Coach G on that terrible moment when Alana walked off the court for the last time, in tears: "She said, 'I was terrible. I was terrible' and I said, 'Don't do this to yourself.' She wanted to do so well for the team. She wanted so much for the team and it just wasn't her day. And I said 'You gave everything you had and that is all I will ever ask.'"

The Devils are still trying to figure out what happened. "We thought we had (the talent)," said Iciss Tillis.

Did the Devils underestimate the Gophers? Possibly. "I knew they were so dangerous because they had an unbelievable point and a post," said coach G. "I was concerned, but ..."

Duke was prepared for Whalen and McCarville. But they couldn't have predicted that defensive stopper Shannon Bolden would hit three threes. Nor Kadidja Andersson's 17 point performance. "She came out of nowhere," Goestenkors said.

If Duke looked past Minnesota or some of its players, UConn will not make the same mistake. In fact, many Huskies predicted the outcome. "I knew Minnesota was going to win," said Strother. "Our coach did, too."

Geno understands how it can happen. "To the Minnesota kids, that was just another game. The Duke players knew what the consequences were. They were so jacked up, so hungry, so determined to get to the Final Four. Beard looked like she was trying to score 15 points on every possession."