Duke’s one-and-done success help Blue Devils edge Kansas as top dog in the 2010s for the AP poll
Duke remained above all when it came to the AP Top 25 poll for the 2010s, though with a smaller margin than before.
Now-retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski won his fifth NCAA championship in 2015. That marked the high point of the Blue Devils’ recruiting shift, as Duke cut the nets with a team led by one-and-done NBA talent just five years after winning it all with veterans like current coach Jon Scheyer.
That included Kyrie Irving (2011) and Zion Williamson (2019) going No. 1 overall in the NBA draft among other one-and-done stars like Jabari Parker and Jayson Tatum.
The Associated Press is marking the 75th anniversary of its Top 25 this month, compiling its weekly polls to crown an all-time No. 1, along with determining each decade’s top programs. Teams were awarded points based on how they fared in every ballot.
The Blue Devils — who also headlined the 1990s and 2000s — led with 3,799 points, including 33 weeks at No. 1 and 86% of polls (167 of 194) inside the top 10 from 2010-11 to 2019-20. Here are the other top schools:
KANSAS (3,755 points)
Bill Self’s Jayhawks were ranked in every poll, including 16 weeks at No. 1 and more than half inside the top five (103 of 194). The Jayhawks had the 2017 AP national player of the year in Frank Mason, along with AP first-team All-Americans in Thomas Robinson (2012) and Devonte’ Graham (2018) — the latter two leading Final Four teams.
KENTUCKY (2,929)
John Calipari’s Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA title with a dominant team led by one-and-done star Anthony Davis, then carried an unbeaten record all the way to the Final Four in 2015 as a wire-to-wire No. 1. Kentucky spent a national-best 36 weeks ranked No. 1.
VILLANOVA (2,533)
Villanova won its second NCAA title on Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater against North Carolina in 2016. Two years later, AP national player of the year Jalen Brunson led one of the sport’s most efficient offenses to another crown. Villanova spent 19 weeks at No. 1 for the decade under now-retired Hall of Famer Jay Wright.
NORTH CAROLINA (2,514)
The Tar Heels had Elite Eight trips in 2011 and 2012 before the unforgettable Villanova loss in ’16. But they returned a core group to complete their redemption arc by edging a 37-win Gonzaga team for the 2017 title, the high point of a decade that included five weeks at No. 1 under now-retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams.
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