As seniors Chante Black, Carrem Gay and Abby Waner gear up for their final regular-season game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, they won't be expecting a celebratory victory lap.
Instead, they will be counting on a scrappy fight to the finish.
No. 10 Duke looks to close out its regular-season slate with a home win against rival North Carolina Sunday at 5 p.m. A victory would be Duke's first over the Tar Heels in head coach Joanne P. McCallie's tenure and would also give the Blue Devils (23-4, 10-3 in the ACC) sole possession of third place in the conference.
And for Duke's trio of seniors, a win over its nemesis would end their playing days in Cameron on a high note.
"Forget about the past, don't look toward the future, forget the fact that it's your last game in Cameron, that it's your last game of the season, on and on and on," Waner said. "But those are all there, very much in the back of your mind. And to be able to beat Carolina, on Senior Day, my last game in Cameron, our last regular-season game, with my family here, with my old coaches, with the fans, with my teammates, would really be a nice ending to my career in Cameron."
But that task will be complicated by the Tar Heels (24-4, 9-3), especially given the way they played the last time the Tobacco Road rivals met. On Feb. 9 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina dominated the boards en route to a come-from-behind 75-60 victory. Duke let a 12-point lead late in the first half turn into a 15-point deficit by the game's end.
"When you don't play your best and are up seven late in the game and you don't finish, the feeling is the same for any team at that point," McCallie said. "But I do think there is special energy when you have a rivalry."
The atmosphere figures to be even more intense Sunday given the seniors' last game. General admission seating is already sold out, and only about 500 reserved seats remain in what could be Duke's first sellout of the year.
Although some fans will be there to see another installment in the rivalry, most are looking forward to watching the three seniors take the court for the last time. The players will be honored at the 10-minute mark before the game, and they will have the chance to speak to the crowd after the game.
"It's a big day-it's the last day in Cameron," said Black, who came in a year before Gay and Waner but redshirted one season. "Being able to be with the Cameron Crazies and this team on our home court, it will definitely be fun but, kind of sad seeing it end."
Waner and McCallie have already anticipated what Sunday will feel like. After Duke's last home game, a win over Virginia Tech last Thursday, the two became emotional in the post-game press conference.
"That's just the natural order of things. You talk about it as it naturally comes up," McCallie said. "You don't convene a meeting about it, you simply just talk about it, even through the season. I know Abby and I have talked about it, our last home game against Virginia Tech, we just talked about Cameron, and enjoying it and loving it and appreciating it."
The tributes to Black, Gay and Waner will be more meaningful than usual because the three seniors are the rock of the team. Black leads the squad in points and rebounds, Waner logs the most minutes and has notched the most steals and Gay is second in steals and rebounds.
And after they finish their careers in Cameron, the trio will be relied upon to carry Duke in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
"We have seen a lot together," Waner said of her bond with the seniors. "That includes a national championship loss in overtime, a coaching change, huge wins, huge losses. It's really underrated the amount of time that you spend with these girls, and it's the most revealing of times for yourself. The growth that I've had in four years, Chante and Carrem have seen it all. And they've seen the process of it. They've been with you in the locker room, in the quiet hours, in the spotlight, on the bus. It's really powerful to have that kind of a bond with two other incredible women. And to have this day with them makes it that much more special."
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