Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and her team would lead you to believe this is just another game, but the Blue Devils’ upcoming contest against No. 2 Connecticut is different. No. 3 Duke will travel to Gampel Pavilion Monday night with the opportunity to extract revenge for last year’s 33-point loss in Cameron Indoor Stadium and make a statement against the premier team in women’s basketball.
The Blue Devils (20-0) are the country’s only undefeated team and have beaten two top-10 opponents already, yet they still remain ranked behind one-loss teams from Baylor and Connecticut. With a victory on the road, however, Duke would become the first team other than Stanford to beat the Huskies in three years while firmly asserting itself as one of the favorites for the title come March.
All-American candidate Jasmine Thomas, who is averaging 15.1 points per game, admits that while she’s excited about the upcoming tilt, the Blue Devils won’t be intimidated by the aura of Connecticut.
“Anything that brings attention to women’s basketball is great, but as a player and wanting the best for my team, we’re just going into it like another game,” Thomas said. “They’re a great team, but we’ve played great teams, and we’re excited about the challenge.”
While their record-setting 90-game winning streak may be over, Connecticut (20-1) is still the two-time defending national champion, and boasts arguably the best player in the nation in senior Maya Moore. Moore, the 2009 John Wooden Award winner, is averaging 23.8 points per game. She is joined by scoring threats Tiffany Hayes and Bria Hartley, who both average double-digit points per game as well.
According to McCallie and Thomas, the key to overcoming Moore and the rest of the Huskies’ offense is solid ball movement and limiting turnovers.
“Obviously, trying to slow down Moore is a big part,” McCallie said. “They’re attached to Hayes and Moore, and if you take a bunch of quick shots against Connecticut, that’s about the worst thing you can do. They’re a very good transition team.”
“UConn’s been a team that’s made people pay for their mistakes,” Thomas added.
Following last year’s devastating loss, McCallie called the Huskies the most unbeatable team in the country. Both teams have vastly different rosters, however, from last year’s contest. The Huskies lost center Tina Charles, the 2010 Wooden Award winner, to the WNBA. Freshman Stefanie Dolson has tried to fill her large shoes, and in McCallie’s opinion, has performed admirably so far.
“On paper you see a freshman starting, but Dolson has held her own, even with [Baylor’s Brittney] Griner,” McCallie said. “Tina Charles was certainly a very special player and there’s no one like that out there, but you have to give credit to Dolson.”
Nonetheless, Connecticut’s post players are inexperienced, and senior center Krystal Thomas, who is averaging 8.5 points and eight rebounds per game, can use that to her advantage.
“I’ve played a lot of great posts in the country, and this is another game, another opponent,” Thomas said. “I’ll be ready for whatever is thrown at me.”
Even though Duke has five freshmen who weren’t there for last year’s game, McCallie isn’t worried about their ability to adjust to the hostile environment that awaits the Blue Devils. Duke will most likely experience its largest crowd of the season. Connecticut averages nearly 10,000 attendees at home, whereas the Blue Devils’ biggest crowd this season was just over 6,000.
“It’s a focus game,” McCallie said. “It’s not something on age particularly, but who can keep their poise. It’s definitely a poise game.”
One of those freshmen, Chelsea Gray, has already proven herself to be a vital piece of Duke’s offense, averaging 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. She says that Duke’s youth won’t be a factor, and they’ll rely on the leadership of their seniors, who have been there before.
“I’m looking forward to it, when we get there my team will tell me what I need to know,” Gray said. “I trust my team in what they say.”
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