When the No. 8 Blue Devils tip off against Oklahoma State in their season opener Friday at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium, they will be hoping for history to repeat itself.
Duke is perfect in its last 17 home openers, and the last time it lost to open its home slate was in 1977.
Duke and Oklahoma State have only played once, and the Blue Devils won that matchup in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
And finally, the Blue Devils haven't lost a season opener since 2003-but that defeat is one piece of history Duke wants to reverse. After all, 2003 was the last time Duke opened the season against a ranked opponent, which is exactly what head coach Joanne P. McCallie's team will do Friday against the No. 14 Cowgirls.
Whether Duke plays a ranked team or a squad like Denver-the first foe last season-the team's mindset remains the same.
"You go into every game preparing for your team to be better and do what they do," McCallie said. "We want to do what we do, and then make any adjustments accordingly through the course of a game, depending on what's going on on the floor. But you enter every game exactly the same-which is, we're going to attack, we're going to use multiple defenses. We always have and we will."
The multiple defenses may be more necessary than usual Friday to prevent returning Cowgirls' starter Andrea Riley from posting big numbers.
A 2008 All-American, Riley averaged 23.1 points last season and remains a dynamic offensive force that will attract plenty of attention from Duke's defenders. Riley is especially dangerous from behind the arc, where her range extends far beyond the 3-point line.
"The key is she's constantly got to be in front of you," McCallie said. "She has a green light that's ridiculous-over half court, that's her green light."
Although Riley presents a tangible offensive threat, the Blue Devils are not overly worried. It is, after all, their season opener, providing them the chance to prove themselves and start the upcoming season on a high note.
"I like to be aggressive to start, so I don't ever want to think about altering what we do, assuming a team is going to come in doing 'X, Y and Z,'" McCallie said. "We're going to attack that way offensively and defensively."
That mentality may be a bit different from last year, McCallie's first on the sidelines of Cameron. Her team has had more time to gel and become accustomed to the new systems she brought from Michigan State.
The Blue Devils' summer program was more intense than the ones from years past, and that could tip the final score in Duke's favor Friday, McCallie said.
And if the Blue Devils can rope in a win over the Cowgirls, they could place history on their side in more ways than one.
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