Duke MBB vs. Maryland Pre-Game and In-Game thread

[bjornolf]

Is it too early to start talking about the Terp game? I'd love some analysis from the crowd on how this matchup will differ from the last one, other than locale, of course.

[CMS2478]

Is it too early to start talking about the Terp game? I'd love some analysis from the crowd on how this matchup will differ from the last one, other than locale, of course.

I am very nervous about this one.

[OldPhiKap]

Maryland is pretty hot, and they are fighting to lock down a tourney spot. A win at Duke would put them in pretty solid position.

This should be our most intense game of the year so far. I'm glad we've manned-up since last time we played them, big time. Should be an epic battle.

[CDu]

I don't think it should differ too much. Maryland will try as hard as they can to get the ball into the hands of their post players. Duke will try as hard as they can to prevent that, and to force turnovers.

If Maryland succeeds in getting the ball into the paint (either with entry passes or dribble penetration) then we will be in trouble defensively.

I see no reason to expect this to be anything other than a high-scoring affair again.

[wilson]

I'm nervous about this one too. Maryland has already proven they can win a really tough road game. Plus, as has been noted, they are hot and seeking to maintain momentum into the tournament.
Lastly, my dad is going. His last game in Cameron (also my first-ever game there)? January, 1993. Grant Hill broke his foot and we lost to Wake.

[ugadevil]

I think turnovers will be big in this game, as they have been all year. Maryland has the type of offense where they will score on us, if they have time to execute. If we can take away those possessions, then we'll be in good shape. I'd be surprised if Osby played as well in this game as he did in College Park. I think someone else for them is going to have to step up. Vasquez perhaps?

[Methodistman]

Yes, Maryland is hot. But it seems to me that they were pretty hot when we beat them up there, as they were coming off of the stunning upset of then #1 unc turpentine holes. I do expect that Vasquez will try to put on a show - he seems to relish these type of games and the opportunity to be the villian. Very excited to see how Lance will do in this game - I hope to see that continued improvement. I'm also quite confident that Gist and Osby will NOT have the same kind of numbers that they did in the last game - one of them may, but definitely not both. K always devises a great game plan, and knowing that 1 person will not beat us, I look for K to try to shut down Gist. Rebounding will be key, but I'm also optimistic that we will not need to gather many offensive rebounds - I'm planning on there not being many opportunities for them as we will have a higher than average shooting percentage.

[MChambers]

I wasn't worried until I read these posts! I'm still skeptical about Maryland's revival, however, and I feel very good about our chances. I just don't see Maryland protecting or shooting the ball well enough to beat us.

[CDu]

I wasn't worried until I read these posts! I'm still skeptical about Maryland's revival, however, and I feel very good about our chances. I just don't see Maryland protecting or shooting the ball well enough to beat us.

I wouldn't be skeptical about Maryland's revival. They're a good team. We should still win, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if we didn't win.

[dbowen]

Does anyone hear think that K will try to motivate these guys (like he did 2 years ago in Cameron)? when he had every team member sign on the "D" at center court to play with a passion at home and to protect the court. Coming off of a sub-par home game against BC (no credit taken from the game BC played), I think he might have a trick in the bag so that our team will come out firing on all cylinders.

[CDu]

Does anyone hear think that K will try to motivate these guys (like he did 2 years ago in Cameron)? when he had every team member sign on the "D" at center court to play with a passion at home and to protect the court. Coming off of a sub-par home game against BC (no credit taken from the game BC played), I think he might have a trick in the bag so that our team will come out firing on all cylinders.

Coach K is a fantastic motivator. I'm sure he'll do something to get these guys focused and ready to play.

[Methodistman]

Does anyone hear think that K will try to motivate these guys (like he did 2 years ago in Cameron)? when he had every team member sign on the "D" at center court to play with a passion at home and to protect the court. Coming off of a sub-par home game against BC (no credit taken from the game BC played), I think he might have a trick in the bag so that our team will come out firing on all cylinders.

Since it will be K's birthday, maybe he'll give them some cake and ice cream in the locker room to get them all sugared up!

[gw67]

I agree with CDu that it should be a high scoring game. I think that it is likely that the Devils play Osby tougher but I also suspect that the Terps won’t have 22 turnovers. By the way, the Maryland guards, Vasquez and Hayes, totaled 16 assists against 6 turnovers in the last game. Most of the turnovers were by frontcourt players. The starting five of the Terps is capable of playing the Devils starting five even, IMO. The problem, as highlighted in the first game, is that the Terps’ bench does not provide much help. As a result, Gist, Vasquez and Hayes typically play about 35 minutes (and maybe more against Duke) and they are often out of gas the last 5-10 minutes against a deep team that plays at a fast pace like Duke.

