Duke Blue Devils
ACC (21-10, 11-5)
The 2014-15 season has been the ultimate test of resilience for the Duke women’s basketball team and the ultimate test of patience for head coach Joanne P. McCallie. While Duke definitely has its flaws this season, they are a proud program that is going to be a very difficult team to deal with in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/21 Kentucky (89-68), 1/25 at North Carolina (74-67), 2/2 Louisville (66-58)
Bad Losses: 1/22 at Boston College (56-60), 2/22 at N.C. State (59-72), 2/26 at Georgia Tech (62-71)
Coach: Joanne P. McCallie
Why They Can Surprise:
There is a very nice mix of experience and talent in the starting lineup for the Blue Devils that can compete with anyone in the nation on a given day. They did so back in December by only losing to South Carolina by a 51-50 score. They also have pulled out signature wins over the likes of Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina so they are very battle tested. Elizabeth Williams down in the post sets the tone for Duke and she has the ability to be very dominant at times as one of the top shot blockers in the nation. Azura Stevens has proven to be one of the best freshman guard/forward type of players in the nation. She has averaged nearly a double-double this season. Finally, the tough schedule should have this Blue Devil team very battle tested heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Duke is not a very deep team. At most they will probably go just seven players deep in the rotation. So staying out of foul trouble will be important and getting key contributions from Kendall Cooper and Erin Matthias off the bench will be critical for the Blue Devils if they are to avoid an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. The overall inconsistency offensively in regard to shooting and turning over the basketball is an issue too. The turnovers will keep lower seeded teams in games in the opening two rounds and create the extra possessions necessary to pull the upset over Duke. Also, the inability to truly dominate from the perimeter could also cost the Blue Devils. Teams will double or even triple team Elizabeth Williams and dare everyone else to beat them.
Probable Starters:
Rebecca Greenwell, Redshirt Freshman, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 2.1 apg, 5.6 rpg
Azura Stevens, Freshman, Guard/Forward, 14.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Ka’lia Johnson, Senior, Guard/Forward, 7.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 4.1 rpg
Amber Henson, Senior, Forward/Center, 4.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Elizabeth Williams, Senior, Center, 14.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kendall Cooper, Sophomore, Forward/Center, 4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Erin Matthias, Freshman, Forward/Center, 1.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Mercedes Riggs, Junior, Guard, 1.7 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.3 (51st in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.0 (63, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44/3 (23, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 34.5 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.6 (224, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.1 (131, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.8 (170, 8)
Rebound Margin: 13.2 (3, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.3 (43, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 18.4 (286, 13)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Winthrop
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to DePaul
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Oklahoma State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Nebraska
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Notre Dame
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Samford
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Vanderbilt
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over St. John's
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Stanford
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee-Martin
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Marist
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over DePaul
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over San Diego State
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to Baylor
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Austin Peay
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Murray State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arizona State
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Texas A&M
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Rutgers
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Holy Cross
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
*all team stats through 3/5
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
