DUKE HOPES NOT TO HAVE GUARD DOWN.

Byline: Daily News staff and wire services

The health of Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski continues to be on the Blue Devils' minds as they begin play in the NCAA Tournament tonight against Big South champion Radford in Rupp Arena.

Wojciechowski, who fainted in the shower after Duke's ACC tournament loss to North Carolina last Sunday, has continued to recover from the flu and the dehydration that led to his collapse.

However, Wojciechowski is still not 100 percent healthy, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is hopeful his senior floor leader can be ready by Sunday if the Blue Devils (29-3) advance as expected to a second-round game against the Oklahoma State-George Washington winner.

``I think the further we get away from (last Sunday), the better he's going to be,'' Krzyzewski said. ``Hopefully, we can win two games here and, hopefully, by next week he'll be back to his old self. I'm hoping by game time (today) he's there, but I'm not sure I'm not being too optimistic.''

Wojciechowski had a 102-degree temperature March 5 but played through the flu during the tournament. Shortly after the championship game, though, he collapsed and doctors spent 75 minutes giving him intravenous fluids.

``I think it all caught up with me last Sunday,'' Wojciechowski said after going through the Blue Devils' one-hour workout in Rupp Arena Thursday.

Wojciechowski said he's been guzzling fluids since last Sunday.

``I've been drinking it seems like 40 gallons of water a day. I feel like a spigot,'' he said.

Despite the expected walkover on Friday, the Blue Devils insist they're treating Radford seriously.

``Radford is our North Carolina now,'' Wojciechowski said. ``We have to treat Radford as our biggest game of the year. We're going to go into the game with the same energy and focus as if they had North Carolina across their chests.''

Thinking big: This is Radford's first trip to the NCAA Tournament and the Highlanders may be trying do what's never been done - a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1. ``We expect to win,'' guard Chibi Johnson said. ``Obviously, it would shock the world. Y'all would talk about it forever.''

Honor roll: North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge and forward Antawn Jamison were named the country's best by The Sporting News, which compiles votes from coaches of 10 of college basketball's the most competitive conferences.

Guthridge outpolled Utah's Rick Majerus in the coach category and Jamison topped Kansas power forward Raef LaFrentz in the player category.

North Carolina's Vince Carter and Duke guard Trajan Langdon were second-team All-Americans.

On the women's side, North Carolina's Tracy Reid earned second-team honors.

Food for thought: South Carolina State, which faces Kentucky tonight, has a solid backcourt and, if its NCAA prospectus is to be believed, an enviable food court.

The Bulldogs, the No. 15 seed in the South Region, enjoy ``some of the best food found on any campus.''

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions are making their third postseason appearance. They are 0-2 in NCAA Tournament play and figure to be but a snack for a voracious Kentucky team that has limited its past six opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc.