DWBB: 2018 Season

[jimsumner]

The Duke women defeated Alaska-Anchorage 87-56 tonight in an exhibition game. UAA is a perennial D-2 power and went 30-2 last season, 97-7 over the last three seasons. Their MO is fast-break, press, frequent substitution, create havoc.

Not very big, like most D-2 teams, but scrappy and not at all intimidated by Cameron.

In other words, a test.

In addition to this game, I've watched last week's scrimmage, some practice and had a bunch of conversations with players and staff.

So, some general observations.

First, some injury updates.

Kyra Lambert suffered an ACL injury in the NCAAT last season and underwent surgery. She is not practicing yet. I'm told it's 50-50 if she returns this season. No firm go/no-go date but Duke opens ACC play December 31. I suspect she needs to be back by then or pretty close afterwards or Duke will sit her out and protect her redshirt.

Freshman Mikalya Boykin left tonight's game with a knee injury and did not play in the second half. I'm told it's likely a bone bruise and not likely to be serious. But she did miss her sophomore and junior seasons at Clinton High School with knee issues, so fingers crossed.

Haley Gorecki has missed a season and half with hip and shoulder injuries but she's fine now, albeit more than a little rusty.

This happened last spring but Lynee Belton was forced to give up the sport due to chronic knee problems. She's still with the program as a student assistant coach.

Sofia Roma set out last season as a transfer from Wagner. She underwent knee surgery earlier this fall and is unlikely to ever play for Duke.

Redshirt freshman Emily Schubert is recovered from knee surgery. But she was a DNP-CD tonight and is a long way from being able to play at this level.

With that out of the way. . . .

Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell are the returning mainstays. Greenwell is one of the best players in the ACC and Brown is one of the best players in the country. In fact, Brown was pre-season ACC Player of the Year. She's darn near the perfect player; athletic, skilled, smart, tough, a born leader and hyper competitive. Her father Dee played umpteen years in the NBA and this is the family business. She knows what she's doing.

Greenwell came to Duke as a shooter and she's on track to break all the school's 3-point records. But she's more than that. She led Duke in rebounds last season--at 6-1--has become a solid defender and good ball-handler.

Leaonna Odom is, IMO, the key to the season. She was a promising but erratic freshman last season. I'm frequently told some variation of "she doesn't know how good she can be."

I think she's figuring it out. She's a thin 6-2 but is almost unstoppable inside. She's very quick and can run all day. Try to guard her with a conventional 4 and she'll run them into the ground. Odom has great positional awareness. She always seems to know where she is in relation to the basket, the backboard, her teammates and her opponents and just finds open water where there shouldn't be open water.

She's still a work in progress. Her handle has improved but she's hasn't shown any shooting range longer than about 10 feet. But assertiveness is the question. If she's assertive, there's no reason why she can't give Duke 15 or so PPG. She's a budding star.

Is anyone else ready to be more than a complementary player? Returnees are senior post Erin Matthias, junior wing Faith Suggs and Gorecki.

Mathias is an intriguing player. She's 6-4, can run and has some skills. McCallie said tonight that Mathias succeeds when she "simplifies" the game. When she's fluid and decisive, she's effective. But she can overthink things. Duke needs her to rebound and defend. Any offense is gravy.

Newcomers?

Boykin could be really good and if Lambert doesn't come back, she's even more of a key. She averaged more than 37 ppg last year for a state champion. But that was a 2-A school and because of her knee problems, she didn't play a lot on the summer AAU circuit.

Boykin presses 150, btw, a McCallie-era Duke freshman record.

Grad-transfer Bez Davalos adds post depth. She's 6-3, a native of Mexico and played three seasons at Fresno State. She was one of the NCAA's leading rebounders and shot blockers last season. She seems smart and fundamentally sound. But she's not a great athlete and she's moving up in class. Can she keep up with ACC athletes?

Mathias and Davalos are both good and willing passers, not always the case with Duke posts.

Jade Williams is a 6-5 McDonald's All-American. She looked good last week, looked lost tonight. A high ceiling but it may take some time. Jayda Adams is a combo guard who looks like she's a keeper. Tough defender and can hit an open J. Madison Treece is a physical 6-4.

Lots of talent and lots of options. Still raw. Duke had 22 turnovers against UAA. And the schedule includes road trips to South Carolina, Louisville, and Miami. But it's early November and there is young talent that should get better.

This time last season, the perception was that the Duke program was in free-fall. Last season was a bounce-back season but Duke needs to build on that, especially in a season when the two best players are grad students.

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks for the report, had no idea we had an injury list thrice as long as the football team.

Good luck to the team!

[grossbus]

“Duke had 22 turnovers against UAA.”

Proving we can turn it over against anyone.

[CameronBornAndBred]

“Duke had 22 turnovers against UAA.”

Proving we can turn it over against anyone.

I think in the blue-white game there were 39 turnovers in 40 minutes, so getting better! :cool:

[jimsumner]

I think in the blue-white game there were 39 turnovers in 40 minutes, so getting better! :cool:

Yes, but in the B/W game, Duke forced 39 turnovers.

[Kedsy]

Thanks for the report, had no idea we had an injury list thrice as long as the football team.

Good luck to the team!

I second all of this. Thanks, Jim.

Though I was hoping for just one season where the injury bug didn't consume half the DWBB team.

[uh_no]

Yes, but in the B/W game, Duke forced 39 turnovers.

I wasn't able to watch....but any idea how many were steals and how many were, as tennis nuts would put it, unforced errors?

[dudog84]

Lexie Brown had the 6th most votes for the AP pre-season All-America team. I would include a link, but I found it on the NCAA page and I felt a little dirty just going there. The other articles I found only mentioned the top 5.

[dudog84]

Also, for those interested, the Chronicle has several articles up today. No time to read yet, don't know if they give more info than Jim did.

http://www.dukechronicle.com/section/womens-basketball

[dudog84]

Olivia Nelson-Ododa to make her decision Wednesday. She is #5 according to espn, one of only three top 100 left and the only top 50. She is coming back from a knee injury and I believe was the #1 ranked player before her injury (dropped in rankings because she obviously did not play the summer circuit this year).

Our current top recruit is #81, so she would be a big get. But from my limited observations, after the top 10 women's high school basketball evaluations are all over the place and not to be trusted. Any of the other girls might be a rough gem.

She says she wants to study medicine so Duke should have a sizable advantage in recruiting her. If we miss on her, that does not bode well.

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/215965/olivia-nelson-ododa

Ignore the schools on the evaluation link, a late October story says she is down to us, Uconn, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina. We were her last campus visit (hopefully a good sign), I think last weekend.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Olivia Nelson-Ododa to make her decision Wednesday. She is #5 according to espn, one of only three top 100 left and the only top 50. She is coming back from a knee injury and I believe was the #1 ranked player before her injury (dropped in rankings because she obviously did not play the summer circuit this year).

Our current top recruit is #81, so she would be a big get. But from my limited observations, after the top 10 women's high school basketball evaluations are all over the place and not to be trusted. Any of the other girls might be a rough gem.

She says she wants to study medicine so Duke should have a sizable advantage in recruiting her. If we miss on her, that does not bode well.

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/215965/olivia-nelson-ododa

Ignore the schools on the evaluation link, a late October story says she is down to us, Uconn, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina. We were her last campus visit (hopefully a good sign), I think last weekend.

Thanks for update. I think your "rough gem" comment is a good one, always a possibility in WBB. Would be odd not having a top tier class since we seem to get them all the time. Assistant coaches and staff changes make a big impact in the recruiting category, and we've had a few lately.

[Kedsy]

Odd season opener against Grand Canyon. Odd because Duke dominated the boards (39.4% OR%; 86.7% DR%), didn't turn the ball over so much (18 assists vs. 15 turnovers), shot 54.8% from three-range (eFG of 52.6%), got to the line reasonably well (31.0% free throw rate; hit 72.2% of FTs), played pretty good defense (0.90 opposing points per possession, with 11 Duke steals), and only won by 13.

Becca was the player of the game (19 pts, 7 rebs, 5 assists against only 1 TO, 5 for 5 from three-range). Lexie could have played better, but still had 13-6-6. Erin missed some layups early, but ended up shooting 50% and had 12 and 9.

This is the first I've seen the women this season. The five starters look very strong, and they played a lot (37, 36, 32, 32, 27 minutes). The non-starters appear to be a work-in-progress.

I'll be interested to see how we look against better competition. We play #19 Oregon State on Thanksgiving weekend, and then back-to-back against #5 Ohio State and #4 South Carolina on Nov 30/Dec 3, so I guess we don't have long to wait.

[Jim3k]

Odd season opener against Grand Canyon. Odd because Duke dominated the boards (39.4% OR%; 86.7% DR%), didn't turn the ball over so much (18 assists vs. 15 turnovers), shot 54.8% from three-range (eFG of 52.6%), got to the line reasonably well (31.0% free throw rate; hit 72.2% of FTs), played pretty good defense (0.90 opposing points per possession, with 11 Duke steals), and only won by 13.

Becca was the player of the game (19 pts, 7 rebs, 5 assists against only 1 TO, 5 for 5 from three-range). Lexie could have played better, but still had 13-6-6. Erin missed some layups early, but ended up shooting 50% and had 12 and 9.

This is the first I've seen the women this season. The five starters look very strong, and they played a lot (37, 36, 32, 32, 27 minutes). The non-starters appear to be a work-in-progress.

I'll be interested to see how we look against better competition. We play #19 Oregon State on Thanksgiving weekend, and then back-to-back against #5 Ohio State and #4 South Carolina on Nov 30/Dec 3, so I guess we don't have long to wait.

In general, I agree. The scoring was extremely well-balanced, but our poor perimeter defense kept Grand Canyon in the game. P's famous match-up zone did not account for those shooters for it did not extend into either corner. From those corners the Lopes hit 8 threes, none of which were closely defended. That's 24 points we shouldn't have given up.

I also think that freshman Mikayla Boykin will be a star at some point. She's really good. Too, I liked the board work of Bego Faz Davalos, the Mexican grad transfer from Fresno State. She missed some chippies, but I don't see why that will continue. She's a force, except at the line.

The team needs to improve the FT shooting. 72% will not be good enough later in the season. Faz Davalos needs to be able to feed at the FT line.

It was certainly nice to see Gorecki on the floor. Healthy, she can contribute. Let her scrape some rust off. She'll be fine.

All in all, not a bad opener, even if Grand Canyon turns out to not be as good as they appeared here. I expect Coach P was very happy with the balanced scoring, despite the fact that the team did not display an explosive runout. With Greenwell and Brown, that will certainly happen.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I didn't get to watch it, but I kept an eye on the score and was surprised at how close it was, but I also assumed it was in Cameron. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that I realized we were playing an away game in Phoenix. I'd lend that fact to allowing for it being closer than I expected. (But like I said, I wasn't watching and don't know how the crowd looked.)

Thanks for the reports from those that saw the action.

[burnspbesq]

Going to respectfully disagree with Jim about the perimeter defense. GCU shot 8-25 from three, on the way to an overall 0.9 PPP. It can and must get better, but that’s perfectly respectable defense for a season opener.

I also think this year’s GCU team is going to be a lot better than the one that lost by 30 in Cameron last year. To cite only one example, Lee, the primary post player, scored two points all of last year; she had 10 yesterday. The new staff (former Stanford All-American and WNBA All-Star Nicole Powell as head coach and new top assistant Nikki Blue) appear to have gotten solid buy-in to the new system.

I wonder which is going to be the real Erin Mathias: the one who rushed on easy shots and went 0-4 in the first half, or the one who let the game come to her and went 5-6 after halftime. If we get 12 and nine from her every night, that’s a huge boost.

Finally, you won’t hear me complain about 18 assists on 27 made field goals, or a 22-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

[burnspbesq]

Very happy with the way Duke slammed the door late. After Lee’s FTs made it a seven-point game with 5:57 to go, Duke went on a 9-0 run that ended with Murphy’s meaningless three at 0:02. During that stretch, Boykin hit a killer three on a kick-out after an offensive rebound, and Duke went 6-6 from the line. GCU had more turnovers than shot attempts.

[Mike Corey]

Here's hoping this is the season Duke WBB breaks through and back into the Final Four (in Columbus!!)

Thanks for the helpful reports, Mr. Sumner et al., for those of us that haven't seen this squad on TV or in person just yet.

Hope a lot of you can attend the Ohio State @ Duke game on 11/30. The Buckeyes are very fun to watch, and I'm hopeful Duke's team is as well.

[throatybeard]

Thanks for the report, had no idea we had an injury list thrice as long as the football team.


This is basketball now, men's and women's. It has gotten so violent; even when you suffer a "non-contact" knee injury, who knows how much the wrestling match inside the 3-point arc contributed to it before it gave way.

It's no wonder a lot of the best players want to chuck 3s from a comfortable distance.

[DevilYouKnow]

I know I shouldn't... but I fantasize about how this team would be without the transfer attrition, especially if we retained Azura.

[jimsumner]

I know I shouldn't... but I fantasize about how this team would be without the transfer attrition, especially if we retained Azura.

Wanna play what-might-have-been?

Asia Durr came down to Duke and Louisville. And she might be the best player in the country.

[uh_no]

I know I shouldn't... but I fantasize about how this team would be without the transfer attrition, especially if we retained Azura.

after starring for Duke, she didn't even start yesterday for Connecticut, which is not a knock on Azura, but pointing out that even if uconn didn't have Azura, and given they finally lost once last year by 2 points, they're still on a different level.

It would be like NCSU looking at Duke and saying "if only we had javin delaurier," Sure it would be great, but it wouldn't put a dent in the gap between the two.

[Kedsy]

In general, I agree. The scoring was extremely well-balanced, but our poor perimeter defense kept Grand Canyon in the game. P's famous match-up zone did not account for those shooters for it did not extend into either corner. From those corners the Lopes hit 8 threes, none of which were closely defended. That's 24 points we shouldn't have given up.

Not sure I get this logic. You think Grand Canyon shouldn't have hit any of their three-point attempts? Grand Canyon averaged 33% on their threes last year. They shot 32% on threes last night. If they'd hit 7 of 25 (28%) that would generally be considered pretty good three-point defense by most people. So maybe that's 3 points we shouldn't have given up, but not 24.

Also, while GC did have a few open three-attempts, I thought most of their eight makes from out there were very well defended. They just happened to go in.


I also think that freshman Mikayla Boykin will be a star at some point. She's really good.

I completely agree. She's playing alongside two great perimeter players, so she seemed to defer a fair amount. But as her confidence grows, she's going to be a good one.



Too, I liked the board work of Bego Faz Davalos, the Mexican grad transfer from Fresno State. She missed some chippies, but I don't see why that will continue. She's a force, except at the line.

... Faz Davalos needs to be able to feed at the FT line.

I wasn't as impressed with Ms. Davalos as you appear to be. Maybe it was jitters, but to me it looked like several rebounds bounced out of her hands, she seemed a step slow on defense, and the angles she used on several of her close-in shots were wrong. She's big, and uses her size well, but my first impression of her is she'll be a serviceable backup big, not a "force." Hopefully, I'm wrong and she'll become a major contributor.

Also, after watching her form on her three free throws last night, I hope to never see her shoot another free throw, ever again. I can't imagine she'll ever be "feeding" there.



The team needs to improve the FT shooting. 72% will not be good enough later in the season.


Here are season-long FT% for Duke women's teams for the past 10 years:

2016-17: 75%
2015-16: 66%
2014-15: 68%
2013-14: 66%
2012-13: 74%
2011-12: 69%
2010-11: 65%
2009-10: 67%
2008-09: 70%
2007-08: 67%

Looking at that, I'd say 72% would be pretty good.


after starring for Duke, she didn't even start yesterday for Connecticut, which is not a knock on Azura, but pointing out that even if uconn didn't have Azura, and given they finally lost once last year by 2 points, they're still on a different level.

It would be like NCSU looking at Duke and saying "if only we had javin delaurier," Sure it would be great, but it wouldn't put a dent in the gap between the two.

Come on, stop bragging. We all know UConn is on another level. Azura was first team All-ACC and an honorable mention All-American as a sophomore at Duke. As much as I like Javin DeLaurier, comparing the two is ridiculous.

[dudog84]

I know I shouldn't... but I fantasize about how this team would be without the transfer attrition, especially if we retained Azura.

Without transfers, we also wouldn't have Lexie. Probably a tough call, but I'll take Lexie.

Azura wasn't a top-20 player in high school, so who knows if Geno even noticed her. Then she blew up at Duke. I don't know if it was the program or a better chance at a national championship, but I can't imagine trading a Duke degree for a UConn degree (but I'm biased). WNBA salaries are not great, but I don't know what the endorsement/overseas money is like. Probably great if you're Diana Taurasi or Candace Parker, not so great if you're most of the talent. I may be very wrong about that.

But once you're in the pros, I don't think they care much about where you went to college. Everyone has different priorities, and that's ok. I tremble to think about what goes on in a 20-year-old brain.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Without transfers, we also wouldn't have Lexie. Probably a tough call, but I'll take Lexie.

Azura wasn't a top-20 player in high school, so who knows if Geno even noticed her. Then she blew up at Duke. I don't know if it was the program or a better chance at a national championship, but I can't imagine trading a Duke degree for a UConn degree (but I'm biased). WNBA salaries are not great, but I don't know what the endorsement/overseas money is like. Probably great if you're Diana Taurasi or Candace Parker, not so great if you're most of the talent. I may be very wrong about that.

But once you're in the pros, I don't think they care much about where you went to college. Everyone has different priorities, and that's ok. I tremble to think about what goes on in a 20-year-old brain.

I'm pretty sure it was the program that spurred her to transfer. She is playing on the same team as 3 All Americans (first time that has happened), so it's not like she be able to stand out in the same way she could have at Duke. She'll be playing pro somewhere, but maybe not as likely to get drafted in the WNBA had she stayed in Durham. At least she has 2 more years to make the most of her new school.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke inched another notch closer to the top 10 this week, moving from 12 to 11.

[jimsumner]

Duke target Olivia Nelson-Ododa committed to UConn today.

She was the last elite player on the board. Duke signed a couple of marginal top-100 players but not enough to offset the losses of Brown, Greenwell, Mathias and Davalos.

[chrishoke]

That one hurts.

[Kedsy]

After a little bit of a slow start (up only 23-19 after the first quarter), Duke settled down and won a convincing 77-50 victory over a decent High Point squad.

Lexie was a tad shaky with the ball (6 turnovers against only 3 assists), especially early, but she was fouled almost every time she touched the ball (and went 11 for 11 from the line) and ended up with 24 points and 6 steals. The team shot only 1 for 9 from three-point-land, but compensated by dominating the offensive boards (56.3% OR%) and forcing 22 turnovers. Interestingly, Mikayla played mostly PG, even when she and Lexie were both in the game, and she responded with 7 assists (against 4 to's). Becca didn't shoot well, but she was active and had 10 points with 8 rebounds. Leaonna looked good, stayed out of foul trouble, and ended with 16 and 9 (plus a block and a steal), on 80% shooting. Erin had 11 and 7, with 2 blocks. Bego looked better than she did last game (2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block in 15 minutes). Jade Williams only played 14 minutes, but in that short time she stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 5 boards, an assist, 2 blocks, and a steal.

I'm still not sure how good this team is, but I suppose we'll have a better idea after we play #18 Oregon State, #5 Ohio State, and #4 South Carolina during a four-games-in-nine-days stretch between November 25 and December 3.

[Kedsy]

It was a packed house (unusual for Villanova's women) and the fans were into it, but with a minute and a half before halftime, Duke looked pretty much in control of the game, leading 28 to 18. Over the next 12 minutes however, Villanova outscored Duke 32 to 8, including an 18 to 2 run over a 7 minute stretch spanning the end of the 2nd quarter and half of the 3rd, and Duke ended up on the wrong end of a 64 to 55 game.

