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USA Today released its Preseason Coaches Poll Thursday, and the Syracuse Orange will begin their 2013-14 campaign as the seventh-best team in the nation.
SU received a total of 551 points with no first-place votes. The Kentucky Wildcats earned the top spot with 767 points and 17 first-place votes. Michigan State, Louisville, Duke, Arizona and Kansas were slotted 2-6, respectively.
Here's what the rest of the poll looks like:
| 1 | Kentucky | 21-12 | 767 | 16 | NR |
| 2 | Michigan St. | 27-9 | 749 | 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Louisville | 35-5 | 741 | 10 | 1 |
| 4 | Duke | 30-6 | 710 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Arizona | 27-8 | 637 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Kansas | 31-6 | 623 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Syracuse | 30-10 | 551 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Florida | 29-8 | 550 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Michigan | 31-8 | 548 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Ohio St. | 29-8 | 533 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 25-11 | 494 | 0 | NR |
| 12 | Oklahoma St. | 24-9 | 462 | 0 | NR |
| 13 | Memphis | 31-5 | 334 | 0 | 18 |
| 14 | Gonzaga | 32-3 | 270 | 0 | 12 |
| 15 | Va. Commonwealth | 27-9 | 258 | 0 | 23 |
| 16 | Wichita St. | 30-9 | 233 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Marquette | 26-9 | 230 | 0 | 11 |
| 18 | Oregon | 28-9 | 175 | 0 | 15 |
| 19 | Connecticut | 20-10 | 167 | 0 | NR |
| 20 | New Mexico | 29-6 | 153 | 0 | 19 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 23-12 | 148 | 0 | 22 |
| 22 | Notre Dame | 25-10 | 128 | 0 | NR |
| 23 | UCLA | 25-10 | 121 | 0 | NR |
| 24 | Indiana | 29-7 | 118 | 0 | 7 |
| 25 | Virginia | 23-12 | 103 | 0 | NR |
Overall, this is the third straight preseason Syracuse has been ranked in the Top 10 and the fourth straight preseason it has been ranked in the top 15. This is the highest preseason ranking since 2011-12 when the Orange were ranked No. 5. Last season, the Orange finished third in the Coaches' Poll.
The news comes a day after the Orange were predicted to finish second in the ACC by its media members, which also named senior forward C.J. Fair the Preaseason Player of the Year.