The Devils are loaded with quality players who are confidant and are getting better. Furthermore, no one has yet figured out how to defense a team that has so many perimeter weapons. Sure, the Terps are better inside but the Devils are capable of blasting teams off the court who rely on the inside game and don’t make a bunch of threes.

I expect Gist and Vasquez to play well and to keep the Terps close for much of the game. However, the combination of three pointers and drives to the basket will eventually win out for the Devils at home. I expect a fun game to watch and a 10-15 point win for the home team.

gw67

[Madrasdukie]

I agree with CDu that it should be a high scoring game. I think that it is likely that the Devils play Osby tougher but I also suspect that the Terps won’t have 22 turnovers. By the way, the Maryland guards, Vasquez and Hayes, totaled 16 assists against 6 turnovers in the last game. Most of the turnovers were by frontcourt players. The starting five of the Terps is capable of playing the Devils starting five even, IMO. The problem, as highlighted in the first game, is that the Terps’ bench does not provide much help. As a result, Gist, Vasquez and Hayes typically play about 35 minutes (and maybe more against Duke) and they are often out of gas the last 5-10 minutes against a deep team that plays at a fast pace like Duke.

The Devils are loaded with quality players who are confidant and are getting better. Furthermore, no one has yet figured out how to defense a team that has so many perimeter weapons. Sure, the Terps are better inside but the Devils are capable of blasting teams off the court who rely on the inside game and don’t make a bunch of threes.

I expect Gist and Vasquez to play well and to keep the Terps close for much of the game. However, the combination of three pointers and drives to the basket will eventually win out for the Devils at home. I expect a fun game to watch and a 10-15 point win for the home team.

gw67

I agree their guards are good (maybe not as good on the defensive front) - it should be a fun match-up.

I wonder how much of a factor Zoubek will be esp. in the context of sharing some of the post-defense, and rebounding load ?

Also, Lance at Comcast is different from the Lance we have now.

[CDu]

I agree their guards are good (maybe not as good on the defensive front) - it should be a fun match-up.

I wonder how much of a factor Zoubek will be esp. in the context of sharing some of the post-defense, and rebounding load ?

Also, Lance at Comcast is different from the Lance we have now.

I don't expect much, if any, contribution from Zoubek. He's just lost so much development time due to the injuries, and he was already behind the curve coming into the season.

I DO hope for a solid contribution from Thomas. He's playing much better lately. It will help us greatly if he can keep improving and become a reasonably consistent presence in the post.

And I agree that it will be a fun matchup.

[Clipsfan]

I expect that, unlike the game at MD, the rims will be very soft tomorrow. You could hear the high pitched noise when the ball hit the rims up north; tomorrow there should be a very soft landing for slightly errant shots. If this helps our 3-point shooting, as it should, we should be able to complete the regular season sweep.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Maryland will test Duke's speed and defense, but Duke will seriously test Maryland's endurance. I anticipate that Duke's improved physical conditioning will pay off as it did in the Carolina game. The Maryland game provides another test of the idea behind the 17-day layoff over the holiday break... an experiment to determine whether the team's endurance in the second half of the season is influenced positively. Make no mistake, Maryland will come in playing to win.

[Madrasdukie]

I don't expect much, if any, contribution from Zoubek. He's just lost so much development time due to the injuries, and he was already behind the curve coming into the season.

This is what I suspect as well. On a more optimistic note, minutes that he gets between now and March should to some extent bolster our team's strength and options come the NCAA tournament. Anything before that, will definetly be a welcome boost.

[SMO]

This is what I suspect as well. On a more optimistic note, minutes that he gets between now and March should to some extent bolster our team's strength and options come the NCAA tournament. Anything before that, will definetly be a welcome boost.

I don't think Z will play big minutes but he does give us a body to put on Gist and Osby. Just 2-5 min out of Zoubs could be enough to disrupt them if they get rolling, and that could have an impact on the game. I like our chances at home, with an improved LT, and a few minutes from Zoubek.

[DoubleDuke Dad]

One benefit of having Zoubek on the bench is that we will have five more fouls to give against the Maryland frontcourt. However, if Zoubek picks up fouls as quickly as he did in the BC game that should only account for about 25 seconds of playing time!