You have to hand it to Villanova. They were very patient against our zone, made quick passes around the perimeter until they found the open shooter, and hit the open shots. It probably didn't help that Lexie Brown picked up her fourth foul with 6:42 to go in the 3rd quarter (her third foul in less than four minutes of game time -- and she was on the bench for about a minute out of those four minutes). Lexie and Becca combined for 2 for 10 from three point range, while Nova's Kelly Jekot was 7 for 9 from out there.

Leaonna had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Jade had 7 rebounds in 13 minutes, and Haley didn't necessarily light up the stat sheet (5 points and 1 rebound in 16 minutes) but she played well.

[DU82]

It was a packed house (unusual for Villanova's women) and the fans were into it, but with a minute and a half before halftime, Duke looked pretty much in control of the game, leading 28 to 18. Over the next 12 minutes however, Villanova outscored Duke 32 to 8, including an 18 to 2 run over a 7 minute stretch spanning the end of the 2nd quarter and half of the 3rd, and Duke ended up on the wrong end of a 64 to 55 game.

You have to hand it to Villanova. They were very patient against our zone, made quick passes around the perimeter until they found the open shooter, and hit the open shots. It probably didn't help that Lexie Brown picked up her fourth foul with 6:42 to go in the 3rd quarter (her third foul in less than four minutes of game time -- and she was on the bench for about a minute out of those four minutes). Lexie and Becca combined for 2 for 10 from three point range, while Nova's Kelly Jekot was 7 for 9 from out there.

Leaonna had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Jade had 7 rebounds in 13 minutes, and Haley didn't necessarily light up the stat sheet (5 points and 1 rebound in 16 minutes) but she played well.

Villanova's primary style is three point shooting, which is Duke's primary weakness on defense. (That, and our lack of shooting, especially with Lexie in foul trouble.) Harry Perretta (in his 39th year) recruits to his style, and gets good, smart shooters who can follow is offensive scheme. They are typically patient and pass on the perimeter to find the open shooter. Some years are better than others, and this is one of the good years. Last year, they were down and we handled them in Cameron fairly easily. This year they rode their three-point shooting, 15-40. Even though we dominated the boards, they had fewer turnovers and of course the three-point shooting.

Villanova's playing in the Jake Gavin Field House while their arena (the Pavilion) undergoes a complete renovation. (The men are playing mostly in the CoreStates/First Union/Wachovia/Wells Fargo Center, with one game in the field house, and a couple in the Palestra.) One of 'Nova's assistants is Laura Kurz, who transferred from Duke to Villanova and is one of Villanova's top all-time players, even in just two years.

[Kedsy]

This year they rode their three-point shooting, 15-40.

Nova only hit one of their first 10 three point shots, which means they shot 14 for 30 after that. Unfortunately, it was just too much for Duke to overcome.


Villanova's playing in the Jake Gavin Field House while their arena (the Pavilion) undergoes a complete renovation.

It was a fun atmosphere in an 85 year old arena.

[dudog84]

This was a terrible loss. From what I can tell, Villanova has only 1 top-100 recruit (Jekot was #50 in her class).

Was going to write more, but think I'll wait a few more games. I still have high hopes for this year's team, but I'm wavering.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Was going to write more, but think I'll wait a few more games. I still have high hopes for this year's team, but I'm wavering.
Welcome to DWB.

[DukeDad02]

Coaching - or lack thereof - matters

[DU82]

In better news, South Alabama beat Sylvia's cheaters in Chapel Hill, 85-84. South Alabama lost to State on Friday by 21.

Wake is losing to Rutgers 15-5 at the end of the first quarter.

[dudog84]

Welcome to DWB.

Thanks, but I've been following it for a while. It's one game, I try to stay positive. We'll know more about this team in a few weeks.

If you want the negative, there's another board you can visit that is positively giddy over this outcome.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Thanks, but I've been following it for a while. It's one game, I try to stay positive. We'll know more about this team in a few weeks.

If you want the negative, there's another board you can visit that is positively giddy over this outcome.

With all due respect, I know you are a longtime follower and fan. This one reminds me of the Vandy loss, but I'm more optimistic about our prospects down the road than I was after that debacle. I feel way more confident in this team...I have faith that in the next few months this group of ladies is going to be very good. I'm tossing this loss into the "that sucked but it's a good lesson" bin.

[dudog84]

With all due respect, I know you are a longtime follower and fan. This one reminds me of the Vandy loss, but I'm more optimistic about our prospects down the road than I was after that debacle. I feel way more confident in this team...I have faith that in the next few months this group of ladies is going to be very good. I'm tossing this loss into the "that sucked but it's a good lesson" bin.

Yeah, I'm hoping Final Four for this team. But I didn't want to jinx it. Darn, just did (hope not). I don't know why I check out that other board, maybe to appreciate how good/reasonable this board is.

I really think Davalos is the key for this team. I think we know what to expect from the others (one of the best backcourts in the nation, Odom a soph now, smart and steady play from Mathias, talented freshmen that hopefully play like sophs by March) but we need another big body up front. We need her to step up.

[uh_no]

Yeah, I'm hoping Final Four for this team.

That ought to be the hope for any team that's ranked where duke is. I'm not sure I would put duke as any sort of a "sleeper" among those teams at this point, especially given they now have likely the worst loss among all ranked teams. That may not be telling, though....could be a fluke. after all, USC lost a few games to unranked teams last year....

the games against OSU and USC back to back ought to be very revealing. even a split there would be a huge accomplishment.


The other thing yet to be seen is how good some of the other teams are.

[Kedsy]

I really think Davalos is the key for this team. I think we know what to expect from the others (one of the best backcourts in the nation, Odom a soph now, smart and steady play from Mathias, talented freshmen that hopefully play like sophs by March) but we need another big body up front. We need her to step up.

Today at least, Jade was much more of a contributor than Bego. My guess is that will continue, but I guess we'll have to see. At the moment, it's a big dropoff from Erin to either one of them.

[grossbus]

“
If you want the negative, there's another board you can visit that is positively giddy over this outcome. ”

Giddy is not a true characterization. Seething would be closer. This team will continue to struggle against teams with decent talent and a good coach, because we have a bad coach.

[uh_no]

This team will continue to struggle against teams with decent talent and a good coach, because we have a bad coach.

there are better ways to say this.

I think coach P did a pretty good job with the team last year. close loss to ND and beating the national champion? Those are darn good performances for a team coming off missing the tournament.

could a different coach have increased our chances of beating nova? maybe...

but given it seems P made some adjustments last year both on and off the court, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt this year.

Everyone has bad losses every once in a while (even uconn lost to un-ranked st. johns in 2012). time will tell whether the ceiling for this team is at eye level or in the attic.

[burnspbesq]

Playing Villanova is the women’s basketball equivalent of playing an option team in football. There are no lessons to be drawn from it. Move on.

[uh_no]

Playing Villanova is the women’s basketball equivalent of playing an option team in football. There are no lessons to be drawn from it. Move on.

and yet, we're drawing plenty of lessons from duke's win over GT saturday!

there are plenty of reasons not to read too much into such an early season loss...i don't think there's anything unique about it being villanova.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke drops 5 spots to 16th in the latest AP rankings. Their win moved Nova to 27th.

[Kedsy]

Got to give Coach P this much: she's not afraid to play on the road. Duke played it's third true road game out of its first four games, and this time won in a blowout, 84-51, over Old Dominion.

Lexie scored 28, with 8 assists, 8 boards, and 3 steals, going 4 for 6 from three-land. Becca scored 22 with 9 rebounds and 2 steals, going 6 for 7 from deep. And Haley hit 3 of 5 three-pointers, for 11 points in 14 minutes. Erin had another solid game, with 7 points and 6 rebounds. Mikayla shot just 1 for 10 from the field (1 for 5 on layups), but had 4 assists against zero turnovers.

Duke once again dominated the boards, with 41% OR% and 71% DR%, and even had a stellar 19 to 9 a/to ratio. ODU took 50% of their shots from three-range, but only hit 23% of them (it doesn't approach Villanova attempting 72% of their shots from distance, but 50% is still a lot).

Clearly ODU was overmatched, but this time the Devils did what they were supposed to do against an overmatched opponent.

[jimsumner]

Good win today over Oregon State, 72-65. OSU is ranked #17 and made the Final Four a couple of years ago. They're basically Villanova, with a low-post presence, 6-5 German Marie Gulich. She had 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocks but also five turnovers.

In fact, Duke forced 18 turnovers, while committing only nine, the second-consecutive single-digit turnover game and a welcome respite from Duke's recent turnover-prone team. A great harbinger for things to come if Duke can maintain it.

The usual suspects played well for Duke. Lexie Brown had 19 points, five assists and two huge steals-turned-into-layups-down the stretch. Rebecca Greenwell had 17 points and nine rebounds, Leaonna Odom 16 and eight.

That's the big three that will carry Duke this season.

The complementary players were complementary.

Duke led much of the game but the visitors cut a nine-point Duke lead to one about four minutes into the final quarter. Duke called timeout and stabilized nicely.

A good win for Duke's confidence and it will look nice come NCAA seeding-time.

[chrishoke]

Those 2 steals, pick-sixes by Lexie were daggers. Very nice win. Becca did a great job creating her own shot.

[Kedsy]

The complementary players were complementary.

It wasn't really reflected in the box score, but Erin Matthias and Haley Gorecki played really well.

Leaonna scored 12 points in the first half and seemed fairly unstoppable. Mikayla had four assists and hit two early threes, doubling her season total and helping Duke shoot 47.4% from three-land for the game (9 for 19). Overall, this was probably Duke's best game of the year so far.

[jimsumner]

It wasn't really reflected in the box score, but Erin Matthias and Haley Gorecki played really well.

Leaonna scored 12 points in the first half and seemed fairly unstoppable. Mikayla had four assists and hit two early threes, doubling her season total and helping Duke shoot 47.4% from three-land for the game (9 for 19). Overall, this was probably Duke's best game of the year so far.

Greenwell had nine rebounds. When asked about it, she went out of her way to praise Mathias for blocking out Gulich and keeping her out of the way,

[jimsumner]

OSU coach Scott Rueck had an interesting response when asked about Brown's two late steals.

"Anytime you are running a zone defense, and I’ve run a lot in my career, when you are a veteran zone team, they become psychologists and they read your eyes. They know where you want to go. They prey on weakness and doubt. We’re looking around and we’re getting into this set or that set and she jumped two passes. She’d been sitting off that passing lane pretty much all day, allowed that pass to the wing and then two times in a row catches us looking at wrong things and makes plays that really good players make. That’s a veteran doing what veterans do, I think. Making plays to win games.”

[chrishoke]

OSU coach Scott Rueck had an interesting response when asked about Brown's two late steals.

"Anytime you are running a zone defense, and I’ve run a lot in my career, when you are a veteran zone team, they become psychologists and they read your eyes. They know where you want to go. They prey on weakness and doubt. We’re looking around and we’re getting into this set or that set and she jumped two passes. She’d been sitting off that passing lane pretty much all day, allowed that pass to the wing and then two times in a row catches us looking at wrong things and makes plays that really good players make. That’s a veteran doing what veterans do, I think. Making plays to win games.”

Nice find Jim.

[jimsumner]

Nice find Jim.

Well, I did ask him the question. :)

[du_bb1]

Well one Jim

[jimsumner]

Duke had a solid 79-45 win over Presbyterian this afternoon.

Remember, this game started about 21 hours after the end of the Oregon State game.

Presbyterian isn't good enough to make this a true trap game but it was interesting to see how Duke would respond to the short turn-around.

Presbyterian is a typical mid-major team, undersized, with lots of ball-handlers and shooters.

They really used the shot clock, all 30 seconds of it. Early on Duke was playing 25 or so seconds of solid defense but giving up a decent shot at the end of the clock. They also allowed the visitors to grab seven offensive rebounds in the first half, mostly chasing down long misses.

As a result, they kept it close for awhile, trailing only 36-28 at the half.

Duke tightened up in the second half, playing good defense through the shot clock. Presbyterian started getting shot-clock violations, held balls, bad shots, turnovers. Duke outscored them 20-9 in the third, 23-8 in the fourth.

As I suggested yesterday, Duke has a distinct big three and all three played well today. Rebecca Greenwell had 22 points, making 5-of-10 3-pointers. She's four away from Tricia Liston's school record. Lexie Brown had 18 points, seven assists, five steals and no turnovers. Leaonna Odom went 14 and 10.

Some nice efforts off the bench. Faith Suggs had eight points and even started the second half, ahead of Boykin. Freshmen bigs Madison Treece and Jade Williams combined for 11 points and two rebounds, albeit against 6-1 posts. Still, they're freshmen, so any sign of growth is encouraging.

Duke did dodge one bullet. Brown went down in the first half and didn't get up for awhile. But she came back a few minutes later and played out with no signs of distress. She said she rolled an ankle and was fine. In fact, she said she tripped herself.

Duke hosts The Ohio State University next Thursday in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. They're ranked in the top-10 and feature Kelsey Mitchell, a high-scoring wing who has a legit shot at passing Kelsey Plum to become the career leading scorer in NCAA women's hoops. She's lights out from 3-point range.

As an aside, you might think about naming your next daughter Kelsey.

Former Duke player Sierra Calhoun also plays for OSU.

A good game to attend, should one be inclined to that sort of thing.

[dudog84]

Villanova moved into the AP poll for the first time in 13 years...so maybe the loss wasn't all that bad. Early season game on the road in a high school gym.

The next 2 games will tell us a lot.

[Mike Corey]

Really wishing I could attend the Duke-OSU matchup.

The Bucks are loaded. They're 2-0 against Stanford this season. Their only other ranked opponent was #4 Louisville, which beat the Bucks in overtime.

[msdukie]

Your ESPN2 analyst for Ohio State @ Duke: someone named Gail Goestenkors.....

[Mike Corey]

Is that true?! Oh man.

Even more excited for the game tonight.

[chrishoke]

Your ESPN2 analyst for Ohio State @ Duke: someone named Gail Goestenkors....

WOW!

[DU82]

End of one, 26-17 Duke. Frantic pace, led by Lexie’s 13. tOSU is a run and shoot chaos type team, and we’re getting back on D and controlling them and the tempo.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Really, really happy by the first half so far on the court.
Above the court? Meh. I was apparently way more excited than Coach G about this game. Listening to her analysis is like listening to an NPR gardening show.
This is how I visualize the broadcast booth.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8xohVqYlk

[DU82]

43-31 at the half. Outstanding play on both ends by the Blue Devils. tOSU is not strong inside, and Erin has taken advantage with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Haley with the same, playing great.

The defense is getting back and not allowing Kelsey Mitchell to break free often. She still has 12 points, but has had to really work for them. Former Blue Devil Sierra Calhoun has two fouls, no points.

Great crowd, the student section across from the benches is mostly full between the end lines, and is loud and active.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Haley earns the 2nd half start. :D

[Stray Gator]

Massive collapse in the Third Quarter results in Duke's 17-point lead being cut to 3 by Ohio State. Ugh.

[downeastdad]

Epic meltdown underway. Come on, Duke!

[DU82]

Third Q two different halves. First was Duke dominating, leading by 17. Second part, couldn’t do much right. Lead is 5, 57-52.

Shots are more difficult, tOSU playing better on D. Odom played terribly in the third.

Have to stay calm, do not let tOSU get out and run.

[downeastdad]

Pretty exciting game, but G is putting me right to sleep. Yawn...

[downeastdad]

9-0 run. That's better. Go Duke!

[chrishoke]

Hanging on.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Super solid victory. Withstood a comeback and said Noooooooooo!

That was lots of fun.:cool:

[Ggallagher]

Hope the season for both men's and women's teams settles down before too long. The guys get fifteen or so in the hole and come back to win. The girls get up by seventeen, blow the lead, and then pull it out to win. Just a little bit more tension then I'd care to deal with, but at least they're both winning.

[burnspbesq]

Looking forward to seeing the replay when I get home.

Apropos of not much, Mechelle Voepel fawning over Coach G on Twitter.

[DU82]

Just back from the game. Great atmosphere and great play for the most part by the team.

Defensively, the team followed the game plan and executed it very well. Ohio State averages 95 point a game, and they love to run and shoot. They shot 33% for the game, 28% from three. Duke out rebounded them 49-30 (that's not as much of a surprise, as tOSU's strength is their guards.)

On offense, for the first 2 1/2 quarters, Duke was rolling. Sharp passes, and good shots. Erin scored ten in the first half, taking advantage of the Buckeye's lack of post players. Lexie scored 13 in the first quarter (19 for the game) and Haley was making shots as well. Becca picked it up, ending up with 19 as well.

Then, Ohio State put on the pressure (pretty sure I saw a triangle and two or box and one on Lexie) and we had trouble with getting the ball down court (21 TOs) and getting good shots. I mentioned that Leonna was playing terribly, and on offense she was. Poor shot selection and turnovers (She did play well on the defensive side, with 12 rebounds and a couple of key steals.) After Duke led the entire game other than a tie at 13, tOSU tied it at 57 early in the 4th. They scored three points the rest of the way. Duke kept their poise, and got enough shots to fall, and seemed to get almost every rebound and loose ball.

Credit to the players for playing tough, and credit to the coaching staff for a great game plan.

[Kedsy]

Now that's guts. It's one thing to come back from 17 down (as the men did last week). It's quite another to blow a 17-point lead and then have the wherewithal to not give up, take a deep breath, and score the next 9 points.

Leaonna may not have scored much, but 13 boards, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, including a huge one to clinch the win. Haley had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Erin double-doubled (10 and 10, with 4 assists). Lexie had 13 points in the first quarter before Ohio State was forced to pay her extra attention. Becca had zero points in the first quarter, but picked up after Lexie left off, and both ended with 19. With the exception of the 22-5 stretch Ohio State used to tie the game, Duke's D really shut down one of the top offenses in the country.

I have to say, this one made me a lot more nervous than either of the men's teams two big comebacks in Oregon. Great win for the women.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Now that's guts. It's one thing to come back from 17 down (as the men did last week). It's quite another to blow a 17-point lead and then have the wherewithal to not give up, take a deep breath, and score the next 9 points.

Leaonna may not have scored much, but 13 boards, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, including a huge one to clinch the win. Haley had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Erin double-doubled (10 and 10, with 4 assists). Lexie had 13 points in the first quarter before Ohio State was forced to pay her extra attention. Becca had zero points in the first quarter, but picked up after Lexie left off, and both ended with 19. With the exception of the 22-5 stretch Ohio State used to tie the game, Duke's D really shut down one of the top offenses in the country.

I have to say, this one made me a lot more nervous than either of the men's teams two big comebacks in Oregon. Great win for the women.

Couldn't spork you, but as I was reading your post, I kept saying "yes..Yes...YES". (Someone hand out sporks for me.)

[uh_no]

Now that's guts.

Haven't watched the game yet....but when I do, I'm sure I'll have a reason why it wasn't :)

Really really impressive win. Sunday should be fun

noon- duke/USC
4pm- uconn/ND

[jimsumner]

This was a very solid win for Duke. Very solid.

To a great extent, this was a battle of wills. No one wants to run with Ohio State. They came into tonight's game averaging 94 points per game. They own two wins over Stanford, 85-64 and 94-82.

But Duke largely was able to force them into the tempo Duke wanted. OSU did speed up Duke's offense, which led to some out-of-control turnovers. But on the other end, OSU was able to muster seven fast-break points. Duke clogged up the lane and shut down Stephanie Mavunga, holding her to seven points, less than half her average of 15.8.

Unable to score in transition or on the blocks, OSU was reduced to jacking up one 3-pointer after another. They were 10-36 and only got to the foul line six times, which is what happens when you take 36 3-pointers.

They did make a marvelous comeback to tie the game after trailing by 17, a 22-5 run over a span of just over seven minutes.

They hit four 3-pointers during this span.

