Arizona St.-Duke Preview

3/24/2008 7:01 PM

By MATT BECKER
STATS Writer

As one of the top program's in the country, third-seeded Duke has achieved success by beating some of the top teams in the nation. Arizona State, meanwhile, is still looking for that signature victory.

The third-seeded Blue Devils look to earn their 11th straight trip to the NCAA tournament regional semifinals on Tuesday in College Park, Md. when they face the sixth-seeded Sun Devils, who have not defeated a ranked team all season.

After losing to No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC title game on March 9, Duke (24-9) opened the NCAAs with an easy 78-57 victory over Murray State on Sunday in the Oklahoma City Regional.

The Blue Devils held the Racers to just 34.5 percent shooting and outrebounded them 48-29 to win their 14th straight first-round game in the NCAA tournament.

"You've got play great defense, and you've got to rebound. That's the key,'' Duke coach Joanne McCallie said. "Obviously you've got to score a lot of points, but the bottom line is, can you stop people?''

Duke has made four trips to the Final Four, and is one victory away from advancing to the round of 16 for the 11th consecutive season. While the Blue Devils have had success in the early rounds of the NCAAs, they are still seeking their first national title.

"I don't think there's any pressure on us at all,'' said senior guard Wanisha Smith, who scored 16 points in the first round. "If anything, we put pressure on ourselves to do the things we know we can do.''

Smith is averaging 15.0 points in her last three games - 5.6 points better than her season average.

Chante Black, Duke's leading scorer (13.7), finished with 14 against Murray State.

Although they lost to the Tar Heels in the ACC championship game, the Blue Devils have defeated several elite teams. They beat then-No. 4 Rutgers on Dec. 6 and defeated then-No. 5 Maryland in the ACC tournament semifinals on March 8.

Arizona State (22-10), meanwhile, is hoping to finally break its trend against ranked opponents, as its 0-9 against Top 25 teams this season.

"We want to take that final step," Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We want to be an elite team, and to do that you have to beat an elite team. Obviously, this is the time for us to do it."

Arizona State defeated Temple 61-54 in the first round on Sunday, its 11th win in 14 games.

Lauren Lacey, who is averaging a team-high 12.6 points, scored 14, including consecutive baskets after halftime. The Sun Devils opened the second half on a 13-0 run to take control.

Arizona State is trying to advance to the regional semifinals for the second straight year. Last season, the Sun Devils lost to Rutgers in the regional finals - the furthest the program has ever advanced.

This winner of the first meeting between Arizona State and Duke will face either second-seeded Texas A&M or 10th-seeded Hartford in the regional semifinals in Oklahoma City on Sunday.