Probable Starters...

Duke Blue Devils (15-4, 7-0 ACC)
No.  Name                 Ht.   Yr.  Pos. PPG   RPG   APG
10   Peppi Browne        5-11   Jr.   F   9.4   6.1   1.6
23   Georgia Schweitzer   6-0   So.   G   9.9   3.7   3.5
31   Michele VanGorp      6-6   Sr.   C  15.4   5.4   1.0
11   Hilary Howard        5-6   Sr.   G   8.2   2.6   4.4
22   Nicole Erickson      5-6   Sr.   G   9.8   2.8   3.5

North Carolina Tar Heels (19-2, 6-1 ACC)
No.   Name                Ht.   Yr.  Pos. PPG   RPG   APG
5    Chanel Wright        6-0   Sr.   F   15.1  5.5   2.9
33   LaQuanda Barksdale  5-11   So.   F   13.0  8.6   1.0
35   Yanick Clay          6-1   Sr.   C    5.2  3.0   0.8   
25   Juana Brown         5-11   So.   G   14.3  5.0   2.3
42   Nikki Teasley        6-0   So.   G   15.5  5.0   5.3

Last Time Out...

Nicole Erickson, steppinng back into a starting role, had another big day as she scored a team-high 17 points to lead Duke over N.C. State, 67-62. Down by nine points late in the first half, Erickson sparked a 10-point run that gave the Devils a one-point lead going into the break. Duke hung on to win as Erickson contributed three three-pointers, dished out five assists and grabbed two steals. Duke also got double-figure scoring efforts from Michele VanGorp (12), Krista Gingrich (12) and Hilary Howard (10 pts.) as the team stayed undefeated in the ACC and extended their winning streak to 10 games.

Blue Devil Facts and Figures...

Duke has won 14 of their last 15 games, with the last loss coming against top-ranked Tennessee on Dec. 6 ... Nicole Erickson earned her second ACC Player of the Week honor of the season on Jan. 18 ... Three Blue Devils are hitting at least 80 percent of their free throws , with Lauren Rice leading the way, hitting 82 percent ... Michele VanGorp is the only player averaging double-figures scoring (15.4 ppg), but four others are knocking at the door, all averaging over nine points a game... Hilary Howard and VanGorp are the only Blue Devils to have started every game this season, while Georgia Schweitzer and Krista Gingrich have also played in all 19 games.

The Injury Report...

Sophomore Rochelle Parent is still day-to-day after strained a calf muscle against Wake Forest. She has not dressed for the last two games and is questionable against Carolina.

Junior Jenn Forte is redshirting this season, recovering from a stress fracture in her pelvic bone.

A Highly-Ranked Showdown...

This is the fourth consecutive meeting between Duke and North Carolina when both of these teams have been ranked among the nations top 25. The rivals met three times last season, and all three times both teams appeared in the polls. On Jan. 12, No. 7 North Carolina defeated No. 25 Duke, 83-74, at Carmichael Auditorium. When they met a month later in Cameron, it was No. 13 Duke emerging victorious over No. 5 UNC, 83-70. By the time they met again, in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Feb. 28, both teams were in the Top 10, with No. 10 UNC winning 56-52 over No. 8 Duke. Fridays game pits No. 11 Duke versus No. 7 North Carolina.

Insights on the Streak...

Dukes current 10-game winning streak is its longest since the 1995-96 season, when the Blue Devils won 11 games from Nov. 24 to Dec. 30 ... Duke had also had an 11-game winning streak the season before, when it went undefeated from Nov. 30 to Jan. 8 ... The longest streak in school history, however, is 12 games, set back in the beginning of the 1987-88 campaign ... Duke has never had a streak extend this late into the season ... The 7-0 start against ACC opponents is unmatched, as the Blue Devils best previous start in ACC play was a 3-0 opening in 1994-95.

Erickson Named ACC Player of the Week...

After breaking the school record for three-pointers in a game and scoring double figures in three straight games last week, senior guard Nicole Erickson was named ACC Player of the Week, her second such honor of the season. Erickson came off the bench to produce 10 points at Wake Forest, sparked a Duke rally with 25 second-half points and a school record seven three-pointers against Clemson, then scored a team-high 17 points in a starting role against N.C. State, all last week. Erickson was named ACC Player of the Week earlier this season after leading the Blue Devils to the Duke Classic title. She is the only Blue Devil to earn ACC weekly honors so far this year.

Improving from the Line...

Last week against Wake Forest and Clemson, Duke recorded its best performances of the season from the charity stripe. The team shot a then season-high 83.3 percent from the line against the Demon Deacons, connecting on 20-of-24 free throws. They bested that mark in the next outing against Clemson, shooting a season-high 22-of-26 for a 84.6 percentage. The Blue Devils are averaging 69.7 percent from the stripe for the season, a mark that ranks first among ACC teams.

"Take Care of the Ball"...