But they only played seven players and it seemed to me that this comeback pretty much exhausted their energy supply. They just hit a wall during the fourth quarter and went splat.

Duke turned it over too much--21--but outrebounded OSU 49-30, which is an astonishing margin over a top-10 team.

Losing coach Kevin McGuff said his team let its offense dictate its defensive effort. When they were making shots, they played good D. When they were missing, they weren't.

Kelsey Mitchell--she went 9-27 from the field, 4-17 on 3s--said that Duke just outworked her team, just won too many 50/50 balls.

Some truth in that. But I think Duke's physicality just wore down Ohio State. Which is kind of ironic. The Big 10 has long had the reputation as the physical league, the ACC as a finesse league, in both men's and women's. But this game was the opposite and Duke's physicality won it.

A few notes.

Erin Matthias clearly outplayed Mavunga, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, her second career double-double. She left the game briefly in the fourth quarter after a hard fall but returned and said she'll be fine after an ice bath.

Leanonna Odom only scored six points but had a game-high 13 rebounds, along with four blocks. This is the first time this season Duke has had two double-digit rebounders.

OSU clearly prioritized pushing Rebecca Greenwell off the 3-point line. She only took four 3-pointers, making two. But she attacked off the dribble, taking 13 2-point shots. She wasn't always successful but she did end the night with 19 points.

Haley Gorecki had the best game of her career, 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three turnovers. She came off the bench but started the second half ahead of Mikalya Boykin. She's not as good as and may never be as good as Georgia Schweitzer, but so much of her game reminds me of Schweitzer.

And Lexie Brown is one of the best players in the country. She was as responsible as anyone for Mitchell's shooting woes and gave Duke 19 points and five rebounds. She hit what I think was the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer that put Duke up 62-57, with 6:49 left, as Duke regained control after the OSU comeback.

Ice-water, veins and all that.

Anyway. Another big test Sunday, South Carolina on the road, the third ranked opponent in four games. Hopefully, the learned something about playing tough on the road for 40 minutes in the Villanova loss. But I think Duke is playing with house money here. Few expect them to win but they beat SC last year, albeit at Cameron. A chance to test themselves.

[dukefan_828]

Wow totally forgot i had 4 tickets for the game tonight, hate i missed it. Would have been much better than watching my Redskins get punched in the mouth:rolleyes: Awesome win for the Lady Devils in Blue!!

[dudog84]

On the broadcast last night it was stated that Kyra is going to red-shirt this year. I have not seen anything in print, and thought that decision wasn't going to be made for another month. Does anyone have info on this?

[jimsumner]

On the broadcast last night it was stated that Kyra is going to red-shirt this year. I have not seen anything in print, and thought that decision wasn't going to be made for another month. Does anyone have info on this?

I haven't heard anything official. But I've operated all season under the assumption that she would not play this season. Doesn't make sense to burn a year of eligibility down the road for at best a half-season of play. So, i would not be surprised.

[dudog84]

I haven't heard anything official. But I've operated all season under the assumption that she would not play this season. Doesn't make sense to burn a year of eligibility down the road for at best a half-season of play. So, i would not be surprised.

I figured so as well, have always wondered if they tried to bring Chelsea back too soon. But each injury is different. I just think with Lexie and Becca this will be our best chance to win the ACC and make the Final Four for a while. All hands on deck. But I sure don't want them to risk Kyra's knee.

[jimsumner]

Keep in mind that Duke faced this same decision with Rebecca Greenwell in her true freshman year and with Haley Gorecki last year. Both were recovering from surgery at the beginning of the seasons in question but both could have played by mid-season or so. But Duke elected to keep them out, thus preserving a year of eligibility.

Very much the right call, IMO. Cost-benefit 101.

Greenwell would have ended her Duke career last season had a different decision been made. She's much more valuable to the program this year than she would have been in a half-season as a true freshman.

And Lambert is a very good student and would no doubt take advantage of a fifth year, either with a second major or grad-school work.

[DU82]

On the broadcast last night it was stated that Kyra is going to red-shirt this year. I have not seen anything in print, and thought that decision wasn't going to be made for another month. Does anyone have info on this?

Coach H, at the pregame "Chalk Talk" said that she was working with the team, but not in full drills. He didn't mention anything about her red-shirting. (The first question asked of him was about Kyra.)

[dudog84]

Poor showing today, but if you had told me 10 days ago that we would go 2-1 against Oregon State, Ohio State, and South Carolina I would have gladly taken it.

If we could make layups we'd be dangerous.

We desperately need 1 or 2 of the newcomers to step up. Disappointing so far.

Other than Lexie and Becca (and Erin somewhat), all of the other players are wildly inconsistent. We can play with anybody but UConn (they are just so much better than every other team), but we need everyone to play well.

[uh_no]

Poor showing today, but if you had told me 10 days ago that we would go 2-1 against Oregon State, Ohio State, and South Carolina I would have gladly taken it.

If we could make layups we'd be dangerous.

We desperately need 1 or 2 of the newcomers to step up. Disappointing so far.

Other than Lexie and Becca (and Erin somewhat), all of the other players are wildly inconsistent. We can play with anybody but UConn (they are just so much better than every other team), but we need everyone to play well.

I think that's a BIT harsh given where duke was 2 years ago and last year.

USC is a really good team....probably one of the top three in the country. Their only loss is close to ND, which knocked them down probably further than it ought to have. Uconn aside, the next class of teams is probably USC and ND, and MAYBE UL....with (IMO) the verdict still out on texas. I think duke is probably in the 7-10 range in the country, along with OSU, UCLA, Baylor, Stanford. That's a good place to be. Duke should be aiming for a 2 seed.

As an aside, it's really good to see the "top tier" broken down a bit. Hopefully, gone are the days when only a small subset of teams can wax everyone. Those teams (aside from uconn...) are less dominant overall...giving a lot of parity from 2-15. That makes for some good ball, I think. So long as uconn continues to win everything, I'm glad to see this.

[burnspbesq]

No surprises today. Game hens have more talent, they are well coached, they had a good game plan, and they executed it. Next play.

[dudog84]

I think that's a BIT harsh given where duke was 2 years ago and last year.

USC is a really good team...probably one of the top three in the country. Their only loss is close to ND, which knocked them down probably further than it ought to have. Uconn aside, the next class of teams is probably USC and ND, and MAYBE UL...with (IMO) the verdict still out on texas. I think duke is probably in the 7-10 range in the country, along with OSU, UCLA, Baylor, Stanford. That's a good place to be. Duke should be aiming for a 2 seed.

As an aside, it's really good to see the "top tier" broken down a bit. Hopefully, gone are the days when only a small subset of teams can wax everyone. Those teams (aside from uconn...) are less dominant overall...giving a lot of parity from 2-15. That makes for some good ball, I think. So long as uconn continues to win everything, I'm glad to see this.

Can you detail where I'm being harsh?

[CameronBornAndBred]

If we could make layups we'd be dangerous.

I guarantee you, that is the most quoted line from every season of DWB.

[grossbus]

I guarantee you, that is the most quoted line from every season of DWB.

That and “Turnovers!”

[CameronBornAndBred]

That and “Turnovers!”

I have more faith in us controlling turnovers than making layups. :rolleyes:

[jimsumner]

Umm. don't look now, but Notre Dame is ahead of UConn 62-54 at the end of 3. ESPN

[jimsumner]

And, of course, Notre Dame fell apart in the fourth.

And, of course, Azura Stevens led the comeback.

Of course.

[dudog84]

Umm. don't look now, but Notre Dame is ahead of UConn 62-54 at the end of 3. ESPN

Watched the last 4 minutes due to your heads up. UConn wins by 9, and lost 2 starters during the game according to announcers. Have the #1 freshman this year and the #1 and #5 recruits coming next year, so this is going to continue for a while. I hate it, I don't think it's good for the game, but I can't blame them.

During those few minutes I saw a couple of missed layups by ND and another short jumper that caught nothing but air. So it's not just us. But us is all I watch. So it will probably continue to frustrate me.

[jimsumner]

Watched the last 4 minutes due to your heads up. UConn wins by 9, and lost 2 starters during the game according to announcers. Have the #1 freshman this year and the #1 and #5 recruits coming next year, so this is going to continue for a while. I hate it, I don't think it's good for the game, but I can't blame them.

During those few minutes I saw a couple of missed layups by ND and another short jumper that caught nothing but air. So it's not just us. But us is all I watch. So it will probably continue to frustrate me.

Notre Dame realized they had a chance to beat UConn, in Connecticut no less and stopped doing the things that gave them the lead in the first place. Lots of standing around, lots of ill-advised 3s, botched defensive rotations.

UConn has boatloads of talent, no doubt. But there's a psychological dimension. Their opponents hope to win. They expect to win.

[grossbus]

Notre Dame realized they had a chance to beat UConn, in Connecticut no less and stopped doing the things that gave them the lead in the first place. Lots of standing around, lots of ill-advised 3s, botched defensive rotations.

UConn has boatloads of talent, no doubt. But there's a psychological dimension. Their opponents hope to win. They expect to win.

and AZ was, in fact, very strong in the 4th qtr.

[uh_no]

Can you detail where I'm being harsh?

I didn't think it was especially poor. USC is a really good team. They played close to ND who had Uconn beat for most of the game tonight.

IMO those are the best 3 teams in the country.

I wouldn't expect most teams to come close to those three....and if they did, I'd say it was an exceptional performance for the opponent. Oregon state vs ND, or maryland vs USC.

I guess it comes down to how one defines "poor." I think if duke played any of those teams multiple times, the average loss would be 15-20. That doesn't mean duke couldn't play better, just that it's what you'd expect. IMO, a poor performance would closer to 30 point loss.

Idk...you're probably right....but credit to those top teams for forcing everyone else into poor performances.

[uh_no]

And, of course, Notre Dame fell apart in the fourth.

And, of course, Azura Stevens led the comeback.

Of course.

was dissapointed by Uconn's play today. saw a lot of the things that have frustrated me about Duke's men...settling for hard shots easy in the shot clock when they ought to be able to create better ones, carelessness with the ball (especially yesterday for duke!). ND did a great job on the boards as well. They've been lacking a real leader on the floor ever since stewie graduated.

[dudog84]

I didn't think it was especially poor. USC is a really good team. They played close to ND who had Uconn beat for most of the game tonight.

IMO those are the best 3 teams in the country.

I wouldn't expect most teams to come close to those three...and if they did, I'd say it was an exceptional performance for the opponent. Oregon state vs ND, or maryland vs USC.

I guess it comes down to how one defines "poor." I think if duke played any of those teams multiple times, the average loss would be 15-20. That doesn't mean duke couldn't play better, just that it's what you'd expect. IMO, a poor performance would closer to 30 point loss.

Idk...you're probably right...but credit to those top teams for forcing everyone else into poor performances.

Thanks for the response. South Carolina is good, but I was very disappointed in losing by 20. I'm sure the girls are as well. Maybe the Ohio State game got my hopes up. And none of our newcomers are averaging more than about 4 ppg, none averaging 3 rpg. I was expecting much more. And then somebody can score in double digits one game and have 0 or a few the next. Teams are going to concentrate on shutting down Lexie and Becca and if the others don't make them pay we will have a very short stay in the NCAA Tournament (yes, I'm getting ahead of myself).

[burnspbesq]

Erin played brilliantly on Sunday. The harsh reality is that when she’s our leading scorer, we’re in a heap of trouble.

[Kedsy]

(and Erin somewhat)

Erin had 16 and 6 (on 7 of 9 shooting, 5 for 7 on jump shots) with 2 blocks. This season, even when she isn't scoring she's shown consistently strong play. Leaonna had 3 blocks and 2 steals today and (to me at least) consistently does at least a few things well every game. Overall, I think our top 6 players are pretty strong. Beyond that, the players have to grow into their roles.

[dudog84]

Erin had 16 and 6 (on 7 of 9 shooting, 5 for 7 on jump shots) with 2 blocks. This season, even when she isn't scoring she's shown consistently strong play. Leaonna had 3 blocks and 2 steals today and (to me at least) consistently does at least a few things well every game. Overall, I think our top 6 players are pretty strong. Beyond that, the players have to grow into their roles.

I wrote "somewhat" because Erin is not on the level of Lexie and Becca. But hands down, Erin is my favorite story of the young season. She has really raised her game.

[DU82]

Erin had 16 and 6 (on 7 of 9 shooting, 5 for 7 on jump shots) with 2 blocks. This season, even when she isn't scoring she's shown consistently strong play. Leaonna had 3 blocks and 2 steals today and (to me at least) consistently does at least a few things well every game. Overall, I think our top 6 players are pretty strong. Beyond that, the players have to grow into their roles.

Erin appears to know the game very well, and play within her abilities. I don't see her trying things she isn't really good at (such as three pointers.) I said earlier that I didn't think Leaonna was playing consistently. My comment was regarding her on offense. Defensively, she's in good position most of the time, and has a nose for the ball on rebounds and steals (so I agree with you on that part.)

We need to develop the depth, especially inside. Bego is limited, Jade is young, and Madison needs to work on positioning (she's probably not used to the speed of the college game.) A year in the conditioning program would help them as well. (Emily seems to be a ways from being a contributor; missing a full year of development due to her injury sets her back.)

[jimsumner]

Odom is the key to this team, IMO.

Duke had two consistent scoring options last season.

They have those same two options this year. They need a third and Odom has the ability to be that third. No more six-point games. She has to be more assertive and when she makes that leap, look out. But Duke needs her to get into double figures on a regular basis if they're going to be a top-10 team.

The next step is to get more from the freshmen, Boykin and Williams in particular.

And the bench. Duke has played a lot of tough teams early and has relied on a small core. but I know McCallie wants to get more from her bench than she's getting. Look for some bench players to get long looks against UNC-G. The door is open. Will someone walk through it?

[dudog84]

Kyra will indeed redshirt this year, so time for some of the newcomers to step up. I figure there's about 2 months left to show they can be a contributor, should know who's ready for March by then.

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/12/duke-womens-basketballs-kyra-lambert-to-miss-entire-season-with-medical-redshirt

[Kedsy]

Duke hosted UNCG today at Cameron. After UNCG pulled within 2 with 8:40 to play in the 2nd quarter, 25-23, Duke scored the next 8 points and never looked back, winning convincingly, 85-54.

Erin Mathias managed her career high in points for the 2nd straight game, this time scoring 24, on 12 for 18 shooting. She also had 2 blocks, 2 steals, 3 rebounds, an assist, and several savvy veteran plays. She's become such a smart, impressive player. Lexie Brown came close to a quadruple-double, with 20 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 8 (!) steals. She also had 5 turnovers, but I think we'll have to forgive her for that.

Rebecca Greenwell is just one three-pointer away from tying the Duke all-time career record, and I think she's feeling the pressure, as she went 0 for 5 from three-land and failed to hit a three for the second straight game. Hopefully next game she'll hit a couple early, break the record, and move on. To her credit, Becca shot 3 for 5 from inside the arc, for 7 points. Leaonna Odom shot 4 for 5 from the field for 8 points; Haley Gorecki had 7 points; and Jade Williams scored 6 points on 3 for 4 shooting.

For this game, Coach P changed up her starters for the first time all season, moving Bego Faz Davalos into the starting lineup and Mikayla Boykin to the bench. Bego scored 4 points with 6 rebounds in 18 minutes. Mikayla had 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal, in 19 minutes. And all three of her assists were impressive -- she's a really good passer. Coach P also changed her substitution pattern, getting everyone into the game (even Emily Schubert, who had an assist in 2 minutes of play), and giving double-figure minutes to 9 players, with two others getting 6 minutes (and other than Emily, not all in garbage time).

UNCG had a player named Alexus Willey, who drew three fouls on three-pointers, all three of them flops to my eyes. But I guess you have to give her credit for selling it to the refs.

Overall, a good win over an outmatched opponent.

[dudog84]

We really really really need Bego/Jade to step up and provide solid minutes. Erin is so much more effective with a complementary big. That makes sense, no big insight there. And Leaonna would be an absolute force at small forward. She is so fast. She's 6-2 but doesn't have the bulk to bang with a good team's bigs (most have at least two sizable players inside). I seem to remember Becca having mini-slumps in the past, so I hope this gets it out of her system. I know it was UNC-G, but we have the pieces to be a very very good team.

[dudog84]

I know Jim Sumner wouldn't promote himself here, but he has a nice article up on goduke:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22760&SPID=1846&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211688391&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jim, was that you calling Erin the "Splash Cousin" at the presser last night? Whoever it was, nice reaction from the girls.

[burnspbesq]

Duke is without Becca Greenwell (sore knee), but cruising against overmatched Winthrop. It’s 52-12 at the half. Duke is shooting 63 percent, while holding the Eagles to 19 percent and forcing 12 turnovers. Lexie leads with 16 at the break.

[burnspbesq]

101-30 is your final. 32 for Lexie, and a career-high 20 (including 5-7 from three) for Gorecki.

[Rich]

101-30 is your final. 32 for Lexie, and a career-high 20 (including 5-7 from three) for Gorecki.

Wow, a 71 point win. Sounds like the game of their lives. Please tell me they don't play BC next.

[jimsumner]

Obviously, Winthrop isn't very good, even by mid-major standards. They are now 1-8, their only win over NC Wesleyan. Former Kansas great Lynette Woodard is their coach. She's in her first full season there and she acknowledges it's a total rebuilding project.

But she has name recognition that programs at that level rarely have. So, you think she has a chance to build a program.

Duke was pretty remorseless, scoring the first 14 points of the game and the first 18 points of the second half. Winthrop didn't even make a foul shot until the game's final minute; they ended 1-for-8.

Two players did stand out. Lexie Brown had 30 points, four rebounds, six assists and six steals. She said she didn't do anything different in Greenwell's absence but it seemed to me that she did hunt her shot more than usual. Then again, she could have scored 50 had she so desired.

Haley Gorecki got her first start of the season, second of her career. She hit 3 three-pointers in the first quarter and ended with 20 points, three rebounds and four assists.

Everyone else did about what you would expect against a seriously overmatched opponent.

Duke only went 8-14 from the line but that's about the only negative I could find. Duke shot 61 percent from the field, 47 percent on threes, had 25 assists to 13 turnovers, outrebounded Winthrop 47-24, forced 28 turnovers and notched 15 steals.

It's easy to get sloppy in a mismatch like this but Duke largely maintained their focus and poise and continued to play solid team ball for 40 minutes.

Some injury updates.

Greenwell was held out due to some knee tenderness. Not believed to be a major issue.

Mikalya Boykin tweaked a knee in the second half and did not return. She did return to the bench and I was told that she could have returned had she been needed, which obviously she was not.

Emily Schubert had her right foot in a boot. Rolled an ankle in practice. Should be fine soon.

Sofia Roma may try to return in January. Not having played since March 2016 and facing a post rotation that includes Erin Mathias, Leaonna Odom, Bez Davalos, Jade Williams, Madison Treece and Schubert, it's going to be difficult for her to get any meaningful PT, IMO. Still, it's always useful to have practice bodies.

Duke is off until December 19.

They do not play Boston College then.

[jimsumner]

Boykin to miss rest of season.

Ouch.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211689750&DB_OEM_ID=4200

[Kedsy]

Boykin to miss rest of season.

Ouch.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211689750&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Damn. It never ends. I foolishly hoped we could have one season free from major injuries.

[jimsumner]

Damn. It never ends. I foolishly hoped we could have one season free from major injuries.

As Howard Cosell used to say to Don Meredith, it's always the knee, Danderoo, it's always the knee.

And it was such an innocuous-looking play. A routine drive, a routine bump, a non-routine landing.

At least she can get a medical hardship.

Rest of the year?

Best guess is that Gorecki continues to start, Greenwell plays more at the 2, Odom plays more at the 3 and opportunity just knocked for Suggs and Adams.

[budwom]

regrettably, women are NOT equal when it comes to ACL injuries...most unfortunate

[jimsumner]

Duke came back from exams with a 69-39 victory over Maine Tuesday night.

