ACC's Big Three Reign Supreme This Year

The age of parity is over in women's college basketball.

The "P" word, as it came to be known, has been bandied about for several years as the talent multiplied and quality ball diversified after nearly a decade of dominance by UConn and Tennessee; suddenly, there seemed to be worthy challengers from all over. During parity's brief run, unthinkable things happened: as a seventh seed, Minnesota crashed the 2004 Final Four, and Baylor, a school that had no track record as a powerhouse, won the 2005 title.

It seemed that Maryland's improbable run to a title last season was just another chapter in this brave new world in the sport. Instead, it was the closing of the parity window and the introduction of a new order in the sport. Put simply, the ACC rules.

Maryland's Final Four victims were Duke in the finals and North Carolina in the national semis. It seemed like a fluke that the ACC would send three teams into the Final Four, but instead it was a sign of things to come. If those same three teams don't repeat in the Final Four this season, it will be because of a major injury or a seismic upset. The primary issue is more choosing between these three, but in a situation that should make the BCS envious, all three will play each other a lot between now and tournament time.

Right now, no. 1 Duke (22–0) is the clear leader, but they have good reason to be cautious. Coach Gail Goestenkors — yes, call her Coach G — lined up a murderous nonconference schedule and then steamrollered it. They won by 40 at Rutgers, who was then ranked no. 21, and routed no. 11 Vanderbilt by 21, no. 22 Texas by 28, and no. 22 Pittsburgh by 21 at Cameron Indoor Center in Durham. Their slate of unranked opponents included respected programs like Old Dominion, who lost by 49; Penn State, who lost by 28, and Michigan, who lost by 45. The only team to give the Blue Devils any trouble at all was no. 21 Bowling Green, which spread the floor, slowed the tempo, and shot 27 threes. Their early marksmanship gave them a halftime lead, but Duke's superior athleticism prevailed in a nine-point win.

Some observers thought they were peaking early, but they won their first rematch with Maryland handily, 81–62 at Cameron, and last week they went to Tennessee and scored the first 19 points of the game at Thompson Bolling Arena to quiet the usually frenzied crowd (which included Tennessee's men's coach Bruce Pearl shirtless with his torso painted Volunteer orange). And when a furious Lady Vol rally tightened the game, the Blue Devils showed their poise and won 74–70. Duke is led by center Allison Bales, who averages five blocks a game, and guards Lindsay Harding and Abby Waner. Waner softens opposing defenses with her long-range marksmanship, and Harding is a deft penetrator and a solid defender who can shut down the opposition playmaker.

Duke still has one game with Maryland and two with UNC before the season-ending tournament. The Tar Heels have won five in a row against Duke, but the Blue Devils appear to be on an avenging path.

UNC is 23–0 and have good reason to be confident heading into next Thursday's showdown at Chapel Hill with Duke. UNC downed Maryland, 84–71, in College Park on Sunday. The Tar Heel defense kept Maryland's star forward, Crystal Langhorne, from getting easy looks and harassed playmaker Kristy Tolliver into a bad night. Meanwhile UNC's charismatic point guard, Ivory Latta, scored 32 and hit six of nine from behind the arc, and inside force Erlana Larkins dominated the paint with 20 points and 13 boards.

Strength of schedule is the big reason that UNC trails Duke in the polls. The Tar Heels pounded Tennessee in Chapel Hill and edged UConn. Otherwise, their nonconference schedule hasn't been anywhere near as challenging as Duke's. Another detriment to the Tar Heels stature is they don't finish games well. Against UConn, the Tar Heels seemed to be cruising to another home win, leading by 15 with 10 minutes to go, then they got sloppy with the ball and let the Huskies back into the game before a Latta three with under a minute to go sealed the win. Against Maryland, the Tar Heels stunned the raucous College Park crowd and led by 20 early in the second half only to fritter the lead away again. This time it was UNC's defense that stiffened and turned back the rally.

Meanwhile, Maryland's plight illustrates the quality at the top of the conference. The no. 4 Terrapins (21–2), returned all the core players from last year's title team and added guard Sa'de Wily-Gatewood, who transferred from Tennessee where she was a starter (she comes off of a deep Terp bench). Yet, they've been clearly outclassed in their big games. Maryland will get another chance at Duke on February 18. However, their situation argues for tougher nonconference slates. Maryland's only top 10 opponents are their conference rivals, and both UNC and Duke looked much more ready for prime time. For the foreseeable future, the road to being the best in the country goes through the ACC.

mjohnson@nysun.com