NCAA Basketball: North Carolina the worst preseason No. 1 team of all time

18. 2010-11 Duke

In the previous season, the Blue Devils had won the national championship in that unforgettable victory over Butler. Another elite recruiting class came to Durham, with the Blue Devils losing Jon Scheyer (their current coach) and a couple of role players. This team absolutely had the talent to repeat their national title, as reflected by their spot atop the preseason rankings.

Consider that eight players on that team would play in the NBA. Seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler both averaged at least 16 points a game and were the major forces for the Blue Devils. NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving averaged 17.5 points a game in his freshman season, though he missed most of it with a toe injury, returning in time for the postseason. Additionally, the Blue Devils got great minutes from sophomore guards Seth Curry and Andrew Dawkins and were already getting contributions from both Mason and Miles Plumlee as well. There was no shortage of talent in this rotation for Mike Krzyzewski’s team.

The Blue Devils lost four road games during the regular season, but started the year 15-0 and won another ACC Tournament title in the end. With Irving back in the fold, the top-seeded Blue Devils made quick work of 16-seed Hampton before struggling with 8-seed Michigan, holding on for a 73-71 win over the Wolverines. A few days later, their run at a repeat would come to an end, with the Blue Devils falling by 16 points to an up-and-coming Arizona squad, despite a 28-point effort from Irving on the nation’s biggest stage. Those top three players would all move on after the season, though the Blue Devils would eventually find their way to the Final Four again.