“[Coach] Kara Lawson Needs a Raise”: Despite Sweet 16 Elimination, Duke’s Fightback vs Paige Bueckers’ UConn Warrants Fans’ Love

The Blue Devils have notched up their game in the postseason. A team that has a 22-12 win-loss record was able to break sweat on the Huskies. The Sweet-16 competition was rather bland, but Duke made sure their loss was a little sweeter. With an impressive comeback, the 7th-seed team in the bracket could have possibly ended Paige Bueckers and Co.’s journey to the Elite Eight.

What stopped them? The facts are that UConn had a good display in the first 20 minutes and that their junior guard was more than capable of handling tough situations. While they went home with a rather disappointing 45-53 loss, it didn’t keep the fans from pouring over their love. Especially to the Duke head coach Kara Lawson. Apparently, even after the defeat in the single-knockout tournament, Lawson only praised her team.

According to a tweet posted by Duke’s official X account, Kara addressed her team with applause and appreciation. She said, “I told my team after the game that I’m really proud of them and proud of the season we’ve had. All the growth we’ve had. I’m really lucky to coach them. It’s been a joy — fortunate to be at Duke and coach our whole team.”

The Blue Devils returned to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2018. And would have entered the regional finals after 11 years. With a robust defense that kept a team that averages 80.8 points, they were able to keep the Huskies at just 53. This was a season-low for them.

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Let us now look at what the fans have to say about the master who choreographed the magical Big Dance number behind the scenes.

Fans react to Duke’s impressive display vs. Paige Bueckers and Co

Certainly, today’s performance by the Blue Devils even brought their haters to camp in their backyard.

Many fans also celebrated the coach as even when they knew there were just 10 minutes left and a lot of points to cover, they displayed their best. Clearly, throwing the towel is not something Lawson preaches to her athletes.

At the same time, a bunch of fans couldn’t help but read Duke WBB’s future.

It was undeniably a great season for the Blue Devils even though they lost today. Crediting the coach for her efforts, basketball fans had more to say.

While they are out of the picture for the 2024 run, Kara Lawson has only been in the program for four seasons. Further, if her squad can take up a team where the NPOY candidate Paige Bueckers reigns, give them a run for their money, and lose only by less than 10 points, she has already achieved something huge. It will be interesting to follow this team in the future runs.

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Do you also believe Kara Lawson should get the credit for an amazing performance against Paige Bueckers and the Huskies?