One of head coach Gail Goestenkors concerns so far this season has been the number of turnover her Blue Devil team committs per game. Through the first 15 games of the season, Duke averaged 20 turnovers per game. But in the last four contests, they dropped that average to 15 a game. For the entire year, the Blue Devils are turning the ball over 18.1 times a game. The team recorded a season-low 12 turnovers against Wake Forest on Jan. 11.

Howard Now Dukes All-Time Assist Leader...

With a seven-assist performance against Georgia Tech on Jan. 7, Hilary Howard became Dukes all-time assist leader. The senior from Scarsdale, N.Y. followed that up with 11 assists against Clemson and now has 463 career assists entering tonights game. The previous Duke record was 445, set by Howards former teammate, Kira Orr, from 1994-97. Howard is also moving up the ACCs all-time career assist list, currently sitting in 18th place on that chart. Howard has had at least one assist in every game this season, extending her streak to 53 straight games with at least one assist. The last time she did not record an assist was in the 1996-97 season, against North Carolina on March 1. Howard set a new personal and team season-high and tied her career-high with 11 dishes against UCLA on Dec. 28. It was part of her first double-double performance of the season as she also scored 10 points against the Bruins.

Howard Also on a Starting Streak...

Hilary Howard also has another streak continuing through her senior campaign. She has currently started 89 consecutive games, dating back to her freshman season. She played her 100th collegiate game when the Blue Devils hosted Virginia on Jan. 4. After earning the starting nod in the last eight games of the 1995-96 year, Howard started every contest the last two seasons, and all 19 games so far in 1998-99.

Some Stiff Competition...

The Blue Devils have four losses this season, but all four of those losses are against highly-ranked teams -- No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 13 Virginia Tech. In fact the combined record of those four teams is 66-5, as Tennessee has one loss, UConn and Notre Dame have two apiece (UConns loss is to the Lady Vols), and Virginia Tech remains undefeated at 16-0.

Shooting the Lights Out...

The Blue Devils have been a hot-shootiug team lately -- in a stretch of seven games from Dec. 8 (Hampton) to Jan. 7 (Georgia Tech)they shot no less than 52 percent from the floor. The team recorded a season high .667 field goal percentage (44-of-66) against Temple on Dec. 12, then nearly equaled that mark with 41-of-66 (62.1 percent) against Georgia Tech on Jan 7. The Blue Devils currently lead the ACC in field goal percentage, both in overall games (48.3 percent) and ACC games only (50.9 percent).

Duke has been nearly as accurate from three-point range, shooting 38.6 percent for the season (114-of-295) from beyond the arc and 50.9 percent (54-of-106) in ACC games only. Both of those three-point shooting marks also lead the ACC. Duke recorded a season-high 71.4 percent from three-point range (10-of-14) against Georgia Tech, currently listed in the NCAA statistics as the best single-game three-point shooting performance in the country this season.

For those looking ahead, Dukes record for highest season field goal percentage is .485, set in 1995-96, while the best season three-point shooting percentage was .405, set in the 1988-89 season.

Outrebounding the Opposition...

The Blue Devils continue to improve upon their rebounding numbers from a year ago, grabbing a season-high 56 boards against UNC Asheville on Dec. 19. Duke is pulling down an average of 42.6 boards a game after averaging 38.0 for the season last year. The team ranks second in the ACC in rebounding margin with 6.1, and is first place in ACC games only, outrebounding league opponents by 7.7 boards per game. The Blue Devils were , however, outrebounded by N.C. State in their last outing, 37-35. The Blue Devils have outrebounded their opponents in 15 of this years 19 games, with top-10 teams Connecticut and Notre Dame, as well as ACC-rivals Wake Forest and the Wolfpack pulling down more boards.

VanGorp Producing the Points...

Senior center Michele VanGorp is putting her height (6-6) to good use in the post so far this season. She is averaging 15.4 points a game, 5.0 points better than her average from last year. The teams fourth-leading scorer in 1997-98 (10.4 ppg), she has been the teams high scorer in seven of 19 games this season. She has posted double figures in all but two games so far this season, with over 20 points in four of those games. Against Tennessee, she led all scorers on both teams with a 22-point effort, her second consecutive 22-point game after posting the same amount against Florida State four days earlier. VanGorp currently shares the teams season-high scoring record with 28 points against Stanford at the Four in the Fall. That mark also tied her personal career record, which she set against Virginia last season.

Milestone Markers for Black...

Against Georgia Tech on Jan. 7, senior Payton Black reached three statistical milestones. She recorded her 1200th point, her 500th rebound and her 100th assist. The center/forward from West Chester, Pa. had 15 points in 13 minutes of action to raise her career scoring to 1,204 points. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists to reach the other two milestones.

Black, a 6-4 center who sees action off the bench for the Blue Devils, is producing points as well. On the verge of avergaing double-figure scoring, Black is currently pouring in 9.3 points a game. The ninth-leading scorer in program history, Black currently has 1,230 career points.

