MBB: Duke 85, Maryland 44 Post-Game Thread

[Hancock 4 Duke]

Man what a game for Duke, they were ahead so much, johnson and davidson even got to play. Post your thoughts. LGD!!!!

[umdukie]

Well, this is the perfect 40 minutes of Duke basketball we've waited for all season. Not too much to criticize in this game besides the fact that we missed some point-blank layups in the first half.

As for the announcers...
Mike Patrick: "Big win for Maryland!!!":confused:

Get these trash announcers out of here ESPN.

[RainingThrees]

Thoughts on the big win?

[roywhite]

Hey, Greivis,

SCOREBOARD

[moonpie23]

it's NOT his house.....i would imagine it's gonna be a tough ride home on that bus.....

[moonpie23]

good win......now...a much better team that has had a week to stew...

they had better be on their game...

[captmojo]

Lawdy! Lawdy! Lawdy!

Keep it up! :):):):)

[CameronBornAndBred]

!!WOW!!

Regardless of if you think this is the #1 team in the country, today this team played like it wants to be. I can't remember such a dominating performance over a rival team.

[devildownunder]

Call it an eviction notice.

[Coballs]

Well, this couldn't have gone much better.

Vasquez's stat line: FGM-FGA 2-10 3PT 0-0 FT 0-0 Off 0 Reb 1 Ast 0 Blk 0 PF 2 Pts 4. Not exactly backing up his big talk.

So glad that Elmore was a captive audience.

[Karl Beem]

Hey, Greivis,

SCOREBOARD


"It's not smack if you can back it up."

HAHAHAHAHA.

[delfrio]

Was that one second half play credited with 4 assists?

[Faison1]

Ouch.....I almost felt bad for Gary. Then I remembered the loss at the Comcast Center 2 years ago, where Duke was VERY young, and the fans were ruthless......then I didn't feel so bad anymore.

Next game is going to be a challenge.....

[mpj96]

In a lifetime of watching Duke play Maryland this was Duke's largest margin ever.

Man I am savoring this.

[RainingThrees]

I really liked that jumper Elliot hit in which he started dribbling toward his man pulled up in rhythm and drained the 3. It looked like one of his plays from his highlight reel.

[BlueintheFace]

Zoubek was awesome
G was Awesome
Defense was AMAZING!!!

I can't think of any negatives at all except that Jon really struggled every time he got to the rim and that we missed a few easy lay-ups.

[RepoMan]

Wow. A complete effort from start to finish. Don't often see such domination of an ACC team. Great win. Defense led the charge, again.

[throatybeard]

I don't usually do this, but reading their board is hysterical.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=174&f=2580

[Coballs]

I really liked that jumper Elliot hit in which he started dribbling toward his man pulled up in rhythm and drained the 3. It looked like one of his plays from his highlight reel.

It also sealed a 40+ point victory.

[jv001]

Glad you mentioned this. Is everyone having fun yet? We're 18-1, about to be #1 and just beat Maryland by 41 points. Yeah, we're all looking ahead to bigger things down the line, but the fun is in the journey. And right now, this is a blast. Is everyone having as good a time following this team as I am?

I've been having fun with this team all year. Today we beat my 2nd most despised team in the twerps by 41 points and it could have been worse. We should be #1 Monday when the polls come out. I don't usually get too excited about the polls but this year is different. I want every good thing to come this teams way. I love the way they compete. The only bad thing about today was having to listen to Len (twerp) Elmore. Complaining about lack of foul shots for the twerps and saying that we have to go to comcast for a rematch. Well the result will be the same, maybe by not as any points but the outcome will be the same. Go Duke!

[devildownunder]

Zoubek was awesome
G was Awesome
Defense was AMAZING!!!

I can't think of any negatives at all except that Jon really struggled every time he got to the rim and that we missed a few easy lay-ups.

Oh, there's plenty to work on. Nolan needs to learn how to do a better job of finishing on his drives. His shot gets blocked way too much in that situation. Of course, he also has so many pg skills to learn. He has a lot on his plate.

[BlueintheFace]

VASQUEZ- 4 pts, 4 turnovers, 1 assist, 1 rebound in 28 minutes of action


... nice

[RainingThrees]

There should be a top 10 plays video for this game. Too many for just 5. Elliot had a poster dunk on a Maryland player late in the game that I hope makes it, it happened really quick but was pretty sick. #1 had to be either that alley to Singler or that one fast break play where we had about 5 passes.

[JDev]

A lot of things jump out at you when looking at the stats, like holding UM to 28% shooting, killing them on the backboards, and the good shooting from three. The thing that impressed me the most was that Duke had assists on over 2/3 of their field goals. Great job moving the ball and having what Coach calls "connecting plays." Great effort, offensively and defensively.

[Diddy]

That seat in college park is probably heating up. UMD got crushed in a marquee game on national television. Duke's bigs, which haven't been gangbusters so far, looked like all-pro regulars. Duke got so many open threes, that well, I don't know. But good god, it's like they were allergic to guarding us on the perimeter.

