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Duke basketball: Lady Blue Devils sprint for postseason with UNC sweep

By Kevin Connelly

Former head coach of the women's Duke basketball program, Joanne P. McCallie (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Former head coach of the women's Duke basketball program, Joanne P. McCallie (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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The Duke basketball team is sprinting towards the postseason after a sweep of the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday afternoon and ready to make a run in the ACC Tournament.

One of the more remarkable turnarounds in the regular season has been the Duke women’s basketball team.

The Lady Blue Devils finished with an 18-11 record and 12-6 in the ACC but have played their best basketball down the stretch, winning nine of the last eleven games, all coming in conference play, including a sweep of the North Carolina Tar Heels, most recently a 73-54 victory.

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Duke earned the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament and after her 23-point, nine-rebound, five-assist, and three-steal performance against the Tar Heels, Haley Gorecki was named as the ACC Player of the Week.

Gorecki was also named to the All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Defensive Team while Leaonna Odom was named to the All-ACC Second Team.

Haley Gorecki averaged 18.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the regular season on 39.9 percent shooting from the field and 33.5 percent from 3-point range.

Odom went for 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds on 54.3 percent shooting from the field to help rejuvenate the Blue Devils’ season.

Many bracketologists have Duke safely in the NCAA Tournament field, some with the Lady Blue Devils as high as a No. 6 seed, but a lot is still left on the table for the team to accomplish this season.

ALSO READ: Lady Blue Devils pick up first win at NC State since 2013

Louisville won the regular season in the ACC while NC State is the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, and Florida State also earned the double-bye as the No. 4 seed.

ALSO READ: Lady Blue Devils get UNC weekend off to great start

Duke will play on Friday, March 6, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against either Boston College, Clemson, or Miami at approximately 8:30pm EST. The Eagles get the winner of Clemson and Miami on Thursday before potentially playing the Lady Blue Devils on Friday.