Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma remembers being grilled by a reverend on the street after UConn lost in the Final Four last season. (2:22)

NEW YORK -- UConn is in a familiar spot to start the season -- No. 1.

The Huskies were a unanimous choice for the top spot of the Associated Press women's basketball preseason poll on Thursday. It's the 12th time in school history that UConn has been No. 1 in the preseason poll, matching Tennessee for the most all time.

"Being ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll is something we certainly do not take for granted, but I think those are the expectations, internally and externally, as it relates to this program," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "This is an honor and a testament to the hard work of our players, but we all know that what really matters is where you finish the season and not necessarily where you are when the season starts."

UConn also was the preseason No. 1 in 1995, '99, 2000, '01, '03, '08, '09, '10, '13, '14 and '16. The Huskies open their season on Nov. 12 against No. 10 Stanford in Columbus, Ohio -- site of this season's Final Four. UConn has gone on to win the national championship in seven of the years it was preseason No. 1.

The Huskies, whose 111-game winning streak ended in the Final Four last season, return four starters from that team and add a stellar freshman class to go along with two solid transfers.

The entire 32-member national media panel picked UConn first, marking the fifth time the team has been the lone choice atop the preseason poll.

Texas is second -- the Longhorns' best ranking since the second poll of the 2004 season. That was also the last year that the Longhorns were ranked second in the preseason Top 25.

"We appreciate the national media recognizing the hard work and dedication of our players and coaching staff in recent years to return our program back to a place where we have the expectation to compete for championships," Texas coach Karen Aston said.

Big 12 rival Baylor is third, followed by defending national champion South Carolina and Ohio State.

Notre Dame, Mississippi State, UCLA, Louisville and Stanford round out the top 10.

No. 11 Oregon, which made a run to the NCAA regional finals last season, is ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2000.

The Lady Vols, ranked 14th, continued their run of being ranked in every preseason poll since missing the first one in 1976.

The Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 have five teams each in the Top 25. The ACC and Big 12 are next, with four teams apiece. The Big Ten has a trio of teams, while the American Athletic Conference and Big East each have two squads.