There is almost no talent on that roster. Vazquez, today not withstanding, is a solid player with NBA game. If he were to go pro this year, UMD would be a wasteland.

And there is no help comming.

Sweathog's aversion to recruiting is legendary, but that was OK when he was unearthing hidden gems left and right.

Now, if I am the PTB at UMD, I have to wonder if the team is heading in the right direction. Duke and UNC are, and will continue to be, Duke and UNC. Miami is improving, and Clemson is starting to hum. Wake is showing signs of life, and has a good roster now and even going forward with solid recruits. This year's bottom teams, GT and UVA, are unique. UVA is probably headed to a regime change, and GT has stud recruits incomming who will give them at least a temporary bump next year.

Right now, UMD and UVA look like the dregs of the Conf next year. How long can you justify paying Gary to run the program into the ground. Recovering at a school like UMD will NOT be easy. A resurgent G-Town is nearby to snatch up recruits, and everybody recruits the mid-atlantic prep schools. MD public schools are not exactly a bountiful recruiting zone.

ps How soon before the league changes Duke's "permanent" opponent away from UMD to (probably) Wake? PDQ at a guess.

[BlueintheFace]

Oh, there's plenty to work on. Nolan needs to learn how to do a better job of finishing on his drives. His shot gets blocked way too much in that situation. Of course, he also has so many pg skills to learn. He has a lot on his plate.

keep your head up, i think we'll make it through this tough time

[DukeBlood]

Great game by everyone. We out-rebounded Maryland by 23!

Some things that I noticed..

Miles- Will be a force on the defensive side in the next couple years. Really impressive looking out there. He has a few things to learn and then learn to put them together. Wouldn't be surprised to see him play a similar roll to David McClure's next year, Maybe even more.

Elliot- Alot of talent there. Needs to learn to a few things and stay in control but potentially an elite player. Is young and we need to be patient, I expect good things next year.

I was thinking before the year started I was a little disappointed with the recruiting class, Lost out on a couple recruits. Now, Im not. These two have alot of potential and I believe we will see the best of them in a year or two.

Anyway, Back to the game. Really kinda speechless :)

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

Elliot is not afraid to try and dunk anything within 10 feet of the basket and I love it.

[captmojo]

I 'd vote for the Singler alley-oop. That ball was passed behind his head!

[KandG]

I don't usually do this, but reading their board is hysterical.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=174&f=2580


I don't really go to other boards like I used to, but I did check it out and what was sad was how little energy there was on their boards -- barely a hint of outrage, just resignation...sounds like no one believes in Gary any more.

When I jumped over to the UNC boards, in contrast, there were at least six threads on us and how pathetic Maryland was....there was even a thread on Abby.

Extremely fun game, though it stopped being fun (from a TV watching standpoint) once the lead got to 44 or so -- then it became a non-stop Len Elmore whinefest. I don't generally complain about announcers, but Elmore was incredibly grating...I've watched NBA broadcasts where the home crew hasn't been remotely as partisan as Elmore was.

[MB in MD]

This is really one to savor. We played really, really good basketball today, except for some trouble finishing inside, and even that was mitigated by how well we rebounded on the offensive glass (ESPN box score has us with 20 OR, with Z having 7).

Maryland is clearly an up and down--mostly down--team, but they did beat UM and Michigan State, and I can't believe they didn't come in thinking they could play with us. But the posters who said Zoubek set the tone early had it exactly right. In the first two and a half minutes he had a layup, two blocks, a rebound and an assist, Gary called his first TO and right after that he had an offensive rebound and putback of a Scheyer miss, and it was downhill all the way.

Great game all.

[DukeBlood]

Anyone have the back to back alley-oops online yet? I don't remember them showing a replay on the second one. Greatly appreciate it.

[Saratoga2]

Today we saw a blowout plain and simple. It's hard to comment on all the good play, however, it was interesting to see Zoubek, Thommas, Plumlee, Williams and Paulus all get a lot of minutes and all do good things out there. Considering Thomas and Zoubek had been struggling, this had to be a game that boosted their confidence. Paulus also looked better for the third straight game. Thde two guys I thought benefitted most from the opportunity to play significant minutes were Plumlee and Williams.

Plumlee came in and looked shaky at the start, but then really worked hard blocking shots and rebounding. This kid really goes after the ball and has the quickness to be effective around the rim.

Williams also looked good after perhaps a little shakiness at the start. He is fearless attacking the basket, has a reasonable handle, and also showed he could score from outside.

Very positive game for Duke.

[jv001]

I don't really go to other boards like I used to, but I did check it out and what was sad was how little energy there was on their boards -- barely a hint of outrage, just resignation...sounds like no one believes in Gary any more.


Extremely fun game, though it stopped being fun (from a TV watching standpoint) once the lead got to 44 or so -- then it became a non-stop Len Elmore whinefest. I don't generally complain about announcers, but Elmore was incredibly grating...I've watched NBA broadcasts where the home crew hasn't been remotely as partisan as Elmore was.

