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Duke vs. Connecticut Game Notes: March 28, 2006, 9 PM, ESPN
Game 33 - Connecticut (ESPN HD)
#8/7 Connecticut (32-4, 14-2 Big East) vs. #4/4 Duke (28-3, 12-2 ACC)
March 28, 2006 ? 9:00 PM ? ESPN HD
Bridgeport, Conn. ? Bridgeport Arena (9,091)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Series Record: Connecticut leads 3-2
Duke Head Coach: Gail Goestenkors
Career Record: 362-96 (14th Year)
Record at Duke: Same
UConn Head Coach: Geno Auriemma
Career Record: 589-115 (21st Year)
Record at UConn: Same
Radio: Duke Radio Network - WDNC AM 620
Steve Barnes (PxP), Missy Anderson (Color)
Television: ESPN2 HD - Mike Patrick (PxP),
Doris Burke (Color), Holly Rowe (Sideline)
Online Livestats: www.GoDuke.com
Tickets: www.GoDuke.com
Rankings: Duke (No. 4 - AP; No. 4 - USA Today)
UConn (No. 8 - AP; No. 7 - USA Today)
NCAA Tournament Bridgeport Regional Final Schedule
Monday, March 27
1:45-2:20 - UConn Interviews
2:45-3:20 - Duke Interviews
NCAA Tournament Tidbits...
? The Basics...Duke is making its 12th consecutive and 13th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament and this year marks the fifth time Duke has been a No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils have been a No. 1 seed in five out of the last six years. Duke has entered the NCAA field 12 times under head coach Gail Goestenkors. The Blue Devils played in the postseason on two other occasions, making it to the Women’s NIT in 1986 and the NCAA Tournament in 1987.
Duke now owns an all-time record of 33-12 in NCAA Tournament play and is 34-14 in all postseason action. The Blue Devils have hosted NCAA Tournament games eight times out of 13 appearances.
With Duke being sent to Norfolk, Va., for the first and second rounds, it marked the first time since 1997 that the Blue Devils were sent away from the Research Triangle Park (RTP). Duke hosted in Cameron Indoor Stadium from 1998-2002 and 2004, played at the RBC Center in Raleigh in 2003 and was in Chapel Hill last year.
? The History...Each time Duke has been in the NCAA Tournament, it has won at least one game. The Blue Devils have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 the past nine consecutive years, advanced to the Elite Eight in seven of the last nine years and to the Final Four two out of the last four seasons.
Duke advanced to the Elite Eight in 1998, the National Championship game in 1999, Final Four in 2002 and 2003 and Elite Eight in 2004 and 2005. The Blue Devils own a 26-7 record in their last 33 NCAA Tournament games.
? The Coach...The head coach behind Duke’s success in the NCAA Tournament is Gail Goestenkors, a six-time ACC and four-time National Coach of the Year.
In just her 14th season, she has more NCAA Tournament appearances to her credit (12) than any other Duke coach. Goestenkors has 32 NCAA wins in 12 appearances, again, the most for one coach in school history. Her overall NCAA Tournament record is 32-11.
Goestenkors ranks sixth in NCAA history with 32 tournament wins.
? The Seedings...The last 11 seasons, Duke has been no lower than a No. 5 seed and for the fifth time in school history, Duke is a No. 1 seed in 2006. The Blue Devils have been seeded no lower than third since 1998 and no lower than second over the last seven years.
Duke’s five No. 1 seeds in school history rank as tied for fifth-most in NCAA Tournament history along with Texas and Old Dominion. Leading the list is Tennessee (17) followed by Louisiana Tech (10), Connecticut (9) and Stanford (6).
? The Experience...Of the 11 Blue Devils, nine own NCAA Tournament experience. Senior Monique Currie played in the 2002 NCAA Final Four, sat on the bench due to a torn ACL in the 2003 NCAA Final Four and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight the last two years.
Seniors Mistie Williams and Jessica Foley played in the 2003 NCAA Final Four as freshmen and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight the last two years. Junior Lindsey Harding played in the 2003 NCAA Final Four as a freshman, advanced to the Elite Eight as a sophomore and sat on the bench during last year’s Elite Eight appearance.
Junior Alison Bales has played on two Elite Eight teams, while sophomores Chante Black, Laura Kurz and Wanisha Smith appeared on last year’s team which made an Elite Eight run.
Sophomore Emily Waner played one game while at Colorado as a freshman.
Duke Faces UConn For Final Four Bid On Tuesday On ESPN2...
Looking for its fourth NCAA Final Four appearance, fourth-ranked and top-seeded Duke (29-3) will take on eighth-ranked and second-seeded Connecticut (32-4) on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. The contest will be aired on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. and played at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.
Calling the action for ESPN will be Mike Patrick (PxP), Doris Burke (Color) and Holly Rowe (Sideline). The game will also be aired live on the Duke Radio Network with Steve Barnes (PxP) and Missy Anderson (Color) on the air.
