Spokane bound?

First-year coach Joanne P. McCallie has tough shoes to fill, taking over a program that has a current streak of seven straight 30-win seasons.

The Blue Devils won everything but the last game of last season under Gail Goestenkors, who went 396-99 in her 15 seasons and then departed for Texas. McCallie turned Michigan State into a national program that included an appearance in the 2005 championship game.

The cupboard isn’t bare despite the loss of National Player of the Year Lindsey Harding and Allison Bales, a 6-foot-7 All-America center, from last year’s 32-2 team that lost to Rutgers in the Sweet 16. Heading the list are starters Abby Warner, an All-America candidate, Wanisha Smith in the backcourt and 6-2 forward Carrem Gay, who shot 58 percent last year. Filling in the void in the middle is 6-5 junior Chante Black who, back from an injury, is the leading scorer (13.5), rebounder (6.8, the same as Gay) and shot blocker (29).

The Blue Devils (10-3) lost three straight games early in the preseason but two were to ranked teams. With the difficult Atlantic Coast Conference schedule ahead, they can make that up and end up as a high seed.

Top four seeds: UConn, Tennessee, Stanford, North Carolina