1/8 @ Maryland 1PM (TV: RSN)
2005 Recap: 22-10 (NCAA Tournament Second Round), RPI #16, Final Ranking #24 USA
Today, Preseason Ranking #14/#14 AP/USA Today
The Scoop: The Terps grow closer and closer to becoming a national power.
If it wasn't for an injury to talented frosh post Laura Harper last year,
Maryland probably would have finished higher than 6th place in the ACC.
Maryland did manage to beat UNC and go to the NCCA tournament's second
round, but was beaten three times by Duke and lost close games to FSU and
Virginia. Worse, they were swept by Virginia Tech. The Terps have two
major issues to address: experience and defense. They will be using a
frosh point guard this season and six of their top nine players are either
frosh or sophs. Defensively, their likely top two offensive players (Shay
Doron and Marissa Coleman) are mediocre at best, and this could put a
lot of pressure on their young point guard Kristi Toliver, along with
their green post players.
I regarded Doron as overrated as a frosh. To her credit, she matured as
a sophomore, taking better shots and getting to the foul line with
regularity (182 trips, second best in the ACC). This enabled her to
average 17.6 ppg, though she was still a chucker (or "a scorer, not a
shooter", to put it charitably), shooting below 33% from three. She also
averaged 3.2 apg and 2 spg, though the latter was a result of taking a
lot of defensive risks rather than being a defensive stopper. The team's
most impressive player is forward Crystal Langhorne who led the ACC with
10 rpg and scored 17 ppg. While still a bit raw offensively, she used her
tremendous quickness and aggressiveness to generate plenty of stickbacks
and easy scores. Kalika France will likely move to the bench as the sixth
woman, but she brings a fierce demeanor on defense and a willingness to
attack the hoop, averaging 11 ppg. Harper may be an even better rebounder
than Langhorne, but she has never played a single minute in the ACC.
Coleman and Toliver will add to the team's firepower.
Maryland will now be able to score on anyone. Duke struggled to beat
them in Durham, but dominated the Terps in their last two meetings. The
Devils won these games because they kept Maryland off the foul line,
dominated the boards, and forced a lot of turnovers. They made Maryland
take a lot of contested jumpers and gave them very few second chances.
Maryland will be like Duke in that they'll want to force tempo. I expect
a lot of racehorse basketball when the two teams play. Duke must be
careful to break smartly and not try to force the running game with bad
passes or too-quick finishes in traffic. The two teams are very similar
in terms of overall speed, with Maryland being a bit quicker but the
Devils being bigger. Duke used Chante Black's quickness to rule the
boards, and I expect that both she and Carrem Gay will be called upon to
guard Maryland's quick bigs. Mistie Williams needs to step up here as
well, and must demonstrate that she has the speed to beat Langhorne and
Harper to rebounds. Duke will have an advantage in the backcourt in terms
of depth and experience, but can't afford to give either Doron or Toliver
an inch. While the Terps have a great shot of beating Duke, they're still
probably one more year away from having a chance to take the ACC.
1/11 @ Georgia Tech 7PM
2005 Recap: 13-14, RPI #66
The Scoop: Georgia Tech was very young last season, one of many factors which
hurt them in the ACC. The team has no skilled post players, couldn't get to
the foul line, couldn't generate easy baskets with its defense and struggled to
score in general. When forward Kasha Terry left the team, defending the Jackets
became easy: choke up on their shooters and leave the middle wide open. When
their talented young guards got hot, the team could be trouble, but once
adjustments were made they could be contained. It was an especially frustrating
year for coach MaChelle Joseph, because her team was solid defensively, but
simply couldn't keep up against balanced opponents.
The good news is that the entire team returns. Tech is built around its
three talented guards. Junior Stephanie Higgs is the most efficient of the
three, though not necessarily the most talented. Averaging 13.3 ppg, she found
ways of scoring even when her jumper wasn't working. Soph Chioma Nnamaka is an
outstanding shooter who averaged 12.7 ppg and 34% from three, but she must find
ways to contribute when she's not open. Frosh point Jill Ingram didn't put up
huge numbers, but she showed flashes of one day being a great player. In the
post are Kentrina Wilson and Jessica Williams. Both are undersized bigs who
can rebound but can't score. Janie Mitchell is another young guard who played
well at both perimeter spots, while frosh April Phillips should be able to find
some minutes thanks to her strength and speed. Terry returns to the team, and
if her head's on straight, she will be able to help them considerably.
