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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Mount Kisco, NY

    Duke MBB vs. Maryland Pre-Game & In-Game Thread

    Our team has me very excited; they're tough, talented yet workman-like, and all of the other words in the old Roget's.

    Winning Maui was great, beating Wisconsin was too, starting the ACC 4-0 is encouraging...

    Every ACC game is big, ACC road games are that much bigger, Maryland is a hated rival, etc. Sunday's game is BIGGER then those reasons.

    To me, getting swept by Maryland last season was particularly galling. They were an average team, and both times we played we showed nothing. The first meeting, at Comcast, we were coming off the two heartbreakers against UVA and FSU and the disheartening loss to UNC. We should have had all the motivation in the world and we mever showed up. Worse was the rematch at home. We were coming off the 4 game winning streak that started at BC and featured a solid road win at Clemson, and a revenge win home against Tech. It looked like we had turned a corner and we ready to start playing some ball. Instead, at home no less, we had no life, laid an egg, and began our 4 game season ending slide.

    Those two games, more then any other, to me, personified the flaws of last year's team.

    I want to believe that this team is different. All evidence supports that this year's team is different. A win Sunday night at Comcast against a fresh legged Terp squad will prove it to me. It's that kind of game.

    LET'S GO BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. #2
    Can't wait. Vasquez pissed me off so many times last year. Looks like we're better and they're worse than last year, so we've got a good shot at redemption Sunday.
    Last edited by beltwayBD; 01-25-2008 at 07:11 PM. Reason: spelling

  3. #3

    Maryland Review (Long)

    I’ve watched about 2/3 of the Maryland games so far this year so I thought that I would provide a review of the Terps.

    Season to Date – The Terps started very slowly and, other than the win at UNC and a handful of wins at home against so-so teams, they have played poorly as a team. Their record is 12-7 but they have won 6 of their 7 games since their home loss to American. Their ACC record is 2-2 and their RPI is in unfamiliar territory. Nevertheless, the Terps normally get up for the Devils and last weekend’s game against the Heels showed that they are capable of being competitive. The following is a detailed look at the team:

    “the good”

    Although the Terps have not played well as a team for most of the season, there have been some “good” aspects to their play:
    · The team defense has been good. They lead the ACC in FG % defense; blocked shots; and are second to Duke in 3-pt FG % defense. Maryland fans cry crocodile tears about the lack of quickness in the backcourt but Vasquez and Hayes are tall, have good reach, put forth good effort and play good fundamental defense. Vasquez has played Lawson very well the past two years.
    · The backcourt play of Vasquez and Hayes has been solid. They average 27.4 ppg and 11.4 apg. Hayes takes care of the ball and has an a/to of 2.65.
    · Vasquez is averaging 16.6 ppg, 6.3 apg and 5.4 rpg. He has shot poorly in a handful of games but in those games his floor play was very good. When he is on his game, he is one of the top ten players in the ACC.
    · At times, Gist and Osby have had some good games and their recent performances may be an indication that they are ready to play well for the remainder of the year.

    “the bad”

    · The Terps have six freshmen and a sophomore who had not played much last year. These players occupy one starter position and the first four players off the bench. The lack of production from these players and their mistakes/turnovers has been the principal reason behind the slow start of the Terps. Only Milbourne and Tucker have shown glimpses of being productive players and none of the four big men have stepped up. I am probably being very unfair to these youngsters but it is not apparent whether they are just taking time to adjust to the speed of the game and size of the opponents or whether their problems are not temporary and the ACC is just above their level of play. This is a big issue for this year as well as next year.
    · The Terps are not a good outside shooting team and this may be a reflection of their coach’s philosophy of pounding the ball down low, no matter what. The times the team has looked good, IMO, is when Williams has loosened the reins and let the team do more free lancing.
    · Of the young players, only Milbourne can be counted on to make a free throw.
    · The frontcourt players, starters as well as subs, are turnovers waiting to happen.

    “the ugly”

    · Bowie has the potential to be a good defensive player and he is outstanding at driving to the basket; however, his shooting motion from the field and foul line is, perhaps, the ugliest in the ACC. His field goal % is 53% but that is built on layups and dunks. From beyond two feet, he throws the ball at the hoop and it isn’t pretty.
    · As discussed above, Vasquez has played very well; however, there are two ugly aspects to his game. First, he has a tendency to go one on five at times. More often than not this results in a fast break basket for the opposition. The other ugly aspect of his game is sometimes a strength – his emotional play. Personally, I was taught to not show up an opponent and he occasionally does so after a good play. He also is very hard on himself and sometimes carries this to an extreme – witness the pounding of the basket strut, which probably cost the Terps a win against BC.

    Prediction vs. Duke

    I am always amazed when the Terps give the Devils a good game or defeat them. They play an offensive scheme that relies on passing and inside play, which plays right into the defensive scheme used by Coach K. Even when they had Blake and Dixon, the Terps would turn the ball over numerous times and the current backcourt, while good, does not measure up to those guys. Further, they don’t make a good % of the few three pointers that they shoot. These offensive issues combined with the fact that the Devils spread things out on offense and rely of one-on-one play and good outside shooting negate any inside advantage the Terps have. I think that the Terps will put forth a good effort but will fall short by 8-10 points to the better team.