Duke is currently ranked fourth nationally in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls and is playing in its fifth consecutive NCAA Elite Eight. Connecticut is ranked eighth in the Associated Press and seventh in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls.
The Blue Devils previously advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1999 (San Jose), 2002 (San Antonio) and 2003 (Atlanta).
Storylines...
* Duke looks to break a two-game losing streak in NCAA Elite Eight action after falling, 82-77, to Minnesota in 2004 and losing, 59-49, to LSU in 2005.
* Tuesday’s game will feature the past five Colorado Miss Basketball selections-- Abby Waner of Duke (2004 & 2005), Emily Waner of Duke (2003) and Ann Strother of Connecticut (2001 and 2002).
* Looking for its NCAA-best sixth straight 30-win season, Duke will have to defeat Connecticut in the Elite Eight to register the amazing accomplishment.
* With the Blue Devils and Huskies meeting in the Regional Final on Tuesday, it will feature a matchup of former Duke player Brittany Hunter, who transferred after her freshman season in 2004. She is a sophomore for Connecticut and has seen action in 31 games this season, after sitting out the 2004-05 campaign.
* Duke is one of three ACC teams looking to advance to the NCAA Final Four-- Maryland and North Carolina also. The ACC has never had more than one team in the Final Four at a time.
* The last time Duke played in the state of Connecticut was on Jan. 3, 2004 as the Blue Devils pulled out a 68-67 victory over the top-ranked Huskies at the Hartford Civic Center.
* The Blue Devils own a 2-1 record against No. 2 seeds. The last time Duke played a No. 2 seed in the tournament was in 2003. The Blue Devils took down seventh-ranked Texas Tech, 57-51, in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four in Atlanta.
* With the victory against Michigan State, Mistie Williams and Jessica Foley became the all-time winningest players in Duke history with 125 victories, passing Sheana Mosch and Iciss Tillis, who had 124 wins.
* Duke made its ninth consecutive NCAA regional appearance, which ranks as the third-longest current streak in the NCAA behind Tennessee (25) and Connecticut (13). The Blue Devils have advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight the last five straight years, which is tied with Tennessee for the longest current streaks.
* With her four assists against Southern, Monique Currie became the first player in ACC history to register over 2,000 points, 800 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. She owns 2,073 points, 855 rebounds, 406 assists and 223 steals.
* Six of Duke’s 11 current Blue Devils have hit 20 or more three-pointers this season. As a team, the Blue Devils are hitting 39.8 percent from downtown.
* Duke has lost only three games this season to top-four ranked opponents (UNC #2, 3) and Maryland (#4). The Blue Devils are 29-0 against non-ACC teams in 2005-06.
* Duke posted over 20 wins in 2005-06, marking the ninth straight 20-win season under Gail Goestenkors. The ACC record for most consecutive 20-win seasons is held by Virginia (14). Duke has the longest current streak in the ACC for 20-win seasons with the next closest being UNC with five.
A Look At Connecticut...
Connecticut enters the Regional Final with a 32-4 overall and is coming off victories over Coppin State, 77-54, Virginia Tech, 79-56, and Georgia, 77-75.
The Huskies are coached by Geno Auriemma and are led by three players averaging double-figure points-- Ann Strother (13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 86 treys), Barbara Turner (12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Mel Thomas (11.3 points, 76 treys).
The Series With Connecticut...
The Huskies and Blue Devils have faced each other only five times in school history and never before in the NCAA Tournament.
Connecticut leads the overall series 3-2 with the three victories coming on Nov. 13, 1998 (104-74) at the Nike Four in the Fall in San Jose, Calif.; on Jan. 11, 1980 (81-69) at Cameron Indoor Stadium; and on Feb. 1, 2003 (77-65) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke’s two wins came on Dec. 9, 1988 (83-69) at the Virginia Commonwealth Classic in Richmond, Va., and on Jan. 3, 2004 with the Blue Devils shocking No. 1 UConn, 68-67, on a last second three-pointer by Jessica Foley.
Duke Versus The Big East...
The Blue Devils own a 24-14 record against teams from the Big East-- Cincinnati (0-1), Connecticut (2-3), DePaul (1-1), Georgetown (4-0), Louisville (1-1), Marquette (2-0), Notre Dame (1-4), Providence (1-1), Rutgers (1-1), St. John’s (1-0), Seton Hall (4-2), South Florida (2-0), Syracuse (1-0), Villanova (1-0) and West Virginia (2-0).
Duke owns a 2-1 record against the Big East in NCAA Tournament play-- Rutgers (0-1, 1987), DePaul (1-0, 1997) and Marquette (1-0, 2004).
The Duke/Connecticut Match-Up...
Two of the best shooting teams in the nation will go up against each other on Tuesday as Duke leads the nation at a 50.8 clip, while Connecticut is sixth with a 47.7 percentage. Both teams own excellent field goal percentage defenses as the Blue Devils rank fourth at 34.9 percent and the Huskies are tied for sixth, 35.1 percent.
