A few days ago, Duke’s women’s basketball team made headlines for all the wrong reasons. They fell to a 2-2 start after a baffling 57-49 loss to West Virginia. Duke had been ranked fifteenth in the country going into the game. West Virginia, meanwhile, was unranked. Losing to an unranked team is bad enough, but what made this upset so noteworthy was how West Virginia finished the game.
After a scuffle in the second quarter, multiple players were ejected, including four of the Mountaineers’ five starters. The team had to finish the game with five players and rely on contributions from players who usually don’t play a huge role. Célia Rivière, for example, only played a total of 22 minutes all season before having to finish the game against Duke. She put up 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Duke, meanwhile, only lost one player.
What was a huge success for West Virginia was a baffling and somewhat embarrassing outing for Duke that still continues to have consequences. Duke has officially fallen out of the top 25 in the Women’s College Basketball Rankings. That is quite the disappointment for a team that finished seventh in the preseason rankings. It also comes with a lot of pressure for Kara Lawson, the newly appointed Team USA head coach, and her team to turn things around after a disappointing start to the season.
Two of Duke’s next three games will be tough
Duke followed up its 57-49 loss to West Virginia with a 71-57 win over Liberty. Next, they will face South Florida. After that, the real tests begin. Duke will face South Carolina to close out November and start December with a game against LSU.
South Carolina is still ranked second behind only UConn and recently secured a big win over USC behind double-doubles from Joyce Edwards and Raven Johnson. Dawn Staley’s team has a ton of talent. Johnson is one of the most veteran and successful point guards in the country. Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot are widely expected to be first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and Edwards received first-team All-SEC honors as a freshman last season.
LSU has a lot of new faces on the roster this season, but it still hasn’t lost a game. In fact, LSU beat all of its opponents handily so far. However, the team also hasn’t played the toughest competition yet. Still, MiLaysia Fulwiley fits in well as the team’s leading scorer, Flau’Jae Johnson continues to play like the future lottery pick she is projected to be, Mikaylah Williams is on fire from three, and Kate Koval wasted no time providing a big presence in the paint. LSU currently ranks fifth in the college rankings behind only UConn, South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas.
Putting together strong performances against South Carolina and LSU is just what Duke needs to redeem itself.