Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 12, 1995                   TAG: 9511130082
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

COACH K IS BACK, BUT IS DUKE?

There is a perception that coach Mike Krzyzewski will return to his customary position on Duke's bench Nov.23 and suddenly all will be all right again with one of the nation's most celebrated men's basketball programs.

That's the kind of attitude Krzyzewski has been trying to resist since resuming a full schedule following his recovery from back surgery.

``We're all responsible - and me, maybe I'm the most responsible - for what happened last year,'' said Krzyzewski, whose teams averaged more than 29 victories a season from 1985-94. ``At least that's the way I look at it.''

The Blue Devils were 9-3 and still ranked when Krzyzewski did not board the team bus for a trip to Georgia Tech, never to return last season. The Blue Devils lost 15 of their last 19 games under since-departed assistant Pete Gaudet.

``I hope people are realistic,'' Krzyzewski said. ``Having me back is not the answer. There is not one Band-Aid. I didn't coach them the last 21/2 months of the season. We have gobs more questions than usual. That doesn't mean we can't find the answers

``I'm not shying away from it. But what we have to do - these kids and me - is to show we can still compete at the highest level in the ACC. We can't just say we belong. We've got to prove it.''

Following is a school-by-school look at the teams in the order of their selection in the preseason poll. Preseason No.3 choice Virginia will be treated in depth in a later story:

MARYLAND: The Terrapins only hope they can survive a schedule that includes Kentucky, Massachusetts and UCLA before Dec.9 - a slate coach Gary Williams approved when there was a chance Joe Smith might return for his junior year.

Instead, Smith turned pro after being named ACC player of the year and was selected by Golden State with the No.1 pick in the NBA draft. Gone with him are more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, as well as 97 blocked shots.

Maryland wasn't left without ammunition, however. Four starters return - Johnny Rhodes, Duane Simpkins, Exree Hipp and Keith Booth - all double-figure scorers last season. Smith's likely replacement in the post is Mario Lucas, a fine shooter with a 6-foot-8, 231-pound body.

WAKE FOREST: The Deacons, a preseason choice for fifth last season, are getting more respect this season despite the departure of guard Randolph Childress, recipient of the Everett Case Award as the outstanding player in the ACC tournament.

Junior center Tim Duncan received 82 of 83 votes as preseason ACC player of the year, and many consider him the best player in the country, as well as a possible No.1 pick in the NBA draft if he elects to skip his senior year. Duncan led the ACC in rebounding and blocked shots last season.

There is no other returning double-figure scorer on the team, although 6-10 Ricardo Peral started all 32 games and, with Duncan, presents interesting matchup problems for opponents. Coach Dave Odom hopes sophomore Tony Rutland, a dangerous 3-point shooter, can take over at the point.

NORTH CAROLINA: A couple of streaks could be in jeopardy this season for the Tar Heels, who have won 20 or more games in 25 consecutive seasons and have not finished worse than third in the ACC since 1964 - coach Dean Smith's third season.

No one really expects the Tar Heels' run of NCAA Tournament appearances to end at 21, but Smith was caught somewhat unprepared for the departure of sophomores Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, both among the top four selections in the NBA draft.

Vince Carter, the latest Tar Heels freshman to be hailed as ``the next Michael Jordan,'' must contribute immediately to a Carolina lineup led by junior point guard Jeff McInnis. UNC was encouraged when 7-2, 270-pound Serge Zwikker had 19 points and six rebounds against Murray State in the NCAA Tournament.

DUKE: There was no more disappointing team in college basketball last season than the Blue Devils, whose 13-18 record was responsible for their fifth-place selection in the preseason ACC poll, an unthinkable position for a program with seven trips to the Final Four in the past decade.

The Blue Devils must rebuild without their top two post players, first-round NBA draft pick Cherokee Parks and second-round choice Erik Meek. There will be ample opportunity for 6-10, 245-pound Taymon Domzalski, a freshman from Lovington, N.M., and former prep All-American Greg Newton, a 6-10 junior returning from an academic suspension.

Duke has an abundance of perimeter players, although promising sophomore Trajan Langdon has a ``stress'' problem in one of his knees that will cause him to miss the start of the season. Junior point guard Jeff Capel is multitalented but must improve a 126-113 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

GEORGIA TECH: The Travis Best-James Forrest era came to an abrupt close for the Yellow Jackets, who last year became the first ACC team with a .500 conference record not to receive an NCAA Tournament bid since the expansion of the field to 64 teams.

Georgia Tech, which has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1993 and has not won a postseason game of any sort since 1992, has the preseason choice for ACC rookie of the year in Stephon Marbury - the latest in a long line of outstanding Yellow Jackets point guards.

Big guard Drew Barry, bidding to lead the ACC in assists for the third consecutive season, says nobody is more talented than Georgia Tech at positions 1-4. The big question is center Eddie Elisma, a non-factor despite starting all 30 games as a sophomore.

FLORIDA STATE: There will be few teams picked as low as seventh in their conference this year with as much talent as the Seminoles, who have one of the most gifted frontcourt tandems in the country in sophomore Corey Louis and freshman Randell Jackson.

What the Seminoles lacked last season was consistency at point guard. Bob Sura was FSU's leading scorer, principal 3-point shooter and second-leading rebounder last season and also led the team in assists. Lamarr Greer started 24 of his 26 games at point guard but was not a distributor.

Coach Pat Kennedy remains sold on Greer, who, at 6-5 and 200 pounds, will guard the opposition's small forward. The Seminoles' best overall player is 6-4 junior James Collins, who averaged 18.0 points and shot 43.9 percent from 3-point range.

N.C. STATE: Only Duke - yes, Duke - kept N.C. State from its third consecutive ninth-place finish, and the Blue Devils defeated the Wolfpack 83-70 in the play-in game for the ACC tournament.

State has one of the most underrated players in the ACC in Todd Fuller, a 6-11, 255-pound senior who led the Wolfpack in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and free-throw percentage. Point guard Ishua Benjamin was the leading vote-getter for the ACC All-Rookie team last season but will miss at least the first four games.

Benjamin and fellow guard C.C. Harrison both will start the season on team- or NCAA-imposed academic probation, not a good sign for coach Les Robinson, fighting for his job after four consecutive losing seasons.

CLEMSON: The Tigers are more talented than they were a year ago, when they tied for sixth place and received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, but they were an overwhelming choice for last place in the ACC in the preseason.

Seven of Clemson's 12 scholarship players are in their first year, six of them 6-6 or taller. The top returning Tiger is 1994-95 ACC rookie of the year Greg Buckner, only the fourth freshman in conference history to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage.