The path only gets harder from here for Duke.
Following a victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Hampton Sunday, the second-seeded Blue Devils (31-2) will continue their title quest at Cameron Indoor Stadium 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second round against seventh-seeded Oklahoma State (22-10).
The atmosphere in the arena will likely be much different than during the victory against Hampton in which the Lady Pirates had more raucous fan support. Duke understands that the experience of such a close contest with Hampton, which was fueled by its crowd, will help them prepare to play tougher competition in the tournament.
“It was a different experience for us and the energy in the building was really high. For the most part we handled it well, but I think it was just a good learning experience. I think we’re just focused on us tomorrow,” forward Haley Peters said. “I don’t think we’ll be so worried about what’s happening around us in the stands because after watching the game yesterday and looking ahead to tomorrow, we have a lot of things that need to be keyed in on for the rest of the way.”
The Blue Devils will have a tall task against the Cowgirls, who have seen success in the Big 12, though not against No. 1 overall seed Baylor. Oklahoma State is led by Toni Young, a senior forward who averages 16.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
“She’s really athletic. For all of us, we need to focus on communicating and being strong help-side, focusing on those things and getting her up in the air,” center Elizabeth Williams said.
Despite the task at hand, Duke continues to have the mentality of improving for the long haul rather than just simply preparing for the next opponent. The Blue Devils specifically mentioned looking to improve on hustle plays, including rebounding and defense.
“We need to be more poised and more consistent with our defensive mentality throughout the entire game and not let those few minutes come by us and kind of stay up the whole game and keep that energy,” junior guard Tricia Liston said. “Whenever we can make stops in a row and come down and execute, things are working well for us.”
The Blue Devils faced the Cowgirls in December 2010 in Stillwater, Okla., a game that Duke dominated with a 28-point victory. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and the Blue Devils understand that every team has the ability to upset Duke on its home court in a such a high-stakes tournament.
The adjustment period following the injury to Co-ACC Player of the Year Chelsea Gray appears to have progressed well for the Blue Devils and has forced each player to rise to the challenge.
“Everyone’s picked up something. Everyone’s roles have changed a little bit. I think overall it’s exciting to play with each other,” Williams said. “I think it’s been a great opportunity for us to learn and grow with each other.”
Regardless of the injuries, the team’s focus remains on the present instead of the past.
“We’ll never know what would have been,” McCallie said. “We were developing beautifully. We took a huge hit. These kids, all of them, of course [Alexis Jones] too, have risen to the occasion and been incredible. We’re making the most of it.”
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