No. 2 Arizona men’s basketball will open the season with its highest preseason ranking in 12 years.

On Friday, the AP released its annual preseason poll, with Arizona checking in at No. 2, behind only Kentucky. Second is the Arizona Wildcats’ highest ranking preseason since 2002-03, when they were first.

Arizona has now been ranked in the top five by the AP for 19 polls in a row.

The navy-blue Wildcats are one of only seven teams to be ranked in every AP poll since the start of the 2012-13 season. Since that season start, Arizona has been ranked in the top-10 for 34 polls.

The UA has been ranked in the top-10 for 21 straight weeks and is the only team to that was in top-10 every week last season.

Kentucky received 52 first place votes, while Arizona got five. The UA is No. 2 in the USA TODAY coaches poll as well.

According to ESPN, UCLA and North Carolina have been ranked preseason No. 1 the most times, eight, while Kentucky has the fourth most with four. Arizona has been preseason No. 1 three times.

Utah is the only other Pac-12 team ranked. They are tied for No. 25 with Harvard.

UA opponents that are ranked are No. 13 Gonzaga and No. 24 Michigan. The Wildcats could also play No. 16 San Diego State at the Maui Invitational.

Arizona’s exhibition opener is November 9 against Cal Poly Pomona and the season opener is against Mount St. Mary’s on November 14 at home.