With a midweek bye on the calendar, Duke women’s basketball has a chance to catch its breath before a marquee rivalry matchup against North Carolina this Sunday. And frankly, they’ve earned it.
The Blue Devils are coming off a dominant 95-36 win over SMU, a game that extended their win streak to 15 and kept them perfect in ACC play at 13-0. That kind of run doesn’t happen by accident-it’s the product of depth, discipline, and a team that’s clearly locked in on both ends of the floor.
Now, let’s be honest: SMU is struggling. They came into the game with just one conference win and left it with their 17th loss of the season.
Injuries have decimated their roster to the point where they dressed only seven healthy players. Several key contributors were in street clothes on the bench, and the result was a lopsided affair that felt decided by the first media timeout.
Duke wasted no time jumping out to a 13-2 lead, then 20-5, then 24-6. By halftime, it was 46-16.
And if there was any doubt about how serious this Duke team is about handling business, they came out of the locker room and blitzed SMU 30-10 in the third quarter. After three periods, the scoreboard read 76-26.
Yes, that’s a 50-point lead on an ACC opponent.
There’s no need to dig too deep into the box score. When you beat a team by nearly 60, the numbers tell a simple story: complete dominance.
But that win, lopsided as it was, came on the heels of a much tighter contest-a gritty 59-58 road victory at Louisville. That one required poise and execution down the stretch. Combine the two wins, and Duke has climbed to 11th in the latest AP poll, ninth in the NET rankings, and sits as a projected 3-seed in Charlie Creme’s NCAA Tournament bracket.
Still, not all the news is positive. Duke officially confirmed what had been suspected for weeks: Jadyn Donovan and Emilee Skinner are both out for the remainder of the season.
Donovan, who initially appeared to suffer a concussion in December, was listed in the official release as having a lower-body injury. She wasn’t on the bench against SMU, but was seen in the stands on crutches-a sign that the issue may be more serious than originally indicated. For a player who brought energy and toughness to the frontcourt, her absence will be felt.
So where does that leave Duke in terms of roster construction? It’s an interesting moment for this team, especially when you look at how head coach Kara Lawson has shaped her program.
Lawson, a former standout guard herself, has understandably leaned on the backcourt early in her coaching tenure. Players like Celeste Taylor, Shayeann Day-Wilson, and Reigan Richardson carried the offensive load in past seasons. Even Oluchi Okananwa, who came off the bench, made a major impact as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 ACC Tournament.
This year, the backcourt continues to be the engine. Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair, now in their third season starting together, are combining for 23 points, 10 assists, nearly 9 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game. They’re the heartbeat of this team-steady, smart, and relentless on both ends.
But Lawson’s roster is evolving. For years, Duke’s frontcourt was undersized and largely defensive-minded.
Elizabeth Balogun, at 6-1, played power forward out of necessity. Kennedy Brown gave them size at 6-6, but her offensive output was limited.
Donovan herself was a defensive specialist playing out of position at the four.
That started to shift two recruiting classes ago, when Lawson brought in Donovan, Delaney Thomas, and Jordan Wood. But the real game-changer arrived last season: Toby Fournier.
At 6-2, Fournier came in with a reputation-and a highlight reel-as the girl who could dunk. She hasn’t thrown one down in a Duke uniform yet, but that hasn’t stopped her from making a major impact.
Fournier brings something Duke hasn’t had in a while: a true frontcourt presence with athleticism, skill, and upside. She’s helped balance the roster and given Lawson the ability to play a more versatile style-one that doesn’t rely entirely on the guards to carry the scoring and rebounding load.
So while the loss of Donovan and Skinner stings, Duke isn’t short on talent or identity. They’ve got a backcourt that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country and a frontcourt that’s finally starting to come into its own.
With North Carolina coming to town this weekend, the Blue Devils will be tested. But if the last few weeks are any indication, they’re more than ready for whatever comes next.