Duke jumped to a 16-1 lead and was never seriously threatened.

It was sloppy at times. Duke had 19 turnovers--13 in the first half--and shot 10 for 17 from the line. But I've seen better Duke teams--men and women--play worse games in the first game after exams.

Not sure what to make of Maine. They had competitive losses to Miami (80-70) and Ohio State (83-70). But they got blown out by Mississippi State (83-43) Sunday. Adding insult to injury, they had to take a 13-hour bus ride to Durham because of the Atlanta airport snafu. So, give them credit for hanging in there and making Duke work.

Maine's coach, btw, is Amy Vachon, who played for McCallie when she coached at Maine.

Maine shot 6 for 43 on three-pointers; I'm not sure I've ever seen shooting that bad. Kelly Fogarty missed three 3-pointers on a single possession. Not sure I've ever seen that either.

Their spacing was good, their ball movement was good. They just couldn't shoot. I suspect fatigue had a lot to do with that. I don't care if you are a healthy college athlete, no one can shrug off a 13-hour bus trip.

Lexie Brown again dominated, 26 points, three assists, five steals, 11-13 from the field. Haley Gorecki had her first career double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds. Erin Mathias (9 & 7) and Jayda Adams (8 points) were solid, everyone else had ups and downs.

Rebecca Greenwell set out again, resting a sore knee. Don't look for her Thursday night against Wyoming and she may not play until Duke opens conference play, December 31 at Miami.

Duke maintains that this is precautionary and she'll be fine. I'll take them at their word. But I'll feel better when I see her take the floor.

I'll also feel better when Leaonna Odom starts showing up. She had 11 rebounds and a career-high six assists tonight; she also had five turnovers.

But more disturbing, she scored two points, taking four shots in 29 minutes. This is her fifth consecutive single-digit scoring game; she has 30 points in those five games. She hasn't been to the foul line since the Old Dominion game on November 22; that's seven straight games. She's way too passive on offense. She should be living at the foul line. Duke follows the Miami game with Louisville on the road and runs a real risk of starting 0-2 if they don't get a healthy Greenwell and an engaged Odom.

Hopefully, we'll see some improvement on the latter Thursday against Wyoming.

[Kedsy]

I thought the team played a strong game, considering we were missing Mikayla (for the rest of the season) and Becca (I share Jim's concern). Jayda and Faith both played well, but there's a big drop off there. At this point, Jayda and Faith are best suited as role players, not a starter and 6th man. Jade Williams had 3 blocks (including a couple very athletic plays), and has the potential to be a strong rim protector, but overall has to work on her positioning and unlike earlier in the season, she wasn't looking for her offense at all. Like a lot of the younger players, she's a work-in-progress.

Haley played well for the 2nd straight game in a big role. She's more of a shooter than Mikayla but less athletic, especially on defense. As she gets more comfortable in her starting role, I expect we'll be really happy with her.

I agree Leaonna has to be more aggressive, on both sides of the ball. She's so fast and athletic, but she's not taking full advantage of that. Part of the problem is we're not running as much without Becca and Mikayla in the lineup. In the half court, Leaonna is setting up on the perimeter, but she's not comfortable shooting from out there, and she may not be comfortable driving from the three-point line to the hoop, either. It's possible she had to be out there because we spent a lot of the game playing two bigs who don't have a lot of range (none of our bigs except Erin really venture anywhere outside the paint). Still, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks is very strong in the non-scoring categories, and she only had one foul. I'm fairly confident she'll step up against better competition, but without Mikayla we have less room for error, and without Becca we may not be a top 20 team.

Erin was great, again. I can't help but marvel at her progress over the years, and while I understand Coach P has her flaws, some significant portion of Erin's improvement has to be attributed to coaching. in this game, in addtiion to her strong inside play, Erin once again showed range out to about 18 feet and played outstanding defense, with 2 blocks, 2 steals, and several deflections that don't show in the box score.

One new positive is the team shot 47% from three without Becca. Haley and Jayda hit two threes each, and Faith drained her only three-attempt (plus Lexie hit two of three from out there, but that's nothing new). If we can hit more from outside, it can only help spread the court for Leaonna and our other inside players.

Once Becca gets back to full strength, the team should get back to being a contender, albeit one with (as I said before) a thin margin of error.

[DU82]

I didn't get a chance to post last night after the game, and JimS and Kedsy have said a lot of what I would have said.

Regarding Leaonna, we really didn't like her body language out on the court, especially on offense. A couple of times after a bad play she was subbed for immediately, and another time after yet another brain-freeze, she heard the horn and immediately went to the bench, only to find that the subs were for somebody else.

I concur with the summary of Erin's play. Watching her on offense, she really knows what she's doing, and plays well. Her offense stays within her abilities (she doesn't try to do too much) and is within the flow of the game. That mid-range jumper is a nice weapon.

Lexie could have scored almost every play down court, but she held back to try and get others involved. But late in the shot clock, if nobody else did something, she'd drive and score. Probably won't work against Miami or Louisville, but it works here.

Haley's not a great ball handler, but she has a good feel for the game. With Leaonna struggling, she's our third option when Becca comes back (Erin is fourth, I think.)

Faith struggled early with her first start (of the year, if not career.) But she's a vocal leader on the court, and on the bench. Each time out, she was first off the bench to instruct some of the younger players (Jade and Leaonna mostly.)

Sofia was in the warm-up drills for the first time, but Emily still has a boot on. Bego and Madison are our front court subs, and both have their limitations. Bego didn't shoot the ball beyond her range, which appears to be about three feet (good that she hits those shots, though!) Madison has some moves, but needs a season in the system, and an off-season in the training/conditioning system. She looks like a long-term asset, though.

[jimsumner]

Duke defeated Wyoming 63-40 tonight. Small crowd, few students, folks starting Christmas trips, I assume.

A bit of a bore, truth be told. Wyoming was one of those teams that thought its only chance to stay close was to walk the ball up court and use as much of the shot clock as possible, as often as possible.

And they did stay close for awhile. Duke led 13-8 after one period, 25-19 at the half.

Part of that was due to the fact that Lexie Brown picked up her second foul 21 seconds into the second quarter and didn't play the rest of the half. McCallie said she decided to play it by ear. It was 13-8 when Brown went out, Wyoming cut it to 13-10, Duke went on an 8-0 run and Wyoming never got closer than six.

Wyoming did control the tempo during the first half. They only committed three fouls, for crying out loud.

I questioned the decision to sit Brown at the time but it did work out. Brown played all of the second half until the final 90 seconds or so and never did pick up that third foul. And Duke ramped up the defensive intensity at the beginning of the third quarter and started speeding up Wyoming, forcing live-ball turnovers and some fast-break points. Duke scored the first seven points of the third quarter and the lead never again dropped below 10 points.

Duke has won its last three games by scores of 101-30, 69-39 and 63-40. It's the first time Duke has ever held three consecutive opponents to 40 or fewer points. Wyoming coach Joe Legerski cited Duke's length in disrupting Wyoming's offense. Duke had seven blocks, 13 steals and forced 22 turnovers.

Despite sitting out most of the second quarter, Brown ended with 23 points, three assists, four rebounds and three steals. Haley Gorecki just missed her second-consecutive double-double, with 14 points and nine rebounds. But no one else scored in double figures.

Erin Mathias had 8 and 5, Jade Williams the same, with two blocks.

So, that's solid.

But Leonna Odom was again a non-factor on offense, two points on three shots. She did have six rebounds, three blocks and a steal and her defense is one of the reasons Duke is shutting down opposing offenses. But Duke isn't going to beat good teams with Odom scoring two points. She now has 32 points in Duke's last six games and has had eight straight games without going to the foul line.

Duke has to figure this out. Has to.

Rebecca Greenwell sat out again and will not play next Friday against Liberty. The goal is still to get her back for the start of ACC play, December 31, at Miami. But even that isn't a sure thing.

Sofia Roma has begun to practice and might see the court next week. Emily Schubert is still nursing a sprained ankle. Maybe for next week.

Duke will resume practice on December 26.

Mikalya Boykin is expected to undergo knee surgery in early January. Officially a torn meniscus but they'll take a look at the ACL once they get inside.

[Kedsy]

Erin Mathias had 8 and 5, Jade Williams the same, with two blocks.

Jade's 8/5/2 came on 80% shooting and in just 14 minutes. She is making progress. The second quarter, with Lexie out, was just 12 to 11, Duke. Watching it, with Lexie, Becca, and Mikayla not playing at all, and (as Jim says) with Leaonna not playing aggressively or taking advantage of her athleticism advantage, the team honestly didn't seem to be much better than Wyoming. The third quarter, with Lexie spending all that pent up energy, was 25 to 11, Duke (after Duke scored just 25 in the entire first half).

Three point shooting was the opposite of last game. We shot just 18% from 3-range, with Lexie hitting 1 for 3, Faith hitting 1 for 2, and nobody else connecting from range (Haley 0 for 4; Madison 0 for 2; and nobody else attempting one).

Haley looked like she was trying to do too much in the 2nd quarter (with Lexie out), taking half the team's shots (and half of her shots for the game) and dribbling into trouble a couple times. That said, we needed her to do a lot (she also had half the team's points and all the team's steals that quarter). Despite shooting poorly from three, her final line (14 pts, 9 rebs, 3 assists against just 1 turnover, a block, and 5 steals) was really good.

[jimsumner]

Duke adds Jim Corrigan to staff

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211690698&DB_OEM_ID=4200

[DU82]

Duke adds Jim Corrigan to staff

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211690698&DB_OEM_ID=4200

That explains the extra person on the bench.

IIRC, Corrigan has the best shooting percentage in Duke history. Perfect from the field, perfect from the line. Since he played before the 3-point shot, we’ll leave that record to Marshall Plumlee.

[jimsumner]

Duke ran its record to 11-2 tonight with a 68-51 win over Liberty, Duke's last non-conference regular-season game.

The win was McCallie's 600th career win.

I know that McCallie is a flashpoint for DWBB fans. But you don't win 600 games without having some idea what you're doing.

Duke played its fourth consecutive game without Rebecca Greenwell. I was told it is absolutely certain that she will play Sunday, when Duke opens ACC play at Miami.

It was a weird game. Duke outscored Liberty 45-24 in the two middle periods, but was outscored 27-23 in the other two. Liberty opened the fourth period with an 8-0 run and held Duke to eight points in the final period.

Duke shot well from the field, got to the foul line, defended well and rebounded okay. But Duke turned it over 24 times against an overmatched opponent.

And it wasn't just the post players. Lexie Brown (seven) and Haley Gorecki (five) had season highs in turnovers.

Brown said Duke was playing too fast, which led to bad decisions, which seems to be the default answer when Duke turns it over a bunch.

Doesn't mean it isn't true.

And it was the first game after Christmas and some rust was evident and not unexpected.

Brown also said that the turnovers didn't have anything to do with Greenwell's absence. But it seemed to me that at least a couple of her turnovers came when she passed up open shots to try to get the ball to a teammate. I think Greenwell's return will give Duke more offensive balance and more options.

Brown did lead everybody with 26 points, adding four rebounds and four steals. She only had one assist but a whole bunch of great passes which should have led to assists weren't converted by her teammates.

Brown has scored 20 or more points five consecutive games.

Erin Mathias (11 and seven) and Bego Faz Davalos (seven rebounds and four blocks) were solid in the post. Not so solid was Jade Williams, who managed to foul out in nine minutes, without making a single statistical contribution to Duke's win.

Ouch.

Leonna Odom had six points, her seventh-consecutive single-digit scoring game. But she also had a career-high six blocks, along with seven rebounds and a couple of steals. So, it's not like she isn't showing up ready to play. In Greenwell's absence, she's playing a lot more on the perimeter and that's not her strong suit right now. Hopefully, Greenwell's return will open up some space for her inside.

Brown (2-4) and Gorecki (3-7) were the only Duke players to even attempt a 3-pointer.

I'm really not sure where this team is right now. McCallie said Duke has cabin fever and is ready to go on the road. I hope so. But Duke is 9-0 at home, 2-2 on the road and five of the next seven games are on the road. The Miami game is huge and could well set the stage for the rest of the ACC season. Duke really needs a win to gain some road confidence.

[Kedsy]

I'm really not sure where this team is right now. McCallie said Duke has cabin fever and is ready to go on the road. I hope so. But Duke is 9-0 at home, 2-2 on the road and five of the next seven games are on the road. The Miami game is huge and could well set the stage for the rest of the ACC season. Duke really needs a win to gain some road confidence.

For the 5th straight game, Duke held its opponent under 55 points. And this (for the most part) without Becca and Mikayla.

Haley has emerged as a scoring option in Becca's absence, scoring 17 points tonight and averaging 16.0 over the four games that Becca missed. Presumably some of her offensive opportunities will dry up with Becca on the court, but maybe not. She was coming off the bench before Becca got hurt, but now I assume she'll take Mikayla's spot in the starting lineup, which will potentially make Duke's offense a lot more dynamic, with three 3-point shooters (Haley is shooting 38%, to supplement Lexie's 43% and Becca's 45%).

So I agree with Jim -- this team is hard to figure out. Our starting five (with Becca) are strong but our bench players all either need seasoning or have holes in their games. Still, we should be one of the top four teams in the ACC, with the ability to make a run in the NCAA tournament. Congrats to Coach P for her 600th win.

[chrishoke]

Duke loses at Miami 51-48. Becca had a wide open three to tie with 4 seconds to go but it clanked off the left side of the rim. She and Lexie were a combined 5-20 from the field. Miami wrote the script for how to defend Duke. Double and triple team Lexie and force the other Duke players to make plays. They couldn't.

[burnspbesq]

Duke loses at Miami 51-48. Becca had a wide open three to tie with 4 seconds to go but it clanked off the left side of the rim. She and Lexie were a combined 5-20 from the field. Miami wrote the script for how to defend Duke. Double and triple team Lexie and force the other Duke players to make plays. They couldn't.

Miami had an excellent game plan. Lexie didn’t adjust well to being mugged on every possession. Hoff has at least 20 pounds on Mathias and used it to full advantage. For about three minutes early in the fourth quarter, it looked like Odom might take over the game, but then she shied away from the opportunity. Gorecki is a great third option, but she’s not someone who can take over a game at this level.

Le sigh.

[Kedsy]

Duke loses at Miami 51-48. Becca had a wide open three to tie with 4 seconds to go but it clanked off the left side of the rim. She and Lexie were a combined 5-20 from the field. Miami wrote the script for how to defend Duke. Double and triple team Lexie and force the other Duke players to make plays. They couldn't.

Lexie and Becca together scored 20 points less than their combined average, and Lexie turned the ball over 9 times (with only one assist). We shot 19% on threes and 58% from the line. And we still had a shot to tie the game at the end. Because of a good defensive performance by Duke. Lexie also had 8 steals.

Becca played 32 minutes in her return to the lineup. Miami played very physically. Leaonna had 12 and 7, and Haley scored 16 points (her average in the five games since Mikayla went down is 16.0 ppg), proving she can still score with Becca in the lineup.

[chrishoke]

Unfortunately Louisville is going to destroy us this Thursday.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Unfortunately Louisville is going to destroy us this Thursday.

ND and Louisville are 2nd and 3rd in the latest poll, Duke drops to 17. A loss to Louisville shouldn't knock us out of the top 25, but it will be close.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Why has Greenwell not played tonight at Louisville? If we didn't have Haley hitting the threes tonight, this game would be a total blowout, but she is keeping us at least within 10. (So far.)

[CameronBornAndBred]

Why has Greenwell not played tonight at Louisville? If we didn't have Haley hitting the threes tonight, this game would be a total blowout, but she is keeping us at least within 10. (So far.)

Haley hits a buzzer beating three to keep us down 10 instead of 13 at the half. She is 8/8 (3/3) shooting with 19 points.

PS..so Becca didn't practice yesterday and was a game-time decision tonight. Looks like they decided to keep her out.

[uh_no]

still alive....down to 6

[CameronBornAndBred]

Valiant effort on the road against an elite team, especially without our best player, but ultimately we got down too far and stayed down too late. The ladies had a great run, cutting a 14 point deficit to just three, but couldn't cross the summit.
At least the schedule is a little kinder in our next few games.

[chrishoke]

Valiant effort on the road against an elite team, especially without our best player, but ultimately we got down too far and stayed down too late. The ladies had a great run, cutting a 14 point deficit to just three, but couldn't cross the summit.
At least the schedule is a little kinder in our next few games.

Very proud of the team. That was a helluva comeback at the end - we had an open three to tie with a minute to go, but, oh well. Great fight by the whole team. Not having Becca all game was a killer. The Cards are for real, 17-0. Duke and Coach P seem snake-bit with all the injuries over the years. Very sad.

[Stray Gator]

A highly commendable effort by the Duke women tonight at #3-ranked and undefeated Louisville, battling back from a 14-point deficit in the 4th quarter to pull within 3 in the last couple of minutes. They had to overcome a substantial disadvantage in free throws (Louisville had 20 trips to the line while Duke had only 8) and turnovers (15 to 9), but were able to partially offset that thanks to some fine shooting by Haley Gorecki, who was 10-14 from the floor and 5-7 from behind the arc. It was a tough one to lose after coming so close, but should serve as a great confidence builder going forward.

[Kedsy]

Yeah, very gutsy performance for DWBB without Becca. Haley's 25 pts (on 71% shooting), 5 rebs, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal was a remarkable performance. They keyed on Lexie and held her to 2 for 12 shooting, but she pulled 9 boards and had a couple steals. Team defense was strong, especially during the comeback. Jade was credited with four blocks (I thought she had more).

It's really a shame we get hit with all these injuries every year. If Becca comes back at full strength and we avoid further injury (knock on some hard, natural surface), we could make some noise in the Tournament.

[jimsumner]

Brown had a bad week and Duke can't afford bad weeks from her.

Without a healthy Greenwell, this team will struggle to even make the NCAAs. There just aren't enough weapons otherwise.

Duke is 2-4 on the road, albeit against a tough schedule. But good teams win on the road.

Big game Sunday against NC State. Duke needs to get its mojo back. Big time.

[dudog84]

Duke lost its starting point guard before the season even began when Kyra wasn't able to come back. The point guard is by far the most important position on the floor, just like the quarterback is in football. We have since lost 2 more starters, including unquestionably the 2nd best player on the team. There aren't many, if any, teams this side of UConn that could survive that. This program has been plagued by injury every year.

When the game started and Becca wasn't on the floor, while ever hopeful, I wouldn't have been surprised to see us lose by 20. We were on the road against the #3 team in the country. Good on the girls for never giving up and making it a game. But in the end, we need to win some games.

Top to bottom the ACC is probably the toughest conference, but the other teams won't be having any pity parties for Duke.

I like the progress I saw last night from frosh Jayda and Jade, and Haley has really stepped up. But we desperately need Becca back at full strength.

[chrishoke]

Well, at least the Duke women can beat State. Lexie Brown bounces back with 34 and Duke wins its first ACC game after 2 losses 69-56. Duke led from start to finish. Becca played but didn't score and looked like a shadow of the player we know.

[burnspbesq]

Crazy game. It took State 7:24 to get one to drop, and by that time it was 18-0. State methodically ground its way back into the game based on offensive rebounding and Duke turnovers, and trailed by only four midway through the third. Duke answered with another big run, this time 20-4, and led by 20 early in the fourth. State dug in again, and cut the lead to ten with three minutes to go, but could get no further.

Duke shot 48 percent, including 11-19 from three, while holding the pack to 33 percent. Duke shared the ball beautifully, getting 18 assists on 23 FGs. But they got pounded on the glass by the smaller Pack, giving up 17 offensive rebounds, and coughed it up 18 times.

A nice win, but plenty to work on before going to Wake on Thursday. That said, the schedule gets pretty kind for the next few weeks, and there is no reason Duke can’t take an eight-game winning streak into the ND game in early February.