Tech matches up very poorly with Duke. Without a post game, Duke went after
their guards with impunity last season. Even when Nnamaka and Ingram drained a
number of early threes in Durham, the Devils responded by suffocating them with
pressure defense. Tech chose to double down inside, but Duke responded by
nailing wide-open threes. While Tech is a year older, their key players are
still young and can be forced into mistakes. What Duke can't do is take this
game for granted. The Jackets are slowly adding more talented players, and
they are competitive in the ACC on the basis of pure talent right now. What
the team lacks is balance, and if the Devils play correctly, it will be easy to
exploit that lack of balance yet again.
1/14 @ Boston College 7PM
2005 Recap: 20-10 (NCAA Tournament Second Round), RPI #29, Final Ranking #23 AP
The Scoop: Though BC are the new kids in town, Duke has actually played them
quite a few times in recent years. BC was one of the few teams to beat Duke in
Cameron (back in the 2000 season), the Devils returned the favor the next
season in Chestnut Hill, and of course the two squads met last year in the NCAA
tournament. The Eagles had a season not unlike Duke's, in that injuries set
the team back quite a bit, but they still persevered to have a good year. BC
promises to have one of the most skilled set of post players in the ACC in 2006,
something that will give them an immediate advantage over many of their foes.
Their two best players are power forward Brooke Queenan, who gave Duke fits in
the NCAA last year with 17 points and 9 boards. This was above her season
average of 11 and 5.5. While she stayed glued underneath against Duke, Queenan
was also a capable three point shooter, notching 48% on the year. The big big
for BC is Kathrin Ress, who averaged 10.2 and 4.7. A 6-4 center, she preferred
to stay near the basket, though Alison Bales took her to the woodshed last
season. While the Eagles lost their best perimeter player in Claire Droesch,
they do at least return point guard Sarah Marshall, who averaged 4.5 ppg and
4.3 apg. Another likely starter will be wing Aja Parham, who had a solid
season with 7.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 40% shooting from three.
BC prefers a slower tempo, excelling in the halfcourt. They'll look to set up
the posts first, swing the ball around and find open shooters. It's a
disciplined, unselfish attack that requires a lot of patience on defense to
guard. What BC will lack is an experienced, dominant set of guards. They have
a couple of frosh who could help, but they don't have the depth to keep up with
Duke's guards. The Devils will likely try to press and trap as much as
possible, in order to prevent BC from setting up their offense and getting into
any kind of rhythm. Duke has to thrown Queenan a lot of different looks and
can't afford to let her burn them from the perimeter. Bales can likely deal
with Ress one-on-one, so Duke should try to rotate Williams, Gay and even Black
on Queenan. The most important thing Duke has to do is communicate on defense
and rotate as quickly as possible. If BC gets a lot of open shots, they will
knock them down. If Duke contests every shot, then they should be in great
shape against the Eagles.
1/16 @ Holy Cross 7PM
2005 Recap: 20-11 (NCAA Tournament First Round), RPI #135
The Scoop: Duke crushed the Crusaders in Cameron last year by close to 60
points, but Holy Cross challenged other programs in conferences tougher than the
Patriot League. They only lost by 1 to UMASS, by 8 to Boston College and by 4
to St John's. Holy Cross also upset Rhode Island on the road. HC used these
tests to roll through their conference and make it to NCAA's, where they lost
to Ohio State. The Devils will take the unusual step of playing the Crusaders
on their home court, tiny Hart Center (capacity 3,600).
Holy Cross loses its two best players, Lisa Andrews and Maggie Fontana.
Andrews was the team's best post player (12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) while Fontana was a
talented wing (10.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg). This year's squad will likely focus on its
backcourt, led by wing Brittany Keil. She averaged 9.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg,
shooting 42% from three. Tiny (5-3) Sarah Placek will be a team leader as a
senior, and she managed to put up 8.5 ppg. Laura Aliosi is the point guard,
averaging 4.2 dishes a contest. Backup guards Shannon Bush and Jessica Conte
combined for 13 ppg and 55 threes.
The Crusaders won't have much quality size to throw at Duke. They have a pair
of frosh forwards who might see some playing time, and the 6-2 Keil might be
forced to play inside. Duke's mission will be to go inside early and often.
