Women attempt to reverse prior big-game struggles

A sellout crowd, a packed press row, a background drone of dozens of cameras snapping shots, and at the end of the game it seems as though everyone has shown up but the offense.

Duke is obviously the dominant force in the ACC. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with a 15-1 conference record, three wins more than North Carolina, which ended its campaign second in the conference. When it comes to big non-ACC games, however, Duke has a hard time capitalizing on its strengths and downplaying its weaknesses.

Regardless, after playing almost all of the nation's top teams, head coach Gail Goestenkors believes the disappointments of the past will translate into triumphs during the NCAA Tournament.

"We've had so many big game experiences now that we've gained confidence in those tough situations, and I think you need a lot of comfort and confidence when it's a stressful situation because from here on out everything is stressful," she said.

"There is a lot of parity in this league," teammate Alana Beard concurred. "Everything is so unpredictable right now."

Duke certainly has more experience than most of these teams. But while the Blue Devils have appeared in the Final Four in three of the previous five seasons, they have lost in the national semifinal each time. Duke may play like a champion all season long, but its offense tends to freeze in big-hype games, such as Final Four contests or No. 1 versus No. 2 matchups. If the Blue Devils want to go all the way, they have to be fearless.

"We just have to have fun. I think that is our biggest focus right now," said Beard, who has played in two of those three Final Four matchups. "Certain teams, when they get in this situation, they get very timid and tense. So we have got to have fun."

Two years in a row the Blue Devils have failed to protect their No. 1 ranking in a sold-out Cameron Indoor Stadium, falling last year to UConn and suffering a 72-69 loss against the Lady Vols this past January. In these contests Duke's offense was held to a shooting average of 33 and 36 respectively, partly attributed to tough adversaries and partly due to missing open shots.

Duke has gone 13-1 since their loss to Tennessee and has been putting up 82.3 points per game. But the Blue Devils also entered the Tennessee game coming off a 15-game winning streak and tensed up when it was time for the big game.

"I'm feeling good, especially with the way our team is playing right now," Beard said. "In the past years we became kind of stagnant with our offense. But I feel really good with our offense and how everyone is playing."

Once again, Duke finds itself in a position to protect its No. 1 ranking after reaching the top of the AP poll coming into the tournament. The question remains whether it will be able to protect this rank or fall short in judgment.