NCAA Basketball: North Carolina the worst preseason No. 1 team of all time
By Joey Loose
22. 2001-02 Duke
Heavy preseason expectations were not surprising at Duke, especially a year after the Blue Devils won the national championship, the third in Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career. There was no doubt that Duke had blossomed into college basketball’s premier program, with a slew of Final Fours and significant success in recent years. Beginning this season atop the national polls wasn’t unexpected because this lineup was stacked with returning talent.
Future NBA players dotted the lineup, with juniors Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Mike Dunleavy all averaging at least 17 points per game. Fellow junior Dahntay Jones averaged 11 points a game and was vital in the frontcourt while sophomore Chris Duhon (another longtime NBA piece) led the team in assists and had himself a nice breakout campaign. Shane Battier may have been off to the NBA, but this team certainly had enough firepower to be a force.
The Blue Devils lost just three games in the regular season, with all coming on the road in ACC play. They’d win the ACC Tournament and secure a 1-seed. They blasted 16-seed Winthrop and took care of business against 8-seed Notre Dame, but Duke’s dream ended far short as they fell to 5-seed Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen, falling 74-73 to end some impressive Duke careers. Williams and Dunleavy were both taken in the Top 3 of the following NBA Draft, though it clearly remains disappointing how this team was upended still three games away from repeating their national championship.