How about this. College basketball coaches and the media agree on one thing. Tennessee is the seventh best team in the nation.

A week after the coaches ranked the Vols at No. 7 in the preseason poll, The Associated Press on Friday made the same announcement from the 72-member national media panel.

The ranking is the highest ever in a preseason poll for the Vols. UT opens the 2007-08 season with exhibition today against Califronia (Pa.).

North Carolina is back in its familiar preseason spot — No. 1. The Tar Heels received 29 first-place votes and 1,728 points. UCLA was No. 1 on 24 ballots and had 1,710 points. Memphis got 18 first-place votes and 1,680 points.

Kansas was fourth and Georgetown, which drew the only other first-place vote, was fifth, followed by Louisville, Tennessee, Michigan State, Indiana and Washington State.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ preseason college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and final ranking:

;Record;Pts;Pvs

1. North Carolina (29);31-7;1,728;4

2. UCLA (24);30-6;1,710;7

3. Memphis (18);33-4;1,680;5

4. Kansas;33-5;1,568;2

5. Georgetown (1);30-7;1,504;8

6. Louisville;24-10;1,380;16

7. Tennessee;24-11;1,371;25

8. Michigan St.;23-12;1,296;—

9. Indiana;21-11;1,145;—

10. Washington St.;26-8;1,103;13

11. Marquette;24-10;1,002;20

12. Oregon;29-8;918;10

13. Duke;22-11;868;—

14. Gonzaga;23-11;711;—

15. Texas;25-10;638;11

16. Texas A&M;27-7;623;9

17. Arizona;20-11;499;—

18. Southern Cal;25-12;480;23

19. Arkansas;21-14;468;—

20. Kentucky;22-12;372;—

21. N.C. State;20-16;338;—

22. Pittsburgh;29-8;293;12

23. Stanford;18-13;290;—

24. S. Illinois;29-7;222;14

25. Kansas St.;23-12;216;—

Others receiving votes: Villanova 144, Ohio St. 128, Butler 114, Syracuse 103, Clemson 83, Xavier 73, Connecticut 50, Davidson 50, Mississippi St. 38, Florida 35, West Virginia 20, Va. Commonwealth 19, Virginia 19, Notre Dame 18, Wisconsin 15, Alabama 14, Missouri 8, Maryland 6, Nevada 6, Vanderbilt 6, Washington 6, New Mexico St. 4, Utah St. 4, BYU 3, Providence 3, Akron 2, Illinois 2, Southern Miss. 2, George Mason 1, Houston 1.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.