Just three days after returning from the Virgin Islands with their first loss of the season, the Blue Devils will hit the road once again Wednesday night to face 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (5-1).
When it takes the court at Memorial Gymnasium at 8 p.m., No. 11 Duke (5-1) is looking to get healthy-in more ways than one.
The Blue Devils saw their 34-game regular-season winning streak come to an abrupt halt Sunday night against Connecticut when the Huskies rolled to a 74-48 victory in the finals of the Paradise Jam.
Injuries also caught up to Duke in the loss. Abby Waner, playing in her first game since the season-opener in Denver, missed all seven of her shots. Wanisha Smith, who was sidelined with a broken bone in her wrist earlier in the season, scored only two points. It was the lowest point output for the senior since December 2006 and Smith has not cracked double figures on the year.
Duke will need to get offensive production from someone other than center Chante Black against the Commodores. Vanderbilt has yet to yield more than 53 points on its home floor. Even in the Commodores' overtime loss at Indiana State, they held the Sycamores to less than 40 percent shooting.
Vanderbilt can contend with the Blue Devils' size on the block with 6-foot-4 center Liz Sherwood. The senior is averaging 15.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in fewer than 23 minutes per contest.
Sherwood combines with junior sharpshooter Christina Wirth to comprise one of the nation's best inside-out duos. Wirth is shooting over 53 percent from beyond the arc and posts 15.5 points per game.
Duke's defense had difficulty Sunday night against Connecticut, allowing the Huskies to shoot 56 percent from the field. The Blue Devils will need to improve on that if they plan on sinking the Commodores for the second season in a row.
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