Browne Grabs the Rebounds...

Just as she was last season, junior forward Peppi Browne is the teams leading rebounder with 6.1 boards a contest, 7.3 in ACC games only. She has been the teams high rebounder in the last three games, pulling down nine boards apiece against Wake Forest, Clemson and N.C. State. Her mark in conference games only is good enough to currently rank ninth in the league statistics. She is tied for first on the team with 36 offensive rebounds, and leads the squad with 73 defensive boards so far this season.

...and the Steals

Peppi Browne also leads the squad in steals, with 30 on the season (1.7 per game). She has recorded at least one steal in all but three games this season, and she has had multiple steals in eight of those games. She has tied her single-game career high twice, with four steals each against Stanford (Nov. 14) and UNC Asheville (Dec. 19). Last year, Browne recorded at least one steal in 28 of 32 games, tallying 61 thefts on the year. That amount was the fifth-best season mark in Duke history.

Duke Backcourt Leads the ACC...

Three Duke guards rank among the leagues top shooters from beyond the arc. In ACC games only, the Duke backcourt of Hilary Howard, Krista Gingrich and Nicole Erickson currently hold first, second and fourth place in the ACC in the three-point goal percentage, as Howard is first (.579), Gingrich second (.550) and Erickson fourth (.486). The same three also rank in three-pointers per game (ACC games only), with Erickson second (2.6), and Gingrich and Howard tied for seventh (1.6).

Where Duke Stands In the ACC Statistics...

As a team, the Blue Devils lead the ACC in field goal percentage (.483), free throw percentage (.697), three-point field goal percentage (.386) and three-pointers per game (6.0). Duke is also second in scoring (82.2), scoring defense (63.3), scoring margin (18.9), field goal percentage defense (.376) and rebound margin (6.1). Among the nine ACC schools, Duke ranks in the top three in 9 of 12 statistical categories.

And in ACC Games Only...

In the team categories, Duke ranks first in the league in five areas -- scoring margin (22.9), field goal percentage (.509), three-point goal percentage (.509), free throw percentage (.717), rebound margin (7.7), and three-pointers per game (7.7). The Blue Devils are either number one or two among the nine schools in nine of 12 statistical categories.

Among the National Leaders...

As a team, the Blue Devils continue to climb the charts among the NCAA leaders in several categories. They are 11th in scoring offense with 82.2 points per game, sixth in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by 18.9 points a game, 10th in field goal percentage, connecting on 48.3 percent of their shots, seventh in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 38.6 from beyond the arc, and 24th in three-pointers per game with 6.0.

Goestenkors In Seventh Season as Duke Head Coach...

1998 ACC Coach of the Year Gail Goestenkors is in her seventh season in Durham with the Blue Devils. In her first six seasons, Coach "G" has accomplished feats no other Duke coach has attained. She has guided Duke to a school-record four straight NCAA tournament appearances, leading them to Dukes first-ever Elite Eight in 1998. Her three 20-win seasons (22 in 1995, 26 in 1996, 24 in 1998) is also a first for a Duke coach. Last year, she led the team to the best ACC season in school history with a 13-3 record and a first-place finish.

Goestenkors is a 1985 graduate of Saginaw Valley State, where she earned NAIA All-America honors at point guard. She came to Duke in 1992 after a successful six-year stint as an assistant coach at Purdue. Coach G currently has a career/school record of 134-65 (.673). Playing her 200th career game on Friday against the Tar Heels, Goestenkors has a 4-11 record against UNC.

Climbing the Career Charts...

Several players have the opportunity this season to break onto or move up Dukes career top ten lists in several categories. Among those within striking distance of appearing in the record books include:

Hilary Howard -- Now second in assists with 463 career dishes, she is now Dukes all-time assist leader and 18th among the ACC career assist leaders.

Payton Black -- The 11th player in Duke history to reach the 1,000 point plateau (currently at 1,230), she moved into ninth place on the career points scored list after the N.C. State game. With 479 career field goals, she is in 10th place on that list as well. Black also ranks fourth on Dukes all-time blocks list with 77 career rejections.

Peppi Browne -- With 134 steals in just two and a half seasons of action, she is now in seventh place on the all-time list and needs 99 more thefts to take over first place, currently held by Katie Meier, who had 232 steals from 1986-90.

Hilary Howard, Naz Medhanie, and Nicole Erickson all rank in the top ten in three-point field goals. Howard is in third place with 107 career treys, and Erickson (90) and Medhanie (79) are fourth and sixth respectively.

Coming Up Next...

After going to Chapel Hil, the Duke women turn around and board a plane for Tallahassee, as they take on another ACC opponent, Florida State. The FSU game marks the beginning of the second round of ACC games, as the Blue Devils defeated the Seminoles in their ACC opener on Dec. 2. The score of that game was 91-72 in Cameron.