HC might try to stretch Duke out with a three or even four guard offense in an
effort to get some open looks. If that happens, Duke should go with Gay and
Black inside, a move that will still give Duke a size advantage, a defensive
advantage and a rebounding advantage. That duo should be quick enough to go
out and cover perimeter players, though Gay in particular will have to be
careful about help-and-recover defense. The speed and power of Currie, Black
and Smith will probably be too much for Holy Cross to deal with for very long.
What Duke doesn't want to do is get into a three point shooting contest. Take
the three if it's a good shot, but the Devils shouldn't be lured into playing
like their opponent.
1/19 NC State 7PM
2005 Recap: 21-8(NCAA Tournament First Round), RPI #25, Preseason Ranking:
#23/#24 AP/USA Today
The Scoop: NC State is oh-so-close to returning to the league's and national
elite. In the ACC last year, they lost agonizingly close games to UNC (twice)
and Duke, along with inexplicably dropping a game to last-place Clemson. Along
the way, they beat NCAA teams Florida State, Maryland, Virginia Tech and
Virginia. The season ended on a sour note, as the Wolfpack Women were upset in
the first rounds of the ACC & NCAA tournaments.
NC State will have an impressive frontcourt. 6-3 Tiffany Stansbury was a
dominant post player defensively, and also averaged 11.6 ppg and 7 rpg.
Khadijah Whittington had a fine year as a frosh, and this skywalking forward
will be able to leap for rebounds and attack the basket. 6-7 JuCo Gillian
Goring will look to fire away from outside as well as score near the hoop. NC
State has a lot of depth at wing, with Marquetta Dickens and Ashley Key loving
to run. The problem for NC State will come in the backcourt. Right now, the
point guard position is very unstable, with Monica Pope winning it at the
moment by default. Tiffany McCollins is a better player but she's hurt.
Rachel Stockdale shot 42% from three last year, but she's quite slow and is
constantly battling injuries.
The Wolfpack Women match up quite well with Duke inside. Stansbury is a power
player like Mistie Williams; Goring matches Alison Bales' height and has the
skills to shoot over her; Whittington is as athletic as Chante Black and backup
center Sasha Reaves will contribute off the bench much like Carrem Gay. Duke
will need to attack State's backcourt and force turnovers. They will be the
two best defensive teams in the league, which means a lot of grind-it-out
basketball. The ability to turn State mistakes into turnovers could give Duke
the edge it needs. It's going to be a game where Duke's slashers can't be
afraid to drive inside and take a few hits. Defensively, Duke will need to
force State to become a jump-shooting team. The one player State might not
have an answer for is Currie; with Billy McDowell recovering from a torn ACL,
Currie could have a chance to really hurt State. The Devils shouldn't be
afraid of turning to their leader if everything else isn't working.
1/23 Tennessee 7:30PM (TV: ESPN2)
2005 Recap: 30-5 (NCAA Final Four), RPI #1, Final Ranking: #3/#4 AP/USA Today,
Preseason Ranking #2/#1 AP/USA Today
The Scoop: While January is a long time from now, the matchup between Duke and
the Lady Vols could be #1 vs #2. Of course, everyone will be watching 6-4
forward Candace Parker, the two-time national high school player of the year
and winner of the high school dunk contest. While Parker's career is now just
beginning after tearing her ACL last year as a frosh, there's no question that
she has the potential to be a force of nature on the court. She's a tremendous
leaper at 6-4, can shoot, drive, pass, rebound and defend. And there's
certainly no question that she will try to dunk on someone in Cameron if she
can. But there's a whole lot more to the Lady Vols than Parker.
This team somehow made it to the Final Four without Parker, without handy
forward Sidney Spencer, without fine frosh point Sade Wiley-Gatewood, without
another solid frosh forward in Alex Fuller and with veteran guard Loree Moore
not at her best. Shyra Ely was the team's star, averaging 14.4 ppg and 7 rpg
while getting to the foul line 155 times. Ely was the prototypical tough
forward that Pat Summitt loves to use. At guard, Shanna Zolman did a nice job
of handling the ball and shooting an incredible 44% from three, netting 12.5
ppg. Also returning is young dynamo Alexis Hornbuckle. This guard wasn't
quite as dominant as some might have guessed, scoring just 8.6 ppg. However,
she had to play at point for much of the year, getting over 3 apg. In the
post, the duo of Tye'Sha Fluker and Nicky Anosike (a one-time Duke recruit,
along with Hornbuckle and Parker) did a nice job of rebounding. Fluker scored
7.4 ppg and pulled down 5.4 rpg, while Anosike scored 6.7 ppg and got 6.1 rpg.
