Pulling Tigers by tail, Duke looks for 3rd Elite 8

Lauren Rice had probably made thousands of these shots in her life. She could probably make that shot in her sleep.

But when Duke absolutely needed a basket in its second-round game last Monday against Western Kentucky, Rice couldn't even convert the easiest shot in basketball.

Just two weeks ago, Rice had played superbly in Duke's championship run in the ACC tournament. But on a night when even point-blank layups fell short, Rice's evening was only going to get worse.

With only a few minutes left in the game, Rice received the final insult on her frustrating night when she was whistled for her fifth foul. Although she left the floor with her team comfortably ahead and to a rousing ovation, Rice knew a two-point, five-foul performance wasn't how she had scripted her final game in Cameron.

This wasn't any way to wrap up an emotional and joyful four years in her favorite gym. And this certainly wasn't the final impression she wanted to leave.

"Overall, my confidence is the lowest on the team right now-that's probably a good thing just considering I'm the only senior in the lineup," Rice said. "I'd rather have the freshmen, sophomores and juniors going out with more confidence than me, because I have more experience. I usually bounce back after tough games, so I'm not too worried."

But when the second-seeded Blue Devils (28-5) take on No. 3 seed LSU (24-6) in the East Regional semifinals in Richmond, Va. tomorrow, the return of the Lauren Rice of three weeks ago could mean the difference between surviving another day or an early trip home for the Blue Devils.

The reason-DeTrina White, LSU's brutally strong post who Duke coach Gail Goestenkors describes as a "Charles Barkley-type" player. The only true post player in the Tigers' otherwise small lineup, White scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards in another blue-collar performance against Stephen F. Austin to help punch LSU's ticket to the Sweet 16.

But for all its talent, LSU has remained inexplicably inconsistent this season. In the midst of the SEC slate, the Tigers went into Athens and shocked then-No. 2 Georgia 80-70. But in its two meetings against Tennessee, the Tigers lost by a combined 68 points.

Part of the explanation for LSU's inconsistency may be attributed to a pair of key injuries. Projected starting point guard Kisha James tore her left ACL in LSU's final exhibition tuneup, and the Tigers have been run ever since by career backup Angelia Crockett.

Midway through LSU's conference slate, key reserve Candice Porter tore her right ACL. Since Porter's injury, the LSU bench has been just slightly less useful to LSU head coach Sue Gunter than a Styrofoam shovel.

Even with their injuries, however, the Tigers have racked up impressive wins this season against No. 12 Mississippi State and No. 16 Auburn.

"Basically, this is a pretty solid team," Gunter said. "Sometimes though, we can go brain dead-I'll be the first to admit it. Hopefully, we're over that right now."

Although both Gunter and Goestenkors marvel at the similarities between the two teams-small size, motion offense, intelligent players-there are certainly noticeable differences. LSU boasts better overall athleticism but only has one true threat, Hibbert, from the outside.

But the one factor the fast-talking Gunter kept stressing was Duke's edge in experience in the NCAA tournament against an LSU team that has been eliminated in the Sweet 16 three out of the last four years.

"The experience of... having tasted that kind of success and getting to the Final Four is something this team has not experienced," Gunter said. "I think it's an advantage for a team who's been there before and has been under the same kind of pressure."

But this isn't the Duke team that gutted out the win against Tennessee in Greensboro. This is a Duke team that expects large contributions from two wide-eyed freshman in Sheana Mosch and Michele Matyasovsky.

Funny thing though, the veterans like counting on the youngsters, especially this time of year.

"I really think [the freshmen] have the same feeling we had last year-they're not expecting to lose at all," Rice said. "I think they have a lot of confidence, and a lot of confidence in the team. It's kind of strange, they're not scared at all, and that's the best thing. There's [No. 1 Connecticut] down the line, and I really don't see any fear in anyone's eyes."