Game 19: at Duke

Last time we played Duke, there was this:

which resulted in this:

which later led to this:

and this:


It's been over nine months since that evening in Boston and I still sit in shock about that state of events. But like the ladies said on Under The Shell, it's time to move on.

Today we return to our last road loss and only road loss during the season - Cameron Indoor Stadium. It's sold out and the students are back in session ready to heckle the players mercilessly. Brena will get heckled about her hair and how she never sits down, but I wonder if there is anything instore for the players. Last year, they went after Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle due to her theivery at Walmart as a senior.

Both teams are undefeated and the top spot in the ACC is on the line. Maryland hasn't won in Durham since 2000 and Duke hasn't lost a regular-season game to Maryland during that same time frame.

Duke has changed since the last time we saw them, as Currie, Williams (nee Bass) and Foley are gone, while Chante Black is sidelined with a knee injury. They don't have a goto player as the have in the past with Currie and Waner, but that could be a bonus for them as you don't know who to cover at the end of a game.

The Blue Devils have played two common opponents: Marist (71-50) and Miami (72-42) as well as five ranked teams.

The key to the Blue Devils is their defense. In 17 games this year, only 4 teams have scored more than 50 against them (their last two opponents have done it to them) and the most they have given up is 54. Also, only 5 teams have shot over 30% against them with 40% being the high (last game vs. GT). They rebound the ball well (44.3), block shots (7.7) and create turnovers (13.1 steals per game). They do have an offense too as they are averaging 78.2 points per game and shoot 43 percent from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. They are also quite good from the free throw line shooting 75%.

Duke is led by Harding, Bales and Abby Waner. Harding runs the point and is their stopper on defense. She likes to penetrate the lane and create her shot, rather than settling for 3s, as she has taken only 36 all year. One of the reasons we won last year is because she fouled out and Duke didn't have a capable back up point guard. Waner is their 3-point specialist, shooting 36 percent and taking the most on the team (her sister is second on the squad). She leads the team in steals primarily because she comes over to trap with Harding and is the one who gets the ball. They also trap with Gay. Bales will forever be linked to not being tall enough, but she's a solid player in the middle for them. She's a shot blocker and tall enough to give our post players fits. She is shooting under 50 percent from the floor and I wonder if that is because she is settling for jumpers. Gay and Smith are the other starters. Gay is the athletic post player, but lacks the height of Black. Smith is the two/three guard who will shoot the 3, but is more likely to pass the ball and play tough defense.

Keys to the Game

Beat the trap. Kristi, Marissa, Shay and Sa'de need to bring the ball to the middle instead of the side so that Duke's trap is ineffective. In the same vein, we must give the ballhandler an outlet if and when she gets trapped. The posts should space themselves out in the paint so that Bales can't guard both of them at the same time.

Rebound. Duke relies on Bales and Gay to get a majority of their rebounds. If we rebound, they can't set up the trap and it keeps Duke from getting second chance opportunities. In the two games we beat Duke last year, we outrebounded them. In the losses, they outrebounded us.

Attack their defense. We can't always settle for jumpers not matter how good we are at shooting them. When I watched the VT game, I saw Duke got itself in trouble with its aggressive defense leading to all five starters getting in foul trouble in the first half. We can't be afraid of Bales just like we weren't afraid of DeHaan. Bales on the bench equals inexperience in the paint.

Be prepared for the crowd. Luckily, we have a veteran team that has played in that hostile environment before so we should be ready for it, but you never know. It will be loud and hostile, and we need to block it all out. One way to take the crowd out of the game is to go on one of our patented runs early on.

Be prepared for a run. Duke will make a run during the game, hopefully it's a 4-0 to 6-0 run and not the long ones like they normally go on against us. If this happens, we need to not be frazzled and just answer them.

Langhorne. She needs to recognize right away if they are going to double her and find the open shooter. If not, she can take Bales 1v1. If Black guards her, ditto. I would be shocked if Gail let Langhorne be played straight up.

Sa'de. Time to see if that quickness can beat the press. She needs to take the ball and go to the hoop and dish it off when the shot blockers come.

Protect the ball. 20 turnovers works against less talented teams, it won't work against Duke. Not too many risky gambles.

Make the free throws. Abby Waner missed one that lost her team the game, we don't need to have that happen to us.

Posts must stay out of foul trouble. just like Duke we are thin in the post and if Langhorne and Harper are sitting on the bench, then Bales will get many touches.

Articles

Washington Post

Washington Times

Baltimore Sun

Raleigh News and Observer

Examiner

Fayetteville Observer

Friday's Opponents' Results
Temple beat St. Bonaventure, 73-55
Marist beat Canisius, 63-54
George Washington beat Fordam, 77-51
Siena beat Fairfield, 57-52
Loyola plays Manhattan, 66-56

Opponents in Action
UNC Greensboro plays Appalachian St.
Middle Tennessee plays New Orleans
UC Santa Barbara plays UC Davis
Arizona plays Oregon State.