By Rob Miech
SportsLine Staff Writer
Jan. 7, 1999

There is no truth to the rumor that, by season's end, Duke players will occupy all five of our Wooden Award Watch leader spots.

Sophomore

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post man Elton Brand, though, might creep into the fold. And Corey Maggette and Shane Battier could be battling for a fourth place in our hearts. But no way, Jose, will we allow Blue Devils to occupy all five positions.

Unless, of course, Chris Burgess produces a string of 20-point, 10-rebound efforts by the end of February.

Duke is simply the best team in the country, having been nipped at the overtime buzzer by a strong squad (Cincinnati) in Alaska in a preseason tournament game. Anyone could get caught napping on the tundra in November.

In the next few months, don't expect to catch the Devils off guard, because coach Mike Krzyzewski's guards are the finest in college hoops. It would all stall if not for William Avery, the Augusta, Ga., native who Krzyzewski says gives him the most dangerous point man he's ever had.

Langdon is the senior whom Wake Forest coach Dave Odom has tabbed the best shooter in the game. Poor Odom; Duke visits Wake Wednesday. The Devils beat the Deacons by 36 points last season in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

BRAND CAN HAUL HIS 260-POUND FRAME out on the break like a champion sprinter, and Maggette and/or Battier can bust out for 15 points at any time. Senior forward Taymon Domzalski, who could start on many, many other teams, is the best eighth or ninth man in the country.

"You've got to play almost a perfect game to beat them," Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said after losing 99-58 to the Devils Wednesday.

Duke still has to play at Clemson, at St. John's, at DePaul and at North Carolina, so some pot holes still exist on the schedule. And the ACC tournament, this season in Charlotte Coliseum, always produces a surprise or two. But the Blue Devils just might enter the NCAA Tournament with only one ding, the Cincinnati shocker, on their slate.

That wouldn't surprise us.

The leaders

1. William Avery, sophomore guard (6-2, 180), Duke
   He's

   Duke guard William Avery has a tight grip on the lead in the Wooden Award Watch. (AP)

   sixth in the ACC in 3-point shooting (44.1 percent), fifth in free- throw shooting (84.3 percent), tied for second with 6.4 assists a game and is second with an assists-to-turnovers ratio of 2.7. The Cameron Crazies hail him with "Will Power" chants.

2. Richard Hamilton, junior forward (6-8, 240), Connecticut
   Rip, you've been reading! A career-best 39 points Wednesday at Boston College was eye-popping, and you've hit 24 of 36 attempts in two of your last three games to improve your shooting to 45.3 percent. Hitting 10 of 12 from 3-point land in those two was impressive, too, hiking your long-range eye to 43.1 percent.

3. Trajan Langdon, senior guard (6-3, 195), Duke
   Langdon had 16 against Maryland and 17 against Georgia Tech, and he's averaging a team-high 18.5 points. What's ridiculous is his 3-point marksmanship (48.1 percent). At the line, he's 92.1 percent. That's 14th in the nation, and no one above him is within 20 of his 63 attempts.

4. Steve Francis, junior guard (6-3, 195), Maryland
   He had a very mortal 11 points Sunday against Duke, but will get a shot at redemption Wednesday at North Carolina against the Tar Heels. And the Terps hit Durham for round two against the Blue Devils Feb. 3. Another 0-for-7 effort, like he had Sunday in the second half against the Devils, will sink Francis's stock.

5. Tim James, senior forward (6-7, 220), Miami
   A leaper who set the Florida prep high-jump record at nearby Miami Northwestern High, James has been the force behind the Hurricanes winning 49 games his first three seasons. They've won seven in a row now, but James will need to assert himself even more to keep Miami (9-2) from its usual second-half swoon. A 20-victory season? It's up to James.

The sixth men

6. Wally Szczerbiak, senior forward (6-8, 240), Miami (Ohio)
   The RedHawks (10-3, 5-0 in MAC) have Feb. 3 showdown with Ohio (10-3, 5-0).

7. Melvin Levett, senior guard (6-3, 215), Cincinnati
   Inconsistency (9 against Marquette, 27 against DePaul) keeps him in second tier.

8. Quentin Richardson, freshman small forward (6-6, 215), DePaul
   He's the key if Demons play in first NCAA Tournament in seven seasons.

9. Harold Jamison, senior forward (6-8, 260), Clemson
   Tigers are 0-for-45 at Chapel Hill, but so what. This guy is worth the price of admission.

10. Chris Porter, junior forward (6-7, 225), Auburn
    Why the War Eagles (14-0) have tied their second-best start in the program's history.

Waiting on the bench