For First Time, North Carolina is the Nation's Favorite College Basketball Team

ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- As March Madness heads into the Sweet Sixteen, one of the top-seeded teams, the University of North Carolina (UNC), is named the nation's favorite basketball team by the latest Harris Poll. The No. 1 team for the past four years, Duke, not only took an early exit from the tournament this year, but dropped to No. 2 in the Harris Poll as well. Ohio State, another top seeded team, moves up one spot and is now No. 3.

These are some of the results of a Harris Poll conducted online between March 6 and 13, 2007 by Harris Interactive(R) among a nationwide sample of 2,223 U.S. adults, 565 of whom follow college basketball.

Rounding out the top-five favorite teams are the Wildcats of Kentucky (No. 4), who return to the list after dropping out of the top-10 last year, and the Bruins of UCLA (No. 5). The remaining teams on the top-10 list are Texas (No. 6), Georgetown (No. 7), Michigan (tied for No. 8), Indiana (tied for No. 8) and Syracuse (No. 10).

Only one school on our list (Syracuse) is not in the NCAA tournament. Of the remaining nine, there are two teams seeded one, two teams seeded two, and then one each of a four, six, seven, eight and nine seed. Four of the top-10 will be playing this week in the Sweet Sixteen (UNC, Ohio, UCLA, and Georgetown).

Georgetown is returning to the list after a 10-year absence (last on in 1996) while Michigan also returns, last having been on the list in 2003. Three teams have dropped out of the top-10 this year: Illinois, Connecticut and Villanova.

Women's College Basketball

College basketball followers were also asked what their favorite women's team is, and for the fourth year in a row, the top-two teams are Tennessee (No. 1) and Connecticut (No. 2), with UNC now in third place (up from a tie for No. 7 last year). Ohio State remains at No. 4 this year, while Duke, who was No. 3 last year, drops to a tie for No. 7 this year.

For the second year in a row, five teams dropped off the list and five new ones emerged. New to the list this year are Maryland (No. 5), Michigan (No. 6), Baylor (tied for No. 7) and Wisconsin and Penn State (both tied for No. 9). Off the list are Minnesota, Old Dominion, Texas Tech, Rutgers and Mississippi State.

Four schools, UNC, Duke, Ohio State, and Michigan, have teams on both the men's and women's top-10 list.

                                 TABLE 1
            FAVORITE MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM: RANK ORDER
         "Which is your favorite men's college basketball team?"
  Base: Follow college basketball

                  1993  1995  1996  1997  1998  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007
  North Carolina
   (UNC)          2      3      7     2     3     7     =2    3     2    1
  Duke            1      2      2     3     2     1     1     1     1    2
  Ohio State      8      9      =4    *     *     *     *     *     4    3
  Kentucky        5      1      1     1     1     5     =2    4     *    4
  UCLA            *      5      *     5     5     4     =7    =7    8    5
  Texas           *      *      *     *     *     *     *     9     7    6
  Georgetown      9      7      =8    *     *     *     *     *     *    7
  Michigan        4      8      3     4     *     2     *     *     *    =8
  Indiana         3      4      =4    *     4     *     4     *     =9   =8
  Syracuse        *      *      *     *     *     *     *     =7    6    10
  *Not in the top 10.

                   DROPPED OUT OF THE TOP-10 THIS YEAR
                          (Last year's rankings)
  Illinois (No. 3), Connecticut (No. 5), and Villanova (tied for No. 9)

                                 TABLE 2
                 FAVORITE WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM
        "Which is your favorite women's college basketball team?"
  Base: Follow college basketball
                                   2003    2004    2005    2006    2007
               Tennessee             2       1       1       1       1
               Connecticut           1       2       2       2       2
               North Carolina (UNC)  *       6       10      =7      3
               Ohio State            *       *       9       4       4
               Maryland              *       *       *       *       5
               Michigan              3       *       *       *       6
               Duke                  4       3       3       3       =7
               Baylor                *       *       *       *       =7
               Wisconsin             *       *       *       *       =9
               Penn State            *       *       *       *       =9
  *Not in the top 10.

                   DROPPED OUT OF THE TOP-10 THIS YEAR

(Last year's rankings) Minnesota (No. 5), Old Dominion (No. 6), Texas Tech (tied for No. 7), Rutgers

                  (No. 9) and Mississippi State (No. 10)

                                 TABLE 3
                             SPORTS FOLLOWERS
                   "Do you follow any of these sports?"
  Base: All adults
                                                   Total
                                                     %
                      College football               33
                      Men's college basketball       24
                      Women's college basketball      8
                      College baseball                6
                      College hockey                  4
                      Other college sport             8
                      I follow none of these sports  59
  Note: Multiple-response question.


  Methodology

This Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between March 6 and 13, 2007 among 2,223 adults (aged 18 and over), of whom 565 follow college basketball. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, non-response (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,223 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- two percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

  J29950
  Q 651, 655, 670

  The Harris Poll(R) #25, March 20, 2007
  By Regina Corso, Director, The Harris Poll

  About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

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  Press Contact:
  Tracey McNerney
  Harris Interactive
  585-214-7756