest of the top five consists of Baylor, Villanova, Virginia and Iowa.

Rounding out the top 10 is a group that includes: No. 6 Kansas, No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Kentucky.

Besides the Tar Heels, Cavaliers and Blue Devils, the ACC currently has no other teams in the top 25 poll.

The regular season is scheduled to begin on Nov. 25.

For the full AP Men’s Basketball Preseason Top 25 poll, click here.

 

 

 

Photo via Todd Melet

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