The Blue Devils have been here before-a roster loaded with talent and all the lofty expectations that come with the No. 1 ranking in the country.
The question for head coach Gail Goestenkors, is if her Duke team can finally break through and win a National Championship. In her tenure, the Blue Devils have reached three Final Fours and one national championship game. But Goestenkors has never won it all.
"We have more depth and more talent than we've ever had so it's a really good feeling," Goestenkors said. "Fortunately, we have players here that have one goal in mind, and that's to win championships. They understand that everybody's going to have to sacrifice in order for us to obtain that goal."
When Duke fell to LSU in the Elite Eight last March, in a year when expectations were not quite as high, Goestenkors cited fatigue as a major factor in the defeat. The Blue Devils had been playing all season with only eight players, and two of them-Monique Currie and Jessica Foley-were playing at far less than 100 percent coming down the stretch.
This season figures to be vastly different for Duke. The top-seven scorers are back after Currie decided to forgo a chance to be one of the top picks in the WNBA draft. Add to that a top-two recruiting class, point guard Lindsey Harding back from a year-long suspension and newly-eligible transfer Emily Waner and the Blue Devils are now 13 players deep.
"I'm really tired of having only eight players at the end of the season," Goestenkors said.
But a deeper roster provides this year's Duke team with a new set of potential problems. The Blue Devils, who have succeeded in the past in part because of well-defined roles and team chemistry, will have to handle playing-time dilemmas and more intra-team competition.
"I assume everyone's minutes will go down from last year, so we need to be more productive with the minutes," Goestenkors said. "We're going to run and press more than we ever have to help utilize our depth. The more you run and the more you press, the more bodies you can use."
An influx of contributors at the point guard position will be the backbone of Duke's high-tempo style of play. Abby Waner, who was last year's McDonald's and Gatorade National Player of the Year, will compete for playing time with Harding, who started at the point for most of the two seasons prior to her suspension.
Waner's older, but less heralded, sister, Emily, sat out last season after transferring from Colorado and also figures into the backcourt mix.
"I thought last year, Jess Foley, Monique Currie and Wanisha Smith all stepped up big for us in that point guard role because none of them had ever really had to play it before," junior center Alison Bales said. "I think it'll help with everyone's strengths, just having someone who's that good at bringing the ball up."
Point guard is not the only position where the Blue Devils were hurt last year, though. Despite the team's overwhelming presence in the post, Duke lacked the athletic forwards to keep up with some of its competition-especially evident in three losses to North Carolina.
The Blue Devils will be helped in that respect this year by the transition of Currie back to her natural wing position and the addition of three freshmen-Carrem Gay, Keturah Jackson and Brittany Mitch-at forward.
All of the new faces will join a team with an already-established post presence. Bales set an ACC single-season record with 134 blocks last year. Senior Mistie Williams and sophomore Chante Black proved to be reliable options in the low post.
The three comprise a formidable post rotation that could be even more successful than last year's now that the rest of the team is better balanced.
Even if this year's team is Goestenkors' most talented yet, though, critics will still question whether her Duke teams can win the big game come tournament time.
"I've been on teams that have been No. 1 going into the season before," Foley said. "I've played on a couple of really good teams here at Duke, and I don't think we're really paying much attention-I know I'm not-to the preseason ranking."
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