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In a tradition as old as time, Xavier begins the season ranked behind numerous lesser luminaries. I can't tell you exactly which ones it will be, but there will be plenty of the 34 teams currently polling ahead of Xavier wishing to trade places by the last weekend in March. When will voters learn that having X in your top 25 is just the safe play? Apparently not this year.
USA Today Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1ST | PREV | CHANGE | HI/LOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky Wildcats | 38-1 | 749 | 11 | NR | 0 | - |
| 1 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 26-12 | 749 | 12 | NR | 0 | - |
| 3 | Maryland Terrapins | 28-7 | 723 | 5 | NR | 0 | - |
| 4 | Duke Blue Devils | 35-4 | 686 | 3 | NR | 0 | - |
| 5 | Kansas Jayhawks | 27-9 | 675 | 1 | NR | 0 | - |
| 6 | Virginia Cavaliers | 30-4 | 667 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 7 | Iowa State Cyclones | 25-9 | 541 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | 24-11 | 520 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 9 | Villanova Wildcats | 33-3 | 498 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 10 | Arizona Wildcats | 34-4 | 477 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 11 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 35-3 | 468 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 12 | Wichita State Shockers | 30-5 | 461 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 13 | Michigan State Spartans | 27-12 | 386 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 14 | California Golden Bears | 18-15 | 350 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 15 | Indiana Hoosiers | 20-14 | 312 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 16 | Utah Utes | 26-9 | 250 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 17 | Wisconsin Badgers | 36-4 | 181 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 18 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 32-6 | 172 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 19 | LSU Tigers | 22-11 | 163 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 20 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 21-14 | 153 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 21 | Baylor Bears | 24-10 | 145 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 22 | Butler Bulldogs | 23-11 | 132 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 23 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 25-10 | 125 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 24 | Purdue Boilermakers | 21-13 | 110 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
| 24 | Connecticut Huskies | 20-15 | 110 | 0 | NR | 0 | - |
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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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