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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With expectations for the men's basketball season swirling at almost unprecedented levels even for Duke, coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils are taking a more calculated approach. "One of our mottos this year is to understand nothing is given to us," fifth-year senior forward Amile Jefferson said. "We have to stay hungry."
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Krzyzewski acknowledges that the Blue Devils are stocked with talent. He's always regularly pointing out that it's a process, something he emphasized during Wednesday's Atlantic Coast Conference media day.
"We don't know about our team," Krzyzewski said of lineup breakdowns. "We're going to be a very much developing team. But a very good team, obviously."
Krzyzewski said watching the team evolve is something to embrace.
"It's better for somebody to have high expectations for your team than not have them," he said.
A top-rated freshman class to go with a few proven veterans has caused some of the hype for this version of the Blue Devils. Those newcomers are aiming to fit in.
"They're all excited," said Jefferson, who was a member of Duke's 2015 title team. "They've seen our rings or whatever. We're all excited like every year to have a chance to do something special."
The heralded freshman class adds to a veteran cast that includes Jefferson, senior guard Matt Jones and junior guard Grayson Allen, who averaged 21.6 points per game on his way to All-ACC first-team honors.
"The first-year players have been embraced, Jefferson said.
"Now it's about instilling our standards in them and making sure they continue to gel," he said.
Krzyzewski said concerns about distributing playing time among a cast of 10 or 11 players will work itself out.
"There's always a few guys playing better than the other guys," he said. If you're playing well, you'll be out on the court. If you're playing really well, you'll be out on the court more."
Jones said there's no sense of invincibility on a team that has yet to play a game. He said one lackluster performance could alter a perception or ranking.
"It could change in a day," Jones said. "For us, it's all about getting better. We have to earn everything we get."
Duke had a scare in Tuesday's practice when freshman forward Jayson Tatum went down with a foot injury. Krzyzewski said it's a sprain and he's expected to miss about two weeks. So while he'll sit out the team's two exhibition games, it's possible he'll be available for the Nov. 11 opener against visiting Marist.
"It's a manageable injury that will not impact Jayson long term," Krzyzewski said.
With highly touted freshman post player Harry Giles already out of action because of a left knee arthroscopy in early October, Jones said there were anxious moments for Tatum when he exited practice.
"You don't want to see a guy of that caliber (go down), especially this close to the season," Jones said.
WHAT'S IN THE CARDS: Just like a year ago, the ACC preseason gathering in Charlotte comes just days after a bombshell for Louisville's program.
Last week, the NCAA's initial response to alleged infractions regarding the Cardinals was handed down and those could eventually lead to penalties on coach Rick Pitino.
The scandal, which involves a former staffer setting up alleged sexual encounters for recruits, was relatively new a year ago. That news broke prior to the 2015 ACC media day, and Pitino was advised to skip the event and he did.
He showed up this year, though his preferred topic was basketball. That includes what he calls a particularly rugged schedule and a roster with talent but reduced depth.
The Cardinals self-imposed a postseason ban last season, so the players are accustomed to dealing with the fallout.
"We just came off a terrible situation," sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell said. "The thing about this team is we all enjoy being counted out. We don't let those things get to us."
Not participating in the postseason last year was an odd experience for Pitino.
"When you look at the Final Four and you realize you beat two of those teams," he said, pointing out he was particularly disappointed for two fifth-year seniors who were on hand with the intent of competing in the NCAA Tournament.
ALREADY POPULAR: North Carolina State has touted freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. as one of the country's top players even though he has yet to play a college game.
Contributing to his cause, he was on hand for ACC media day and a popular subject at that. A crowd of reporters gathered to hear what he had to say.
That left junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu with a less-crowded area in front of him.
"He's the chosen one," Abu said. "That's what I call him."
N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried doesn't shy away from promoting new player.
"Some early projections list Smith as a possible No. 1 overall draft pick.
"He wants to do everything right," Gottfried said. "It's going to be fun to watch him this year."