    I am a fan of both teams and when they play, I just sit back and enjoy the game and not worry about who wins. I expect a competitive and emotional game. I note that one poster in one of the post-Tech threads mentioned that he/she expected dirty play in the Maryland game. To date, I’ve not noticed any dirty play by the Terps. Vasquez is chippy and Osby is physical but neither player has been dirty in games to date.

    gw67

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Norfolk, VA

    Thanks!

    gw67,

    Thanks for a very informative post. Based on your scouting report, I expect we will concentrate on cutting off passing lanes and converting turnovers into transition points. I also believe Duke's small line-up will see significant playing time as Coach K will try to force Gary Williams to adjust to our style of play.

    I'm excited about the matchup and predict another win on the road for our Blue Devils.
    Bob Green

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Great post, gw. Appreciate it. If it weren't for MD's performance in Chapel Hill and also their 7-day break to prepare for Duke at home, I'd think little of the Terps' chances to win. I'd have expected a similar game to the VT contest, not in physicality, but in how the underdog just doesn't have enough ball-handling and offense overall to threaten Duke for an entire game. I think I'll regard the victory at UNC to be a fluke but the 7-day break does give me some pause. Maybe Gary will throw a wrinkle or two at Duke that we haven't seen yet? In any case, I still expect that Duke wins this game against Maryland the vast majority of the time. It's all about Vasquez; the Terps won't win unless Greivis plays great, and we'll hound him enough with our bevy of perimeter players to prevent him from playing great the vast majority of the time.

  6. #6
    I don't think anyone truly expected duke to be this good. Hell, I surely didn't. And I'm loving this team even more after each game.

    But, that of course means, like usual...every team is going to bring their A game. I'm veryyyy excited for this game. They played UNC very tough, and I expect them to play Duke even tougher.

    Keep it up boys.

  7. #7
    It's hard to get a handle on this game. Is Maryland awakening, or did UNC just have a bad game? Osby won't be as effective on defense against us, I don't think, since Kyle has much more range and ball handling ability than any of UNC's bigs. Rebounding is probably my number one worry.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Thomas, King, and McClure are important in this one (in my opinion). They need to contain either Osby or Gist (whomever Singler isn't going against). This will free up Nelson/Henderson to guard Vazquez. I don't think Paulus is a good matchup there, and would feel more comfortable if Paulus was guarding Hayes. Vazquez is more aggressive and more of a game breaker, and against Paulus he had a tendency to "see blood" and attack.

    We're better overall, but Maryland has a few dangerous players. We have to minimize Vazquez's effectiveness and not let Maryland's athleticism/aggressive hurt us on the boards. That said, they aren't nearly the same team as last year, when they had Strawberry, Jones, and Ibekwe. This team lacks those three, and while Milbourne and Osby have stepped up and been solid (and Vazquez has become their star), they just don't have the weapons they used to have.

    This one should be more of a challenge than the Va Tech game, because they are more talented, have better backcourt play, and have better big men than the Hokies did. It should be just as physical, but much less chippy than the Va Tech game. Vazquez can be annoying, but he doesn't really do anything dirty. And the rest of their team is pretty vanilla in terms of chippiness level.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham
    I think this game is going to be a war.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Close to the Gothic Playground!
    everybody,

    This is going to be a very tough game for Duke.

    1) That arena is hostile; indeed, they hate us.
    2) They used to throw stuff at our players and at our player's families.
    3) There are going to be signs and chants all over that arena.
    4) Maryland is working on a resurgence for this year after beating Carolina; they're more confident and they need this game.
    5) Gist is a freak of nature in the leaping department and they are going to work to get Singler out of the game or in foul trouble so he can't contribute as much.

    All said, we are going to have to play great to win this game in my opinion.

    Look for a lot of emotion from their crowd and their players, and Sweat Gary Sweat will be in Duke-ready form.

    THROTTLE UP DUKE!

    dth.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cary, NC
    how exaclty did maryland get to have 7 full days between games for us to come to town?
    Duke '96
    Cary, NC

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Raleigh

    Big Event

    my house is going to be crazy. my roommate happens to be Miss Maryland 2006. Shes bringing her enemy friends over...I'm having the fellow Dukies over... tense environment in the house already...

    Hope those twerps are ready for a big loss tomorrow.

  13. #13

    That sounds like...

    Quote Originally Posted by jzp5079 View Post
    my house is going to be crazy. my roommate happens to be Miss Maryland 2006. Shes bringing her enemy friends over...I'm having the fellow Dukies over... tense environment in the house already...

    Hope those twerps are ready for a big loss tomorrow.
    a bet waiting to happen. Maybe you should poll DBR and see what the losing fans have to do. Of course, you could tell them if they lose, their punishment is going back to being UM fans

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    SWEAT, GARY, SWEAT!