[chrishoke]

Today Wake won at Miami, obviously something Duke couldn't do. That game will not be easy.

[jimsumner]

A strange game. Duke was outrebounded and had more turnovers. But State can't shoot, is prone to slow starts and got zero points from its bench.

And it was great to see Lexie Brown get her mojo back after struggling last week. She had a career-high 34 points, including 7-13 on 3s.

But Duke can't rely on her to score this much on a regular basis.

Which brings us to Rebecca Greenwell. She came off the bench today and not only didn't score, she didn't even take a shot. McCallie says she's not really practicing, so some of this is rust. But she also seemed tentative, afraid to make a sharp cut or drive into traffic.

McCallie says Greenwell is "day-to-day" [aren't we all?]. I'm not sure anyone knows what that means. But if three weeks or so off didn't get her healthy, I'm not sure skipping a practice here and there will.

Her frustration is palpable. And should be. She's a redshirt senior and this was supposed to be her big year.

I would love to see what a Brown, Gorecki, healthy-Greenwell perimeter would look like. But I fear it may be a dream unrealized.

Jade Williams got a start and acquitted herself well, six points, seven rebounds, three blocks. Jayda Adams also acquitted herself well. Duke very much needs both of them to avoid hitting the freshman wall.

And I sound like a broken record on Odom. Twenty-nine minutes, two points, three rebounds. She did have five assists but she's capable of so much more.

And Duke is going to need that if they're going to start winning some road games.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Despite the loss this week, Duke moves up from 17 to 16 in the latest AP poll.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Lexie Brown is listed on the mid-season Wooden award candidate's list. Four players from UCONN are on it, but a certain Durham to Storrs transfer is not among them. (Had Azura stayed at Duke, I have no doubt she would be on the list too.)

[Mike Corey]

Lexie Brown is listed on the mid-season Wooden award candidate's list. Four players from UCONN are on it, but a certain Durham to Storrs transfer is not among them. (Had Azura stayed at Duke, I have no doubt she would be on the list too.)

Yes, but then she'd be on a team that is 12-4 and hasn't advanced to the Final Four since 2006, rather than a team that is undefeated and hasn't missed a Final Four since 2008.

[Kedsy]

Yes, but then she'd be on a team that is 12-4 and hasn't advanced to the Final Four since 2006, rather than a team that is undefeated and hasn't missed a Final Four since 2008.

There's absolutely no way that Duke would have four losses if both Lexie and Azura were on the team this season. We might not have as good a chance as UConn to make the Final Four, but it would still be a pretty good chance.

[Mike Corey]

That's fair, Kedsy.

[uh_no]

Lexie Brown is listed on the mid-season Wooden award candidate's list. Four players from UCONN are on it, but a certain Durham to Storrs transfer is not among them. (Had Azura stayed at Duke, I have no doubt she would be on the list too.)

the problem is not that she's having a bad year, but that it's tough to come by minutes. She's averaging more points per minute than in her last year at duke.

A couple things conspire to limit her minutes. She'll likely never get up to the 32 or whatever she had at duke.
1) contrary to popular belief here, geno will bench his starters when he can when the game is out of hand. maya moore only averaged 30 mpg over her career.
2) connecticut is extremely tall, and azura has not yet supplanted any of the others

assuming she comes back...i expect her minutes will go up next year when gabby williams leaves, and she'll start with KLS, napheesia collier, chrystal dangerfield, and then whatever guard steps it up.

[dukelifer]

A highly commendable effort by the Duke women tonight at #3-ranked and undefeated Louisville, battling back from a 14-point deficit in the 4th quarter to pull within 3 in the last couple of minutes. They had to overcome a substantial disadvantage in free throws (Louisville had 20 trips to the line while Duke had only 8) and turnovers (15 to 9), but were able to partially offset that thanks to some fine shooting by Haley Gorecki, who was 10-14 from the floor and 5-7 from behind the arc. It was a tough one to lose after coming so close, but should serve as a great confidence builder going forward.
Today Louisville is currently crushing Notre Dame

[heyman25]

Breaks the 3 point career record.
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400995052

[CameronBornAndBred]

Welcome back Miss Greenwell! (And Lexie). Both had great games, combined for 50 between them. :)

[chrishoke]

Congrats to Becca.

Duke gets a nice win at Wake 80-67.

[heyman25]

Final box score 95% Free throw team! Amazing statistic.
http://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400995052

[DU82]

Final box score 95% Free throw team! Amazing statistic

And Lexie with the only miss. 80-70 final. (Game summary at top of ESPN page was wrong, final was 80-67.)

The game started tight, Duke only leading by two after one. Then Lexie and Becca took over. Twenty-seven and 23 points respectively. Not much help from anyone other than Erin, who scored all eight of her points in the first quarter. Haley reportedly had the flu, and it showed in her play. Jade continues to make progress, giving us a second option inside, at least on the defensive side. Leaonna started, but was pulled early (I think a couple of missed defensive plays.) I believe our biggest lead was 19, but some turnovers and questionable fouls (Wake supposedly didn't foul in the second quarter, and seemed to get all the foul calls on us) let Wake cut it to single digits. I didn't think the win was in doubt, but it did make it interesting.

NExt up is UVa at 3PM on Sunday. UVa is 5-0 in conference, with a win over Syracuse and at State. They've turned it around after stumbling in non-conference play. We'll see if they can continue, or if their streak is more due to playing the bottom teams in the conference.

[loran16]

Today Louisville is currently crushing Notre Dame

This is an understatement. Louisville was up 44 in the 4th at one point. Holy Cow, that 6 point loss now looks really good.

[uh_no]

This is an understatement. Louisville was up 44 in the 4th at one point. Holy Cow, that 6 point loss now looks really good.

UL was nutso from the floor tonight. they had two 30 point scorers (whose total tied ND). they shot 65% from three. (and overall).

so at worst, duke did a better job contesting shots.

I'm wondering if ND isn't as good as their current ranking. Several close games when you wouldn't expect for the #2 team (at least on the women's side)

7 point win over unranked WKU
5 point win over #18 oregon st
9 point win over unranked depaul
6 point win over unranked marquette
7 point win over unranked miami

but then I looked and UL has several close games as well....especially the last 4 leading up to this...which were all single digit wins over unranked teams (except duke at #17)

So then what does it say about the fact that uconn "only" beat ND by 9 last month? I think what it says is the game of the season is on 2/12 in storrs, especially since uconn will be playing their 5th game in 12 days.

[jimsumner]

This is an understatement. Louisville was up 44 in the 4th at one point. Holy Cow, that 6 point loss now looks really good.

True. But that Miami loss looks worse and worse. Miami got smoked by FSU, 105-67.

[chrishoke]

That Miami loss has never looked anything but awful, particularly if you watched it live like me.

[CameronBornAndBred]

UCONN is losing a top 2017 recruit, will Coach P take advantage? It seems like she had made an impact before.


Espinoza-Hunter was one of four top-50 recruits in the Class of 2017 to join the Huskies’ loaded roster. She was the No. 16-overall recruit according to ESPN and was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New York for 2017. Espinoza-Hunter also considered attending Duke before committing to UConn.

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/1/12/espinoza-hunter-to-transfer-from-uconn-womens-basketball-program

[jimsumner]

UCONN is losing a top 2017 recruit, will Coach P take advantage? It seems like she had made an impact before.



http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/1/12/espinoza-hunter-to-transfer-from-uconn-womens-basketball-program

There is interest on Duke's end.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke holds on in a tight defensive matchup to win 55 - 48 over UVA.
With less than a minute left, it was a one point game, and Lexie Brown put the team on her back. She was scoreless in the first half, so nice timing. ;)

[burnspbesq]

The box score may not fully reflect it, but I thought that was one of Duke’s best defensive performances in a while. After opening the game with a 13-2 run, the Hoos got only 35 the rest of the way. Duke forced 19 turnovers and had three blocks (including a big one by Mathias late). More to the point, they made it really difficult for Virginia to run their offense, forcing them deep into the shot clock time and again. Lexie’s quickness and Odom’s length combined to make it difficult for Virginia to reverse the ball.

Great game for Erin at both ends of the floor; 12 and 5 plus two steals and two blocks, while holding Aiyeotan to two points. IIRC, Virginia had only six points in the paint, and didn’t shoot a single free throw all afternoon.

Definitely a keeper.

On to Blacksburg.

[chrishoke]

Very nice win today. The Cavs were 5-0 in the ACC and on a 8 game winning streak in all games. Lexie struggled with her shot as Virginia focused their D on her, but she fought threw and willed her team to the victory. Her defense down the stretch was the key to the game. If you are not watching this Duke team, you are missing a virtuoso senior season performance by Ms. Brown.

[jimsumner]

Agree, a solid win against a solid team. Virginia hit 10 of 25 from beyond the arc but did not go to the foul line. Literally. Not a single foul shot.

I'm not sure I've seen that in the shot-clock era, men or women.

Duke's interior D was that good.

And Duke was 16-21 from the line, a fair number of those in the final minute, when Virginia was fouling.

Duke started Mathias, Williams, Greenwell, Brown and Gorecki, bringing Odom off the bench in an attempt to rev up her motor.

Odom did seem more energized than usual and had nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal, to go along with seven points. That might be what we can expect from her the rest of the season.

Adams was the only other reserve. McCallie suggested this was more situational, a close, physical game and all that. But I'm not sure she has much confidence right now in Suggs, Faz Davalos or Treece.

Virginia starts 6-9 Felicia Aiyeotan. Lots of men's teams don't start a 6-9 center.

The ultimate project when she arrived, she's developed into an intimidating rebounder and defender, albeit with virtually non-existent offensive skills. Still, it took Duke awhile to figure out how to attack Virginia inside, which partially accounts for Duke's slow start on offense. Give Erin Mathias credit for not backing down from the challenge. She had 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals. She muscled a 3-point play over Aiyetoan at the beginning of the fourth quarter, extending Duke's lead to seven.

Mathias seems to like playing with Jade Williams, in a twin-towers lineup. This gives Mathias a chance to play further from the basket. She doesn't have a 3-point shot but is comfortable shooting up to about 17 feet and is a good passer as long as she doesn't have to put the ball on the floor.

And Brown's ability to just take over a game is what you expect from a star. After Virginia cut it to 49-48, with 1:12 left, Brown drew a foul with one second left on the shot clock, drained both freebies, got a steal and two more foul shots, giving Duke a 53-48 lead.

Duke is entering a manageable portion of its schedule. A chance to make up some ground and solidify a crucial top-four spot in the ACC regular season.

Just avoid that upset bug.

[chrishoke]

Excellent summary Jim. With the way we are playing now, it sure would be nice to have that Miami game back. Such a bad loss. On to VPI.

[burnspbesq]

FWIW, after a first quarter in which Virginia shot the lights out, Duke held them to less than 0.78 points per possession the rest of the way.

[jhmoss1812]

Agree, a solid win against a solid team. Virginia hit 10 of 25 from beyond the arc but did not go to the foul line. Literally. Not a single foul shot.

I'm not sure I've seen that in the shot-clock era, men or women.

UVA men also went 0-0 from the FT line this season against Wisconsin.

[jimsumner]

UVA men also went 0-0 from the FT line this season against Wisconsin.

Thanks. I remember that, now. Perhaps it's a Wahoo thing.

[CameronBornAndBred]

There is interest on Duke's end.

So Espinoza-Hunter is taking her time deciding on her transfer choice, it looks like. She has enrolled at a community college while she reviews her options. That sounds like a good decision, especially given the way her Huskie career ended. UCONN was obviously not a right fit for her; there's no sense in making the same mistake twice. I would assume that wherever she transfers, she'll be a Fall enrollee now.
The Duke women play at VT tonight on the ACC network (WatchEspn); that should be a very winnable road game. Looking forward to seeing how Becca is recovering, and hoping that Lexie keeps up her recent level of play.

[DU82]

So Espinoza-Hunter is taking her time deciding on her transfer choice, it looks like. She has enrolled at a community college while she reviews her options. That sounds like a good decision, especially given the way her Huskie career ended. UCONN was obviously not a right fit for her; there's no sense in making the same mistake twice. I would assume that wherever she transfers, she'll be a Fall enrollee now.
The Duke women play at VT tonight on the ACC network (WatchEspn); that should be a very winnable road game. Looking forward to seeing how Becca is recovering, and hoping that Lexie keeps up her recent level of play.

Some on UConn boards thought that her enrolling at a community college pointed to her having academic problems, but I concur with you that it's more a sign of not rushing her choice for four year school. I think it means that she'll have to sit out the entire 18-19 season (IIRC the rules say that a transfer has to be at his/her new school for a full year) but she'll have three years of play left, rather than 2.5 (if she started next January.)

I'm assuming that the team was able to get out of Durham and is in Blacksburg. About eight inches of white stuff in south Durham.

[uh_no]

I'm assuming that the team was able to get out of Durham and is in Blacksburg. About eight inches of white stuff in south Durham.

almost every commercial flight is either cancelled or delayed out of RDU today so far. I imagine charter flights are less impacted.

[CameronBornAndBred]

WOW! With 2.1 seconds left in the half, Lexie unloads a bomb three from Sweden to tie the game.
Why were the ladies losing by as much as seven? Turnovers. Lots of them. One could also blame bad shooting, but the Blue Devils 40% is better than VT's 37%.
Game is even across the board, with ties in points, turnovers, and virtual tie in rebounds. Hopefully our shooting and ball control improve in the half and we walk away with a solid win...but if it keeps up like the first half, it is going to be a nail biter.

[CameronBornAndBred]

WOW! With 2.1 seconds left in the half, Lexie unloads a bomb three from Sweden to tie the game.
Why were the ladies losing by as much as seven? Turnovers. Lots of them. One could also blame bad shooting, but the Blue Devils 40% is better than VT's 37%.
Game is even across the board, with ties in points, turnovers, and virtual tie in rebounds. Hopefully our shooting and ball control improve in the half and we walk away with a solid win...but if it keeps up like the first half, it is going to be a nail biter.

NO turnovers, better shooting and solid D = a tie game turned into a 13 point lead at the end of the 3rd.

[CameronBornAndBred]

9 TOs in 1st half, none in the second. That's quite the correction. Gorecki was a scoring machine with 28 points (7-10 on threes).
86-75 win.

Watching Wake/FSU now. Wake has been winning most of the game, but it has gone to OT.

For those weather watchers...Duke took the bus, not a plane. Drive home safely, ladies!

[Tappan Zee Devil]

9 TOs in 1st half, none in the second. That's quite the correction.
Duke took the bus, not a plane. Drive home safely, ladies!

Yeah - Didn't see the game (actually watched my taping of the men's Duke-Miami game - catching up because just got back from visiting my new granddaughter)
What jumped out from the box score was that there were only 9 TOs - and that there were 9 blocks and 7 steals. That sounds (on paper, at least) as very good defense as well as valuing the ball.

Safe home, ladies!

[Kedsy]

What jumped out from the box score was that there were only 9 TOs - and that there were 9 blocks and 7 steals. That sounds (on paper, at least) as very good defense as well as valuing the ball.

Erin had a career high 4 blocks and Leaonna had 3 blocks, including the key block at the end of the first half that set up Lexie's long three at the halftime buzzer to tie the game and give Duke the momentum (which they rode for the entire second half).

Jade Williams also had a couple blocks, to go with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and no turnovers. Best of all, after coming into the game shooting 5 for 21 from the free throw line, Jade hit 3 of 4 freebies tonight. Erin chipped in 11 points and 6 rebounds to go with her 4 blocks. Lexie had 23 points, 4 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals to pad her ACC-leading steals total. Becca shot 4 for 6 (2 for 4 from three) for 10 points, but there weren't so many shots to go around with Haley bombing away. Apparently her 7 threes were the most ever by a Virginia Tech women's opponent.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Watching Wake/FSU now. Wake has been winning most of the game, but it has gone to OT.


Unfortunately Wake couldn't hold on in OT. Maybe it was nerves, but they missed some easy layups and couldn't rebound to save their lives. I think there was one stretch where FSU got 5 consecutive offensive boards to keep the clock ticking. A nice effort by the lady Deacs, but had they won, it would have helped us a lot in the standings since it would have knocked the 'Noles off that top tier and tied us up.
Bright side, Sylvia's squad lost, by a lot, to BC. HAHAHAHAHA;) (That's BC's only conference win to date.)

[jimsumner]

I'm told that Duke made it back from Blacksburg without any major problems.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Charlie Crème has moved Duke back into the top 16 seeds in his latest bracket projection. While it is still early in the season, Duke must do all they can to remain in that group. The 1-4 seeds all host opening games, so kicking off the tournament in Durham is important. As last year proved, it doesn't guarantee playing in the Sweet Sixteen, but it is better than starting off on the road. As of today, Crème has the ACC with 7 bids.
Charlie also has us playing UCONN in the Sweet 16. Charlie is evil. (We obviously don't want to be that 16th seed.)

http://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/bracketology

[Kedsy]

Sylvia Hatchell is wearing a really ugly jacket.

[dukelifer]

Sylvia Hatchell is wearing a really ugly jacket.

It is after all - a big game

[Kedsy]

The jacket isn't happy.

[Kedsy]

Not a good way to end the half.

[DU82]

41-33 at the half. After a great first quarter and sting start to the second, we’ve let them back in the game. They found the range from three and have pushed for a few easy layups.

Leaonna has 3 fouls, Becca two, so we have to watch it. We were passing to our centers effectively early but they’ve closed it up. Worse our offense stopped being aggressive. Haley took two “nobody’s moving I guess I have to shot” shots that missed badly. We let ththe m get it under ten , and even their crowd is making noise.

Hope we get back to that early play to start the second half

[Kedsy]

Ugh. One point lead after three.

[arnie]

Ugh. One point lead after three.

total collapse by Duke women; bricked free throws, turnovers and fouling Heels on wild 3-pt attempts all in last minute or so. Into OT

[Kedsy]

total collapse by Duke women; bricked free throws, turnovers and fouling Heels on wild 3-pt attempts all in last minute or so. Into OT

Refs going to the monitor for no apparent reason to give UNC a free TO with 4 seconds left was ludicrous. I'd rather have no monitor than arbitrary decisions like that.

[Kedsy]

Boy, this game has put me in a cranky mood.

[CameronBornAndBred]

There are 26 reasons why we blew a 19 point lead and lost by 6.
So much for riding the zero turnover second half of the last game.

[CameronBlue]

Boy, this game has put me in a cranky mood.

Watched only the last few minutes but it seemed there was a familiar tone to this game...a lot of open threes offered up to UNC.

[buddy]

This was a real team effort. This team is painful to watch.

[CameronBlue]

There are 26 reasons why we blew a 19 point lead and lost by 6.
So much for riding the zero turnover second half of the last game.

Duke was up 4 or so with a minute to play and Greenwell made a poor decision to try to hand the ball off near the sideline resulting in a UNC steal that seemed crucial. You don't expect that kind of mistake from a veteran team.

[dudog84]

Crap. When you go 2-6 from the line in the last 1:05 (including 1-4 from your All-American backcourt that shoots about 85%) this is going to happen. But this is on the entire team.

[Dukehky]

Unwillingness to come out of the zone, even when they needed a 3 was not ideal.

The great Lindsay Harding was at the game. She was livid.

[Kedsy]

There are 26 reasons why we blew a 19 point lead and lost by 6.
So much for riding the zero turnover second half of the last game.

To be fair to our team, several of those turnover calls seemed kind of bogus to me. The officiating was inconsistent.

I'm not going sour grapes here, I'm just saying you can't blame the player for a phantom travel call, or a play that's "play on" on one side and offensive foul on the other.

[CameronBornAndBred]

To be fair to our team, several of those turnover calls seemed kind of bogus to me. The officiating was inconsistent.

I'm not going sour grapes here, I'm just saying you can't blame the player for a phantom travel call, or a play that's "play on" on one side and offensive foul on the other.

