As if there weren't enough expectations for North Carolina this season, they just got bigger.

Not only are the Tar Heels No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25, they are the first unanimous No. 1 since the preseason poll began in 1981-82.

North Carolina, which was also a unanimous pick in Thursday's USA Today preseason poll, has its top six scorers — including national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough — back from a team that had a school-record 36 wins and reached the Final Four.

The Tar Heels, No. 1 in the final poll last season, are the preseason No. 1 for the second straight year, joining UNLV in 1989-90 and 1990-91 as the only schools to do that. It also marks North Carolina's record sixth time atop the preseason rankings, breaking a tie with Duke.

"We have a really good group of kids who are working very hard to get ready for a challenging season," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "They've worked so hard because they know they have to prove it on the court. No one gives you any awards for preseason rankings. Our guys know these lofty rankings are a result of what they have done in the past and what people think could probably happen this year. But we have to earn everything out there on the floor."

The Tar Heels faced their first test Thursday when Hansbrough was found to have a stress reaction in his right shin. He will be held out of practice indefinitely, and no timetable was set for his return.

Connecticut, which returns four starters, was No. 2 this preseason, followed by Louisville, UCLA and Pittsburgh.

Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh give the Big East three teams in the top five, and there are a record-tying seven from the conference overall in the Top 25.

The 16-team Big East, which also has No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 16 Marquette, No. 22 Georgetown and No. 23 Villanova in the Top 25, has seven teams ranked for the second time. The Big Ten has done it five times and the Atlantic Coast Conference four.

NEVADA

SUSPENDED PLAYERS AWAIT REINSTATEMENT

Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox says he has set no timetable for when three suspended players might be reinstated.

Starting guard Brandon Fields and freshmen London Giles and Ahyaro Phillips were indefinitely suspended following their citations for petty larceny at a Sparks sporting goods store on Oct. 15.

Fields, a junior from Arlington, Texas, has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in the alleged shoplifting incident at Scheels.

Giles, a guard from Dallas, pleaded guilty last week and was fined $350 plus court costs of $107. Phillips, a forward from New Orleans, pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a trial date.

Fox said he remains disappointed in the three and did not rule out the possibility they could be removed from the team.

"We'll see if they listen and we'll go from there," Fox told the Reno Gazette-Journal.