Blue Devils, Buffaloes Set to Clash in NCAA Tournament Second Round

Monday, March 20

Durham, N.C.

9:00 p.m.

Duke University

Colorado

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils, Buffaloes Set to Clash in NCAA Tournament Second Round

3/19/2023 9:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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THE OPENING TIP

After posting a resounding, 89-49, victory over Iona Saturday in its first round game of the NCAA Tournament, No. 13 Duke looks to carry that momentum into Monday as the Blue Devils gear up for a 9 p.m., showdown versus No. 21 Colorado with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Sunday's win, which improved Duke's all-time tournament record to 59-24 (.711), marks the 25th time in as many appearances that the Blue Devils have won at least one game in the big dance. They have advanced to the regional semifinal 17 times, including four trips to the Final Four (1999, 2002, '03, '06).
Duke and Colorado meet on the hardwood for just the second time overall and the first time in 40 years, with the first matchup occurring back in 1980 -- a 78-64 victory by the Buffaloes.
The Blue Devils are 15-11 all-time against current members of the Pac-12, including a 1-2 record in the NCAA Tournament. Duke earned a win over Arizona State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament but fell to Stanford (2012) and Oregon (2017).
With the release of the final polls earlier this week, Duke concluded the regular season ranked No. 13 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Poll. In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, Duke is slotted 10th (as of March 19).
Celeste Taylor, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, earned Associated Press (AP) All-America Honorable Mention status and was recently tabbed a finalist for the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils this season as the team has won each of its games by an average of 19.6 points and held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 of them to 50 points or less.
Duke has held its foes to 50.7 points per game on 35.2 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank second and ninth in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of March 19).

BALLIN' LIKE ITS MARCH MADNESS

Duke opened the 2023 NCAA Tournament in resounding fashion, rolling to an 89-49 victory over Iona behind a balanced offensive attack and stifling defense.
Duke has won at least one tournament game en route to compiling a 59-24 (.711) record -- No. 8 on the NCAA list.
Having earned one of the top 16 overall seeds, the Blue Devils are hosting first and second-round games in Cameron for the 15th time.
Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3-seed in the Seattle 4 Region, marking the Blue Devils' 19th time overall, and first since 2017, as a top-three seed in the tournament.
The Blue Devils are seeded No. 3 for the third time in school lore (1999, 2008) and hold an 8-2 record all-time in this spot.
Duke has advanced to the regional semifinal 17 times, including four trips to the Final Four (1999, 2002, '03, '06).
Entering the tournament, the ACC owns the most NCAA Tournament wins (105) of any conference since 2014, with the next closest conference at 86. ACC member institutions have won three NCAA Championships with eight schools combining for 22 trips to the Final Four.
Since 2014, the ACC owns the most NCAA Tournament wins (105) of any conference, with the next closest conference at 86. ACC member institutions have won three NCAA Championships with eight schools combining for 22 trips to the Final Four.

HOME COOKIN' – THE CAMERON EFFECT

The Blue Devils have fared extremely well at Cameron Indoor Stadium this year, going 14-1 through 15 games.
Duke finished the regular season with a 13-1 record at home, going 8-1 against ACC foes.
The Blue Devils' 14 wins and .933 win percentage at home this season is a team-best dating back to 2017-18 and marks the 23rd time in program lore that Duke has won at least 12 games on its home court.
All-time, the Blue Devils have compiled a 527-145 (.784) record at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

GAME RECOGNIZE GAME – MORE HONORS FOR AGENT ZERO

The awards continue to roll in for senior Celeste Taylor.
After being crowned the 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and recieving nods to the All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team, Taylor earned Associated Press (AP) All-America Honorable Mention status and was recently tabbed a finalist for the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Taylor has been instrumental in helping the Duke women's basketball team boast one of the nation's top defenses throughout the season. She leads the squad in total steals (62) and steals per game (1.9) – both marks that check in at seventh in the ACC. The Blue Devils are currently ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.7) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (35.2) and have held each of their opponents below its season scoring average, including 16 to 50 points or less.
The Valley Stream, N.Y., product has tallied two-plus steals in 17 games this season, including eight games with three or more thefts and three games with at least five takeaways. Per HerHoopStats, Taylor is 10th nationally in defensive win shares with an average of 2.6 per 40 minutes while her player defensive rating of 73.0 is good for 28th in the country.
On the offensive end, Taylor has been the team's leading scorer throughout the season with an average of 11.5 points, pairing that with 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The engine that makes the Blue Devils go, Taylor has scored in double figures 20 times this season, including two games of 20-plus points.
Earlier this season, she joined the ranks of Chelsea Gray (3X), Haley Gorecki (4X) and Lexie Brown (4X) as the only Duke women's basketball players since 2009-2010 to post multiple career games of 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 4+ steals, according to HerHoopStats.

ABOUT THE BUFFALOES

Colorado (24-8) enters Monday's game fresh of its first round NCAA Tournament win over Middle Tennessee State, 82-60.
The Buffaloes earned an at-large selection to the big dance, making back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time since the 2001-04 seasons.
Quay Miller leads Colorado with 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Aaronette Vonleh (12.1), Frida Formann (11.8) and Jaylyn Sherrod (11.2) also average double figures, with Sherrod leading the team in assists with 4.8 per game.

DISRUPTING THE PEACE – ELITE BLUE DEVIL DEFENSE

Disruptive defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils early in the season as the team ranks among the nation's elite, having held its opponents to 50.7 points per game on a 35.2-percent clip from the field.
Those marks check in at second and ninth in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of March 19).
Duke is also tied for fourth in Defensive Rating, allowing its opponents just 0.671 points per possession.
The Blue Devils have won each of their games by an average of 19.6 points and held each of their opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 of them to 50 points or less.
In the first round win over Iona, Duke limited the Gaels to just 14 total rebounds - tied for the fewest by a Duke opponent all-time. Iona's three offensive boards also tied for second fewest by a Blue Devil foe in program lore.
Duke held its opponents to single digits in seven straight quarters, a stretch spanning from the 4th quarter at Notre Dame (Feb. 5) all the way through the first half against Miami (Feb. 12).
In addition to leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, the Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in blocks (5.22), defensive rebounding percentage (.745) and rebounding defense (31.13), third in rebound margin (6.97) and three-point defense (.281) and fifth in steals (8.69).

DUKE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

With the release of the final polls earlier this week, Duke concluded the regular season ranked No. 13 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Poll.
In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, Duke is slotted 10th (as of March 12), third in the ACC, with a home record of 14-1, a 10-3 mark in true road contests and a 2-2 record in neutral site games.
With an average opponent NET ranking of four, the Blue Devils are 8-6 this season against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET Rankings and 18-6 against the top 100, including wins over Notre Dame (No. 8), Virginia Tech (No. 9), NC State (No. 17), Louisville (No. 20), FGCU (No. 36) and Miami (No. 50). Duke's six losses have come against UConn, Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech - the first three checking in at No. 2, No. 24 and No. 21, respectively, in the NET.

UP NEXT
Should the Blue Devils win, they will advance to the Sweet 16 in Seattle, Wash., for a date with Iowa on Friday, March 24.

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