    One of my favorites.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Talking Make it feel like Cameron

    Quote Originally Posted by wilson View Post
    SWEAT, GARY, SWEAT!

    One of my favorites.
    Speaking of sweating ...

    jzp5079: To give your roommate a truly Duke experience, turn off the AC, turn up the heat, get a fire going, and insist that everyone stand shouolder to shoulder. OH YEAH ... and plenty of face paint!

    FWIW, Miss America is on tonight. You might have some practice antagonizing her with a little commentary about THAT competition.

    Cheers,
    Lavabe

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Raleigh
    she informed me that she competed in the Miss USA section (apparently it is different from America, whodathunk)

    I actually am laying off the game time chatter because her and her friends have spent all day baking me and my buddy cookies while we waste away the day with halo 3 (and by waste, I mean waste... we are just waiting to go see some guys from Reno 911 do some standup on campus tonight). Only two semesters left being a college student... I won't go out without Duke beating the terps at their place...

    I actually hate the terps more then UNC.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Louisville, KY

    On paper, Maryland is a better match up for Duke

    Maryland's offense is mediocre at best. The recent game at Chapel Hill was their recent best, and exceeded only by their games against Delaware, Morgan St., Lehigh and North Florida, the latest of which was a month ago. I don't see this as a trend, as the two previous games (VPI and WFU) were much more terrestrial and in line with the season's average. The trend is better correlated to UNC's ability to make mediocre offenses look superb.

    Maryland's offense runs on offensive boards, while both shooting and turning over in the bottom third of all D-1. Duke's offense runs on its defense turning over the opposition, and Maryland looks to play that role well. Maryland takes very few threes and misses a lot of them. Their offense looks to pass to the open man for a 2 and corral a lot of the misses. UNC let them make lots of entry passes. Don't expect the Duke perimeter to be so porous.

    Maryland's defense gets a very high percent of blocks and owns the area inside the arc. That said, their offensive SOS has been very weak, and that number includes UNC's 2nd ranked offense. Finally, their defense in highly correlated to getting turnovers, but they rank in the exact middle of the country in that category.

    Maryland will be up for the game and look to continue last week's momentum back at home. The first ten minutes will be tight or even in Maryland's favor on adrenaline and drive. But their shallow bench (which ranks 298th for % of minutes) will let their starters wear down in the transition game. Duke going away.

  18. #18
    Looks like I found two tickets to head up to college park with a fellow tent one member for tomorrows game... Hoping to survive with our lives

    I think we may be wearing duke blue hard hats...

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Thumbs up One other item to take...

    Quote Originally Posted by devillighter View Post
    Looks like I found two tickets to head up to college park with a fellow tent one member for tomorrows game... Hoping to survive with our lives

    I think we may be wearing duke blue hard hats...
    KEVLAR. Get a vest of the stuff. It'll save your life.

    As an alternative, you could wear an American University t-shirt!

    Will be looking for your hard hats on TV. GREAT idea!
    Good Luck and Cheers,
    Lavabe
    Last edited by Lavabe; 01-26-2008 at 06:41 PM. Reason: punctuation

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Thomas, King, and McClure are important in this one (in my opinion). They need to contain either Osby or Gist (whomever Singler isn't going against). This will free up Nelson/Henderson to guard Vazquez. I don't think Paulus is a good matchup there, and would feel more comfortable if Paulus was guarding Hayes. Vazquez is more aggressive and more of a game breaker, and against Paulus he had a tendency to "see blood" and attack.

    We're better overall, but Maryland has a few dangerous players. We have to minimize Vazquez's effectiveness and not let Maryland's athleticism/aggressive hurt us on the boards. That said, they aren't nearly the same team as last year, when they had Strawberry, Jones, and Ibekwe. This team lacks those three, and while Milbourne and Osby have stepped up and been solid (and Vazquez has become their star), they just don't have the weapons they used to have.

    This one should be more of a challenge than the Va Tech game, because they are more talented, have better backcourt play, and have better big men than the Hokies did. It should be just as physical, but much less chippy than the Va Tech game. Vazquez can be annoying, but he doesn't really do anything dirty. And the rest of their team is pretty vanilla in terms of chippiness level.
    Nice post as usual. I agree that I wouldn't want to see Paulus defending Vasquez, who I think should be Duke's primary focus in this game. I'm not sure I would put Paulus on Hayes, either, because I'd like to see Henderson/Scheyer spend most of the time on Maryland's best shooter and hopefully shut him down. With Nelson/Smith slated for duty on Vasquez (at least in the matchups in my head), I would suggest putting Paulus on Milbourne/Tucker, especially Milbourne who is shooting 38% from the field including 33% from behind the arc. Paulus can then be a designated double-team guy since the Terps like to pound it inside. The one thing I like about Greg on defense is that he has quick hands and I can see him being effective crashing down and stripping their big men, especially Osby, who is turnover-prone.

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