When Tennessee defeated Duke, 66-56, in the semifinals of the 2003 Final Four, the four players on the Blue Devils' current roster that were part of that team assumed they would soon be back.
It has taken them three years, however, to return to college basketball's highest stage and for three of them, this will be there final opportunity to win a National Championship.
"My freshman year I didn't realize how special it is," senior forward Mistie Williams said. "When we lost my freshman year, we were upset, but I was like 'I've got three years I can do it.' Then the first year it doesn't happen, and then the second year it doesn't happen. 'My gosh is it going to happen?' And now it's like, wow, this is a great feeling."
Williams, along with senior Jessica Foley and fifth-year senior Monique Currie, will don Duke Blue for the final time this weekend. Instead of being nostalgic, Williams said they are feeling the urgency of this being their last chance.
For the past two years, the Blue Devils' season culminated with losses in the Elite Eight. In 2004, No. 7 seed Minnesota upset the top-seeded Blue Devils, 82-77, in the Mideast Regional final. Currie said she expected to make a run at the championship that season after she sat on the bench in the 2003 semifinal game with an ACL injury.
In 2005, a battered Duke team advanced to the Elite Eight with only eight active players on its roster. The second-seeded Blue Devils fell to their upcoming Final Four opponent LSU, 59-49. Currie said she returned for a fifth year instead of entering the WNBA Draft to capture Duke's elusive championship.
The Elite Eight curse almost struck again Tuesday night against second-seeded Connecticut. With the Blue Devils clinging to a two-point lead as time was running out, Connecticut's Mel Thomas drove the lane and hit a pull-up jumper over Alison Bales to knot the game at 55 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. This time, however, the Blue Devils were able to get over the Elite Eight hurdle and hold on for a 63-61 overtime win.
"I felt a little reserved when I came to the last game because it had been the stopping point for the past two seasons," Williams said. "I was more relieved than excited that we were going to the Final Four. With all that tension that you build up wanting to get there, there is more of an exhale, and I was just happy that we are there now. The Final Four is the last step. It's hard to get there."
For the Blue Devils to take the next step, they will have to get past LSU Saturday. The Tigers advanced to the Final Four with a 62-59 victory over Stanford March 27. They were led by forward Seimone Augustus, who posted 26 points and had three blocks in the Elite Eight matchup. Augustus, one of five Wooden All-Americans along with Currie, poses Duke's biggest problem as a versatile forward that is the centerpiece of LSU's offense.
"She causes matchup problems for everybody," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She is so good and so smart. She is the best player off the ball we've ever faced. She makes such great reads. They run motions 99 percent of the time. She knows when to curl and when to flare. They set so many screens for her. Because of her size and her height she can score over so many players."
If the Blue Devils advance to the championship game, they will face either North Carolina or Maryland, who handed the Blue Devils their last regular season loss and ACC Tournament semifinal loss, respectively.
The only time Duke advanced to the title game was 1999, when they lost, 62-45 to Purdue. If the Blue Devils capture the title this year, it will be the first National Championship in the program's history.
"I'm just prepared to leave it all out on the floor," Currie said. "That's what I try to do every time but especially this time. I'm glad that we were able to get back to the Final Four. We want to reach our ultimate goal of winning the championship."
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