Kentucky, Duke 1-2 in Athlon Preseason College Hoops Poll; ACC Places Three in Top Five

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 12: Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski of the US Men's Senior National Team chats with Head Coach John Calipari of the Dominican Republic Senior Men's National Team during an exhibition game at the Thomas and Mack Center on July 12, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Kentucky and Duke are ranked 1 and 2, respectively, in the Athlon Sports preseason college basketball poll, and three ACC teams place in the top five.

North Carolina is No. 3, with Maryland at No. 4 and Virginia No. 5.

The rest of the Top 10 features Kansas at No. 6, followed by Iowa State, Arizona, Oklahoma and Villanova.

Kentucky and Duke, meantime, have been battling it out in the recruiting rankings, with Kentucky finishing No. 1 in the Class of 2015 rankings according to Scout.com after landing 7-footer Isaac Humphries and Duke elevating to No. 1 in 2016 after landing point guard Frank Jackson.

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.