Duke starts every game playing "1," its trademark man-to-man defense. What the Blue Devils do next is anyone's guess.
They could go into "23," their quarter-court, 2-2-1 press. Or "24," full-court, 1-2-1-1 press. Or "23" half. Or "24" half. Maybe they will trap. Or switch. Or hedge. They might revert to a variation on the man set. Perhaps they will trap the wing ("fist"). Or trap everywhere ("doublefist").
If you're having trouble catching on, don't worry. Duke's defense will change before you figure it out, anyway.
Before migrating south to Duke last April, Joanne P. McCallie, the former Michigan State head coach, had made her mark by employing an impressive array of defenses. Despite using a seven-player rotation, McCallie led the Spartans to the 2005 Final Four in large part because of her team's amorphous pressure.
The only problem? Previous Duke teams haven't exactly been paragons of defensive confusion. It was clear that no matter the situation, the Blue Devils would usually play a high-pressure, in-your-face man-to-man defense. It was former head coach Gail Goestenkors' signature, and the Duke players relished in shutting down their individual matchups.
Now, though, they're following McCallie's personal style, and this shifting of defensive mindset has been one of the adjustments to which the players have adapted best.
Perhaps the most successful, and most used, matchup zone is the 2-2-1. McCallie urges the top two defenders to pick up their assignments around midcourt, but they usually creep up and make it a quarter-court zone, junior Abby Waner said.
The goal of this preferred defense, though, isn't necessarily to nab steals and force turnovers. In some cases, the Blue Devils can stall the opposition into starting its halfcourt offense with fewer than 15 ticks on the shot clock, thereby forcing it out of its rhythm. And that's exactly the purpose of this defense: cause disruption.
Of course, that disturbance can also result in inducing miscues, and that's fine with the Blue Devils, too. In Duke's 76-69 loss to Maryland Feb. 17, the Blue Devils stayed in contention with this set, which pressured Terrapin guard Krysti Toliver into 12 turnovers.
"[The 2-2-1 zone] might be to force a team to just do what we want them to do," said Keturah Jackson, whom the Blue Devils say is their best defender.
Then there's the full-court zone press, which the team uses when it needs a steal. Duke immediately traps in the corner and the far-side defender slides to anticipate the reverse pass-it's called "Greensboro," in honor of the first team to be decimated by it. When they're at their best, the Blue Devils effectively block off all passing lanes.
The weak point, however, lies in the middle. If the first guard quickly gets the ball to a taller presence in the paint, the press is effectively broken. And if such a team thrives in transition, as Connecticut and North Carolina do, then "24" is especially chancy.
There are only three prime sets, but the variations on each of them turn one zone into three or four different looks. On top of that, McCallie hasn't abandoned the man-far from it. Now, though, opponents know they will have to include zone breakers in their scouting reports to supplement the already-existing man-to-man plays.
But don't think Duke is content with its defensive repertoire. Just as the postseason rolls around, the Blue Devils are adding to their collective arsenal.
"We have another zone which we haven't quite broken out yet," Waner said. "We'll leave that to just the team for now."
Soon enough, other teams will know about it. And then they will be hit with a new one.
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