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With the status of star freshman Shabazz Muhammad still very much up in the air, the Associated Press ranked the UCLA Bruins No. 13 in their preseason poll, one spot behind the Arizona Wildcats for the best in the Pac-12.
The highly touted shooting guard could miss up to four games due to his shoulder sprain injury and with the NCAA investigating his eligibility status, his entire season is still in jeopardy. With the uncertainty surrounding Muhammad, voters put Arizona 62 points higher than the Bruins to open the year.
Stanford is the only other Pac-12 school that appears to be on the AP's radar as they received two votes.
UCLA opens their season at home on Friday, Nov. 9 against Indiana State. There are some challenges in their non-conference schedule, too, with No. 20 San Diego State, No. 15 Missouri, Texas and Georgetown on tap. The Bruins will face off against the Arizona Wildcats at least twice this season with their first meeting scheduled on Jan. 24 in Tucson.
Here is the complete preseason poll:
| Team (First-place votes) | 2011-12 Record | Pts |
| 1. Indiana (43) | 27-9 | 1,592 |
| 2. Louisville (20) | 30-10 | 1,568 |
| 3. Kentucky (2) | 38-2 | 1,453 |
| 4. Ohio St. | 31-8 | 1,292 |
| 5. Michigan | 24-10 | 1,290 |
| 6. NC State | 24-13 | 1,270 |
| 7. Kansas | 32-7 | 1,210 |
| 8. Duke | 27-7 | 1,094 |
| 9. Syracuse | 34-3 | 1,062 |
| 10. Florida | 26-11 | 936 |
| 11. North Carolina | 32-6 | 904 |
| 12. Arizona | 23-12 | 902 |
| 13. UCLA | 19-14 | 840 |
| 14. Michigan St. | 29-8 | 789 |
| 15. Missouri | 30-5 | 664 |
| 16. Creighton | 29-6 | 622 |
| 17. Memphis | 26-9 | 539 |
| 18. UNLV | 26-9 | 488 |
| 19. Baylor | 30-8 | 486 |
| 20. San Diego St. | 26-8 | 463 |
| 21. Gonzaga | 26-7 | 384 |
| 22. Notre Dame | 22-12 | 297 |
| 23. Wisconsin | 26-10 | 285 |
| 24. Cincinnati | 26-11 | 120 |
| 25. Florida St. | 25-10 | 101 |
Others receiving votes: Murray St. 59, VCU 58, Saint Louis 46, Texas 46, Minnesota 40, Butler 33, Pittsburgh 32, Saint Joseph's 25, Marquette 23, Tennessee 15, Oklahoma St. 14, Kansas St. 12, Georgetown 9, New Mexico 9, Ohio 9, Miami 8, Saint Mary's (Cal) 6, West Virginia 6, Davidson 5, Drexel 5, N. Iowa 5, Valparaiso 3, Lehigh 2, Stanford 2, Colorado St. 1, Oral Roberts 1.