(Photo: REUTERS/Chris Keane)

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ Final Four dreams got off to an excellent start Thursday when they were overwhelmingly selected as the nation’s preseason No.1 team in the men's basketball ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll.

Expectations are high for the Tar Heels, who return a strong nucleus of players that includes highly touted sophomore forward Harrison Barnes. UNC is coming off a 29–8 finish last season, which included winning the ACC regular-season title and an appearance in the East Regional finals.

The Tar Heels received 30 of the coaches' 31 first-place votes, while No. 2 finished with 53 points in the preseason poll.

Also in the Top 10 are Ohio State, defending national champion UConn, Syracuse, Duke, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Memphis and Florida.

This report has information obtained from the Associated Press.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris