What Blue Devil fans expected is now official.
Duke jumped into the No. 1 position Monday, receiving 62 of the possible 72 votes in the Associated Press poll.
It marks a satisfying return to the top, a position that the Blue Devils have held more than any other school since 1997. Only four players on Duke's current roster-Greg Paulus, Dave McClure, Jordan Davidson, and Marty Pocius-were part of the 2006 squad that finished the season ranked No. 1.
Duke did not ascend to the top spot in the previous two seasons.
"It'll be a big deal for our guys, and it's a big deal for us, because it means we're playing really well," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in the ACC teleconference Monday. "Over the many years here, we've been fortunate to be ranked No. 1 a lot. We've played over 180 games as the No. 1 team in the country."
In fact, the 188 games Duke has entered as the top-ranked team in the country far outdistance the 141 contests it has played as an unranked squad. Duke has now been No. 1 for 111 weeks in school history, seven more than North Carolina, the next-closest ACC school.
Wake Forest left an opening at the top after the Demon Deacons dropped a home matchup to Virginia Tech Wednesday, and Duke made a strong case for itself with an 85-44 pummeling of Maryland Saturday. With the victory, the 18-1 Blue Devils claimed their fifth win in ACC play, and after the Wake Forest loss, Duke remains the only team undefeated in league competition.
With its rise to No. 1, Duke becomes the third ACC school to occupy the top ranking at some point this season. North Carolina was the near-unanimous No. 1 choice for the first seven weeks, and Wake Forest held the position for a week before its first loss.
It is only the fourth time one conference has placed three teams at the top of the polls in a single season, with the last occurrence in 1985-86, when the ACC saw Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Duke achieve the feat.
Krzyzewski believes this year's trio of Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest could be the three toughest draws in the nation.
"We've had two a lot, a lot, a lot," Krzyzewski said of the possibility of sending three No. 1 seeds to the NCAA Tournament. "But it could be [the top three right now]. Those three teams could hold their own against anybody, I'll tell you that, which says a lot for the conference."
Despite the appreciation the Blue Devils clearly show for the new ranking, they were careful to downplay the importance of the accomplishment with a significant-and arguably tougher-portion of the grueling ACC schedule left to play.
That doesn't mean they won't celebrate the accomplishment, though.
"[For] about an hour or so," junior Jon Scheyer said. "Obviously it's exciting, I'm not going to lie, but we have a big game coming up. I think the thing we are most excited about now is getting our fifth ACC win [and] being in first place in the ACC. We want to keep that more than anything."
Still, there is no rest for the weary, or in this case, the No. 1. In its first game as the top team, Duke will try to protect its newly-acquired ranking when it travels to the home of last week's No. 1 Wednesday.
"Can't help but be excited, as a basketball player," junior Brian Zoubek said. "We got Wake on Wednesday. It's going to be a hell of a game. We are not looking ahead. We are just looking forward to Wake Forest."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.