Is the showdown still on in the Lone Star state?

The anticipation of next season's Duke-Texas matchup has already begun.

The two teams have played in the past two years, but the next game in Austin will take on a new meaning as the Blue Devils will square off against their former head coach, Gail Goestenkors.

"Can't wait. We can't wait," sophomore Abby Waner said. "Initially, we were a little concerned and thought, 'Well, let's not play them.' But that's what so great about this team-we're out to get people.. It's going to be fun. Hopefully all the negative emotion will be out of the way by then, and it will be great to see [Goestenkors]. We're really looking forward to it."

Duke traveled to Austin to beat Texas 84-70 in 2005. The Blue Devils were again victorious 80-52 in Cameron Indoor Stadium Dec. 10.

Although next year's contest appears to be a contractual formality-as both teams still need games and cannot afford to drop one-neither coach seemed particularly keen about following through with the matchup.

"I would prefer not to play Duke, but I think we're probably going to need to because of the schedule," Goestenkors told The Durham Herald-Sun. "For me, at least, it'll be pretty emotional."

The Blue Devil players still feel stong attachments to their former coach as well.

"It was tough at first, just because everybody has to start moving in their own direction," Waner said. "We've been in touch briefly, here and there, but she's a connection that I don't want to lose, just because she's very important to me as a person and she's a very important figure in women's basketball."

"We're a team that's on a bigger mission than going to Texas," she said. "But it's definitely in the back of our minds."