Sometimes, people have to feel out the beat before adjusting and hitting the dance floor. Luckily for the Blue Devils, they feel like they have their groove on now.
"[With] a lot of spots filled by different people, it has taken a while for us all to connect and learn how everyone plays together," junior center Chante Black said. "So, finally it is starting to come around. It has just been a long process with the new coaching staff and also new players stepping into new roles. It has been an adjustment with that. So, [we are] finally starting to click."
No. 10 Duke (14-4, 3-1 in the ACC) looks to continue bopping to the beat against No. 23 Georgia Tech (16-3, 3-2) Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Atlanta. To break Georgia Tech's 18-game home winning streak, the Blue Devils will once again have to turn in a strong defensive effort, as they did in their last game against N.C. State. In that game, Duke forced 24 turnovers and recorded 15 steals.
The Yellow Jackets are fresh off a 95-point offensive explosion in a double-overtime loss against No. 4 Maryland, who downed Duke earlier that week. After holding the ACC's leading scorer, N.C. State's Khadijah Whittington, to only seven points last game, the Blue Devils are feeling confident in their ability to similarly shut down the Yellow Jackets.
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie, however, is looking to extend that defensive momentum into all aspects of the game.
"You always have to get offense from defense," McCallie said. "You have to be creative, and that was a good thing for us against N.C. State."
The Duke offense certainly could use a face lift. After connecting on less than 50 percent of their field goals and only 19 percent of their 3-point attempts, the Blue Devils look to improve tonight to avoid dropping their fourth of six matchups against ranked squads.
The offensive piece Duke is most concerned about, though, is junior preseason All-ACC selection Abby Waner. Waner shot 10-for-40 from the field and 1-for-19 from behind the arc in the previous three games. Despite her star's struggles, McCallie is still not concerned and is looking at the slump from a different perspective.
"I am a golfer and, I mean, if you are a golfer, it's like putting," McCallie said. "As a golfer, you know you have to work on your putting, but sometimes you have got to go to your chipping and go work in the sand a little bit. So I feel like those things are fine and have a way of working themselves out."
To her credit, Waner is not simply sitting around and waiting for her shot to fall on its own. She is hitting the driving range, and working out the kinks in her swing, being proactive about reversing her fortune by putting in extra time and getting extra repetitions. On Tuesday morning, when the gym was otherwise deserted, Waner took 3-pointer after 3-pointer and free throw after free throw. They swished in with ease, and she did not miss an attempt for several minutes.
That's exactly the type of shooting rhythm Duke will need from Waner Thursday night against Georgia Tech-especially if the Blue Devils plan on dancing their way back to Durham.
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