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Message: [QUOTE="CamrnCrz1974, post: 4139727, member: 1052"] As [USER=378]@triaddukefan[/USER] can attest, the good sign for Duke WBB was the post-halftime adjustments. After trailing 32-16 at the half (and with the game looking like it could be a blowout loss), Duke won the second half, 30-23. In doing so, the Blue Devils held South Carolina to season lows in points (55) and field goal percentage (35.1). Yes, SC was missing Henderson and had to use its 6-4 forward as a [I]de facto[/I] point guard, which is not the same as playing the Gamecocks near full strength. That being said, while the talent differential between SC and Duke is incredibly vast, the final score was much closer than expected or anticipated. Coach K(ara) cannot get Duke back to the glory days of the Goestenkors era in one season (this is, in essence, her first full season as a head coach for Duke, with last season canceled after four games). The key is thinking of Duke as a staircase, with each step a building block toward a national powerhouse program. [LIST] [*]Getting very good transfers and massively upgrading the talent on the roster was a big step. [*]Having Lawson getting more in-game experience as a head coach with Team USA's 3x3 squad was also a move forward (not to mention all of the great publicity and accolades she received from the team's players). [*]Getting a player like Shayeann Day-Wilson so late in the recruiting cycle -- an offensive dynamo whose ceiling is incredibly high -- was another step. [*]Beating a top-ten team in Iowa was yet an additional step. [*]Securing a top 2022 recruiting class (ranked [URL='https://asgrbasketball.com/2022-recruiting-class-rankings-13-0-update-2-2-2-2/']#5 by ASGR[/URL] and [URL='https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32645092/2022-women-college-basketball-recruiting-class-rankings-ucla-overtakes-oregon-no-1']#11 by espnW/Premier Basketball[/URL]) was key. [/LIST] And now, being competitive against the consensus top-ranked team in the country was yet another step. While Duke did not win, it was a single-digit loss (again, caveat SC missing Henderson) that can be used as another building block. [/QUOTE]

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