There is only one obstacle still standing in the Duke Blue Devils' way of an undefeated season - conference rival and nationally-ranked No. 2 North Carolina.
The Blue Devils and the Tar Heels faced off earlier this season in Chapel Hill, with Duke handing UNC its first loss of the season, 64-53. The two nemeses will face off again Sunday in Durham with Duke's undefeated season on the line.
After clinching the ACC title with a win over No. 6 Maryland on Sunday night, Duke heads into the weekend tilt with an untarnished 28-0 overall record (13-0 ACC). The Blue Devils did not let the opposing crowd of 17,950 - the largest for a single game in ACC history - affect their attempt at a perfect season, winning by a final score of 69-57. The Terrapins' loss dropped their season record to 25-4 and 9-4 in the ACC, and was the second game they dropped to Duke this season.
Blue Devil senior forward Lindsey Harding posted a career-high 29 points in the monstrous win. Harding started strong, scoring the first 11 points for the Blue Devils and 20 of her 29 in the first half to lead her team to a 35-29 halftime edge. Duke has not trailed at halftime in any game this season.
With the win, Duke clinched its sixth ACC title in seven years and eighth in school history.
The No. 24 Michigan State Spartans also secured an important road victory, heading into Ohio State territory on Sunday afternoon hoping to ruin the Buckeyes' perfect Big Ten record. Michigan State freshman Allyssa DeHaan, with her towering 6'9" frame, led the Spartans with 25 points en route to a 62-59 win on the road, breaking the Buckeyes' 17-game winning streak.
Ohio State will now have to wait until tomorrow night to clinch its Big Ten regular season crown when it takes on Penn State. Michigan State stands in third place in the Big Ten with an overall record of 21-6 and a 12-2 conference clip, while No. 15 Purdue is also 12-2 in the Big Ten and 23-5 overall, placing it just ahead of the Spartans.
Just like Ohio State, North Carolina also lost to a conference rival, dropping a game to un-ranked N.C. State on Friday before bouncing back to thrash Miami on Sunday, bringing the Heels' season record to 26-2 and their conference mark to 10-2.
On Friday, the Tar Heels paid a visit to the Wolfpack's den and played on the newly dedicated Kay Yow Court. The Wolfpack honored their Hall of Fame coach with a win over the second-best team in the country, while breaking a seven-game losing streak against UNC.
The Wolfpack came out on a tear and went into halftime with a 46-27 lead. But trailing by 26 points late in the second frame, the Tar Heels charged back, but could not overcome the hefty deficit, as NC State held off the Tar Heels to earn the 72-65 win.
Meanwhile, Monday night saw a match-up between No. 3 Tennessee and No. 7 LSU that ended in a nail-biter. Strong defense from LSU held the Lady Vols to 31.3 percent shooting, but that was not enough to stop Tennessee sophomore Candace Parker, who led the Lady Vols with 27 points, 13 boards, two blocks, two assists, and two steals. Parker had almost half the Lady Vols' points as they edged LSU by a final score of 56-51.
While Tennessee never trailed LSU in the game, the Tigers tied the game at 51-51 with 1:21 left on the clock. After three made free throws, LSU junior Quianna Chaney attempted a three-pointer to tie the game but came up short as the ball rolled around the rim and out.
In a game in which neither team shot over 40 percent, rebounding was the difference-maker. Tennessee out-rebounded LSU 44-36, including 20 offensive rebounds that accounted for 13 second-chance points. The win clinched Tennessee the SEC regular season title.
With regular season conference titles in the bag, the women will look to their respective conference tournaments in the next few weeks before the brackets are announced and March Madness begins.
