Duke opens at No. 1 in college hoops poll

A Duke team top- heavy with senior All- Americans and balanced with a ballyhooed freshman class is the overwhelming choice for men’s basketball No. 1 in the preseason USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches’ Poll.

The Blue Devils return four starters and welcome six scholarship newcomers to a 27-6 team that lost in last season’s NCAA regional semi ; nals. They received 28 of 31 ; rst- place votes for 767 points; Connecticut was next at 692. Third- ranked Texas and No. 4 Villanova received the other ; rst- place votes.

“It’s always an honor to be ranked high, but whatever is said about you, you take it and then take a realistic look at yourself and who you are,” says Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has three national titles. “ I would look at us and say we’ve got a chance ( to win it all).”

Duke is led by the inside-outside combination of Shelden Williams and J. J. Redick, who teamed for 41 points and 14 rebounds a game last year.

“ We have the depth, we have the experience and we have the talent,” Redick says.

North Carolina, which lost its top seven scorers, became the ; rst defending national champ not to crack the next year’s preseason top 25 since Kansas in 1988. UNC coach Roy Williams was in his ; rst year as the Jayhawks’ coach in 1988.

A Big East Conference that lost one school but added ; ve tops all leagues with ; ve members in the top 25. The Atlantic Coast and Big Ten have four schools, the Paci ; c- 10 and Big 12 have three, and the Southeastern Conference two. Last year’s preseason No. 1 — Kansas — is unranked. Eleven schools who ; nished out of the ; nal poll are ranked, topped by Texas at No. 3.