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GREENSBORO (AP) — Duke always seems to wear a target when it takes the basketball court, no matter the gender. That won't change this year.

The Blue Devils once again can expect everyone's best shot this season now that they're the preseason favorite to win another Atlantic Coast Conference women's title and have the league's preseason player of the year, guard Jasmine Thomas.

Seven months after the Blue Devils claimed their sixth ACC tournament title, they were proclaimed as the overwhelming favorites to win another one.

Duke received 24 of a possible 32 first-place votes in the conference's preseason poll released Tuesday. The Blue Devils were followed by rival North Carolina, which was voted first on six ballots, and Florida State, which received two first-place votes from the panel of media members and school representatives. Duke and the Seminoles shared the regular-season title last season.

Maryland was fourth, followed by Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Boston College, Miami, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

"This year, the biggest thing is there's so much balance," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "I was thinking, 'OK, how are teams going to be picked here?' because I don't think there's any one team that really stands out from the rest. ... The big thing is going to be, how do young players blend and who can stay healthy?"

At the league's preseason media day at the Greensboro Coliseum, the hot topics included how Kellie Harper can follow up her successful debut season at N.C. State, how traditional power Maryland will come back after missing the NCAA tournament — and, of course, North Carolina forward Jessica Breland's successful fight against cancer.

Breland is healthy and back on the court after missing last season to fight Hodgkin's lymphoma, and without her, the Tar Heels finished under .500 in league play for the first time since 2001 and went one-and-done in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

"More than anything else, just not having cancer hanging over our team, like it was last year," Hatchell said. "That was hard, emotionally, for our players. It was every day. You just try to do uplifting things for her and for the players, but that was always there. But that's over with, that's gone, last year's over and we're really excited about this year."

The Terrapins hope one of the nation's youngest rosters will be able to help them bounce back after they missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. Maryland has five freshmen and no seniors.

With the Tar Heels enduring a decidedly un-Carolina-like season, and Maryland also struggling, that created a power void atop the conference that ultimately was filled by Florida State and N.C. State.

The Seminoles set a school record with 29 victories, made it to the NCAA's regional finals for the first time and claimed a share of the regular-season title for the second straight year.

N.C. State, meanwhile, got hot at the league tournament, advancing to the title game as the No. 6 seed and reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since the Wolfpack's inspirational run under late coach Kay Yow in 2007.

"Just the whole tournament experience for us was huge," Harper said. "They know what they can do now, and they want more. As a coach, you couldn't have a better mindset from your players. They got a taste. They want it again."

Predicted order of finish
(With first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Duke (24)
2. North Carolina (6)
3. Florida State (2)
4. Maryland
5. Georgia Tech
6. N.C. State (1)
7. Boston College
8. Miami
9. Wake Forest
10. Virginia
11. Virginia Tech
12. Clemson

Preseason All-ACC team
Jessica Breland, North Carolina
Shenise Johnson, Miami
Carolyn Swords, Boston College
Jasmine Thomas, Duke (preseason player of the year)
Courtney Ward, Florida State

2010-11 newcomer watch list
Kristen Doherty, Boston College
Chelsea Gray, Duke
Natasha Howard, Florida State
Richa Jackson, Duke
Laurin Mincy, Maryland
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland