UCLA is the Pac-12’s highest-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, released Monday morning.

The Bruins checked in at No. 8 in the media poll.

North Carolina — the team that ended UCLA’s season in the Sweet 16 this past March — earned 47 of a possible 62 first-place votes to land at No. 1 in the preseason poll for the 10th time in program history. Gonzaga was No. 2, with the team that ended Arizona’s season in the same round, Houston, at No. 3.

Kentucky, Baylor, Kansas, Duke, Creighton, and Arkansas rounded out the rest of the preseason Top 10.

Arizona, the defending Pac-12 champs, opens the year ranked No. 17. Oregon is the only other Pac-12 team ranked to begin the year, sitting at No. 21.

UCLA returns stars Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell from last year’s team, both seniors. They also bring back a budding star on the wing in third-year man Jaylen Clark (6.7 points per game last season) and add 5-star freshmen to the backcourt in guard Amari Bailey and to the frontcourt with forward Adem Bona.

The Bruins begin their season at home on Nov. 7 against Sacramento State. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. PT.

The full preseason AP poll can be seen below (with first-place votes in parenthesis):

  1. North Carolina (47)
  2. Gonzaga (12)
  3. Houston (1)
  4. Kentucky (2)
  5. Baylor
  6. Kansas
  7. Duke
  8. UCLA
  9. Creighton
  10. Arkansas
  11. Tennessee
  12. Texas
  13. Indiana
  14. TCU
  15. Auburn
  16. Villanova
  17. Arizona
  18. Virginia
  19. San Diego State
  20. Alabama
  21. Oregon
  22. Michigan
  23. Illinois
  24. Dayton
  25. Texas Tech

Receiving votes: Texas A&M 112, UConn 101, Miami (FL) 66, Purdue 56, Saint Louis 36, Michigan State 35, Florida State 32, Xavier 29, Wyoming 25, Ohio State 23, Iowa 13, Rutgers 4, Florida 3, USC 3, Virginia Tech 1, Memphis 1, Toledo 1, Notre Dame 1, UAB 1