Talent alone does not win basketball games.
And although the Duke women's basketball team is one of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it recently learned that there are no automatic victories in this league.
On Wednesday night, the 14th-ranked Blue Devils (16-3, 7-2 in the ACC) did not play with much enthusiasm at Clemson, and they paid for it with a 78-64 loss.
"We went away from what we'd been succeeding with in the past," junior center Alison Day said. "It wasn't our team playing there. It actually was pretty embarrassing."
Knowing how embarrassing a poorly played game can be, the Blue Devils are trying to approach their game at North Carolina State (12-7, 5-4) with a more focused attitude. The contest will be played in Reynolds Coliseum at noon on Sunday.
The two teams last met on Jan. 4 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Although Duke won that game, 91-70, State freshman Chasity Melvin scored 21 points. Containing Melvin will be a big concern for the Blue Devils on Sunday.
"She's been doing a fantastic job for them," Day said. "She is their dominant post player. We are looking to double down on her in the post."
Senior guard Tammy Gibson and sophomore guard Jennifer Howard--who is hitting over 50 percent from three-point range this season--give the Wolfpack a strong perimeter attack. But Duke's primary focus will be on itself. The loss to Clemson could not be attributed to any one poor Blue Devil performance.
"It was a team effort--or lack of effort," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "This game, we want to be very focused, especially on defense, not just on one particular player. We've got to improve our team defense.
"Lately, we've had three or four people play well. We've got to have the whole team play well."
Because the current crop of Blue Devils had never been ranked in the Associated Press top 25, the national recognition may have made them too confident.
"[The ranking] is not something we really talk about," Day said. "But I think subconsciously, it's one of those factors which creates cockiness. It's not something we've had to deal with in the past.
"It's easy to think that you are better than you really are. We can't just go through the motions."
Judging from the Wolfpack's most recent performance, an 81-75 victory at Old Dominion, N.C. State is a much improved team since it last played Duke. The Blue Devils' only non-conference loss came at Old Dominion in December.
Also, the Wolfpack is a relatively young team, and its players gained valuable experience with their first round of ACC games.
"Each team we play is going to be better than the first time we played them," Day said.
The Blue Devils have also improved as the season has progressed. But until the Clemson game, they didn't have any scars to show to go along with their experience and confidence.
"Basically we had been learning lessons and winning games, too," Day said. "This time we actually lost a game. I think we needed a kick in the pants."
Sunday's game will be the third straight road contest for Duke. And the Blue Devils' last home game, a hard-fought victory over then-No. 2 North Carolina, was anything but easy. But the team does not want to use this tough stretch of games as an excuse for its poor play.
"It is hard having a few road game in a row," Day said. "But everyone else in the ACC has to do it too. It's more of a mental thing than anything else."
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