I saw way too many that were unforced. Travels on Lexie (lots of those), bad passes, stepping OB...sigh. Two of those travels came up as she set up her shot for made threes, which of course were waved off.

[dudog84]

Unwillingness to come out of the zone, even when they needed a 3 was not ideal.

The great Lindsay Harding was at the game. She was livid.

Uh, I seem to remember the great Lindsay Harding missing some much more important free throws than these at one time. It was a crappy game, a bad loss. But there are much more important games to come.

[CameronBlue]

Unwillingness to come out of the zone, even when they needed a 3 was not ideal.

The great Lindsay Harding was at the game. She was livid.

There are a number of things for her to be upset about. Bad games happen. Persistent systemic failures are more troubling. It would be interesting to know the perspective of someone who is a former Naismith award winner and probably more informed than most people who post here.

[Kedsy]

Persistent systemic failures are more troubling.

Seriously?

[Mike Corey]

Very tough loss for Coach McCallie and the Blue Devils.

Here's hoping we bounce back with a vengeance.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This was a bad loss for more than being "a bad loss". Duke needs to be fighting for top tier status in the conference and this makes it more difficult. If we lose to ND, that's ok; not a lot of teams are going to beat them and it won't affect us much. Losing to Carolina does, though, because they are far less likely to beat a team above us to inch us back up. It's truly a step-back game, and one that is hard to step forward from in the rankings. We can hope a similar fate (bad game) befalls the teams above us, but the ones that deserve to be there don't let that happen.
This game will also drop us in the polls, and I said a few posts back, staying in that top 16 for tournament seeding purposes is vital. This loss has a lasting effect that carries into our post season. Bleah.


Very tough loss for Coach McCallie and the Blue Devils.

Here's hoping we bounce back with a vengeance.
Amen to that. I am still optimistic, but this was not a good day.

[CameronBlue]

Seriously?

Care to explain what you mean? Yes seriously. Oh I get it, it's a fairly benign statement, perhaps a touch platitudinous. Yeah, ya got me, touche. But we're back at the same place again with many of Duke's losses over the years, high turnover count, Duke's persistent failure to guard the 3 and poor decision making, mistakes correctable with proper coaching and veteran leadership. These criticisms are not new.

[chrishoke]

There are a number of things for her to be upset about. Bad games happen. Persistent systemic failures are more troubling. It would be interesting to know the perspective of someone who is a former Naismith award winner and probably more informed than most people who post here.

You mean from the person that missed the most infamous free throw in Duke women's BB history? We made lots of mistakes but those 3 of 4 misses by our grad student All Americans in the last minute of regulation were the killers.

[chrishoke]

By the way, LH is my favorite Duke women's BB player ever.

[CameronBlue]

You mean from the person that missed the most infamous free throw in Duke women's BB history? We made lots of mistakes but those 3 of 4 misses by our grad student All Americans in the last minute of regulation were the killers.

You're going to take a shot at Lindsay for missing a free throw (clearly a huge disappointment) and devalue her opinion as a result? Gee, that sounds like a faithful Duke fan. What do you think about Jay Williams failure against Indiana, or about 100 other mistakes by Duke coaches and players over the years? I just want to know why she was livid. Maybe she was just being a sports fan and in the moment...I'd still like to hear her opinion of a team that seems to commit many of the same errors. Got a problem with that, if so I can't imagine why.

[Kedsy]

Care to explain what you mean? Yes seriously. Oh I get it, it's a fairly benign statement, perhaps a touch platitudinous. Yeah, ya got me, touche. But we're back at the same place again with many of Duke's losses over the years, high turnover count, Duke's persistent failure to guard the 3 and poor decision making, mistakes correctable with proper coaching and veteran leadership. These criticisms are not new.

Here are statistics relating to Duke turnovers and opposing 3-point prowess from three selected seasons. One of them is this season, in the 19 games before (and not including) tonight. The other two are 2005-06 and 2006-07. If you can tell which one is this year (as opposed to Coach G's and Lindsay Harding's final two and arguably finest seasons), then perhaps we can have this conversation:



opp ppg Duke topg opp 3pt %
51.4 15.6 0.259
55.0 15.1 0.277
58.2 17.1 0.290


If you can't tell which is which, or even if you can but can't reasonably explain to me how the two Coach G seasons had less of a "systemic failure" than this season, then maybe you can adjust your "not new" criticisms to what is actually happening right now.

[Dukehky]

You're going to take a shot at Lindsay for missing a free throw (clearly a huge disappointment) and devalue her opinion as a result? Gee, that sounds like a faithful Duke fan. What do you think about Jay Williams failure against Indiana, or about 100 other mistakes by Duke coaches and players over the years? I just want to know why she was livid. Maybe she was just being a sports fan and in the moment...I'd still like to hear her opinion of a team that seems to commit many of the same errors. Got a problem with that, if so I can't imagine why.

That was it. She was just being a fan. Disappointed in the play down the stretch, not about a missed free throw, but the decision to stay in a zone that allows for open 3's from the corners and the turnovers down the stretch. Same as everyone else.

It's not like she was saying G would have never allowed that or anything.

[dudog84]

Here are statistics relating to Duke turnovers and opposing 3-point prowess from three selected seasons. One of them is this season, in the 19 games before (and not including) tonight. The other two are 2005-06 and 2006-07. If you can tell which one is this year (as opposed to Coach G's and Lindsay Harding's final two and arguably finest seasons), then perhaps we can have this conversation:



opp ppg Duke topg opp 3pt %
51.4 15.6 0.259
55.0 15.1 0.277
58.2 17.1 0.290


If you can't tell which is which, or even if you can but can't reasonably explain to me how the two Coach G seasons had less of a "systemic failure" than this season, then maybe you can adjust your "not new" criticisms to what is actually happening right now.

Wow, that is a touche. I don't know where to find these numbers (ok, I could, but between basketball and football I'm having a lousy day and am in a bad lazy mood), so please let us know soon which is which.

[jimsumner]

It's hard to describe how ugly and dispiriting this loss was. Duke won the game a half-dozen times but kept giving it back. Duke's two best ball handlers combined for 12 turnovers, Duke's two best foul shooters went 7-13 from the line, both missing a chance to salt away the game in the final seconds.

And Carolina didn't even press. A large number of Duke's turnovers were live-ball turnovers, resulting in UNC layups.

And up three with four seconds left, Duke allows UNC's best player a wide-open 3 for the tie off an inbounds play. With two fouls to give.

Then basically mailed it in in OT, despite having a fresher and deeper team. UNC's two best players played 45 minutes.

Lexie Brown owned the loss, citing her missed foul shots as game pressure. Color me stunned at the late-game mistakes.

Some good things, for sure. But this is a not a good UNC team.

There's no way to polish this one. It was a bad loss for team on the top-16 bubble.

[DU82]

It's hard to describe how ugly and dispiriting this loss was. Duke won the game a half-dozen times but kept giving it back. Duke's two best ball handlers combined for 12 turnovers, Duke's two best foul shooters went 7-13 from the line, both missing a chance to salt away the game in the final seconds.

And Carolina didn't even press. A large number of Duke's turnovers were live-ball turnovers, resulting in UNC layups.

And up three with four seconds left, Duke allows UNC's best player a wide-open 3 for the tie off an inbounds play. With two fouls to give.

Then basically mailed it in in OT, despite having a fresher and deeper team. UNC's two best players played 45 minutes.

Lexie Brown owned the loss, citing her missed foul shots as game pressure. Color me stunned at the late-game mistakes.

Some good things, for sure. But this is a not a good UNC team.

There's no way to polish this one. It was a bad loss for team on the top-16 bubble.

One correction Jim. We no longer had any fouls to give. Haley's foul on the breakaway after her giveaway (after we called TO to advance the ball to the front court) was the fourth foul of the 4th period. (Their scoreboard is so tough to read, with the horizontal team fouls, player number, and player fouls.) So the rest of the way (including overtime) they were shooting, and I think they only missed one FT all game (do not want to check the box score anymore.)

As mentioned, turnovers and free throws. Too many unforced turnovers (and some decent defensive plays from the cheaters.)

We had our way in the first 1.5 quarters, and then I think they went to a tighter defense (zone?) that cut off the passes inside and drives. We then spent most of the game standing outside. Haley, as I mentioned at the half, had two poor shots where she just stood there with the ball, nobody moved, and she decided to shoot. Jade played aggressively on offensive early, and Erin was pretty good all game (missing some decent shots, or turning the ball over when she got the pass as the shorter Cheater defender kept kneeing her from behind.) They shot a lot of threes, missing 7 out of 10 until overtime, when I don't think they missed (or at least it seemed so.)

A game to forget for sure.

[jimsumner]

One correction Jim. We no longer had any fouls to give. Haley's foul on the breakaway after her giveaway (after we called TO to advance the ball to the front court) was the fourth foul of the 4th period. (Their scoreboard is so tough to read, with the horizontal team fouls, player number, and player fouls.) So the rest of the way (including overtime) they were shooting, and I think they only missed one FT all game (do not want to check the box score anymore.)

As mentioned, turnovers and free throws. Too many unforced turnovers (and some decent defensive plays from the cheaters.)

We had our way in the first 1.5 quarters, and then I think they went to a tighter defense (zone?) that cut off the passes inside and drives. We then spent most of the game standing outside. Haley, as I mentioned at the half, had two poor shots where she just stood there with the ball, nobody moved, and she decided to shoot. Jade played aggressively on offensive early, and Erin was pretty good all game (missing some decent shots, or turning the ball over when she got the pass as the shorter Cheater defender kept kneeing her from behind.) They shot a lot of threes, missing 7 out of 10 until overtime, when I don't think they missed (or at least it seemed so.)

A game to forget for sure.

All the more reason to foul and not give UNC a 3.

Leah Church came into the game averaging 3.1 points per game, with a career high of eight.

She can only do thing. Shoot. When open and not moving. She's slow, she's short, she can't post up or score off the dribble. She came into today's game having attempted one two-point shot all season. One.

So, she gets 11 3-pointers, almost all wide open and knocks down five of them.

McCallie said Duke had a plan for her but didn't execute it. Keeping a defender in the same zip code should just about do it.

[DU82]

All the more reason to foul and not give UNC a 3.

I don't disagree with that, although the pass/shot was pretty quick, I don't think we could have fouled a non-shooter in that situation. (Back to your comment of how she was that wide open off the inbounds pass is the first problem there.)

[jimsumner]

I don't disagree with that, although the pass/shot was pretty quick, I don't think we could have fouled a non-shooter in that situation. (Back to your comment of how she was that wide open off the inbounds pass is the first problem there.)

Fight over the screen. If they call the foul, great. If not, then maybe you get a hand in Kea's face. But you just can't give up that shot.

FWIW, Hatchell said they drew up the play for Church to get the shot.


So, this was their Plan B.

[grossbus]

By my recollection, we had 3 turnovers on inbounds play, including the one after the timeout near the end of the game.

Just one of so many ways we lost this game.

Wonder what P’s plan for church was? I saw evidence of anything.

[CameronBlue]

Here are statistics relating to Duke turnovers and opposing 3-point prowess from three selected seasons. One of them is this season, in the 19 games before (and not including) tonight. The other two are 2005-06 and 2006-07. If you can tell which one is this year (as opposed to Coach G's and Lindsay Harding's final two and arguably finest seasons), then perhaps we can have this conversation:



opp ppg Duke topg opp 3pt %
51.4 15.6 0.259
55.0 15.1 0.277
58.2 17.1 0.290


If you can't tell which is which, or even if you can but can't reasonably explain to me how the two Coach G seasons had less of a "systemic failure" than this season, then maybe you can adjust your "not new" criticisms to what is actually happening right now.

First let me state that this is not a harangue about how good things were under G and that P is literally Satan in a Blue Dress and wouldn't it be great if a house dropped on her and whatever. In my earlier posts I purposely avoided mentioning P by name to try to avoid making it personal. If it's possible to parse between the two I'd rather talk about the failures in coaching rather than the failures of P. White made his decision and it's well past time--as others have stated on this board months ago--to accept P and support the team, because not to support the team is simply wrong. But that doesn't mean the coaches (and players) should be immune to criticism.

Moving on. Seasonal averages are misleading and IMO your line of logic is specious. Duke has been historically a top tier (and we'll say remains so) Division I program. Any "systemic flaws" in coaching, game preparation etc reveal themselves more often in games when the team is mentally and physically tested, when more is on the line, when the talent disparity Duke enjoys against the Elons of the world is not in evidence. If you stratify those stats by ACC opponent, or Top 10 opponent or NCAA/ACC Tournament games and the relationship still holds then maybe you have a basis for argument. As it stands, again, IMO, you don't. Seasonal averages normalize extreme events and outliers. A top tier Division I program is only going to play a handful of games each year that will truly separate the women from the girls, both players and coaches, when tactics, strategy and ability to perform under pressure, the habits, both bad and good, ingrained through coaching and practice manifest themselves. I freely admit that I'm am relying on a "perception" that Duke performs poorly in those games, extremely poorly for an experienced team, as evidenced by turnovers. (I have not sorted through that stats to see, so go find the stats that nullify that perception--as I said you haven't yet--and maybe you'll have a basis for an argument.) The "perception" is that Duke frequently, with alarming regularity, hits the 20+ turnover mark in those "more important" games. And if you find that the same thing happened in the last two years of G's tenure, so what? Surely can't think 20 or 26 turnovers is excusable and not likely related to game coaching or game preparation? Could it happen once in a while to good teams? Obviously. It happens with such regularity to Duke that yes, you feel something fundamental to game preparation is being missed, repeatedly. It's as temporal as it ever has been. Duke lost the game for a number of reasons. They missed some free throws and that's on the players. For the sake of argument those are not wholly "coachable" mistakes. Getting the ball up court against a zone press, creating space against tight pressure and the sideline, recognizing double-teams and finding the open man (should be the one screaming the loudest), recognizing passing lanes, knowing when to pass the ball on the bounce are all things which are coachable tactics at which Duke seems to fail at repeatedly when it matters most.

[Kedsy]

First let me state that this is not a harangue about how good things were under G and that P is literally Satan in a Blue Dress and wouldn't it be great if a house dropped on her and whatever. In my earlier posts I purposely avoided mentioning P by name to try to avoid making it personal. If it's possible to parse between the two I'd rather talk about the failures in coaching rather than the failures of P. White made his decision and it's well past time--as others have stated on this board months ago--to accept P and support the team, because not to support the team is simply wrong. But that doesn't mean the coaches (and players) should be immune to criticism.

Moving on. Seasonal averages are misleading and IMO your line of logic is specious. Duke has been historically a top tier (and we'll say remains so) Division I program. Any "systemic flaws" in coaching, game preparation etc reveal themselves more often in games when the team is mentally and physically tested, when more is on the line, when the talent disparity Duke enjoys against the Elons of the world is not in evidence. If you stratify those stats by ACC opponent, or Top 10 opponent or NCAA/ACC Tournament games and the relationship still holds then maybe you have a basis for argument. As it stands, again, IMO, you don't. Seasonal averages normalize extreme events and outliers. A top tier Division I program is only going to play a handful of games each year that will truly separate the women from the girls, both players and coaches, when tactics, strategy and ability to perform under pressure, the habits, both bad and good, ingrained through coaching and practice manifest themselves. I freely admit that I'm am relying on a "perception" that Duke performs poorly in those games, extremely poorly for an experienced team, as evidenced by turnovers. (I have not sorted through that stats to see, so go find the stats that nullify that perception--as I said you haven't yet--and maybe you'll have a basis for an argument.) The "perception" is that Duke frequently, with alarming regularity, hits the 20+ turnover mark in those "more important" games. And if you find that the same thing happened in the last two years of G's tenure, so what? Surely can't think 20 or 26 turnovers is excusable and not likely related to game coaching or game preparation? Could it happen once in a while to good teams? Obviously. It happens with such regularity to Duke that yes, you feel something fundamental to game preparation is being missed, repeatedly. It's as temporal as it ever has been. Duke lost the game for a number of reasons. They missed some free throws and that's on the players. For the sake of argument those are not wholly "coachable" mistakes. Getting the ball up court against a zone press, creating space against tight pressure and the sideline, recognizing double-teams and finding the open man (should be the one screaming the loudest), recognizing passing lanes, knowing when to pass the ball on the bounce are all things which are coachable tactics at which Duke seems to fail at repeatedly when it matters most.

Talk about specious. You support your argument with statistics that you admit you haven't consulted? And then you tell me if I want to spend my time digging up your fuzzily-defined statistics, then "maybe" I'll have the basis for an argument? What you're saying is laughable.

FWIW, I looked through the 2005-06 team's schedule and isolated only games against ranked teams, then did the same for this year's team. The 2005-06 team (that made the NCAA title game) turned the ball over 20+ times in 25% of its games against ranked teams (including 23 to's in a loss at UNC), with an average of 15.6 turnovers in those games. This year's team also turned the ball over 20+ times in 25% of its games against ranked teams, with an average of 14.5 turnovers per game. Obviously when you do it this way it's a smaller sample size, so this doesn't prove that this year's team is no worse at coughing the ball up than that team was (though it is evidence of that, as is the fact that in my original table this year's team had the lowest average topg of the three seasons listed), but it certainly does not support your theory that Duke (this season or in general) turns it over more against better teams. You want more, you can attempt to find your own stats. I doubt you'll find anything that reliably backs up your dubious hypothesis, much less your completely unsupported conclusions.

In fact, it's been some time since Duke has excessively turned the ball over with "regularity" (whatever that means in this context). Whether you mentioned her name or not, you're making stuff up because you made up your mind about Coach P in advance. The fact is she's done a really good coaching job for at least the past two seasons, whether you want to admit it or not. And surfacing only when the team loses and spouting nonsense about "systemic failures" doesn't advance the discussion.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Thankfully that lousy loss only dropped us four spots in the polls, so we are 18. Only a couple away from that top 16 group. The women play lowly BC tomorrow night, so that should be a victory. I wouldn't want to be the team that faces Duke after the UNC loss.

[CamrnCrz1974]

Talk about specious. You support your argument with statistics that you admit you haven't consulted? And then you tell me if I want to spend my time digging up your fuzzily-defined statistics, then "maybe" I'll have the basis for an argument? What you're saying is laughable.

FWIW, I looked through the 2005-06 team's schedule and isolated only games against ranked teams, then did the same for this year's team. The 2005-06 team (that made the NCAA title game) turned the ball over 20+ times in 25% of its games against ranked teams (including 23 to's in a loss at UNC), with an average of 15.6 turnovers in those games. This year's team also turned the ball over 20+ times in 25% of its games against ranked teams, with an average of 14.5 turnovers per game. Obviously when you do it this way it's a smaller sample size, so this doesn't prove that this year's team is no worse at coughing the ball up than that team was (though it is evidence of that, as is the fact that in my original table this year's team had the lowest average topg of the three seasons listed), but it certainly does not support your theory that Duke (this season or in general) turns it over more against better teams. You want more, you can attempt to find your own stats. I doubt you'll find anything that reliably backs up your dubious hypothesis, much less your completely unsupported conclusions.

In fact, it's been some time since Duke has excessively turned the ball over with "regularity" (whatever that means in this context). Whether you mentioned her name or not, you're making stuff up because you made up your mind about Coach P in advance. The fact is she's done a really good coaching job for at least the past two seasons, whether you want to admit it or not. And surfacing only when the team loses and spouting nonsense about "systemic failures" doesn't advance the discussion.

It is one thing to look at turnovers, which was your point in responding to the other post. For me, however, it is quite another thing to look at the overall direction of the program.

