Emeka Okafor has done pretty well on the court and exceptionally well in the classroom. The Connecticut junior was just as impressive in garnering votes for the Associated Press’ preseason All-America team.

Okafor was one vote short of being a unanimous selection Wednesday and was joined on the team by seniors Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph’s and Rickey Paulding of Missouri, and sophomores Ike Diogu of Arizona State and Raymond Felton of North Carolina.

Kansas University’s Wayne Simien received 15 votes, and Keith Langford also received votes.

The 6-foot-9 Okafor averaged 15.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots last season for the Huskies, and is on pace to graduate with a degree in finance in just three years. He’s also on pace to become the leading shot blocker in college basketball history, having already shattered the Big East record set by Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing almost 20 years ago.

“He came equipped with one of the most unique packages that any teacher would love to have,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of Okafor. “And that’s the ability to take a task, do it fully and beyond and then put it into a compartment and leave it alone.

“Certainly, he’s enriched our teams, our coaching staff. We’re a better university because of him.”

Nelson was second in the voting, named on 49 ballots by the 72-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Paulding received 37 votes, Diogu 34 and Felton 24.

Notre Dame’s Chris Thomas was sixth in the voting with 19, while Connecticut’s Ben Gordon had 16 and Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick had 15.