Sometimes it takes a slap in the face or a punch in the gut to serve as a wake-up call.
As third-seeded Duke (21-8, 10-4 in the ACC) begins the ACC Tournament Friday night against Florida State at the Greensboro Coliseum, the Blue Devils can only hope that the sting of their most lopsided defeat in 15 years can provide the spark that the team has been missing-and perhaps propel Duke to a conference tournament title.
"The players would do good to get ticked off at each other," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "I don't think it's a 'Kumbaya-let's all hold hands' thing. I think you have to get ticked off."
And after Sunday's 31-point loss to the Tar Heels, a game in which McCallie said her team played without pride for stretches, the Blue Devils have plenty to be "ticked off" about. But Duke can use that to its advantage now that it's the postseason.
The Blue Devils said that one of their most glaring weaknesses has been inconsistent leadership. But Sunday's game forced Duke's most experienced players to re-evaluate their contributions on and off the court.
"[Leaders] need to step up, take this team up," said Chante Black, who was named to the All-ACC second team Monday. "[Me], Abby [Waner] and [Wanisha Smith]-we need to make sure we're doing what we should be doing.... We haven't been vocal. When we get down in situations, if one of us doesn't step up, then it goes downhill. All three of us need to step up for us to win this whole thing. All three."
The collective play of Black, Waner and Smith will be integral to the team's advancement through the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils have demonstrated a lack of teamwork on offense, resulting in just 15.2 assists per game in contrast to 18.7 turnovers. McCallie said that Duke needs to come together on the offensive end and make the right team plays instead of shooting individual shots.
When the Blue Devils have shown the capacity to move the ball on offense and put up points, it has not always coincided with strong play on the defensive end, making consistency another pressing issue for this young squad.
"[It comes down to] putting it all together," said Waner, who earned third-team All-ACC accolades. "I think it's being able to play a full 40 minutes in every category, every stat, all the intangibles-which we've shown, just at various times."
With the Blue Devils' postseason slate beginning tonight, however, now is the time to bring everything together. Duke will face No. 6 seed Florida State (17-12, 7-7), a team they defeated handily during the regular season 70-38. But the Seminoles, just like the Blue Devils, hope to turn the tables in a new season.
Nevertheless, Duke expects to continue playing through Sunday, even if it means putting away No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 1 seed North Carolina after losing to each team twice this year. The regular season is over, and the Blue Devils are looking to prove that they still belong among the nation's elite by bringing home some hardware.
"I know we've lost more games this season than we have in the past, but that doesn't mean anything," Waner said. "We still have championship expectations. The day that we start to lower those, it's no longer Duke Basketball."
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