LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - In Duke's season opener against No. 1 Connecticut, the Huskies outhustled, outplayed and simply outclassed the Blue Devils, turning a stellar matchup between two top-five teams into an absolute laugher.
What a difference a month can make.
Nearly a month after being run off the floor by UConn, the Blue Devils withstood the blistering pressure of No. 3 Tennessee and played a stifling halfcourt defense for much of the game.
Although the Blue Devils emerged with a 14-point loss, they took away much more than a double-digit loss to the defending national champions; they took away confidence in their system, much-needed experience against top-flight competition and 25 minutes of solid, if not excellent, basketball against the absolute elite of women's college basketball.
"Anybody that saw us play Connecticut understands how far we've come," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "We needed to start at that point and find out where we are. We are a much better team now than we were a month ago."
Against Connecticut, Duke was inept in generating anything resembling an offense against the opponent's ferocious fullcourt pressure. While Tennessee created initial problems for Duke with the same type of pressure, the Blue Devils adjusted as the game progressed and eventually found offensive options that clicked.
Instead of buckling in awe of Tennessee's mystique and athleticism, Duke found success by working the ball up quickly and attacking the Volunteers' pressure. With Chamique Holdsclaw, Semeka Randall, Kellie Jolly and Kristen Clement patrolling the perimeter, the Blue Devils fed their tallest weapon, Michele VanGorp, and attacked Tennessee's interior.
VanGorp responded with 22 points, including 16 on 8-of-9 shooting in the second half, in what was perhaps her finest performance against top-notch competition.
"I think we were much more aggressive offensively in the second half," Goestenkors said. "We got our inside-outside game working a little better. We spread the court out a little more and opened up the inside. [VanGorp] did an excellent job of attacking the basket.
"We have to have the attack mindset for 40 minutes. We're not the most athletic team in the country, but we're an excellent team. Execution is the key for us. We're not a one-on-one team, we're the epitome of the [word] team."
If the Blue Devils epitomize team, then VanGorp epitomizes the importance of execution. Self-admittedly not one of the more athletic players on the court, VanGorp dominated at times in the second half with plain-and-simple execution.
She found ways to get open, knocked down all the open jumpers, scrambled for loose balls and demanded the ball. In the end, she gave Tennessee coach Pat Summitt more than a few headaches.
"Their guard play resembles Purdue, but they are more committed as a team to involve their post players, which presented some problems from time to time," Summitt said. "Duke is certainly a quality team and opponent. If Duke played everyone else the way they've played Tennessee, then they're one of the best teams in the country."
When no less an authority on women's basketball than Summitt anoints Duke as one of the best in the country, there's no reason why the Blue Devils should not believe that they can play with anyone, even mighty Tennessee.
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