Already atop the preseason coaches’ poll, Duke also took the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 released Monday.

Duke will have to maneuver through a deep and talented ACC, but stiff competition is nothing new to Krzyzewski and certainly not something he shies away from.

Kentucky starts the season ranked second after receiving a little over 100 fewer points than Duke. Led by yet another talented class of freshmen, the Wildcats will have to grow and mature together to lead a charge in March.

Kansas, last year’s champs Villanova and Oregon round out the top five. 

Here is the full Top 25, with first-place votes in parentheses:

  1. Duke (58) 1,612 2. Kentucky (2) 1,479 3. Kansas 1,476 4. Villanova (4) 1,465 5. Oregon (1) 1,343 6. North Carolina 1,314 7. Xavier 1,167 8. Virginia 1,149 9. Wisconsin 1,135 10. Arizona 1,004 11. Indiana 917 12. Michigan State 903 13. Louisville 755 14. Gonzaga 699 15. Purdue 672 16. UCLA 540 17. Saint Mary’s 512 18. Connecticut 504 19. Syracuse 464 20. West Virginia 360 21. Texas 250 22. Creighton 231 23. Rhode Island 199 24. Iowa State 168 25. Maryland 144