Duke Retains Top Spot as Nation's Favorite Men's College Basketball Team as Kentucky and North Carolina move Up; Tennessee Edges Out Connecticut as Favorite Women's Team-Latest Harris Poll Results ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Duke is the nation's favorite men's college basketball team. In women's college basketball, Tennessee moves into the top spot and Connecticut, last year's favorite, slips to number two. These are some of the results of a nationwideHarris Poll of 2,204 adults, 480 who say they follow college basketball. Harris Interactive(R) conducted the online survey between February 16 and 20, 2004. Men's college basketball Behind Duke, the next most popular men's basketball teams are Kentucky and North Carolina (UNC), who are tied for second place. The next most popular teams are Indiana (#4), Arizona (#5), and St. Joseph's (#6). The other four teams in the top ten are UCLA, Stanford University, University of Connecticut and Notre Dame. Teams that have moved up the list include Kentucky (from #5 to =#2), North Carolina (from #7 to =#2). Five of the top-ten men's teams were not in last year's listing-Indiana, St. Joseph's, Stanford, Connecticut and Notre Dame. St. Joseph's and Stanford are not usually basketball powerhouses. This year, each team spent most of the season undefeated. The five teams that dropped out of the top ten this year are Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland and Michigan State. Many of the most popular teams are among the most successful. The Associated Press and the Coaches Poll both include five schools on this top-ten list in their lists of the ten best teams-St. Joseph's, Stanford, Duke, Kentucky and Connecticut. Women's college basketball Behind Tennessee and Connecticut, the most popular women's teams are Duke (#3), Stanford (#4), Kentucky (#5), and North Carolina (#6). Purdue, Texas, UCLA and Texas Tech also make the top-ten list. Six colleges have top teams in both men's and women's basketball More than half of the colleges on these lists make both the men's and the women's top-ten listings-Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, Stanford, North Carolina and Connecticut. TABLE 1 WHO FOLLOWS PROFESSIONAL AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL? Q: "Do you follow men's* college basketball, or not?" Q: "Do you follow women's college basketball, or not?" Base: All adults Year Follow Men's Follow Women's College Basketball College Basketball % % 2004 20 7 2003 21 5 1998 22 8 1997 22 N/A 1996 21 N/A 1995 24 N/A 1993 28 N/A 1992 26 N/A * Before 1998, the question was "Do you follow college basketball, or not?" TABLE 2 FAVORITE MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM: RANK ORDER "Which is your favorite men's college basketball team?" Base: Follow college basketball RANK: 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 2003 2004 Duke 1 2 23 2 1 1 Kentucky 5 1 1 1 1 5 =2 North Carolina (UNC) 2 3 7 2 3 7 =2 Indiana 3 4 =4 * 4 * 4 Arizona 6 6 * 7 * 6 5 St. Joseph's * * * * * * 6 UCLA * 5 * 5 5 4 =7 Stanford * * * * * * =7 Connecticut * * * * =6 * =7 Notre Dame * * * * * * 10 * Not in the top 10. Dropped out of the top ten this year: (Last year's rankings) Michigan (#2), Illinois (#3), Kansas (#8), Maryland (#9), and Michigan State (#10). TABLE 3 Favorite Women's College Basketball Team "Which is your favorite women's college basketball team?" Base: Follow college basketball 2003 2004 Tennessee 2 1 Connecticut 1 2 Duke 4 3 Stanford * 4 Kentucky * 5 North Carolina (UNC) * 6 Purdue =9 7 Texas 5 8 UCLA * =9 Texas Tech * =9 * Not in the top 10. Dropped out of the top ten this year: Michigan (was #3), Notre Dame (#6), Oklahoma (=#7), Iowa (=#7), and Iowa State (=#9). Methodology The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between February16 and 20, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,204 adults, of whom 480 follow college basketball. Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household 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. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus four percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample is not a probability sample. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. About Harris Interactive(R) Harris Interactive (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies andtechnology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research through wholly owned subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan-as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research firms, and various U.S. offices. EOE M/F/D/V To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/. Press Contact: Nancy Wong Harris Interactive 585-214-7316 DATASOURCE: Harris Interactive CONTACT: Nancy Wong of Harris Interactive, +1-585-214-7316, Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/

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