Tennessee will be Duke's greatest challenge. They match Duke with size,
depth, shooting, power, and experience. The Vols play great defense, rebound
ferociously and are looking for another national title. Defending Parker is
Duke's main dilemma. I imagine that Duke will use Chante Black and Monique
Currie, and alternate them on her. Black is quick and athletic enough to keep
up with her, while Currie is powerful enough to bump her a bit. Parker must be
kept out of the paint and instead should be forced into taking bad shots. And
she will take bad shots--it all kind of evens out for her during the course of
a game. Duke will need to get by without double-teaming Parker, because the
Lady Vols have so many ways to win. Leaving Zolman open is guaranteeing a
three. Hornbuckle is not a great shooter, but Duke has to be careful not to
let her drive. Fuller, Anosike and Fluker can do some dirty work inside.
Ultimately, Duke can win this game if they do what they did last year against
Tennessee: focus on defense and rebounding. I don't think they have anyone who
can stop Currie one-on-one, and as long as Duke concentrates on the little
things (boxing out, valuing possessions), they can boil the game down to a few
possessions at the end. In that scenario, I like Monique Currie's chances.
1/26 @ Clemson 7PM
2005 Recap: 8-20, RPI #156
The Scoop: The bottom fell out for Clemson last season, forcing the "retirement"
of coach Jim Davis, one of the ACC's colorful characters. Their new coach is
Cristy McKinney, an NC State alum who revived Rice's program. Duke handled
them with relative ease, winning by more than 20 points despite not being sharp
overall. Davis had made a career out of crafting teams with size, power and
depth, sprinkling in the occasional speedster and shooter. While they rarely
had dominant individual talent, the sum of his teams was greater than the
individual parts. In recent years, however, some of the chances he was forced
to take in recruiting didn't pan out. Furthermore, the best talent in the
state was either going to South Carolina (for a brief time) or UNC. Not being
able to get the best players in his backyard ultimately doomed him.
As far as what McKinney has to work with, the Tigers return everyone except
their best player, Reggie Maddox. While no one on Clemson averaged in double
figures, Maddox came close at 9.5 ppg. The seniors include Amanda Frist, a
former all-ACC frosh player (as Amanda White) who never developed into being a
star. She did average 7.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Julie Talley is a decent shooter at
37% from three, but had trouble getting her shot off against good teams.
D'Lesha Lloyd was a decent wing, getting 8.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg, while Tasha
Phillips nailed 35% of her threes. There is size in the post, with five
players over 6-1, but none of them were very consistent. 6-3 Khaili Sanders is
very quick and talented, but was always in foul trouble and often drifted on the
court. The best news for Clemson is that all of the new players from last year
at least have had a chance to get used to each other.
The key for Duke against Clemson will be to limit mistakes. Clemson doesn't
have anyone close to Duke's talent, and so the Devils must prevent the Tigers
from getting easy scores due to turnovers and other mistakes. Clemson
struggled to score in the halfcourt, and so a methodical attack by Duke should
win the day. This is especially true since the game is on the road, and
Littlejohn is not an easy place to play. I suspect that Clemson will zone Duke
as much as they can and force them to shoot their way to a win. The guards must
be careful not to jack up shots when this happens, but rather find ways to get
the post players touches, either by lobbing over the top or by penetrating and
finding angles of attack from the wing. Duke's ballhandlers have to be careful
with both dribbling and passing against the zone, and the guards should use
their speed to get into open spots on the floor and wait for a good pass.
Defensively, some full court pressure should be use to rattle the Tigers a bit,
but standard man-to-man defense should suffice in shutting Clemson down.
1/29 North Carolina 7PM (TV: ESPN2)
2005 Recap: 30-4 (NCAA Elite Eight), RPI #5, Final Ranking: #4/#6 AP/USA Today,
Preseason Ranking: # /#8 AP/USA Today
The Scoop: Every Duke fan knows that the Heels beat the Devils three times,
after years of Devil domination. Every Duke fan also knows that Duke was
short-handed against UNC, especially lacking Lindsey Harding. While the Heels
this year return their four core players, they will have lost 2 key role
players and have a number of flaws that can be exploited given proper
preparation.
