Coaches preseason top 25 hoops poll is out

Another sign that basketball season is nigh: The first coaches poll is out. Georgia is not in the top 25, but did get votes.

I'll do the math for you: Georgia is 36th, with nine votes. (Or points, depending on what term you use.)

A few quick observations:

- Kentucky, at No. 10, is the top SEC team in the poll, but Florida is one spot behind. The Gators were picked by us media hacks to win the SEC East, and Kentucky was second.

Tennessee was No. 20, and Vanderbilt joined Georgia in the "also receiving votes" section, two spots ahead of the Bulldogs.

That grouping mirrors my thinking on the matter: Kentucky and Florida are the favorites, while you can put the other three in any order between 3-5. But you could also make an argument for any of the three to win the division: Tennessee has a great lineup with freshman Tobias Harris joining the show, Vanderbilt could have two of the league's top players in Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins, and Georgia has the league's preseason player of the year, Trey Thompkins.

- Mississippi State, the favorite in the West, was the only other SEC to receive votes, and it got less than Georgia. Need we say more about the perception of each division. (Sort of opposite of football, eh?)

- Duke is first, as it should be. Maybe the Blue Devils won't repeat, but given what they return, not voting for them would be grounds for having your head examined. And that's coming from a Maryland grad.

- A few miles down Tobacco Road, North Carolina may be a bit too high at No. 9. Freshman Harrison Barnes is good, but this team did struggle quite mightily last year, so voters are taking a leap of faith.