SEATTLE _ A few months after breaking into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, the experienced University of Washington men’s basketball team will have to settle for No. 17.
The ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches’ poll that was released Thursday had the Huskies ranked 17th in the nation.
UW was the only Pac-10 team in the poll, although Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference was ranked 12th.
Defending national champioin Duke received 29 of the 31 first-place votes, with No. 2 Michigan State earning the other two.
The Huskies, who lost leading scorer Quincy Pondexter but return their other four starters, were among the top 25 teams in last year’s preseason poll but spent most of the regular season unranked. UW then got hot at the right time, winning the Pac-10 tournament and two NCAA tourney games to advance to the Sweet 16.
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