Each of the 327 Division I men’s basketball teams start the season undefeated. Only one team — Duke — remains without a loss.

After losing three starters to the National Basketball Association, few experts expected the Blue Devils to continue their recent success.

After all, how could a team that plays four freshmen live up to Duke’s shining resume, which includes two trips to the national title game in four years and five straight years ranked No. 1 at some point during the season?

As ACC play begins, Duke is 12-0 (3-0 ACC) and again ranked No. 1, even after playing the 12th most difficult schedule in the nation.

‘They’re not going to go away,’ Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. ‘Nobody expected that to happen.’

Said Virginia coach Pete Gillen: ‘Duke is the top program in the country.”

Gillen, whose Cavaliers play Duke twice each season, said the key to Duke’s consistent success is the quality of players the Blue Devils bring in.

This season’s recruiting class features four McDonald’s All-Americans, including J.J. Redick, who averages 17 points a game and shoots more than 40 percent from 3-point range. Duke’s freshmen average more than 38 points a game, atoning for the loss of Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer, Duke’s top three scorers last season.

‘They lost great players,’ Prosser said. ‘But in the tradition of the program, they replaced them with other great players.’

In a matchup between Division I’s last two undefeated teams, Duke beat No. 18 Wake Forest, 74-55, on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Prosser said that though Duke is young, the Blue Devils look and play like last year’s team, which went 31-4 before losing to Indiana in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tounament.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said the reason for the Blue Devils’ long-term success is consistency.

‘We have a system of offense and defense that is ongoing,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘So the older guys have a good base, and they can teach the younger guys what (the coaches) want them to do.’

Krzyzewski said that Duke’s freshman class — Redick, Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams — gives the Blue Devils depth.

With all of Duke’s youth, the Blue Devils’ success still hinges on upperclassmen, namely senior Dahntay Jones and junior Chris Duhon, the two remaining starters from last year.

Jones, who appears more skilled than last year, averages more than 16 points in his second season at Duke after transferring from Rutgers. Duhon leads the Blue Devils with eight assists per game.

Still, Duke’s biggest advantage is something it’ll never lose to the NBA.

Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke’s 10,000-seat, on-campus madhouse, is the smallest arena of any major college program.

Duke’s student section, the Cameron Crazies, sleep in tents for weeks to get tickets for traditional rivalry games against Maryland and North Carolina.

And when they enter the arena they never sit down, belting out creative chants that rip everything from opponents’ academic standing to their rap sheets.

‘Nothing can really prepare you for Duke’s atmosphere,’ Gillen said. ‘You can’t put into words what it is like playing there.’

On Saturday, Duke travels to defending national champion Maryland for a game that Krzyzewski calls an important early-season conference test.

‘I don’t think we’re a dominant basketball team,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘We will find out in the next couple weeks with the competition we play how good we might become.’

NO. 1 DUKE AT NO. 17 MARYLAND (PICK ‘EM)

SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M., ABC

The traditional ACC rivalry may not be as significant as it was last season because the Terrapins have slipped considerably, but it’s still a must-see game.

Maryland holds a slight inside advantage, but Duke’s shooting, led by Duhon and Redick, will lead the Blue Devils to a key road victory. Watch for an exciting battle at point guard between Steve Blake and Duhon.

Pick: DUKE 82, MARYLAND 74

NO. 10 NOTRE DAME (-2.5) AT NO. 16 KENTUCKY

SATURDAY, 2 P.M., CBS

It’s the Big East versus the SEC in a huge non-conference game in the middle of conference play.

Kentucky is led by a resurgent Keith Bogans, who is looking like the player he was two years ago. Notre Dame, led by sophomore point guard Chris Thomas, looks to pull off the upset and spoil the Wildcats 100th-season celebration at Rupp Arena.

PICK: Kentucky 64, Notre Dame 60

NO. 6 CONNECTICUT (-6.5) AT NORTH CAROLINA

SATURDAY, 5 P.M., ESPN

Another big non-conference game features the Huskies’ balanced scoring attack against the freshman-dominated Tar Heels.

UConn center Emeka Okafor averages a double-double, and with Ben Gordon budding at guard (21 points per game), UConn should be able to beat UNC even in the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

Pick: CONNECTICUT 70, NORTH CAROLINA 58

NO. 2 ARIZONA (-10.5) AT UCLA

SATURDAY, 6 P.M., NO TV

It seems like everybody has forgotten the Wildcats after their upset loss to LSU in late December. The Wildcats still feature a lineup with two legitimate All-America candidates (Luke Walton and Jason Gardner) and one of the deepest benches in the nation, featuring freshman guard Hassan Adams.

UCLA coach Steve Lavin is rumored to be on the hot seat, and a home loss to Arizona won’t help his cause.

Pick: ARIZONA 84, UCLA 78

NO. 25 SYRACUSE (+8.5) AT NO. 3 PITTSBURGH

SATURDAY, NOON, ESPN

After a huge home win for the Orangemen on Monday over Missouri, they travel to Pittsburgh to play a veteran team that poses inside and outside threats. The Panthers’ Brandin Knight and Ontario Lett lead a Pitt team that returns all five starters and that defeated the Orangemen twice last year.

Billy Edelin will finally see his first playing time with Syracuse after waiting for two years. The Orangemen should keep this game close, but playing only their third road game this season, SU will struggle to beat the deep, balanced Panthers.

PICK: PITTSBURGH 67, SYRACUSE 64

Published on January 15, 2003 at 12:00 pm