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Aaron Craft's swan song with the Buckeyes begins with the Buckeyes being ranked 10th in the country, per the USA TODAY Coaches Poll Top 25. Following an Elite Eight run last year, the Buckeyes finished 6th in the post-NCAA Tournament poll.
As expected, the super loaded Kentucky Wildcats are the preseason number one team. Last year's defending national champs, Louisville, are #3. Big Ten favorites Michigan State open the season second, with Michigan 9th, Wisconsin 21st, and last season's preseason number one, Indiana, #24.
Marquette, arguably the Buckeyes' premiere non-conference opponent, opens the season 17th. The Golden Eagles were picked yesterday to win the new Big East's conference championship at yesterday's Big East Media Day.
Here was the first USA TODAY Coaches Poll Top 25 in its entirety:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky (16) | 21-12 | 767 | NR |
| 2 | Michigan St. (3) | 27-9 | 749 | 13 |
| 3 | Louisville (10) | 35-5 | 741 | 1 |
| 4 | Duke (3) | 30-6 | 710 | 5 |
| 5 | Arizona | 27-8 | 637 | 14 |
| 6 | Kansas | 31-6 | 623 | 8 |
| 7 | Syracuse | 30-10 | 551 | 3 |
| 8 | Florida | 29-8 | 550 | 9 |
| 9 | Michigan | 31-8 | 548 | 2 |
| 10 | Ohio St. | 29-8 | 533 | 6 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 25-11 | 494 | NR |
| 12 | Oklahoma St. | 24-9 | 462 | NR |
| 13 | Memphis | 31-5 | 334 | 18 |
| 14 | Gonzaga | 32-3 | 270 | 12 |
| 15 | Va. Commonwealth | 27-9 | 258 | 23 |
| 16 | Wichita St. | 30-9 | 233 | 4 |
| 17 | Marquette | 26-9 | 230 | 11 |
| 18 | Oregon | 28-9 | 175 | 15 |
| 19 | Connecticut | 20-10 | 167 | NR |
| 20 | New Mexico | 29-6 | 153 | 19 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 23-12 | 148 | 22 |
| 22 | Notre Dame | 25-10 | 128 | NR |
| 23 | UCLA | 25-10 | 121 | NR |
| 24 | Indiana | 29-7 | 118 | 7 |
| 25 | Virginia | 23-12 | 103 | NR |
| Schools Dropped Out |
| Others Receiving Votes |
| Baylor 102; Colorado 93; Creighton 87; Iowa 86; Tennessee 73; Georgetown 38; Harvard 28; Pittsburgh 23; California 16; Boise State 11; Saint Louis 8; La Salle 7; Temple 4; Missouri 4; Villanova 4; Kansas State 3; LSU 2; Iowa State 2; Arizona State 2; Illinois 2; Georgia 1; UNLV 1. |