Duke Blue Devils 78 – Maryland Terrapins 67
In one of the most physical ACC games you’ll see, Duke was able to pull away from Maryland in the final minutes to spoil another Terrapin upset bid. Maryland, which defeated No. 3 North Carolina last Saturday night, would have guaranteed itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a win over No. 7 Duke last night. Maryland fed off the energy from the home crowd early on and led most of the first half even though Duke kept it close. Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez, who finished with a triple double against UNC and the leading scorer for Maryland, was virtually a non-factor against Duke, playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Vasquez picked up his fourth foul just two minutes into the second half and sat on the bench for ten minutes before fouling out with four minutes to go in the game. Even without Vazquez, Maryland kept it close in the second half by being physical (just ask Duke’s Nolan Smith who had to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms after a hard-screen by Dave Neal) and attacking Duke inside the paint. Without an inside presence defensively, Duke had trouble stopping Maryland’s Landon Milbourne and Adrian Bowie who combined for 33 points, scoring most of them inside or at the foul line. Luckily for Duke, however, Gerald Henderson played one his most complete games of the year, tallying 19 points, 8 boards, 4 blocks, and 3 assists. Henderson’s electrifying blocks in the second half and one spectacular dunk silenced the crowd and shifted the momentum to the Blue Devils for good. Duke finally pulled away with five minutes to go and escaped the Comcast Center with a much needed victory. Elliot Williams also had his best game of the year adding 15 points on 6-8 shooting. Williams, a freshman McDonald’s All-American guard, has started the last three games after limited playing time the rest of the year. Although juggling the lineup this late in the season could disrupt the team’s rhythm, give Coach K credit for taking this necessary risk. Before inserting Williams into the lineup against St. John’s, Duke was showing signs of another late-season collapse, losing 4 of their last 6 in ACC play. Since making Williams a starter, however, Duke is 3-0, defeating St. John’s, No. 8 Wake Forest, and now Maryland. Williams is a solid defender who will not only contribute points and rebounds but will provide a spark to the rest of the team. This unorthodox move will payoff for Duke and give them a chance to compete for the ACC title in a couple of weeks.
Although Maryland’s win last week against North Carolina greatly improved its resume for March, the Terrapins still have work to do. Maryland is eighth in the conference and 6-7 in the ACC (17-10 overall). Maryland has a solid RPI and strength of schedule and two wins over top 10 opponents (UNC and Michigan State), but Maryland will need at least two more ACC wins to guarantee itself a spot in March Madness. Maryland’s only bad loss was to Morgan State in early January, but the beat-down it suffered at home to Georgetown is looking worse and worse as the Hoyas continue to fade in the Big East. Maryland plays at NC State, Wake Forest, and at Virginia to close out the regular season before heading to the ACC Tournament.
With this win, Duke improves to 9-4 in the ACC (23-5 overall) and is alone in second place after a Clemson loss last night. Duke finishes at Virginia Tech, and at home against No. 25 Florida State and No. 5 North Carolina. If Duke runs the table and reaches at least the final in the ACC Tournament, it has an outside chance at nabbing a number one seed in March, especially if Pittsburgh and Oklahoma continue to struggle. -J.S.
Honorable Mention: (2) Connecticut 93 --(10) Marquette 82 (Jim Calhoun earns 800th victory)
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