Friday, Oct. 12 Duke will again be the most skilled shooting and ball-handling team in the country, with experience at every position, and the nation's best player in Jason Williams. What will make Duke so tough to beat is the combination of 3-point shooting ability from several positions to spread the floor, especially in transition and off of broken plays, and dribble penetration for kickouts or drawing fouls. Duke's only question marks are consistent rebounding and the loss of Battier's leadership, voice and big-play ability. A real key is Carlos Boozer, who has the ability to dominate with higher and more consistent intensity.

1
Duke
LAST SEASON: 35-4
2001 FINAL RANKING
ESPN/USA Today: No. 1

Why No. 1?
The easy thing to do is not choose Duke, and instead select Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland or Florida just because Duke shouldn't be picked to repeat. But look at the facts. The Blue Devils return the preseason favorite for player of the year in guard Jason Williams. He's the likely top pick, or at the very least the second pick, in the 2002 NBA draft. He's revered as one of the two best scorers in the game this season (the other being Missouri's Kareem Rush). Williams broke his left, non-shooting hand in August, but that shouldn't hinder him this season. Chris Duhon, Carlos Boozer, Dahntay Jones and Mike Dunleavy Jr. all got better over the summer and give the Blue Devils the most prolific, if not feared, offensive five in the country. Duhon and Williams are arguably two of the most talented backcourt tandems in the last decade. Both can shoot the 3-pointer, drive to the basket and are comfortable taking on any opposing guard. Duhon's confidence rose during his team's gold-medal run at the U.S. World Championships for Young Men. He became the leader of the team and should now equally share the role with Williams. Boozer was the leading scorer on that team and proved to be dominant at times in the post. His foot is healthy after he broke it last February (although he was back for the NCAA Tournament). Boozer is now a legitimate low-post threat with an increasingly high field-goal percentage. Jones was the role player on the gold-medal team and was one of the top defenders. He should slide into Shane Battier's role as being the versatile defender who can guard a small forward on the perimeter or inside. Dunleavy picked up 20-plus pounds of muscle and strength over the summer. His 3-point shooting was critical in the title run and he becomes an increasingly difficult matchup. Opposing guards will have their hands full trying to get their offense going with pressure from Duhon and Williams. Duke can go deeper with Casey Sanders as a shot blocker and defensive presence (with limited offensive skills), Nick Horvath as another big man who can shoot, and Daniel Ewing as a potential fourth or fifth guard in the rotation, depending on where Jones plays. And they've got Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, who clearly has the drive and passion to get his fourth title and repeat as champions -- just like his Blue Devils did in 1991 and 1992.

Will Finish No. 1 If ...
They stay injury-free in the backcourt. It sounds simple, but Williams has to stay on the court and so does Duhon. The Blue Devils were able to get through a stretch of ACC games and early tourney action without Boozer last season, but they can't go without Williams and Duhon. If the Blue Devils get that big man, 3-point threat from Horvath off the bench then they'll be even tougher to defend. Having Sanders become at least a modest scorer will help Boozer in the post.

Will Fall If ...
Complacency shouldn't occur, but the Blue Devils can be vulnerable if the ball continues to get pounded inside. Boozer's defense has improved, but if he gets into foul trouble and the guards have to gamble too often then they can get beat inside. If their 3-point shooting has an off night, then a good opposing team has a realistic shot of beating them. These Devils won't go undefeated with their non-conference schedule, not to mention Maryland and Virginia on the slate two to three times. But it will be a major surprise if they don't return to the Final Four in Atlanta.
-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com

SCOUTING REPORT: One ACC coach's take on the Blue Devils

“

If you have a chance to beat them, you've got to play extremely well offensively. You must try to limit their 3-point scoring opportunities. The percentage in which they score from the 3-point line is astronomical. You're almost better off letting them score a 2. You have to play deep into their bench. You have to make them use their bench, especially up front. ”

2001-02 DUKE ROSTER
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Key Stats
(4) Carlos Boozer	Jr.	C	6-9/270	PTS: 13.3 | REB: 6.5 | FG %: 60.4
(40) Andy Borman	Jr.	G	6-1/180	PTS: 0.9 | REB: 0.3 | AST: 0.1
(15) Andre Buckner	Jr.	G	6-1/181	PTS: 0.2 | REB: 0.4 | AST: 0.3
(45) Mark Causey	Fr.	G	6-3/180	"Other" freshman guard was only Georgia's top 2A player last season
(41) Matt Christensen	Sr.	F	6-10/265	PTS: 1.6 | REB: 2.3 | FG%: 58.6
(21) Chris Duhon	So.	G	6-1/186	PTS: 7.2 | AST: 4.5 | 3PT%: 36.1
(34) Mike Dunleavy	Jr.	F	6-8/220	PTS: 12.6 | REB: 5.7 | 3PT%: 37.3
(5) Daniel Ewing	Fr.	G	6-3/170	Backcourt minutes may be scarce for 2001 Texas 5A player of year
(3) Nick Horvath	So.	F	6-10/235	PTS: 2.8 | REB: 2.3 | FG%: 30.4
(3) Dahntay Jones	So.	G/F	6-6/210	'98-99 All-Big East rookie redshirted while Devils won it all
(42) Reggie Love	So.	G/F	6-4/225	PTS: 1.3 | REB: 1.6 | FG%: 58.8
(20) Casey Sanders	Jr.	C	6-11/235	PTS: 2.5 | REB: 1.8 | FG%: 46.7
(22) Jason Williams	Jr.	G	6-2/195	PTS: 21.6 | AST: 6.1 | 3PT%: 42.7
Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (533-164, 21 years; Overall: 606-223, 26 years) Assistant Coaches: Johnny Dawkins, Steve Wojciechowski, Chris Collins Home Court: Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314); Durham, N.C.

2001-02 DUKE SCHEDULE

November 19: Seton Hall (a) 20: Maui Invit. 21: Maui Invit. 25: Portland 27: Iowa (b)

December 2: Clemson 5: Temple 8: at Michigan 16: N.C. A&T 18: Kentucky (c) 29: San Diego St.

January 2: Davidson (d) 6: at Florida State 10: Georgia Tech 13: at N.C. State 17: Maryland 19: Wake Forest 24: at B. College 27: Virginia 31: at N. Carolina

February 3: at Clemson 7: Florida State 9: at Ga. Tech 14: N.C. State 17: at Maryland 21: at Wake Forest 24: St. John's 28: at Virginia

March 3: North Carolina 7: ACC Tournament