Smith, who enrolled at the university last January as he recovered from knee surgery that nixed what would have been a senior season of high school, said he's confident entering this new territory.
"I don't think it's a transition at all," Smith said. "I've been playing basketball since the age of 6."
LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP: As the national runner-up last season, there's still plenty of buzz around North Carolina.
Junior guard Joel Berry, who excelled during much of the season and was named the Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament, knows he has to take a more high-profile role this season.
That comes in part because Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson were seniors a year ago. Paige was the clear leader of the group, even after missing about a month at the start of the season with an injury.
"Marcus was an all-around great player," Berry said. "He was a great leader and great all-around teammate. With leadership, I think I'm going to have to be more vocal. With Marcus out (at the start of last season) I had to step into a role sooner than I expected and I think that helped."
While coach Roy Williams and two of his players were at the ACC media day, junior swingman Theo Pinson was coming out of surgery stemming from a broken foot in practice last week. He's expected to miss at least a couple of months. He averaged more than 18 minutes per game last season.
COLOR IT ORNAGE: Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has pointed out that the Orange should be better than a year ago even with the team coming off an unexpected Final Four appearance.
That postseason run, which ended with a loss to ACC member North Carolina in the national semifinals, is a form of fuel for this season.
"We fell off a little bit and we started click at the right time," senior forward Tyler Roberson said of the Orange, which was a No. 10 regional seed last season for the NCAA Tournament. "We always have high expectations for ourselves. I definitely agree with Coach (that we should be better)."
The Orange added transfers Andrew White (from Nebraska) and John Gillon (form Colorado State) so that was an instant jolt of college experience joining the roster.
It also provides Syracuse with more depth than often is displayed. But already, last March's success provides a former of confidence.
"It helped us out a lot," senior center DaJuan Coleman said. "It gives us a lot of experience and we kind of know what it takes to get there."
CAVALIER ATTITUDE: Virginia has been a No. 1 or 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons and a retooled Cavaliers team could be a force again.
But only point guard London Perrantes was a full-time starter a year ago.
"It's a lot more teaching because we do have some young guys," Perrantes said. "But it comes down to the leaders on the team."
Perrantes led the ACC with 48.8 percent shooting from 3-point range last season, when Virginia came up one victory shy of its third consecutive 30-win season.
WELCOME TO THE ACC: Georgia Tech with Josh Pastner and Pittsburgh with Kevin Stallings have new coaches.
That's an adjustment for the players on those teams.
"It's my first time experience Coach Pastner and the assistants," Georgia Tech senior forward Quinton Stephens said. "I learn something new every day. They're great teachers."
Pastner spent seven seasons as the Memphis coach.
Stallings, who had been at Vanderbilt since 1999-2000, is entering a tough rotation regarding Pittsburgh's schedule, which calls for two ACC meetings each with North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse and Louisville.
Those opponents will see a different type of team than the one operating under Jamie Dixon, who left to go to Texas Christian.
"Style of play," senior forward Sheldon Jeter said of the difference. "It's faster."
Stallings said it's a two-way process in the communication between himself and his new team.
They need to know in some cases 'why,'" Stallings said.
HE KNOWS THE GIG: Graduate transfer Austin Arians has yet to play a game for Wake Forest, but he attended the ACC media day as one of the team's two player representatives.
It was his second media day after last year's Horizon League event with Milwaukee.
"I'm a media day veteran," Arians said.
He made the move partly because of Milwaukee's coaching change. His role with the Demon Deacons is expected to be as a long-range shooter after Wake Forest had the ACC's worst 3-point shooting percentage (31.6 percent) last season. Arians made 186 baskets from 3-point range in three seasons for Milwaukee.
Arians said he's familiar with many of the players he encountered Wednesday at the ACC preseason event only because he watched them on television (other than Notre Dame because his former team faced the Irish last season).
"A lot more people here," he said. "A lot bigger venue."
