Duke earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament Monday, but its road to the Final Four will be anything but easy. The West is loaded with top teams and has great potential for dramatic matchups for the Blue Devils, who earned their first top seed since 2007.
"I think it's wonderful that our body of work was properly evaluated," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "It wasn't political. I mean, the teams we've beaten, our RPI, all the component parts were there. And so it was nice to be able to say, yeah, I think we earned [the No. 1 seed]."
The Blue Devils open Tournament play Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against No. 16 Austin Peay in East Lansing, Mich. The Lady Governors won the Ohio Valley Conference.
"We finally have an opponent," McCallie said. "That's all I'm concerned about, the one opponent we have.... I can't fathom ahead. That's one good thing about me, I'm naturally in the moment."
It's tempting to look past Duke's opener, though, and the teams that loom ahead are certainly formidable.
No. 2 Stanford-which Duke defeated 56-52 in Cameron Indoor Stadium in December-No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Iowa State round out the top four seeds in the region. The three will provide a challenge for the Blue Devils and have combined for 80 wins already this season.
But as interesting as the West is for the quality of its opponents, the draw also leaves the door open for Duke to pair up with programs with which it has some history.
In the second round, McCallie's squad could potentially square off against No. 9 Michigan State, where McCallie was the head coach just two years ago. And sticking with the theme of a coaching reshuffle, Duke could play No. 6 Texas--the current home of former Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors-later in the Tournament.
The Blue Devils could also come up against No. 5 Tennessee, which Duke beat in February.
As much history as there is between the teams in the West bracket, there still is plenty left to be made. Seniors Abby Waner, Chante Black and Carrem Gay have just one more chance to chase their ultimate dream: a national title.
Following a dramatic end to her career in Cameron-an overtime win over North Carolina March 6-Waner spoke about her experience at Duke. As a freshman, said Waner, she set a goal with her classmates to win four national titles. Three years later, three of her four chances have been lost.
In their last season, the three have one more shot.
"It's not added pressure, Waner said. "It's just added incentive. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, you always have next season to look forward to.... [As a senior] you have just a singular focus, a narrow mind. It almost does the work for you."
Fortunately for Duke, its play of late has been its best of the year.
Since losing to Maryland Feb. 22, the Blue Devils have gone 4-1 and averaged 80.8 points per game while allowing just 66.2 from their opponents.
"We were so strong down the stretch," McCallie said. "When you look at the last five games' stats, it tells a beautiful story."
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