Gail Goestenkors has coached in enough big games inside Cameron Indoor Stadium to know what the atmosphere for a home game against North Carolina feels like.
Goestenkors is aware, however, that Sunday's 4 p.m. matchup with the No. 4 Tar Heels has even bigger implications than usual. With Duke's first undefeated regular season on the line in front of a sold-out crowd, all Goestenkors has to do to understand the game's significance is walk out of Cameron, where an impromptu tent city has sprung up.
Despite the relatively unique circumstances, she has learned that there is one requirement for the namesake of Goestenkorsopolis-to provide pizza for the students.
"Oh yeah," Goestenkors said. "Supremes!"
This is the first recorded time students have lived in tents for a women's game outside of the normal K-ville season. The top-ranked Blue Devils, like their coach, understand the importance of the moment-and before the game tips off, they plan to walk through the tenting village.
"I think it's awesome," sophomore guard Abby Waner said. "It shows how much the women's game is growing. People are starting to appreciate what we do and the amount of work we put into it."
The population of the tent city has good motives for braving the weather this week. Duke (28-0, 13-0 in the ACC) is off to its best start in history and features the frontrunner for National Player of the Year in Lindsey Harding. There is always legitimate hype for the annual home game against North Carolina (26-2, 10-2), and it only helps the environment that Harding and center Alison Bales are playing their last game in Cameron.
"I'm really proud of both of them," Goestenkors said. "They've made so many great memories here for the fans and for our team. It's been great to watch them grow as players."
The coaches and players will be emotional Sunday, but they admittedly cannot afford to be distracted with the Tar Heels in the visitors' locker room. Even though UNC has slipped to fourth in the polls, it is still very capable of pulling off the upset. The first time the two Tobacco Road rivals played this year in Chapel Hill, a balanced attack and a superb defensive effort against North Carolina star Ivory Latta propelled the Blue Devils to victory, solidifying their status as the best team in the land.
Sunday's game will have a decidedly different feel than the first game. Harding and Waner have said frequently this year that they thrive in hostile atmospheres-such as the one they experienced in Carmichael Auditorium Feb. 8. Still, the Blue Devils prefer the friendly confines of their home gym.
"You can tell there has been a lot of excitement generated for this game, and we thrive on that," Waner said. "There is nothing like playing in a sellout at Cameron. I feel like there's no other athletic event that can compare."
This season, Duke has exemplified team play. But in the most important ACC games, Harding has stepped up to the point that she is now a virtual lock for ACC Player of the Year. In the first game against the Tar Heels, she scored 16 points. More importantly, though, she effectively shut down Latta, holding the guard to nine points on 3-for-20 shooting.
The key to Duke's win last time around, however, was Bales' obstructive presence in the post. She had 14 rebounds and seven blocks, and she altered many more shots. Harding said she was able to play tight defense on Latta because she trusted Bales to stop further penetration.
Ultimately, the outcome of Sunday's game will likely be decided by the play of the two seniors. The seniors desperately want the National Championship that eluded them last year, but the two players would certainly embrace one last Duke tradition they have not experienced since 2004: a bonfire on Main West quadrangle.
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