It’s said that home is where the heart is, and for Jasmine Thomas, home is also where the wins are. In her Duke career, the star guard has played six games in her home state of Virginia, and has brought her team back to Durham victorious all six times.
She’ll visit the Old Dominion one more time before she graduates, though, as the Blue Devils travel to Charlottesville—about 100 miles from Thomas’ hometown of Fairfax—tonight to take on Virginia at 7 p.m.
Thomas will have the distinction in this game of being the only player on either team to average double digits in the scoring column this season. The No. 9 Blue Devils (24-3, 10-2 in the ACC) are on the verge of finishing their second season in a row with only one double-digit scorer, with last year representing the first campaign since 1981-82 in which Duke boasted only one player with over 10 points per game.
But what both of these teams lack in star power, they make up for in depth. The Blue Devils are the only team in the ACC, the top 25 and their own school history to have 11 players averaging double-digit minutes per game. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie has kept the entirety of her deep roster involved in the game action throughout the season, diluting some of the individual scoring totals. It hasn’t affected the team’s scoring overall, though, as its 70.2 points per game are nearly identical to last season’s 70.5. Four Blue Devils average over 8.5 points per game, and seven contribute more than five points per contest.
But Duke will be missing one of those top scorers tonight as the team’s third-leading scorer, freshman Chelsea Gray, recovers from an ankle injury sustained Sunday against Virginia Tech. McCallie says her rehab is going well.
“She’s very fortunate that it’s not more than just an ankle sprain,” McCallie said.
McCallie credited Virginia (15-13, 4-8) for its similarly balanced lineup. She said the Cavaliers’ most dangerous assets are “the value of their bench, the versatility of their players, and their exceptional hustle and fight.”
“On any given night, a different player can step up for them,” she said.
The Cavaliers’ leading scorer, junior forward Chelsea Shine, sits two-tenths of a point shy of the double-digit mark. In addition to Shine’s 9.8 points per game, freshman guard Ataira Franklin has come on strong lately, scoring double digits in her last six games—including a double-double last week against Maryland—and averaging 12.5 points in ACC play. The conference’s leading 3-point shooter was recognized as ACC rookie of the week last week. Junior guard Ariana Moorer also chips in 9.3 points per game to round out the Cavaliers’ top three.
Where Virginia doesn’t have as much depth, though, is inside. The tallest player in the Cavaliers’ regular rotation is 6-foot-3 sophomore center Simone Egwu. After Krystal Thomas, the ACC’s leading rebounder in conference play, set a career high in rebounds Sunday, she and fellow center Allison Vernerey could have another field day in Charlottesville. McCallie said the Blue Devils will be continuing to work on getting the ball into the post.
“We always want to play inside out, regardless of who the opponent is,” she said.
That’ll be one of many things Duke plans to work on against the Cavaliers as it approaches postseason play.
“It’s a lot of re-tooling of things,” McCallie said. “Making things sharper, more detail work, more specifics about passing and execution, defensive stops, really harping on the little things that make the difference.”
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