Duke Blue Devils
ACC (27-6, 12-4)
Everything was looking good for Duke in late January. The Blue Devils were 21-1 against a very tough schedule. The lone loss came against Connecticut and they beat squads like Purdue, Kentucky, Oklahoma, California and Florida State. But as the ACC schedule got even tougher and injuries ravaged Coach Joanne P. McCallie’s team, Duke faltered. They ended the regular season winning just four of their last eight games.
Big Wins: 12/5 Purdue (99-78), 12/22 at Kentucky (69-61), 2/20 North Carolina State (83-70)
Bad Losses: 12/17 Connecticut (61-83), 2/10 North Carolina (78-89), 3/2 at North Carolina (60-64)
Coach: Joanne P. McCallie (7 seasons at Duke)
Why They Can Surprise:
This is still Duke and they have been a fixture in the Elite Eight recently. Tricia Liston is one of the best pure shooters in the nation and has done a superb job mixing up her game and attacking the basket more often during her senior season. But she still does most of her damage from beyond the arc where she shoots an amazing 50.0 percent. Haley Peters, a 6-3 wing, will not shoot like Liston, but she is a very tough rebounder and a solid scoring option. Elizabeth Williams is a menace on both ends of the floor. The center is an efficient scorer around the basket and one of the best shot blockers in the country.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Unfortunately for Duke, the big story is about the injuries. Point guard Chelsea Gray was lost for the year with a knee injury on January 12th. It looked like the Blue Devils could recover from the loss of their floor leader thanks to the play of sophomore Alexis Jones, but Jones too was lost for the year on February 23rd. That leaves a lot of pressure on Liston to help carry the backcourt load. It has also forced Richa Jackson into a much bigger role than expected. Duke is suddenly without both of their assist leaders and that is a huge concern heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Richa Jackson, Senior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 1.4 apg
Tricia Liston, Senior, Guard, 17.3 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.2 rpg
Haley Peters, Senior, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Amber Henson, Freshman, Forward, 1.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Elizabeth Williams, Junior, Center, 14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Oderah Chidom, Freshman, Forward, 5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Ka’lia Johnson, Junior, Guard, 3.8 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.6 (16th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.2 (104, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.2 (3, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.4 (47, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (133, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.5 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.7 (252, 8)
Rebound Margin: 8.4 (19, 3)
Assists Per Game: 17.4 (14, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.3 (256, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Oklahoma State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Nebraska
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Notre Dame
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Samford
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Vanderbilt
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over St. John's
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Stanford
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee-Martin
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Marist
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over DePaul
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over San Diego State
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to Baylor
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Austin Peay
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Murray State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arizona State
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Texas A&M
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Holy Cross
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Rutgers
*all team stats through 3/6
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
