Ducks No. 13 in ESPN Preseason Poll

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon was ranked No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll that was released Friday. It is the second-highest the Ducks have been ranked in a preseason poll.

Oregon was one of six Pac-10 teams that appeared in the top 25.

North Carolina was the preseason No. 1 with 739 points and 10 first-place votes. UCLA was a close second with 734 points and 12 first-place votes.

Memphis was also in the top pack at third with 731 points and eight first-place votes. Kansas garnered the remaining first-place votes and was fourth with 669 points.

Georgetown was fifth with 625 points, followed by Louisville (620), Tennessee (598), Michigan State (503) and Indiana (479).

Washington State was at No. 10 with 464 points, followed by Duke (390), Marquette (381), Oregon (360) and Gonzaga (252).

Other Pac-10 teams in the poll included No. 17 Arizona, No. 18 USC and No. 21 Stanford. Washington and California also received votes, meaning eight of the league’s ten schools received top-25 consideration.

Oregon was ranked No. 10 in the 2002-03 preseason poll, which is the only other time the school has been ranked in the preseason.

The Ducks return four starters from the 2006-07 team that went 29-8, won the Pac-10 tournament and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.