Those four players are jet-quick Ivory Latta, who improved on her frosh year
by averaging 17.4 ppg, 4.3 apg and shot 40% from three; versatile forward
Camille Little, a former ACC rookie of the year whose numbers went down a bit
but were still a solid 11.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg; jack-of-all-trades La'Tangela
Atkinson, who got 10 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 2 spg; and rugged forward Erlana Larkins,
the player who's willing to do all the heavy lifting for the Heels. She can
defend (2.1 spg), rebound (7.1 rpg), score inside (14.6 ppg), set screens and
neutralize opponents. Of all the players on UNC's team, it was her presence
that made the difference against Duke. Double-teaming Mistie Williams, Duke's
post game was so clogged up against UNC last year that they were able to force
the Devils into taking bad jumpers.
The problem for the Heels is who plays after those four. No one in that group
is a great three point shooter other than Latta, and even she's very streaky.
Also, the Heels have no depth at point guard, which could be a concern as the
season wears on. Not having Leah Metcalf around to relieve Latta of some of
her ball-handling duties could be a big problem this year. Lastly, without
Nikki Bell (ACC Defensive Player of the Year), the Heels may have trouble
generating as many easy baskets with their defense, and may have some
difficulties finding a perimeter defensive stopper. They're pinning a lot of
their hopes on frosh Rashanda McCants, who may need to play defense, shoot the
three and play a little backup point. Oddly, the Heels recruited a lot of size
for this season and are left without as many perimeter options as they would
like.
To beat UNC, Duke must first contain Latta, which means staying in front of
her. She's going to take a number of insane threes every game, so those should
be expected, but what Duke doesn't want is Ivory driving and dishing off to open
shooters. Second, Duke needs a body to take care of Larkins. She has to be
muscled up at all times, preferably with a taller player. Third, UNC is still
a tremendous rebounding club; keeping them away from the offensive boards will
be critical. I imagine Duke will pack things in down low and force their
shooters to beat them. Harding becomes so important becase of her ability to
slow down Latta and force turnovers. Duke must try to score inside, but UNC's
frontline will be as tough as anyone's. Ultimately, I think the game will be
similar to last years' in that Duke will need to make some jumpers that will
likely be available. If Duke hits that shot, doesn't let UNC fast break off of
misses and gives as good as it gets defensively, then they will have an
excellent chance of regaining their status as best team in the ACC.
2/6 @ Virginia Tech 7PM (TV: RSN)
2005 Recap: 17-11(NCAA Tournament First Round), RPI #30
The Scoop: The Hokies did just enough to get into the NCAA tournament, but were
otherwise unremarkable. They rode wins against Texas Tech and Maryland to the
postseason, but dropped a lot of games at home and struggled in some overtime
games. In general, this team was pretty good at almost everything but didn't
stand out, offensively or defensively.
The trouble spot for VPI in 2006 will be in the post. With Erin Gibson gone,
someone will have to fill her spot in the pivot, and that might be 6-6 Nare
Diawara. At power forward will be Kerri Gardin, good for 11.1 pg and 8 rpg.
Slasher Dawn Chriss averaged 11 ppg. Carrie Mason handled most of the point
duties, though the team lacked a true point guard. She had 10.4 ppg, 3.4 apg
and shot an impressive 42% from three point territory. Kirby Copeland and
Roshanna Jackson will both see time at the wings, while Britney Anderson will
likely get some burn in the post. In all, VT will have a time that features 6
seniors. While there are many solid players on this club, there's no go-to
star that can bail them out of trouble. That hurt them in their many close
games. The bottom line is that while VPI is a good team, they are guardable if
you're careful.
In general, the Hokies don't match up well with Duke. Without a true point
guard, they can be forced to turn the ball over, though frosh Laura Haskins (a
former teammate of Brittany Mitch on her Fairfax Stars AAU club) could help in
that area. They have no power game inside, and so it's possible to attack
their shooters if you play good help-and-recover defense. Duke will try to get
physical here at both ends and close out on their shooters.
