For the first time in the past three seasons, Duke will play its opening round NCAA tournament game away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Securing a No. 2 seed in the Fresno Regional, the Blue Devils (24-5) will head to Nashville, Tenn. Sunday for a matchup against Southern Conference champion No. 15 seed Samford (20-12).
“Everyone in the country is back at zero now,” Duke head coach Joanne McCallie said. “We’re all starting from that point. That’s good for our team.”
McCallie and her team enjoyed dinner together at the University Club while watching the hour-long ESPN special revealing this year’s tournament bracket. Looking past their first round matchup against Samford, the Blue Devils biggest challenge in the Fresno region will likely come from top seeded Stanford, which has only lost one game all season. The region also includes a dangerous St. John’s team, which snapped Connecticut’s 99-game home win streak earlier this season.
Undefeated Baylor is the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. The Cardinal, along with the Huskies and Notre Dame, headline the other regions.
Duke’s potential second round matchup will come against either Vanderbilt or Middle Tennessee State, in what would amount to a true road game for the Blue Devils. The Commodores will enjoy the comforts of their home court for their opener against the Blue Raiders, whose campus is also just a short drive away from Nashville.
“I love it for our team,” McCallie said. “We are so young. The last thing you want is the comforts of home. That’s the absolute last thing you want if you are trying to develop a championship program and you’re trying to teach and grow as a unit. It’s great to be in Cameron, but not with this team. We need to be out there in a hostile environment.”
Coming off a disappointing first round ACC tournament loss to N.C. State, the Blue Devils took advantage of several extra days off to add some tough practices and regroup in preparation for the NCAA tournament.
McCallie’s young squad—with an average age of just 19—could produce results in this year’s tournament despite three missing athletes, leaving only eight scholarship players available, and a lack of postseason experience. But she also understands the importance of this year’s tournament to build her young team up for future seasons.
“We absolutely need hostility and toughness. We need that. We’ve got to grow it. First, we have to focus on Samford.”
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