Duke and Connecticut own seven different common opponents in 2005-06-- Boston College, North Carolina, Holy Cross, Tennessee, St. John’s, Texas and Virginia Tech.
Even though Duke will be the higher seeded team on Tuesday, the Blue Devils will be the underdog due to the fact that most of the nearly 10,000 fans in attendance will be rooting for the Huskies.
Last Time Versus Connecticut...
Alana Beard scored 20 second-half points, as No. 4 Duke rallied to beat top-ranked Connecticut 68-67, snapping a home winning streak of 69 games on Jan. 3, 2004 in Hartford, Conn.
Jessica Foley’s three-pointer at the buzzer was the game-winner and capped an 18-3 rally over the final four minutes. The Huskies (9-1) led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but wilted under Duke’s full-court pressure, turning the ball over repeatedly in the closing minutes. Down by 14 points in the final four minutes, the Blue Devils put on a furious press and turned UConn over seven times down the stretch, outscoring the Huskies 18-3 the rest of the way.
Beard finished with five of Duke’s 12 steals. She scored all but one of her points in the second half and had 11 in the final four minutes. Her jumper off a steal by Iciss Tillis tied it at 65 with 40.2 seconds left. Diana Taurasi, who led UConn with 16 points, and hit a running jumper over Beard with 4.7 seconds left to give UConn a 67-65 lead. Duke’s Lindsey Harding grabbed the inbounds pass and dished off to Foley, who hit the winner from the right wing as time expired.
Trends...
* Duke owns a 118-50 points in the paint advantage through three games in the tournament.
* The Blue Devils own a 31.2 points off the bench average in the three NCAA Tournament games, while opponents are only averaging 14.9.
* Jessica Foley has hit 6-of-11 from three-point land off the bench in the first three NCAA Tournament games. As a team, Duke hit 21 of 54 three-point attempts in the first three contests (38.9 percent). In the three games prior to opening NCAA action, the Blue Devils had hit 9-of-46 attempts (19.6 percent).
* Over the last three NCAA Tournament contests, the Blue Devils have blocked 26 shots.
* With her 18 points in the first round against Southern, Lindsey Harding totaled double-figure points for only the second time in NCAA Tournament action over her career. Harding also hit her first two career three-pointers in NCAA play, after going 0-for-8 as a freshman and sophomore.
* For the third time in six career NCAA Tournament games, sophomore Chante Black totaled 11 rebounds against Southern. She has averaged 7.6 rebounds in the “Big Dance.”
* Sophomore Wanisha Smith has suffered through a slump from three-point land as she has hit only one of her last 16 attempts.
* Lindsey Harding’s 147 assists this season ranks seventh on Duke’s all-time single season list. The record is 170 set by Kira Orr back in 1995-96.
* As a team, the Blue Devils own 676 assists on the season. The single season Duke record is 685, which was totaled in 2003-04. Duke has also nailed 204 treys on the year with the record held by the 1998-99 team (213).
* Senior Mistie Williams has moved into ninth place on Duke’s all-time scoring list with 1,384 points over her career. She has passed Payton Black (1,312) and needs four more points to move into eighth place along with Kira Orr (1,388 points).
* Monique Currie has totaled eight games with 20 or more points, two with 30 or more and one with 43 points on the season.
* In ACC games only, Duke’s Monique Currie ranked second in scoring (18.5), 19th in rebounding (6.1), 15th in assists (2.93), third in free throw percentage (85.1), 11th in three-point field goal percentage (37.0) and is tied for 13th in three-point field goals made (1.43).
* Chante Black has 64 blocks on the season in 31 games played. She had 46 blocks last year in 34 games and has 109 for her career. Her 64 blocks already ranks fourth on Duke’s single season rejection list.
* Abby Waner has moved into tied for fourth place on the Duke freshman steals list with 59, while ranking fourth on the assist chart with 105.
* The Blue Devils own three out of the top nine in the ACC ranking of assist/turnover ratio-- Lindsey Harding (3rd, 2.00), Wanisha Smith (4th, 1.73) and Abby Waner (9th, 1.36) -- prior to MSU contest on 3/26.
* Monique Currie owns 115 double-figure scoring games over her career, which ranks second on Duke’s all-time chart. Alana Beard holds the record with 127 from 2001-04.
* Duke will be going up against its 10th ranked opponent this season on Tuesday against Connecticut. The Blue Devils own a 6-3 record against ranked foes this season.
* In the three losses this season, Duke shot only 37.6 percent from the field and had a 47/54 assist/turnover ratio (.87), but in the 26 victories the Blue Devils shot 52.8 percent from the field and had a 565/453 assist/turnover ratio (1.25). Duke has hit only 10 of 51 three-pointers (19.6%) and 35 of 59 free throws (59.3%) in the losses.
