I have an uncle named D. When Uncle D and I talk sports the conversations get pretty intense, especially when it comes to Duke University. More than 24 hours before the long awaited Maryland/Duke match-up Sunday night, he asked a simple yet thought provoking question: Do you really think Coach K is going to lose four straight? Given that he is a Duke fan, I knew his answer, and given that I too recognized the history and expectations placed on the Blue Devils, I thought the same thing—no! Obviously we both were wrong as the Terrapins (18-7, 4-6) went on to defeat the then No. 16 Blue Devils (18-7, 5-6) 72-60 in front of a sold out Comcast Center.
The Terps came out playing as if they had a fire blazing in the pits of their stomachs. Freshman Venezuelan guard Greivis Vasquez (who got off to a fast start as if he had been training with Barbaro) led the pack with 18 points, eight of which came in the first half. Forward James Gist finished the game with 16 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds, forward Ekene Ibekwe scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, guard DJ Strawberry had a quiet 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and guard Mike Jones rounded out the starting five with six points.
The first half clearly was dominated by the Terps’ explosive offense as they held a 20 point lead, and by the 12:37 mark had been on a 19-2 run. Duke’s Jon Scheyer seemed to be the Blue Devil’s savior in the first half as he scored all 11 of his points, six of which came from beyond the three point line. By halftime the Devils had cut the Terrapin lead 40-28
Even though the Terps firepower never seemed to run out, Duke’s forward Josh McRoberts started to sizzle as 16 of his 20 points came in the second half. Guard Greg Paulus was the only other Blue Devil to finish in double figures as he scored 12 points. DeMarcus Nelson, the team’s leading scorer at 14 points per game came off the bench with just eight points.
Just when it seemed Duke gave Maryland all they had as they managed to cut the lead to six on two occasions, the Terps pushed back as the crowd added fuel to the team’s fire. With 3:30 remaining in the game, Ebekwe’s monstrous dunk sent the Comcast Center to the moon. Nelson said of the game’s atmosphere and Maryland’s response to it, “We were on the road playing a tough team in their environment. The environment was amazing, and we didn't do a good job playing in it. They came out with a really big surge and they played with more energy. For 40 minutes they out-played us."
Now while I, along with Hall of Fame-elect MLB player Cal Ripken Jr. were amongst the 17,950 in attendance, as the game clock began to dwindle, and the handful of students decided to “storm the court” (don’t ask why) I still couldn’t believe it. Not that the Terps beat the Blue Devils, because that had been done two years ago during my freshman year, but because Duke this season is not the team everyone is used to seeing. Since being at the University, I’ve concluded that the Duke/Maryland “rivalry” is identical to that of the notorious Cowboys/Redskins rivalry. People in Washington, DC look forward to no other game but the two scheduled against Dallas, and the same can be said for the students and alumni of Maryland. The Terrapins could be in the midst of a tumultuous ACC season, but no other game seems to produce the intensity, the craze or the hype that is involved when Duke comes to town.
Why? Well I’m glad you asked.
Because. Duke. Is. The. Team. Everyone. Hates.
Maryland’s Coach Gary Williams said after the team’s win “That was a players' win. They came out with great intensity. We had two great practices that were much more competitive than you usually get this time of year. Usually it is just trying to get ready for that next game by walking through some things and doing some drills. We played hard the last couple of days in practice and the players really responded well to that."
So why practice hard when you’re going against Coach Mike Krzyzewski and a team that’s loss three straight heartbreakers against Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina? Why not practice hard to get that same response before playing those same Virginias and Florida States? Clearly, because they’re not Duke, a program held with high regard in the world of college basketball. A program that’s been crowned ACC Champions seven of the past eight years. A program that has 14 Final Four runs under its belt. A program that’s produced countless NBA players.
Instead Coach Williams and company put the fear into a Duke team who for the first time since the 1995-1996 season has fell from the elite AP Top 25 Poll. A team whose senior leadership falls in the hands of Joe Pagliuca, a walk-on who’s only seen playing time in eleven games this season. A team who with six freshman, six sophomores and one junior are temporarily under construction. That is the Duke team everyone in College Park got excited about defeating. That’s why there was no need to storm the court or riot on Route 1, because for once Duke has become the face of mediocrity.
And while Duke may be going through a dry spell and Maryland may be basking in glory, March answeres all questions, isn't that right, Uncle D?
U of Maryland 