Carolina And The History Of Preseason AP No. 1 Teams

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CHAPEL HILL – Seven times North Carolina has been tabbed as the Associated Press preseason No. 1 team in college basketball dating back to the NCAA Tournament expanding to 64 teams for the 1984-85 campaign.

UNC’s average record in those seasons: 32.5 wins, 5.2 losses, and 3.7 wins in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2009 Tar Heels won the national championship, and the 2016 Tar Heels reached the national title game before falling at the buzzer. The 2008 Heels reached the Final Four, the 1987 and 2012 Heels reached the Elite 8, and the 1994 squad was a one seed but lost in the NCAA second round.

Like all other preseason AP No. 1 teams, those UNC clubs reached the NCAA Tournament, and all but one at least won a game. The 2005 Kansas Jayhawks are the only preseason top-ranked team by the AP to not win an NCAA Tournament game, excluding the Covid year in 2020, in which there was no tournament.

Why is this interesting? The current UNC club that began the season ranked No. 1 currently sits at 16-10 overall with an 0-9 record in Quad 1 games. If the NCAA bracket was unveiled today, it is highly unlikely the Heels would be included, and it would be historic, as no top team in the initial AP poll has failed to make the big dance.

We did the digging so you don’t have to, and here is the breakdown of how all preseason No. 1 teams have fared since the 1984-85 season (note: each squad listed below with final record and NCAA info also below):

*Six won the national championship

*Eight lost in the national title game

*Four lost in the Final Four

*Five lost in the Elite 8

*Six lost in the Sweet 16

*Seven lost in the second round

*One lost in the first round

Note: The 2022-23 Tar Heels are the third team on this list to lose 10 or more games in a season. The last one, the 2010-11 Kentucky Wildcats, lost 11 times, but still reached the national game.

1984-85 – Georgetown (35-3, lost in NCAA title game)

1985-86 – Georgia Tech (27-7, lost in Sweet 16)

1986-87 – North Carolina (32-4, lost Elite 8)

1987-88 – Syracuse (26-9, lost in NCAA 2nd round)

1988-89 – Duke (28-8, lost in Final Four)

1989-90 – UNLV (35-5, National Champions)

1990-91 – UNLV (34-1, lost in Final Four)

1991-92 – Duke (34-2, National Champions)

1992-93 – Michigan (31-5, lost in NCAA title game)

1993-94 – North Carolina (28-7, lost NCAA 2nd round)

1994-95 – Arkansas (32-7, lost in NCAA title game)

1995-96 – Kentucky (34-2, National Champions)

1996-97 – Cincinnati (26-8, lost in NCAA 2nd round)

1997-98 – Arizona (30-5, lost in Elite 8)

1998-99 – Duke (37-2, lost in NCAA title game)

1999-2000 – UConn (25-10, lost NCAA 2nd round)

2000-01 – Arizona (28-8, lost in NCAA title game)

2001-02 – Duke (31-4, lost in Sweet 16)

2002-03 – Arizona (28-4, lost in Elite 8)

2003-04 – UConn (31-5, National Champions)

2004-05 – Kansas (23-7, lost NCAA 1st round)

2005-06 – Duke (32-4, lost in Sweet 16)

2006-07 – Florida (31-5, National Champions)

2007-08 – North Carolina (36-3, lost in Final Four)

2008-09 – North Carolina (34-4, National Champions)

2009-10 – Kansas (33-3, lost in NCAA 2nd round)

2010-11 – Duke (32-5, lost in Sweet 16)

2011-12 – North Carolina (32-6, lost in Elite 8)

2012-13 – Indiana (29-7, lost in Sweet 16)

2013-14 – Kentucky (29-11, lost in NCAA title game)

2014-15 – Kentucky (34-1, lost in Final Four)

2015-16 – North Carolina (33-7, lost in NCAA title game)

2016-17 – Duke (28-9, lost in NCAA 2nd round)

2017-18 – Duke (29-8, lost in Elite 8)

2018-19 – Kansas (26-10, lost in NCAA 2nd round)

2019-20 – Michigan State (22-9, NCAA Tournament canceled, Covid)

2020-21 – Gonzaga (31-1, lost in NCAA title game)

2021-22 – Gonzaga (28-4, lost in Sweet 16)

2022-23 – North Carolina (…)