As for the overall direction of the program, these were the numbers as of February 2016, comparing predecessor Gail Goestenkors' last seven years at Duke with Joanne P. McCallie's eight-plus years (up to February 2016) at Duke produces the following:

Overall record:
Goestenkors: 220-25 (89.79 percent)
McCallie: 243-64 (79.15 percent)

ACC record:
Goestenkors: 98-8 (92.45 percent)
McCallie:107-30 (78.10 percent)

NCAA record:
Goestenkors: 23-7 (one NCAA runner-up, three Final Fours, five years at least making the Elite eight, all seven years at least making the Sweet 16)
McCallie:18-8 (zero Final Fours, four Elite Eights, six years at least making the Sweet 16, two second round losses)

Against Top 5 Opponents:
Goestenkors: 14-14 (50.00 percent)
McCallie:7-28 (20.00 percent)

Against Top 10 Opponents:
Goestenkors: 25-14 (64.10 percent)
McCallie: 19-36 (34.545 percent)

Against Ranked Opponents:
Goestenkors: 60-20 (80.00 percent)
McCallie: 58-49 (54.21 percent)

Given that Coach P is in her 11th season, I can go back and compare the last ten years of the Goestenkors era with the first ten years of the McCallie era.

[devilseven]

Goestenkors is gone. She chose to leave Duke. Tell us about her record for the last 11 years. She was fired at Texas for poor performance. Has she been able to get another coaching job? Let's compare Coach P's record at Duke with Goestenkors coaching record during the same time frame.

[Kedsy]

It is one thing to look at turnovers, which was your point in responding to the other post. For me, however, it is quite another thing to look at the overall direction of the program.

Well, I'm not sure what conclusions we're supposed to draw from the fact that Coach P's winning percentage in her first x years at Duke isn't quite as good as Coach G's was in her last x years at Duke. For one thing, I don't think the comparison is completely apples-to-apples. First off, in Coach P's first 10 years, three seasons encompass 46.5% of her losses. So the overall average looks worse than it really is. For another thing, Coach P's teams suffered a LOT more injuries to key personnel than Coach G's did in her final 10 seasons at Duke (I'm not saying nobody got hurt on Coach G's teams, obviously her teams did suffer some key injuries, but nowhere near the number of key injuries that Coach P's teams have suffered).

Most importantly, times have changed. In Coach G's days, outside of Maryland and North Carolina (and of course Duke) there were generally few if any other ranked teams in the ACC. Last season, not including Duke the ACC had six ranked teams, which is fairly typical since the ACC expansion. More than that, I think the overall quality of women's basketball has improved. It used to be top teams literally almost never lost to lesser teams, but in recent years that gap has closed (other than UConn). Unranked teams have much more of a shot of beating ranked teams than they did even 10 or 12 years ago. How much of a difference has that made? I don't know. But possibly enough to account for the differences in the win/loss stats you've quoted, or at least come close to that.

Coach P's teams have also had more high profile transfers than Coach G's teams did. Obviously some of that has to get lumped on the coach (though not all, IMO). But despite what I consider a legitimate gripe against Coach P, I would say (a) she appears to have cleaned up her act over the past season and a half; and (b) while dealing with transfers caused by personality issues between the head coach and the players might (does) affect the win/loss record, to me it isn't really part of the "overall direction of the program."

But even if we accept the hypothesis that Coach G performed better in her last x years than Coach P has in her first x years, my question is "so what?" Coach G isn't coming back (and didn't perform so well at Texas, either). Who are we going to get to coach the team that's going to win more games than Coach P has? Who's going to approach Coach G's success record? Or, frankly, even Coach P's success record?

Whether or not she has done as well as Coach G, by most objective measures Coach P has done very well at Duke. Certainly if wins and losses are your yardstick, or ACC coach-of-the-year awards, or pretty much any standard other than some Duke fans' ridiculously high expectations.

[uh_no]

or pretty much any standard other than some Duke fans' ridiculously high expectations.

Well...except borderline FERPA violations while throwing former players under the bus in Chronicle interviews...and childish behavior in handshake lines...and issues dealing with players and coaches enough to warrant an internal investigation...and throwing former coaches under the bus on twitter (and just throwing things under buses in general)

though I have given credit that P has improved at such fundamentals in the past two seasons, and largely agree with you from an overall performance standpoint, I also contend that her teams' performances given their recruiting rankings are not as high as one would want...but recruiting is part of coaching, and P does it very well, and if the cost is weaker X/O fundamentals, so be it. the product is at least reasonable.

[budwom]

Well...except borderline FERPA violations while throwing former players under the bus in Chronicle interviews...and childish behavior in handshake lines...and issues dealing with players and coaches enough to warrant an internal investigation...and throwing former coaches under the bus on twitter (and just throwing things under buses in general)

though I have given credit that P has improved at such fundamentals in the past two seasons, and largely agree with you from an overall performance standpoint, I also contend that her teams' performances given their recruiting rankings are not as high as one would want...but recruiting is part of coaching, and P does it very well, and if the cost is weaker X/O fundamentals, so be it. the product is at least reasonable.

Yes. I haven't watched a minute of WBB this year and won't until they get a new coach. Just can't take it.

[jimsumner]

McCallie inherited a much stronger program than the one inherited by Goestenkors. McCallie got Duke to the Elite Eight four times early but nothing close since. Right now, Duke is on the outside looking in for a top-16 seed. Still, doable but making the Sweet Sixteen seems like the ceiling to me.

I think most knowledgeable observers would acknowledge that the program has slipped in recent years and I do not think it disrespectful to the current players to acknowledge that. Others may disagree.

McCallie inherited a nationally-elite program. I'm not sure it still is. I had high hopes for this season reversing that trend and it could still happen, especially if Greenwell can somehow magically become 100 percent healthy.

But the margin for error is pretty small. Duke cannot afford anymore loses to WNIT-caliber teams.

And next year could be very, very iffy.

[dudog84]

Well...except borderline FERPA violations while throwing former players under the bus in Chronicle interviews...and childish behavior in handshake lines...and issues dealing with players and coaches enough to warrant an internal investigation...and throwing former coaches under the bus on twitter (and just throwing things under buses in general)

though I have given credit that P has improved at such fundamentals in the past two seasons, and largely agree with you from an overall performance standpoint, I also contend that her teams' performances given their recruiting rankings are not as high as one would want...but recruiting is part of coaching, and P does it very well, and if the cost is weaker X/O fundamentals, so be it. the product is at least reasonable.

I guess you haven't seen Geno's comments about his players after a recent loss. Worse than anything Coach P has ever said. I know, I know, with his record he's allowed to do it. Regarding the recruiting ranking vs. performance, I don't believe Coach P has ever had a top-10 recruit that has not lost most of or an entire season. If someone can point one out, please do. Chelsea and Alexis were the most obvious, but I also think Richa would have been a special player. If you think Coach G would have been as successful if Alana would have gone down for the season (or their other best player on whatever team), then you don't know much about basketball. And most importantly, as another poster has pointed out, Coach G is not coming back and any other coach would be a crapshoot. Maybe better, maybe not.

Coach P certainly had/has flaws. But as also stated above, she has certainly worked on it. Just watch her press conference after that crappy uNC loss. In that, at least, she is a completely different person.

[dudog84]

McCallie inherited a much stronger program than the one inherited by Goestenkors. McCallie got Duke to the Elite Eight four times early but nothing close since. Right now, Duke is on the outside looking in for a top-16 seed. Still, doable but making the Sweet Sixteen seems like the ceiling to me.

I think most knowledgeable observers would acknowledge that the program has slipped in recent years and I do not think it disrespectful to the current players to acknowledge that. Others may disagree.

McCallie inherited a nationally-elite program. I'm not sure it still is. I had high hopes for this season reversing that trend and it could still happen, especially if Greenwell can somehow magically become 100 percent healthy.

But the margin for error is pretty small. Duke cannot afford anymore loses to WNIT-caliber teams.

And next year could be very, very iffy.

I thought this also due to the loss of Lexie, Becca, and Erin, but...

Ok, Lexie is almost irreplaceable. She's special (as are all our girls, but I'm biased).

But Haley is looking like Becca 2.0.

Re Erin, Jade is coming on and in combination with an improved Madison and some hopeful (unexpected?) contributions from the incoming bigs this may be a wash.

Otherwise, we get Kyra back. She may not have been flashy but didn't need to be with Lexie and Becca. She was so important to our team last year and will have a year of soaking up the game from the bench.

Also have Mikayla back, who I don't think was comfortable at the point and I think we'll see a huge difference playing beside Kyra.

Another year of maturity from Leaonna. We're all waiting for the switch to click with her. Who's the last player we had with her length and athletic skills?

Jayda is looking solid. Faith is always solid. Both another year older.

I have much respect for your opinion, and you're much closer to the program than me, but I have high hopes. Or maybe I'm just an optimist. For now, I'll just enjoy this season. Becca will be 100% by mid-February and we will be dangerous.

[jimsumner]

I thought this also due to the loss of Lexie, Becca, and Erin, but...

Ok, Lexie is almost irreplaceable. She's special (as are all our girls, but I'm biased).

But Haley is looking like Becca 2.0.

Re Erin, Jade is coming on and in combination with an improved Madison and some hopeful (unexpected?) contributions from the incoming bigs this may be a wash.

Otherwise, we get Kyra back. She may not have been flashy but didn't need to be with Lexie and Becca. She was so important to our team last year and will have a year of soaking up the game from the bench.

Also have Mikayla back, who I don't think was comfortable at the point and I think we'll see a huge difference playing beside Kyra.

Another year of maturity from Leaonna. We're all waiting for the switch to click with her. Who's the last player we had with her length and athletic skills?

Jayda is looking solid. Faith is always solid. Both another year older.

I have much respect for your opinion, and you're much closer to the program than me, but I have high hopes. Or maybe I'm just an optimist. For now, I'll just enjoy this season. Becca will be 100% by mid-February and we will be dangerous.

Duke could have a solid starting lineup next season, Williams, Odom, Gorecki, Boykin, and Lambert. But a lot of things have to happen. Lambert and Boykin have to recover from season-ending knee surgeries. I feel pretty good about Lambert. But Boykin missed two seasons in high school due to knee surgery and this is the same knee. Will she be ready at the beginning of the season? Mid-season? At all?

Odom has the talent to be an elite player. Does she have the drive? TBD. Williams looks like a keeper.

But where's the bench? Adams, Treece, Suggs? The first two are freshmen and should get better. Suggs may have hit her ceiling.

And none of the recruits project to be immediate helps. All three are marginal top-100. Maybe one or more will be a sleeper. But there's not much of a recent track record of that happening at Duke.

Boykin committed to Duke when she was in the 9th grade, IIRC. Perhaps 10th grade.

If we exclude her, then Jade Williams is the only top-50 recruit Duke has pulled in in the last two recruiting cycles.

Duke missed on some elite posts, with a starting spot next season readily available.

Not a good trend line.

Perhaps Duke can still reel in an impact player. But it's really hard to get a grad-transfer into Duke. Really hard.

A Euro? McCallie has had Vernerey and Salvadores. The latter had real English-language issues and she and McCallie did not see eye-to-eye on a number of issues. Lots of Euros playing in the ACC. Sue Semrau seems to find a couple every year at FSU. But so far it doesn't seem to be an avenue McCallie wishes to pursue.

When coaches get fired in the spring, their signees are generally released from their LOIs and some look elsewhere. Perhaps Duke can get lucky this way. But it's certainly not something to count on.

Maybe everybody's healthy next year, maybe Williams, Adams, and Treece make a big sophomore jump, maybe Odom channels her inner Mo Currie. But that's a lot of maybes and even then I'm not sure this is a serious contender for an ACC title.

[Kedsy]

Maybe everybody's healthy next year, maybe Williams, Adams, and Treece make a big sophomore jump, maybe Odom channels her inner Mo Currie. But that's a lot of maybes and even then I'm not sure this is a serious contender for an ACC title.

Yeah, I think Duke might have some problems next season, especially if Mikayla isn't ready to start the season, for all the reasons Jim said. But Duke could also overachieve; our starters will be solid and you never know what bench players might bloom. I think a large issue, as Jim alluded to, is our recruiting the past two or three years hasn't been where it once was. But I don't know if that's a trend or a blip. I guess we'll see with next year's recruiting.

The biggest thing for next year's team is we're going to lack star power. Women's college basketball is a superstar's game, and without Lexie we really won't have one. I think we can still make some noise, but it's going to be a challenge to beat the top teams (the ones that will have superstars). In a league with Notre Dame and Louisville and three or four other ranked (non-Duke) teams, an ACC title might be a bit much to hope for. But we could still have a solid year.

As far as sleepers are concerned, Azura Stevens was #23 (Hoopgurlz) and played like a top 10 (maybe even top 5) from the get-go. Haley Gorecki was #52 and looked good from the start but was waylaid by injuries. Still, I'm not counting on any of our 2018 recruits.

[jimsumner]

Yeah, I think Duke might have some problems next season, especially if Mikayla isn't ready to start the season, for all the reasons Jim said. But Duke could also overachieve; our starters will be solid and you never know what bench players might bloom. I think a large issue, as Jim alluded to, is our recruiting the past two or three years hasn't been where it once was. But I don't know if that's a trend or a blip. I guess we'll see with next year's recruiting.

The biggest thing for next year's team is we're going to lack star power. Women's college basketball is a superstar's game, and without Lexie we really won't have one. I think we can still make some noise, but it's going to be a challenge to beat the top teams (the ones that will have superstars). In a league with Notre Dame and Louisville and three or four other ranked (non-Duke) teams, an ACC title might be a bit much to hope for. But we could still have a solid year.

As far as sleepers are concerned, Azura Stevens was #23 (Hoopgurlz) and played like a top 10 (maybe even top 5) from the get-go. Haley Gorecki was #52 and looked good from the start but was waylaid by injuries. Still, I'm not counting on any of our 2018 recruits.

Duke's three fall signees are ranked 81, 93 and NR. A big difference from 23.

Madison Treece was 81 last season, Jayda Adams was not ranked in the top 100.

And every player in the 2018 Hoopgurlz top-50 is signed. Every single one.

And it's not just Notre Dame and Louisville. FSU, Syracuse and Georgia Tech all have two top-25 recruits.

[uh_no]

I guess you haven't seen Geno's comments about his players after a recent loss. Worse than anything Coach P has ever said.Maybe you missed when she said she wished she could make the players walk home in the snow after an NC state loss? If you haven't heard things she's said worse than that, you're not listening closely enough. Slamming her players in post game pressers after losses is (was) a regularity.



I know, I know, with his record he's allowed to do it. Geno's rant last week made a lot of people upset. Geno also never was under investigation for abusive behavior. Context is important.

Geno also has never slammed players who transfer away.

When a coach uses a scholarship on you and then you leave that quickly, it’s usually not going to go over well. I expected [Auriemma] to be really rude and upset about it, but he always had great conversations with me. I think he saw, more than anything, a confused teenager and wanted to help me

Lets contrast that a bit, shall we?


She set a tone of not doing the team things. The best example I can give you is until the day she left here, she could never do a drill right and get into the end of the line without running through the drill—a simple concept like that, she never got it

and how about this one?


I take full responsibility for recruiting Angela and bringing her to Duke, and I’m extremely disappointed in myself. Angela never did—we thought she might—she never did buy in academically. She never did the work academically I just can't even...I'm not sure I'll ever understand. She is effectively calling Angela trash...after she transferred...such trash that McCallie was dissapointed in HERSELF for even recruiting her. This isn't a motivation...this is P ******* on a player for no reason.

And in the same interview


why is [Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma] doing that? You know why he's doing that? Because talent is down. And he wants to continue to win.

Yeah. I'm sure uconn would be trash right now without Azura stevens. Jesus. Seems like she does enough of the things right to get minutes at Uconn...where Geno could bench her and uconn would still likely be undefeated.

Thank you for making me look up that interview after complimenting her earlier in this thread...it reminds me why I will never support coach P. Apparently she's cleaned up her act enough to get an extension....but it was over a long time ago for me.

Go Duke.

[dudog84]

Good points as usual, Jim & Kedsy. I guess my glasses have been especially rosy lately. My hopes on Boykin rest on the injury happening so early. Kyra happened in March, and I think Chelsea & Alexis had their injuries in February. Also, outside of the top 5 to 10 players, girls recruiting rankings are all over the place. I think one service had Azura in the 60s. And our current crop has a wide range by the various experts. Certainly (it appears) no superstars, but I'm hoping for a surprise. Akinbode-James is a 6-3 Nigerian, so I'm hoping for an Olajuwon :)...Nwoke is 6-6 and shows what I mean by girls evaluations...Prospect Nation has her at 64, Blue Star has her at 190. (told you I'm an optimist) Our recruiting has dropped off from when it seemed we would always get one top-10, I hope it's a blip and not a trend. We definitely need to hit on one of the top 2 players this year, we're in the running for both.

Also good points, uh no. As I said, McCallie has come a long way in her pressers if you've watched any lately. I used to cringe as much as anyone. I did not see the interview you quoted with her statements on Azura. Not a good look, I thought she was doing better. On second thought, those comments probably came almost 2 years ago it seems, before the 'intervention'. Winning championships buys you a lot of leeway on how you treat players. Not as much as it used to. But look at how much Bob Knight got away with before his end at Indiana. I do not follow Geno/Uconn enough to know if his statements were an aberration, it must have been a big enough story to come up in my news feed somehow.

I wonder how much the status of the WNBA has hurt us in recruiting. It was only founded in 1996. I don't think they pay great (don't know), but in the early years I don't know if they thought it would last. If you're a top-5 high school girls basketball player, now you're thinking more about the pros (than education) than you were 10-20 years ago. This last part is complete supposition, I haven't given it much thought and no research.

Re the investigation for abusive behavior, it's important to remember that it didn't find much if anything. It was the perfect excuse for Duke to kick McCallie out if they wanted to. As much as some want to point at Azura leaving, I think it's important to also acknowledge that Becca and Lexie stayed for an extra year. Lexie played for Brenda Frese. I bet she had a lot to say about the pressure and treatment at a high level program.

[msdukie]

Uh, I seem to remember the great Lindsay Harding missing some much more important free throws than these at one time. It was a crappy game, a bad loss. But there are much more important games to come.

False, those free throws were only in an NCAA Sweet 16 game. This was a Carolina game.

[dudog84]

False, those free throws were only in an NCAA Sweet 16 game. This was a Carolina game.

That team was 32-1 and I believe the #1 seed in the NCAA. A lot more was expected of them than a berth in the Sweet 16.

But I get your point.

[Kfanarmy]

interesting back and forth on the coach/program. Never ceases it seems.

I think it is fair to say at this point that the program has slipped a bit in national prominence during the current coach's tenure. Whether it will continue in a downward trajectory is uncertain. The current state of recruiting suggests yes. Willingness to accept this change seems to play a significant role in how positive, or not, a fan's outlook is.

[CamrnCrz1974]

Well, I'm not sure what conclusions we're supposed to draw from the fact that Coach P's winning percentage in her first x years at Duke isn't quite as good as Coach G's was in her last x years at Duke. For one thing, I don't think the comparison is completely apples-to-apples. First off, in Coach P's first 10 years, three seasons encompass 46.5% of her losses. So the overall average looks worse than it really is. For another thing, Coach P's teams suffered a LOT more injuries to key personnel than Coach G's did in her final 10 seasons at Duke (I'm not saying nobody got hurt on Coach G's teams, obviously her teams did suffer some key injuries, but nowhere near the number of key injuries that Coach P's teams have suffered).

A lot of injuries have been related to the strength and conditioning during Coach P's tenure (having personally observed this). That is on her.

Now, Duke hired Ashleigh Beaver last year as a full-time Assistant Sports Performance Coach who only works with the women's basketball team. This helped a lot last year. Gorecki missed the season (had follow-up procedures before the season began). But Belton played 29 games (amazing, given her injury history). And until the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Duke was really, really, really healthy. And then Lambert tore her ACL.

As an aside, the biggest injury during the last decade of the G era was to Monique Currie, who missed the 2002-2003 season with a torn ACL. Duke, with Alana Beard, still made the Final Four.

