By: Ben McCormick
December 30, 2022
When Kara Lawson left the Boston Celtics to become the head coach at Duke, she said that it was "a dream come true". She had wanted to be a coach since she was a little kid. And now, after an uncertain beginning to her tenure during COVID and still seeking that first NCAA Tournament game, Lawson is not just a coach, she is the leader of a group of strong, talented young women. She is the leader of a new era of Duke basketball. The Kara Era. And last night, the Duke women's basketball team defeated the No. 6 NC State Wolfpack on the road, the biggest win of Lawson's tenure.
The win was the seventh consecutive for Duke, the longest winning streak of any team in the ACC. The second longest streak belongs to Louisville, the preseason No. 7 squad, who has won six straight after starting 5-4. It will be hard to come down from the high of claiming a top-10 win on the road to have to match yet another preseason top-10 opponent just three days later. However, Lawson's squad is ready for moments like these. There is not an easy day in the ACC. The conference had four teams ranked in the top 13 in this week's AP Poll, and three out of four of them lost to unranked opponents Thursday night (No. 7 Va. Tech to Clemson and No. 13 N. Carolina to FSU). The only ranked ACC team to survive Thursday night was No. 5 Notre Dame, who won over Miami, but just by three points.
Expect there to be a new team appearing in the AP Top 25 next week. Duke is poised to likely make its first appearance in the poll after starting the season 12-1, with a chance to make that 13-1 with a win Sunday. But why did it take so long for Duke to crack the poll? They are the No. 7 team in the NCAA NET rankings (No. 11 even before the NC State win). The Blue Devils win by an average margin of over 22 PPG. Not only that, the closest game they've played all season was a 13-point win over Oregon State in Portland, Ore. Coming into Thursday Duke had the second best scoring defense in the country, allowing just over 48 PPG from its opponents (only worse than No. 1 South Carolina). Its only loss came to No. 8 UConn in the Phil Knight Invitational.
Duke has solid wins on the road over Toledo and Florida Gulf Coast, as well as a win over previously undefeated Virginia, who has the best record in the ACC at 13-1 (0.5 game better than Duke). ESPN's bracketology updated on Tuesday Dec. 27 included Duke as a No. 5 seed before the NC State win, which would imply a rank of 16-20. However, Duke still has not appeared in the AP poll.
The last seven games have made it clear, Duke is not only a top-25 team, they are a team that should be taken seriously be anyone in the country. The hesitancy to rank Duke is likely tied to its unraveling during conference play last season after achieving a top -25 rank. This Duke team is different though. Led by senior guard Celeste Taylor, who scored 23 points on 5-6 shooting vs. NC State, the Blue Devils are a deep and talented team. Lawson often goes 11 deep, but has some really stellar starters to lean on in big moments. Players like Taylor and Elizabeth Balogun, both of which surpassed 1,000 career points in their collegiate careers this season. Players like Shayeann Day-Wilson, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year. Players like 6'6' center Kennedy Brown who commands the paint on both ends of the floor. And players like talented guards Reigan Richardson, Vanessa de Jesus and Ashlon Jackson.
But now, on the heels of its best start in six seasons, and the best win of Coach Lawson's tenure, Duke has put the world of college basketball on notice. This is not just a "decent" team. This is Duke.
This is the Kara Era.
@Duke_Wisdom
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