DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke women's basketball team has been ranked No. 1 in SLAM Magazine's preseason poll, which will be featured in the Sept. 17 issue.

The Blue Devils, who scored their first No. 1 preseason ranking, return seven of eight letterwinners from last season's team that went 19-0 in ACC play and 31-4 overall before losing in the Final Four. Junior Alana Beard, a preseason national player of the year candidate, headlines Duke's roster, which also includes All-ACC picks Iciss Tillis and Monique Currie.

SLAM ranked Tennessee second, followed by Kansas State and Texas. Defending NCAA champion Connecticut, which graduated four starters from last season's 39-0 effort, is ranked fifth.

Georgia, Purdue, LSU, Texas Tech and Stanford round out the top 10, which included three teams from both the Big 12 and SEC.

Duke previously has been ranked as high as second nationally after advancing to the NCAA championship game in 1999. Last season, the Blue Devils reached a No. 3 national ranking.

Along with seven returning letterwinners, the Blue Devils also welcome the top-rated recruiting class in the nation (All-Star Girls Report).