Trading places: after seasons of watching their men's counterparts seize preseason No. 1s and NCAA titles alike, the Duke women are ready to take a top prize of their own - Women's Top 25

Basketball Digest, Dec, 2002 by Carl Adamec

FOR SEVERAL SEASONS, DUKE has been in the hunt for the national championship. This season, the Blue Devils are the hunted.

With its starting lineup back from a 314 team and the nation's best recruiting class coming in, Duke enters 2002-03 as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.

Beard returns for her junior year and plans to lead Duke all the way to Atlanta and an NCAA title.

"We have the most talent we've ever had," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors says. "We have more depth than we've ever had. We've been ranked high in the national polls before and ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference the past few years. But we're still in pursuit of that first national championship. We're still in pursuit of becoming a national power like Connecticut and Tennessee. They have that tradition. We're still trying to build that tradition."

The Blue Devils, with just eight players in uniform, reached their second Final Four in four years last March but fell to Oklahoma in the semifinals. All-American Alana Beard leads a still youthful Duke team. But even with a strong returning cast, Goestenkors was able to recruit well.

"That's why these freshmen came to Duke--to win a national championship," Goestenkors says. "The best thing that we have going for us, other than our leadership, is we have great people that are willing to sacrifice for the greater good."

Duke will have to be good to hold off a long list of contenders.

Dotting the Top 10 are some of the usual suspects--Tennessee, Stanford, Purdue, and Connecticut, who have combined to win 11 of the last 14 NCAA titles. "I don't see a clear-cut favorite to take it all," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt says.

Tennessee and Stanford will have one edge on the road to Atlanta and the Final Four: The schools are hosting, the NCAAs through the regional finals. Duke, meanwhile, will be on the road from the start.

"We're still in pursuit," Goestenkors says. "That's a good mindset for us to have."

Here's a look at our Top 25:

1. DUKE

Beard blossomed into an All-American as a sophomore last season. Junior forward Iciss Tillis and sophomore guard Monique Currie are coming off good years. Senior guard Sheana Mosch provides stability. And Duke's five-member freshman class could put it over the top.

"The fact that we want to win a national championship more than anything else will help the freshmen feel more comfortable and make us a better team," Goestenkors says.

Rookies Brooke Smith and Mistie Bass give the Blue Devils an improved post presence. The wild card in the mix could be Australian freshman guard Jessica Foley. You could argue the Blue Devils will be the preseason favorites in 2003-04, but they don't want to wait till next year.

2. TENNESSEE

A recruiting class has come and gone since Tennessee won its last national championship. Seniors Kara Lawson and Gwen Jackson get their last shot at a title this season.

"It will come down to who jells, who stays healthy, who plays well as a team," Summitt says. "Who has a freshman that can contribute? Will there be a difference maker?"

The Lady Vols might have that freshman difference maker in guard Shanna Zolman. The sharpshooting Indiana native should benefit from Tennessee's motion offense. Another rookie, center Tyesha Fluker, also will get thrown into the fire. The Lady Vols were (again) left with a sour taste in their mouths as they were routed by Connecticut at the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio. Their home-court advantage come NCAA Tournament time gives them a delicious opportunity.

3. LSU

Sue Gunter has almost done it all in 38 years in coaching, but the member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame still hasn't been to the Final Four. This is her best opportunity.

"Expectations should and will be high by all concerned," Gunter says. "With everyone returning and hopefully healthy, our goals should be high and attainable. We want to challenge for an SEC championship and then the national championship."

LSU reached the 2002 SEC Tournament final and NCAA second round with only seven healthy players. Senior forward Aiysha Smith and junior guard Temeka Johnson are back. Senior forward DeTrina White returns after missing last season with a back injury. But the player that will make the biggest impact is forward Seimone Augustus, the most talented freshman in the country. Gunter may soon have an addition to her impressive resume.

4. STANFORD

After coasting through the Pac-10, Stanford suffered disappointing postseason losses to Arizona State and Colorado. The Cardinal have no seniors on the roster, but do have an All-American in junior forward Nicole Powell.

"We have a lot of returning players who are working hard, as well as a talented freshman class," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer says. "We need to have high expectations and work very hard to accomplish our goals."

Powell led Stanford in points, rebounds, assists, and steals a year ago. The return of sophomore point guard Susan King from injury will free up Powell even more. The three-point shot will also be one of Stanford's weapons.