Top-ranked Blue Devils figure it's time for another title run

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) DeMarcus Nelson spent his freshman year trying to match up with bigger and stronger players, part of Duke&#39;s fight to get by with just eight recruited scholarship players in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference.<br> <br> Those days are over.<br> <br> ``Last year we were looked at as the underdog,&#39;&#39; he said. ``People thought we were going to have a down year and pretty much doubted us. This year everyone&#39;s returning and plus we&#39;ve got the help of some freshmen, and now it&#39;s national championship time.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Is Nelson&#39;s confidence youthful exuberance? Possibly. But no one can blame him for feeling that way with the Blue Devils opening the 2005-06 season as the nation&#39;s No. 1-ranked team with a roster that on paper, at least has few weaknesses.<br> <br> The Blue Devils return preseason Associated Press all-Americans J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. They&#39;re joined by an experienced supporting cast in Nelson and seniors Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni.<br> <br> They also have one of the nation&#39;s top recruiting classes, which includes forward Josh McRoberts and point guard Greg Paulus.<br> <br> ``There&#39;s no question they&#39;re the premier team in the country,&#39;&#39; Miami coach Frank Haith said.<br> <br> The Blue Devils lost senior Daniel Ewing and junior Shavlik Randolph, who declared early for the NBA Draft. But there will be no shortage of bodies for Mike Krzyzewski, who turned in one of his best coaching jobs by taking last year&#39;s squad to a 27-6 record, an ACC tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.<br> <br> This season, the Hall of Famer can coach the way he wants. No more calling halfcourt defenses to save the legs of players pressed into 40 minutes of action. No more spurning chances to push the ball upcourt. It&#39;s back to the sprint-to-the-finish offense and pressure defense that has been a staple of Krzyzewski&#39;s time here.<br> <br> ``We should be good,&#39;&#39; Krzyzewski said. ``Every year we try to compete for a national championship. That&#39;s what we&#39;re supposed to do. If we&#39;re healthy, why not?<br> <br> ``You don&#39;t do that just by each year saying, &#39;Maybe this is the year.&#39; You do it by saying, &#39;This is the year.&#39; I&#39;m not making this my grand statement. That&#39;s what we want to go for.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Blue Devils&#39; chances to reach their 11th Final Four under ``Coach K&#39;&#39; start with Redick, the 6-foot-4 guard with shooting range that seemingly reaches to the tents of ``Krzyzewskiville&#39;&#39; outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Redick averaged 22 points per game while being forced to play 37 minutes a game as a junior, and was named the ACC player of the year and a first-team AP all-America selection.<br> <br> He&#39;s joined by Williams, a rugged 6-9 senior who is a defensive force and excellent rebounder. Williams averaged 15.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks, making him the ACC&#39;s defensive player of the year and a third-team AP all-America pick.<br> <br> Both players were unanimous preseason all-conference picks with Redick being named the player of the year.<br> <br> ``It doesn&#39;t really matter at all,&#39;&#39; Redick said. ``Last year I won pretty much every individual award that I could dream of winning. The reason that (Williams) came back and I didn&#39;t even consider the NBA is we wanted to win a national championship. We wanted to leave a legacy at Duke.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Redick and Williams should have plenty of help. Melchionni averaged 7.7 points and shot 40 percent from 3-point range, while the 6-4 Nelson averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds despite tussling on the boards with bigger opponents. Dockery brings tough defense at point guard, though his offense has been a weakness in his first three years.<br> <br> From there, Krzyzewski can find plenty of fresh legs with his rookies. McRoberts was the jewel of the class, bringing athleticism belying his 6-10 frame that allows him to play inside or outside. Paulus and center Eric Boateng were also McDonald&#39;s All-Americans, while guard Martynas Pocius and forward Jamal Boykin also figure into the mix.<br> <br> Now it&#39;s a matter of waiting to see if this year&#39;s group wins Krzyzewski&#39;s fourth national title or ends up like the 1998-99 Blue Devils a loaded team featuring Elton Brand and Shane Battier that was ranked No. 1 most of the year only to lose to Connecticut in the NCAA final.<br> <br> Nelson has his mind made up how things will be.<br> <br> ``We didn&#39;t come to Duke to be average,&#39;&#39; he told reporters after an exhibition win against North Carolina Central. ``An average day is a bad day at Duke.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)