Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1), forward Perry Ellis, center, and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. celebrate with Kansas forward Landen Lucas (33) after Lucas took a charge from Baylor forward Rico Gathers (2) during the second half, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Just because one publication likes Kansas as the preseason favorite for the 2015-16 college basketball season doesn’t mean all — or any — of the others have to.

While The Sporting News tapped KU as its early No. 1 this week, SportsIllustrated.com’s Luke Winn crowned North Carolina as king of his preseason power rankings. The Jayhawks came in two spots behind Roy Williams’ Tar Heels, at No. 3.

For each of the top 10 programs on the 32-team list, Winn provided reasons people could talk themselves into picking that particular team to win it all in 2016. Arguments against KU begin with its early exit from the 2015 NCAA Tournament, but Winn pointed to Perry Ellis and Brannen Greene playing through injuries as part of KU’s problems.

“Bill Self has the best track record of any coach over the past decade of producing high-efficiency teams with strong front courts, and the Ellis-Chieck Diallo combo could be dominant,” Winn predicted. “Diallo, who measured at 6-foot-9 with a 7-4 wingspan at the Nike Hoop Summit in April, isn’t getting as much hype as incoming LSU freshman Ben Simmons or Kentucky’s (Skal) Labissiere, but Diallo’s high-motor, high-productivity, defensive-first game seems like a perfect complement to Ellis’s crafty, skilled offense.”

Referencing DraftExpress.com’s player efficiency ratings from Nike Elite Youth Basketball games played from 2011-14, Winn noted Diallo has the fifth-best PER in that span, among players who participated in at least 15 games and averaged at least 20 minutes: No. 1 Jarnell Stokes (2011), 34.0; No. 2 Georges Niang (2011), 32.2; No. 3 Andrew Wiggins (2012), 32.0; No. 4 Tyus Jones (2013), 31.2; No. 5 Diallo (2014), 30.6.

Diallo had, by far, the top defensive rating among those players, at 84.0.

“If Diallo gives Kansas the value that his numbers suggest,” Winn wrote, “(Wayne) Selden puts his sophomore slump behind him, and the Jayhawks do a better job of leveraging their long-range shooting talent, they could easily be a top-10 team in offensive and defensive efficiency–and therefore a true contender.”

Along with UNC and Kansas, Winn’s ACC- and Big 12-heavy top 10 included No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Wichita State.

The Big 12’s Baylor (No. 18), West Virginia (No. 27) and Texas (No. 28) also made the list.