2/10 Virginia 7PM (TV: RSN)
2005 Recap: 21-11(NCAA Tournament Second Round), RPI #15
The Scoop: Virginia will lose five seniors, but it may well wind up being
addition by subtraction. Their problem for the last few years has been that
their most talented players have been the worst leaders, while the best leaders
haven't been very good players. So while ballhawking guard LaTonya Blue and
former ACC frosh of the year Brandi Teamer put up decent numbers, it was left
to the likes of role player forward Jocelyn Logan-Friend to guide the team.
Needless to say, this formula didn't work out that well for the Hoos, who at
least managed to bounce back slightly and make it to the NCAA tournament after
an unprecedented year's absence.
Last year, Virginia finished with a 2-8 record against the top 25. In other
words, they were able to beat the teams they were expected to take care of, and
had trouble with better talent. Even though Debbie Ryan is a great coach, even
she had trouble turning her recruiting mistakes into great teams. The good
news for the Hoos is that it seems like they're now getting some players who
are not only talented, but are also good for team chemistry. Tiffany Sardin is
the last holdout of the good leader/bad player squad, and while she'll start she
may not play huge minutes. Wiry Siedah Williams is battling early-season
injuries, but her quickness should make her a factor in the ACC. Brenna
McGuire can shoot but not much else, while Sharnee Zoll can pass (5 apg) &
defend but not shoot. Takisha Granberry is the sort of ultra-athletic guard
that Ryan used to have on her roster all the time, but she's still on a
learning curve at this point. The best news for Virginia is the arrival of
Lyndra Littles, a powerful 6-0 wing who will help inside right away.
The Hoos have talent, some quickness and even some size. Right now, they are
still behind many other teams in the ACC arms race. Even with Ryan at the
helm, this squad will need time to develop and may not have the firepower to
challenge the top teams in the league. Against Duke, I suspect that Virginia
will use a sticky zone to deny the ball to the post (especially since Duke's
front line is superior to UVa's) and disrupt passing lanes. They'll let
Monique Currie do her thing but try to shut down everything else. The Devils
will need to be disciplined in their passing game, pushing tempo whenever
possible and making the extra pass for the best shot available. Virginia has a
way of sticking around and making games look ugly, so Duke just has to wait for
the right time to deliver a knockout punch. Defensively, Duke should be able
to find ways to neutralize everyone, but must be careful of Littles getting
offensive rebounds and easy stickbacks.
2/13 Maryland 7:30PM (TV: ESPN2)
2/19 @ Miami TBA
2005 Recap: 13-16, RPI #50
The Scoop: The 'canes will be led by former Duke player Katie Meier, one
of the 80's Big Three (along with Chris Moreland and Sue Harnett). Meier
has risen quickly in the coaching ranks, going from an assistant's job at
a fine Tulane program to taking over Charlotte. Always with an eye on
returning to the ACC, she's taken the helm of a Miami program that is
brimming with potential. Prior to joining the ACC, the Hurricanes had a
fine program, bottoming out unexpectedly last year. That and other issues
got Ferne Labati canned (and a lawsuit taken out against the program), but
Meier is a great choice to lead this group.
Meier is happy to coach senior forward star Tamara James. One of the
best players in the country, she averaged 22.3 ppg, shot 48% from the
field, grabbed 6.9 rpg and 2.6 steals--all out of position at power
forward. In terms of returning players, there isn't as much talent, with
bigs Imani Dhahabu and Tatjana Marincic capable of putting up about 5
points/5 rebounds a game but not much more. Forward Melissa Knight
returns from an injury redshirt, and she managed 10 ppg and 4 rpg as the
team's fourth option two years ago. Meier will depend heavily on incoming
JuCos Renee Taylor and Carla Williams. Taylor is a 5-2 speed demon and
Williams a 6-4 center. Both will need to start immediately and make a
significant impact if Miami's going to do anything this year. The other
frosh, guard LaToya Cunningham and center Brittany Davis, will also need
to contribute.
It's hard to gauge Miami right now. James is a great talent, but Duke
was able to prevent her from really going off. Currie did a fine job on
her, with her power helping to neutralize James' effectiveness. If the
newbies can play, Miami might be a sleeper team in the league. If they
struggle, the 'canes will be near the basement. Containing Taylor will
likely be a key, but the size of Duke's guards and the quickness of
Lindsey Harding should be able to carry the day. Duke's bigs should also have
plenty of chances inside.