By Jim O’Connell
Associated Press
Duke returned to the top of The Associated Press’ college basketball poll Monday, a place the Blue Devils have been very familiar with in recent years.
The Blue Devils (18-1) moved up one spot to No. 1, their first appearance there since the final poll of 2005-06. They were ranked on top for at least one week in every season from 1997-98 to 2003-04, and only UCLA’s 134 weeks at No. 1 beats Duke’s 111 in the 59-year history of the poll.
“When you have a chance to be voted No. 1 at any time it is an honor you don’t take lightly,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday. “It is not something you try to keep winning, but you try to keep improving. I think it goes with the territory we’ve been in for awhile.”
Duke received 62 first-place votes and 1,789 points from the 72-member panel to easily outdistance Connecticut (18-1). The Huskies were No. 1 on six ballots and had 1,694 points, 47 more than Pittsburgh (18-1). The Panthers had three first-place votes.
Pitt moved into the No. 1 spot three and was replaced at the top last week by Wake Forest, which had spent a total of two weeks at No. 1 before that. The Demon Deacons lost to Virginia Tech on Wednesday and dropped to No. 6. Duke beat N.C. State and Maryland last week.
“It’s a long race, and it’s good if you’re in the lead at some time,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s never bad, but it’s a long race.”
With Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina all being from the ACC, it’s the fourth time one league has had three teams reach No. 1 in the same season.
The SEC did it in 2002-03 (Alabama, Florida, Kentucky), the Big Eight did it in 1989-90 (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma) and the ACC accomplished the feat in 1985-86 (Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke).
“Any level of high success, even though it’s not permanent with a No. 1 ranking, it’s a good benchmark,” Krzyzewski said.
All but 18 of the weeks Duke has spent at No. 1 have come since Krzyzewski took over the program in 1980. North Carolina is third on the No. 1 list with 104 weeks.
Oklahoma, which received one first-place vote, moved from sixth to fourth, jumping fifth-ranked UNC, which was a unanimous No. 1 in the preseason poll and for the first seven weeks of the season.
Three teams ó Saint Mary’s, Washington and Kentucky ó moved in for the first time this season, replacing Minnesota, Notre Dame and Florida. Kentucky (16-4) was last ranked in the 2007-08 preseason poll.