But aside from injuries, Lindsey Harding missed the 2004-2005 season, as she was suspended. Duke had 8 healthy players for most of the season (Caitlin Howe was frequently injured), was playing three freshman big minutes (including at point guard), and had to also overcome the graduation of Beard/Tillis/Krapohl and the transfer of Brittany Hunter. Duke still won 30 games and made the Elite Eight, only losing by ten points (after the game was tied at the half) to LSU (with Sylvia Fowles, Temeka Johnson, and Seimone Augustus). Coach G completely changed the team's offensive and defensive schemes to match her personnel. It was a great coaching job, especially considering the circumstances.


Most importantly, times have changed. In Coach G's days, outside of Maryland and North Carolina (and of course Duke) there were generally few if any other ranked teams in the ACC. Last season, not including Duke the ACC had six ranked teams, which is fairly typical since the ACC expansion.

During the last decade of Coach G's tenure, UNC, Maryland, and NC State all made Final Fours. Clemson was a highly ranked team in the late 1990s. Since Coach P has been at Duke, only Notre Dame and Syracuse have made the Final FOur.


More than that, I think the overall quality of women's basketball has improved. It used to be top teams literally almost never lost to lesser teams, but in recent years that gap has closed (other than UConn). Unranked teams have much more of a shot of beating ranked teams than they did even 10 or 12 years ago. How much of a difference has that made? I don't know. But possibly enough to account for the differences in the win/loss stats you've quoted, or at least come close to that.

Duke lost to Toledo early in the Beard era and was upset by SW Missouri State in the Sweet 16 in 2001. TN lost in the first round to Xavier. There were plenty of upsets. This is your opinion, not necessarily fact-based.


Coach P's teams have also had more high profile transfers than Coach G's teams did. Obviously some of that has to get lumped on the coach (though not all, IMO). But despite what I consider a legitimate gripe against Coach P, I would say (a) she appears to have cleaned up her act over the past season and a half; and (b) while dealing with transfers caused by personality issues between the head coach and the players might (does) affect the win/loss record, to me it isn't really part of the "overall direction of the program."

Goestenkors had transfers, to be sure. The highest profile transfer was Brittany Hunter (who, to be blunt, never really wanted to attend Duke, but her parents wanted her to get the Duke education). But in the last decade of the Goestenkors era, there were transfers of lesser-ranked players (LaNedra Brown, Lello Gebisa, etc.). Toward the end of Goestenkors' tenure, however, she REALLY worked on her player relationships, especially after Alana Beard graduated. Many thought Duke would take a big step back after Alana graduated (and Iciss and Vicki), but Duke won at least 30 games in all three of G's last three years after Beard graduated, made the Elite Eight twice (with one of those years making it to the national championship game). Goestenkors started having "dinners by class" at her house, where she would cook - one night, the seniors came over; another night, the juniors came over. This really helped team chemistry and the bond between players and the coach.

I think after Azura Stevens and Angela Salvadores transferred and Duke conducted an investigation into the women’s basketball program and McCallie for the mistreatment of players and assistant coaches, there has been a switch. After the investigation results were initially announced, Coach P remained defiant (almost hostile), as evidence by her interview with The Chronicle in July 2016. But last year and this year, things have changed. There is not the proverbial "throwing the players under the bus" after losses. There is more respect shown for opponents.

But also, I think Coach P has been better at finding players that fit team chemistry dynamics a little more, rather than just taking any highly-rated player who wants to attend Duke. It has only been 1.5 years, but there has only been one transfer, Crystal Primm (who initially was thought to be transferring to Florida Atlanta, where her father is an assistant coach, but ended up at Auburn).


But even if we accept the hypothesis that Coach G performed better in her last x years than Coach P has in her first x years, my question is "so what?" Coach G isn't coming back (and didn't perform so well at Texas, either). Who are we going to get to coach the team that's going to win more games than Coach P has? Who's going to approach Coach G's success record? Or, frankly, even Coach P's success record?

Whether or not she has done as well as Coach G, by most objective measures Coach P has done very well at Duke. Certainly if wins and losses are your yardstick, or ACC coach-of-the-year awards, or pretty much any standard other than some Duke fans' ridiculously high expectations.

The discussion of the last 7, 10, or whatever years of the Goestenkors era as compared to the McCallie era is very much relevant when analyzing the team, where Duke WBB fits into the ACC and national landscapes, and the overall direction of the program. From 1998-2007, Goestenkors' last ten years, Duke made 7 Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and two national championship game appearances. Also in those ten years, Duke won 8 regular season ACC titles and 5 ACC Tournaments.

When Goestenkors left for Texas, Kevin White was very clear that he hired McCallie to do what Goestenkors could not - win a national title.

Coach P has won 79 percent of her games in her first ten seasons (not including this current season) and 78 percent of ACC games. Objectively, a coach who wins 79 percent of his/her games is almost universally considered very successful. And in ten years (again, not counting the current season), Duke has made four Elite Eight appearances and reached at least the Sweet 16 six times. Again, very successful. But there have been two second round losses and one missed NCAA Tournament altogether; in Goestenkors' last 10 years, she made at least the Sweet 16 every year. The winning percentages, number of wins against elite competition, postseason success, etc. were all better under Goestenkors, as was the style of play and the product on the court.

So do you measure success based on the state of the program (and maybe as compared to a predecessor) or do you look at overall winning percentages? Is success defined by looking at the record in and of itself, or do you factor in history and where the program is going as compared to where it was?

Going forward, it boils down to this:
-- From 2010-2013, Duke had an overall record of 122-19 (.865) and an ACC record of 56-6 (.903), with four ACC regular season titles, three ACC Tournament titles, and four Elite Eight berths.
-- From 2014-2017, Duke had an overall record of 99-36 (.733) and an ACC record of 44-20 (.6875), with zero ACC titles (and two years not finishing in the top three in the ACC), one Sweet Sixteen appearance, two Second Round losses (at home), and one year not even making the NCAA Tournament.

Is the program trending in the right direction, especially since we will be losing Lexie Brown (who has put together two of the best seasons, in terms of overall numbers, in the history of Duke WBB outside of Alana Beard), Rebecca Greenwell (all-time leader in made three-point baskets), and Erin Mathias, without having elite or even highly touted recruits coming in?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Is the program trending in the right direction without having elite or even highly touted recruits coming in?
We'll find out. Next year. And we'll find out more about how good she can be at coaching.
But that season is a long ways off.

[Kedsy]

Going forward, it boils down to this:
-- From 2010-2013, Duke had an overall record of 122-19 (.865) and an ACC record of 56-6 (.903), with four ACC regular season titles, three ACC Tournament titles, and four Elite Eight berths.
-- From 2014-2017, Duke had an overall record of 99-36 (.733) and an ACC record of 44-20 (.6875), with zero ACC titles (and two years not finishing in the top three in the ACC), one Sweet Sixteen appearance, two Second Round losses (at home), and one year not even making the NCAA Tournament.

Is the program trending in the right direction, especially since we will be losing Lexie Brown (who has put together two of the best seasons, in terms of overall numbers, in the history of Duke WBB outside of Alana Beard), Rebecca Greenwell (all-time leader in made three-point baskets), and Erin Mathias, without having elite or even highly touted recruits coming in?

A lot of good points in your post. I don't necessarily agree with all of them (especially about injuries being the coach's fault), but most or all reasonably valid arguments. I guess where we disagree most is whether four years can be called a "trend." Especially since two-thirds of the losses in the four year period aggregated in only two of the seasons.

Digressing for a moment, it seems to me Duke's 2010 to 2014 teams ranked up there with any part of Coach G's tenure. It was Elite Eights instead of Final Fours, but that can mostly be explained by the late-season injuries to star players in several of those seasons.

The 2015 and 2016 seasons were definitely disappointments. Most disappointing were the defections of star players like Azura and Alexis. And as has been previously mentioned in this thread, our recruiting from 2016 to 2018 (especially 2018) has been light on star power. But I think Coach P has done a very good coaching job this season and last, and perhaps more importantly appears to have responded to the criticisms of her behavior that may have led to the transfers and disappointing seasons. It's also very possible 2019 recruiting ticks back up. If so, I think the "down" period could ultimately look more like a blip than a trend. Obviously, time will tell.

[DU82]

Nice turnaround against BC, 43-23 at the half. Of course, BC Isn’t the best team around.

Best news is that Sofia Roma played her first minutes for Duke. Hit her first shot, and has a couple of rebounds.

[CameronBornAndBred]

When I checked the box score near the half, Greenwell was 100% shooting for 16 points. She ended with 19, so quieted down, but that's a hell of a way to start a game.

[msdukie]

When Goestenkors left for Texas, Kevin White was very clear that he hired McCallie to do what Goestenkors could not - win a national title.



Joe Alleva hired McCallie. Not Kevin White.

[jimsumner]

Agree. A nice rebound game but against a really overmatched team.

Duke led by 20 at the half and could have won by 40 had they so desired. McCallie emptied the bench, one late lineup having Emily Schubert at small forward and Faith Suggs at shooting guard.

Duke started Faz Davalos but got Greenwell in off the bench pretty quick.

Greenwell looked much better than she has in awhile and confirmed that she was playing without pain tonight. Much more fluid in her movements. She looked like Rebecca Greenwell.

She says she's on an upward trajectory with her knees. Fingers crossed, bigtime.

Odom had a weird game. Five rebounds and three assists in the first half but not a single shot attempt. But she hunted her shot after intermission, attempting eight field goals, making six. This is the most assertive I've seen her on offense since before Christmas. If Duke can somehow get Brown, Greenwell, Odom and Gorecki on their A games at the same time, this is a really, really dangerous team, with lots of offensive weapons.

Mathias was okay but Williams was pretty shaky. But she's a freshman and inconsistency can be an issue for that cohort.

Duke also held BC's leading scorer, freshman guard Milan Bolden-Morris scoreless. She was 0-8 and never looked comfortable. Brown deservedly gets a lot of credit for her ball-hawking--she had five steals--but she's pretty darn good on the ball. I suspect Bolden-Morris will be having Lexie Brown-nightmares for awhile.

The highlight of the night for me was seeing the team's reaction to Roma hitting a mid-range shot a minute or so after making her first Duke appearance. They went nuts. She seems really popular and has overcome a lot of injuries and surgeries to get back on the floor. Kudos.

[Kedsy]

The highlight of the night for me was seeing the team's reaction to Roma hitting a mid-range shot a minute or so after making her first Duke appearance. They went nuts. She seems really popular and has overcome a lot of injuries and surgeries to get back on the floor. Kudos.

Yeah, she seems like a really high-energy player. And 2 points, 4 rebounds and a steal in 8 minutes isn't bad for her Duke debut.

[CamrnCrz1974]

Joe Alleva hired McCallie. Not Kevin White.

I cannot believe I wrote that! How could I have made that blunder? LOL

Thank you for the correction.

[CamrnCrz1974]

A lot of good points in your post. I don't necessarily agree with all of them (especially about injuries being the coach's fault), but most or all reasonably valid arguments. I guess where we disagree most is whether four years can be called a "trend." Especially since two-thirds of the losses in the four year period aggregated in only two of the seasons.

Digressing for a moment, it seems to me Duke's 2010 to 2014 teams ranked up there with any part of Coach G's tenure. It was Elite Eights instead of Final Fours, but that can mostly be explained by the late-season injuries to star players in several of those seasons.

The 2015 and 2016 seasons were definitely disappointments. Most disappointing were the defections of star players like Azura and Alexis. And as has been previously mentioned in this thread, our recruiting from 2016 to 2018 (especially 2018) has been light on star power. But I think Coach P has done a very good coaching job this season and last, and perhaps more importantly appears to have responded to the criticisms of her behavior that may have led to the transfers and disappointing seasons. It's also very possible 2019 recruiting ticks back up. If so, I think the "down" period could ultimately look more like a blip than a trend. Obviously, time will tell.

Lots to discuss, and some good food for thought.

Duke's 2010-2013 teams were excellent, but behind the best four years of G's tenure. Let's use G's last four years (2004-2007):

2003-2004: 30-4, ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions, NCAA Elite Eight
2004-2005: 31-5, ACC Regular Season champion, NCAA Elite Eight
2005-2006, 31-4, NCAA Final Four (Runner-Up)
2006-2007, 32-2, ACC Regular Season champion, NCAA Sweet 16

And now, Coach P's best four seasons:
2009–10: 30-6, ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions, NCAA Elite Eight
2010–11: 32-4, ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions, NCAA Elite Eight
2011–12: 27-6, ACC Regular Season champion, NCAA Elite Eight
2012–13: 33-3, ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions, NCAA Elite Eight

During 2010-2013, Coach P's teams won more ACC regular season titles (4-3) and ACC tournaments (3-1). But Coach G's teams were national title contenders. Even in 2005-2006, the year Duke finished 2nd in the ACC, the conference had UNC and Maryland in the Final Four. By contrast, the ACC was not fielding Final Four teams in 2010-2013 (though Maryland made the Final Four in 2014, its last year in the ACC, but outside of the time period we are examining), and this was before Notre Dame and Louisvillle joined the ACC (both of which made Final Fours during the 2010-2013 time period). More importantly, Duke was thought of as a serious national title contender in 2004, 2006, and 2007; that was not true during any of the Coach P years.

Side note...injuries played more of a factor in 2014 than in any of the 2010-2013 time frames (2013 still had Alexis Jones, whereas 2014 lost Chelsea Gray and Jones). But Goestenkors dealt with her own absences during the four-year run (Harding was suspended for a year, Chante Black missed 2006-2007).

I agree that it is close, but 2010-2013 is a level below 2004-2007.


The 2015 and 2016 seasons were definitely disappointments. Most disappointing were the defections of star players like Azura and Alexis. And as has been previously mentioned in this thread, our recruiting from 2016 to 2018 (especially 2018) has been light on star power. But I think Coach P has done a very good coaching job this season and last, and perhaps more importantly appears to have responded to the criticisms of her behavior that may have led to the transfers and disappointing seasons. It's also very possible 2019 recruiting ticks back up. If so, I think the "down" period could ultimately look more like a blip than a trend. Obviously, time will tell.

Recruiting is part of coaching. People can claim that certain coaches are only good recruiters and not good with Xs and Os (e.g., Ohio State's Kevin McGuff), but recruiting is part of coaching.

This year and last, in terms of recruiting, Duke got two MCDAAs (Odom and Williams) and another consensus top 20 player who should have been MCDAA (Boykin). But Coach P's best recruiting move was getting Lexie Brown. When Abby Waner was at Duke in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, she was Coach G "on the court." There was a connection between coach and player, and the player always knew what the coach wanted. I feel that is the same way with Coach P and Lexie Brown. And recruiting players who can bring your offensive and defensive schemes to fruition on the court is a big part of coaching. I would put the "recruitment" (I use that word in quotes, because Lexie was a transfer who approached Duke) of Brown right up there with the two most important recruits of the Coach P era, Chelsea Gray and Elizabeth Williams.

That being said - and this is where we might differ in terms of our perspectives on the future outlook of the program - Brown graduates after this year (as do Greenwell and Mathias, who, wonderfully, has turned into the female version of Marshall Plumlee in his senior year). Even with Lambert and Boykin back as the staring backcourt, with Gorecki, Odom, and Williams, I have big concerns over the future of the program. First, Lambert and Boykin are both coming off significant knee injuries (and this is not the first knee injury for Boykin). Second, per reports, Boykin likely will not be ready to play at the beginning of the season (hearing December is most likely). Third, there is no depth behind the starting five. In previous years, there were always players waiting in the wings with potential; next year, there are raw freshmen who are not coming in that highly touted at all and bench players who have not shown much promise at all. People can point to Gorecki's improvement from her freshman year, but Gorecki averaged 4.5 ppg in her first year; Suggs, Adams, and Treece average a combined 4.1 ppg.

The good news is that Duke will have two more years of Boykin, Lambert, Odom, and Gorecki together. If Coach P can pull in a big-time transfer (e.g., Andra Espinoza-Hutner) and pick up elite talent in 2019, I think you will be correct about a "blip" vs. a "pattern/trend." But if 2019 recruiting is lackluster as well, I fear the program is headed downhill fast.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Joe Alleva hired McCallie. Not Kevin White.


I cannot believe I wrote that! How could I have made that blunder? LOL

Thank you for the correction.

Stepping in here with trepidation, but I have wondered if White was the AD at the time, if he would've paid up to keep Coach G. Doesn't change anything now, but it's an interesting whatif scenario.
I'm optimistic for this year, and have hopes that we have a successful post season. (Sweet 16 at the very least, otherwise it's a bust for me.) And next year is a long ways off, but I am looking forward to it as well, since I think it will test Coach McCallie's mettle. The roster we are expecting is one that will show how good of a coach she is, or isn't. We've seen what K does with lesser teams due to injury; and he often succeeds when most coaches wouldn't. A similar situation will be in store for Coach P.

[Kedsy]

The good news is that Duke will have two more years of Boykin, Lambert, Odom, and Gorecki together. If Coach P can pull in a big-time transfer (e.g., Andra Espinoza-Hutner) and pick up elite talent in 2019, I think you will be correct about a "blip" vs. a "pattern/trend." But if 2019 recruiting is lackluster as well, I fear the program is headed downhill fast.

I can't disagree with this.

As far as whether Coach G's best four years were better than Coach P's best four years, I think your analysis is correct. Though I also think our injuries hurt Coach P's teams more than Coach G's teams. But my point was that the two stretches were comparable, which your analysis also seems to confirm.

I've never tried to argue that Coach P is better than Coach G was. I also acknowledge P's personal shortcomings, though I think she's turned a corner in that regard over the past season and a half. I'm even still a little bitter that she couldn't find a way to hold on to Azura Stevens (if for no other reason that I think with Azura on this year's team we'd have a very strong chance to make the Final Four).

I just think that under any objective basis Coach P's done a pretty good coaching job here, and I can't stand it that after practically every loss we have to hear about "systemic failures" and the like.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I just think that under any objective basis Coach P's done a pretty good coaching job here, and I can't stand it that after practically every loss we have to hear about "systemic failures" and the like.

Just wait for what's in for us when K retires, and for Huskie fans when Geno bows out. The big difference in both those scenarios is that the argument of the former coach being better can be answered with "Well, duh".

[uh_no]

Just wait for what's in for us when K retires, and for Huskie fans when Geno bows out. The big difference in both those scenarios is that the argument of the former coach being better can be answered with "Well, duh".

yeah.....i agree, however, like K, geno also has a strong coaching tree. Unlike K, however, I think the nature of women's basketball will allow uconn to more easily stay close to the top.....the fact that there are 4 year players, so the turnover in the first year won't be like it's likely to be at duke, where we've had huge turnover lately. There are fewer places to go and be successful RIGHT NOW. You can go to uconn who still have 3/4 of their team returning, most of whom were near the top of their recruiting class, and probably be on a final four team immediately, or you could go somewhere else.

That doesn't mean there won't be a drop in recruiting, there almost assuredly will be....as playing for geno is the same allure as playing for K. But I think it will be a lot easier to stay in the top echelon than it was for, say, UNC, after Dean retired, and might end up being after K retires.

[Kedsy]

Lexie Brown just got hurt and was taken back to the locker room. Leaonna Odom is still back in the locker room from an earlier injury.

Ugh.

EDIT: Both Lexie and Leaonna are now back on the court. Phew.

[Kedsy]

So Duke had an 18-point lead on the road, and the home team rode a huge rally spanning late 3rd through early 4th quarter to take a 1-point lead. Sound familiar?

Fortunately, Pitt isn't as good as UNC. More fortunately, Lexie just put the team on her back this time, scoring 10 points in less than 5 minutes as Duke finished the game on a 15-2 run to win by 12 (58-46).

Lexie ended with 20 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists. Erin double-doubled (12-10) in her return to her hometown. Bego had 4 blocks but not much else. Becca had 9 points with 8 rebounds and two steals.