Duke to face season’s toughest competition tonight

Senior Jasmine Thomas, who had 14 points and eight rebounds against Wisconsin, will lead a Duke team that hopes to overcome a sluggish offense against Texas A&M.
Senior Jasmine Thomas, who had 14 points and eight rebounds against Wisconsin, will lead a Duke team that hopes to overcome a sluggish offense against Texas A&M.

Nineteen teams remain unbeaten in the NCAA at this point in the season, but that number is guaranteed to fall by at least one tonight as two undefeated teams take the court in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The No. 5 Blue Devils (8-0) possess a tough schedule this season, and they face their first significant test against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (6-0) as part of the Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic. The game will be a crucial early test of Duke’s mettle: The Aggies were ranked eighth in the initial polls, which represented their highest-ever preseason ranking.

Texas A&M will come at the Blue Devils with a small but potent lineup. Forward Danielle Adams is the tallest Aggie starter at just 6-foot-1, but she was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 player and made the watch list for the Wade Trophy, which is given each year to the best player in women’s college basketball. She has lived up to every bit of the preseason hype, posting three double-doubles in six games and ranking in the nation’s top-20 in scoring with 21 points per game.

“[Adams] is really unique,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said at the start of the season.

Adams gets plenty of help from her frontcourt teammates as well. Juniors Tyra White and Adaora Elonu have combined for 23.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils will have to focus on using their size to overpower Texas A&M inside, with Kathleen Scheer, Krystal Thomas and Allison Vernerey all standing taller than Aggie forward Adams at 6-foot-2, 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-5, respectively. Duke has dominated in the paint so far this season, outscoring opponents 284-118 in the lane.

Texas A&M will also have to deal with Duke’s depth. A full three-quarters of the Aggies’ points have come from their five starters, while Duke gets nearly 40 percent of its scoring from players not expected to start Monday night.

The contest will also contain an element of revenge for McCallie’s squad as Texas A&M has won all three matchups between the two schools, including two key games over the past two seasons.

“We lost to Texas A&M last year and they get to come back to our place this year, which is great for us,” McCallie said at the beginning of the year when asked about Duke’s schedule.

The Aggies eliminated Duke from the NCAA tournament in 2008 with a 77-63 win that sent Texas A&M to its first-ever Elite Eight. The Aggies dominated in its season opener in the two teams’ last meeting, attaining a 95-77 victory behind 24 points from Adams.

While Connecticut remains at No. 1 in the women’s basketball polls, their long-lasting stranglehold on the top position could be slipping. A win for Duke over Texas A&M would give the Blue Devils a strong start to a difficult schedule that could quickly put them in the conversation for the top spot.

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