The basic rule of the NCAA Tournament: don't look ahead. Duke, of all teams, adheres to this universal law, but it's still tempting for any team to pencil itself further in the bracket.
And if this year's Blue Devils-gathered Monday night and filling out blank brackets as they were revealed-peek past their opening-round opponents, they have to be pleased with what lies ahead.
First-year head coach Joanne P. McCallie and her team garnered a No. 3 seed in the Oklahoma City Region, pitted against No. 14 Murray State in the first round. The teams will play Sunday in College Park, Md., where Duke lost to the Terrapins earlier this year. It is the first time since 2000 that Duke is not a No. 1 or 2 seed.
"It's something you don't really try to worry about, but it was kind of favorable for us, yeah," senior Wanisha Smith said.
The Blue Devils have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in the last 10 seasons and last year, as the top overall seed, were stunned by a fourth-seeded team. It's only natural for them to glance at their potential regional semifinal opponent, which, if the seeds hold, would be No. 2 Texas A&M.
Compared to the other two seeds-Louisiana State, Rutgers and Stanford-the Aggies fit in like Virginia in the ACC: clearly competitive, but not quite at the same level as the upper echelon. Texas A&M, which won its last nine games of the year and captured the Big 12 Tournament title, was ranked No. 17 before sweeping the competition in the league's postseason. In that same penultimate poll of the regular season, Duke was No. 12. Now, the Aggies are No. 8, and the Blue Devils No. 9.
Grouped with a horde of disappointing losses to top-5 teams is a 67-64 defeat to Tennessee, a game in which the Blue Devils might have played their best basketball of the year and had chances to win in the last minute. The Lady Volunteers-surprise, surprise-are again a No. 1 seed, this time in Duke's region. If the Blue Devils get a shot at revenge, it will take place on a relatively neutral floor, a rarity this year.
But a potential rematch with Pat Summitt's squad with a trip to Tampa, Fla. in the balance is more than two weeks away-which, in basketball lingo, might as well be another season.
"Right now, we're just looking at College Park. Oklahoma City is a couple of games ahead, and you just need to take it one game at a time," said junior Abby Waner, who has averaged 10.4 points in nine career NCAA Tournament games. "Funny things happen in the Tournament. Any team can step up at every time, and we need to be prepared for everything."
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