"Everyone has a responsibility [to rebound]," McCallie said. "There are certain things you have to do for the team. They’re non-negotiable items. You must defend as a team, and you must rebound as a team. Different people can score, and different people can take different kinds of shots, but you must defend and rebound as a team. I think that’s been made clear."
"When you have smart guards and guards who make great decisions with the ball, that is the key to playing away, controlling the ball and making smart decisions with the ball," McCallie said. "I feel very good about our guards that way, and that helps our post game follow."
Gray and Jones have also opened up a bevy of opportunities for guard Tricia Liston, who leads Duke in scoring with 18.4 points per game and continues to shoot better than 50 percent both from the floor and beyond the arc. Liston, along with shooters like Peters, consistently fights for offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities.
Although the offense has been a strength for the Blue Devils this season, a lack of consistent defensive has plagued Duke and will be a focal point moving forward for McCallie. Purdue boasts a potent lineup of guards who can shoot and run the floor, led by seniors Courtney Moses and KK Houser who both average 13.7 points per game. McCallie has focused her team's defense on Moses, Houser and point guard April Wilson to limit the Boilermakers' offensive opportunities.
"They have a nice team obviously, but they really rely on guard play," McCallie said. "They can shoot. They’re prolific. We don’t want them comfortable. We want to wear them down. We want to contest every shot and be there before the catch."
The Blue Devils are poised to develop further as a team as they begin a stretch in which they will play No. 17 Oklahoma on the road and No. 1 Connecticut in Durham. Still, McCallie and Duke are focusing on taking it slowly.
"[We play] one game at a time, and all of our games are hard," McCallie said. "We opened with California. From our standpoint, it's no different [with Connecticut]. It’s the same. [The keys are] good focus, really appreciate the talents of the team we’re going to play, and really working to shut them down."
The Blue Devils are confident that they can compete with the best in the country in defending reigning NCAA Champion Connecticut as long as they make a concerted effort on both ends of the floor and maintain intensity throughout the game. This experienced and growing Duke squad hopes to build upon what it has learned from early tests to emerge victorious from this competitive stretch of games.
"Our team learned that it's important that we execute," McCallie said. "No team is good enough to go out there and play. You’ve got to execute on both sides of the ball."
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