Duke women's basketball welcomes No. 8 Louisville in first meeting as ACC foes

In a season full of tough matchups against ranked teams, arguably none will be as important for the Blue Devils as Monday’s game against one of the top teams in the ACC.

No. 17 Duke will look to secure a crucial conference victory as it takes on No. 8 Lousiville Monday at 7 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils come into the game with a 6-2 record in the ACC—just one game behind the Cardinals, who are in a three-team tie atop the conference at 7-1. The matchup will be the first time the teams have met as conference opponents.

“We’re just trying to get better and we’re doing that with our defense and our rebounding,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “Offensively, we’re slowing down a bit and trying to get more patient and that’s helping us out a little bit."

Duke (15-6, 6-2 in the ACC) comes into Monday’s conference tilt riding a two-game win streak and having won four of its last five games. But for the young Blue Devils, consistency will be key as they look to continue playing some of their best basketball as the ACC tournament approaches.

One particular issue Duke will have to shore up for its matchup with Louisville (19-1, 7-1) is the Blue Devil’s season-long turnover issue. Duke has turned the ball over more than 22 times in nine of its last 13 games—including a 25-turnover outing against Pittsburgh Thursday.

In order to solve their turnover woes, the Blue Devils will need a strong performance from senior point guard Ka’lia Johnson. The Chester, Va., native has led the young squad by example this season with her grit in Duke’s toughest games. After struggling to adjust to her new role early in the season, Johnson’s play has steadily improved and the senior’s average of 4.05 assists per game ranks fourth in the ACC

“She’s shown a lot of poise and I love when she plays disciplined on offense and defense,” McCallie said. “It’s good when she slows down a bit so she can really use her skills and be effective.”

But expect the Cardinals and their stifling defense to be up to the challenge in Cameron.

Louisville’s defense has held teams to just 56.7 points per game and has forced opposing teams to commit 20.1 turnovers per game. The Cardinals are spearheaded by the versatility of freshmen Mariya Moore and Myisha Hines-Allen, who lead the team in scoring with 13.7 and 13.0 points per game respectively. The length and athleticism of both players certainly has the ability to challenge the Blue Devils defensively.

“The diversity of what they can do—playing off the bounce, three-point shooting, offensive rebounding—makes them pretty versatile players," McCallie said.

In addition to the two freshman phenoms, the Cardinals will look for contributions from their accomplished senior starters as they try to stay atop the ACC. Guards Bria Smith and Jude Schimmel, along with forward Sara Hammond, have played key roles in Louisville’s runs to the Elite Eight last season and to the National Championship game two years ago. The trio possesses the potential to make key plays down the stretch and will certainly not be fazed if the game comes down to the wire Monday.

The Blue Devils will look to a senior of their own to carry them to victory. Coming off of a rough nine-point outing against Pittsburgh, All-American Elizabeth Williams will need to be aggressive and take advantage of her size in the post on offense. With a strong performance from Williams, freshman Azura Stevens and redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell could find life a lot easier against the Louisville defense.

“We’re looking to play inside-out. They play some pretty solid defense in the first 12 seconds, but they start to have some slippage after that,” McCallie said. “You have to take advantage of all their switching and show some patience there.”

In a season that has had its share of highs and lows, Duke has a chance to finally secure a season-defining victory at home—where it has only dropped one game all season.