Duke solidifies No. 1 in Top 25 while Maryland rises to No. 5
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski set the record for wins coaching a No. 1 team when his top-ranked Blue Devils knocked off California and Georgetown on back-toback nights to win the 2K Empire Classic.
He will have a chance to add to his 21834 mark this week.
That’s because the Blue Devils (6-0) solidified their tight grip on the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll Monday. They received 53 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel that regularly covers college basketball, easily out-distancing second-place Louisville.
“There’s really no words. You can’t put that feeling into words,” said Duke sophomore Tre Jones, when asked about his Hall of Fame coach. “No one knows that feeling unless you do play for him.”
Of course, Krzyzewski would rather dwell on the progress of his team — which faces Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday night and Winthrop on Friday — than another record on his resume.
“We felt starting practice that we could be good defensively with Tre there and depth. We’ve really devoted most of our practice time to defense,” Krzyzewski said. “As a result, I think we’ve gotten tougher. We’ve also spent a lot of time in rebounding. We’re finding ourselves offensively.
“We’re going to continue to try to find out about ourselves.”
The Cardinals avoided Akron’s upset bid Sunday to remain No. 2 in the poll, receiving seven first-place votes. Michigan State was third with four No. 1 votes and Kansas was fourth, setting up a showdown between the two heavyweights if they advance to the finals of the Maui Invitational.
“I think this is my fourth time with Kansas. We’ve kind of been around and kind of got a feel with what works from that standpoint,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said of the Hawaii tournament, “but that doesn’t have anything to do with works during the game.”
Maryland jumped North Carolina to round out the top five, while Virginia received the only other first-place vote and was seventh. Gonzaga, Kentucky and Ohio State filled out the top 10.
The reigning national champion Cavaliers needed a late comeback to beat Arizona State in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament