The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 30-7 (11-5, ACC)

2009-2010's toughest games: Arizona State, NIT final/consolation vs. Connecticut or LSU, at Wisconsin, vs. Gonzaga, at Georgetown

Primary attraction: Because no matter how much you can't stand them, you know you can't turn away.

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. It's Duke -- Before you comment about any perceived anti-Duke bias, remember this: The Hunt set out to find "the most interesting team in the world" and this Duke team isn't very interesting. They're going to be good, yes. But there's little to separate this version of the Blue Devils from the other editions from the past quarter-century. They'll be fundamentally sound. They'll play smart basketball. They'll win 25 games. They'll get more calls than they don't. Coach K will scowl. The Cameron Crazies will be alternately obnoxious and clever. Kyle Singler is going to be an All-American. Dick Vitale will talk about how much he loves Steve Wojciechowski and will then comment that it's a crime J.J. Redick doesn't get more PT in the NBA. Somebody will slap the floor. We've seen this movie before.

2. Holes? -- Listening to some of the people hyping Duke this year, you'd almost forget that the Blue Devils lost its best player (Gerald Henderson), an up-and-coming guard (Elliot Williams) and a senior starter-turned off the bench threat (Greg Paulus). But the departures of the latter two create some serious thinness at guard for Coach K. Jon Scheyer isn't a true point and Nolan Smith has been streaky, at best, during his two years in Durham. Things are a better in the frontcourt, where Singler will line-up with 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek and freshman Mason Plumlee (when he returns from injury), but the forward-heavy lineup may force Krzyzewski to do the unthinkable and play some zone defense at Cameron.

3. Ending the drought -- It's been five years since Duke played in a regional final. For a team has the greatest college basketball coach of all-time (yeah, I said it) and starts more McDonald's All-Americans than entire conferences, that's a stunning statistic. Though the aforementioned holes might give Duke some trouble during the regular season, I have a feeling that this is the year the Blue Devils get out of their NCAA tournament funk.

Duke basketball in 90 seconds: I made it seven seconds before turning it off. How long can you stand it? This should have been a Fear Factor competition.