It’s too early to tell whether Duke or Dayton will have the edge in the 2021-22 season, but a game between the two programs at 7 p.m. Friday at UD Arena will provide a clue. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
“It’s always exciting when we can get people to come play us at UD Arena,” Whalen said. “We always have great fans, so it has been super fun for that.”
Whalen is a graduate of the Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. That’s about 150 miles from the Duke campus in Durham, N.C. She said she’s on “extra high alert” anytime the opponent is from her home state.
Both teams opened the season with victories Tuesday. Dayton pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama A&M 73-52. Duke dominated Winthrop from the opening minutes and won 93-59.
This is the second meeting between Dayton and Duke. The only other game in the series took place on Jan. 3, 1981. Dayton won 99-78 at UD Arena.
Duke is coached by Kara Lawson, a two-time All-American at Tennessee who played 13 seasons in the WNBA. She spent one season as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics before moving into college coaching. She got the job at Duke on July 11, 2020, and had a 3-1 record when Duke opted not to continue the 2020-21 season. She’s guiding a program that reached the NCAA championship game in 1999 and 2006 and has made the NCAA tournament 17 times since 1998.
“We’ve got a really good program coming into UD Arena,” Dayton coach Shauna Green said. “What else could you want as a college student athlete, right? It’s a great opportunity for us. I know our kids are going to be ready, and we’re going to be excited for this opportunity. We also believe we can come out and compete and we’re coming out to win the game.”
Green knows her team will have to play better against Duke than it did against Alabama A&M. The Flyers shot 53.3 percent from 3-point range (8 of 15) but 40.4 percent (19 of 47) inside the arc.
Even with one game of film to watch on Duke, this is a unique situation for Dayton, Green said, because Duke didn’t play last season.
“They have a ton of transfers and new kids on the roster,” Green said. “What it comes down to really is just us and focusing on Dayton and doing what we need to do at both ends of the floor.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Duke at Dayton, 7 p.m., ESPN+
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