The optimism surrounding Kara Lawson and the Duke Blue Devils before the 2025-26 NCAA season was infectious. Duke's recruitment was enough to earn the team the No.7 ranking in the AP Poll at the start of the year. However, the Blue Devils' underwhelming offense has heavily relied on forward Toby Fournier to produce moments of magic; if this has not come to fruition, then the team has suffered.
Despite being touted as one of the most dangerous teams in the country coming into the campaign, Duke has fallen to a 4-6 record, with heavy defeats coming at the hands of Baylor (52-58), South Carolina (83-66), and UCLA (89-59) -- all ranked teams that coach Lawson's team must expect to compete with when the NCAA Tournament rolls around.
Founier has turned in a string of impressive performances even though her team is working through several offensive issues. The sophomore is averaging a career-high 15.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while draining a season-high 27 points during Duke's 91-48 triumph over the Holy Cross Crusaders.
Duke must correct its offense to save season
Every team in the country has a player that it deems to be its main offensive option: UCLA has Lauren Betts, Iowa State has Audi Crooks, and in the case of the Blue Devils, they have Toby Fournier. But the key to a championship-winning side is a roster that can share the scoring responsibility between a larger percentage of players.
For instance, UConn's 2024-25 triumph may have been spearheaded by the sublime Paige Bueckers. However, she had a supremely talented supporting cast of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong that eased the burden on Bueckers, allowing her to optimise her attributes.
Duke's roster may not boast a level of ability to match UConn's NCAA Tournament-winning squad; nevertheless, this group of players is gifted enough to perform at a higher calibre than they are currently showing.
On three occasions this season, the Blue Devils have been outscored by 15+ points. To make matters worse, the team has scored less than 60 points on three occasions, which includes a 57-49 defeat to unranked West Virginia.
Not all is lost at Duke, and this season is still redeemable. Both Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair have shown glimpses of the devastating offensive arsenal they have at their disposal, as they average 12.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
The Duke Blue Devils have a brilliant coach at the helm in Kara Lawson, who guided USA Basketball to victory in the FIBA Women's 2025 AmeriCup during the summer. She will not need to be reminded of the offensive woes that her squad is struggling with. Yet, Duke cannot continue to rely on Toby Fournier to shoulder such a heavy burden if they wish to thrive.