Just how bad elmore is when it comes to Duke games. Well he may be that bad in other games, but I just don't watch them. Go Duke!

[Diddy]

In Elliot, I see a LOT of Hendo. Wheras Hendo was sick/not conditioned as a frosh, E-Will's skills need work. Both players had flaws that impeded them from getting regular PT. E-Will is doubly hammered by the fact that he essentially backs up Jon and Hendo, two of our three best players. Combine McClure's D prowess, and getting minutes is hard for the lad.

Next year, I can really see E-will handing in a year like Hendo did last year. E-Will has noticably improved his skills. He is a streaky shooter, but that will improve, like his ball handling, this summer. He needs to gain some weight, but that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, I think he looks bigger now than when the season started. He is obviously getting a lot out of practice. His athleticism is freaky, and I think he will be a Hendo like player in a few years.

I like where that Kid is going. He has as much upside as anyone in the country. Most importantly, he plays solid D and goes hard all the time when he is in.

[appzter]

Man what a game for Duke, they were ahead so much, johnson and davidson even got to play. Post your thoughts. LGD!!!!

Davidson is red-shirting this year.

[SilkyJ]

It also sealed a 40+ point victory.

So funny you say that, my friend i was watching with was calling for the 40 point victory just to make a point.


Oh, there's plenty to work on. Nolan needs to learn how to do a better job of finishing on his drives. His shot gets blocked way too much in that situation. Of course, he also has so many pg skills to learn. He has a lot on his plate.

I think the good news there is that we are really good but still getting better. (which is good, what with our peaking early lately.)


#1 had to be either that alley to Singler or that one fast break play where we had about 5 passes.

The 5 passes came right after the alley-oop and I bet the combined play is the #1 play on the blueplanet top 5 and on sportscenter.

[sue71, esq]

!!WOW!!

Regardless of if you think this is the #1 team in the country, today this team played like it wants to be. I can't remember such a dominating performance over a rival team.

Amen!

[jpfrizzle]

Watch Out Wake

Go DUKE ! ! ! !

#1

[bludvlman]

I'm going to go on a limb and say that Gerald Henderson in the right situation could be the greatest NBA player to go to Duke.

[Karl Beem]

I'm going to go on a limb and say that Gerald Henderson in the right situation could be the greatest NBA player to go to Duke.

G will be seriously undersized at his position in the NBA.

[captmojo]

G will be seriously undersized at his position in the NBA.

Point of note, Bill Russell was smaller than Wilt Chamberlain.

[jv001]

G will be seriously undersized at his position in the NBA.


I think Gerald will play the 2nd guard in the NBA and his size will not hurt him there. His defense has really picked up this year, his outside shot is good and he can drive the ball. I don't know if he will be the best Duke pro, but he certainly has the opportunity. Go Duke!

[Karl Beem]

Point of note, Bill Russell was smaller than Wilt Chamberlain.


So am I - your point?

[camion]

I'm really surprised by this game. Maryland usually gives us a great effort, but today we just jumped on them from the start and they had nothing. It was a total butt kicking, so much so that I started to worry about Wake about four minutes into the second half. That's when I considered this game over.

Dominant, dominant, dominant. Kudos to everyone on the team.

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

G will be seriously undersized at his position in the NBA.

he will be a decent/average sized shooting guard with elite athletic ability...

[jv001]

ps How soon before the league changes Duke's "permanent" opponent away from UMD to (probably) Wake? PDQ at a guess.

I hope they don't take the twerps off our permanent foe away from home until after Gary get's the boot. Go Duke!

[Diddy]

I'm really surprised by this game. Maryland usually gives us a great effort, but today we just jumped on them from the start and they had nothing. It was a total butt kicking, so much so that I started to worry about Wake about four minutes into the second half. That's when I considered this game over.

Dominant, dominant, dominant. Kudos to everyone on the team.

I really didn't fault UMD's effort today, at least in the first half. They really quit in the 2nd half, but that is understandable, if not forgivable.

Look, you can hustle and give it the ol' college try, but against superior players it just doesn't matter.

Excepting Vazques, Duke was more talented at every position. And it Vaques is only a positional winner if he is listed as a PG, and not by much, over Nolan. If he is a SG or SF, then UMD loses every positional battle. And it is not a close loss. Outside of Vazques, UMD does not have a single player who would get quality minutes on one the Duke-WFU-UNC triumverate. They are awful.

Effort and Hustle mean nothing against vastly superior talent. Effort and hustle by a great team like Duke CAN overcome a more talented team like UNC, because the disparity level is not that great.

UMD is a Bad, bad team. They will be lucky to make the NIT. One of the pregame articles said it best: Duke has the one of the weaker low post games in the ACC. If our guys can go bananas, some of the bigger teams will also go nuts (but without the stellar G-F play of Duke). There just aren't a lot of easy wins on UMD's schedule.

[Ian]

I'm embarrassed for Maryland, not because they got spanked, but that they quit in the 2nd half.

It's even more hilarious that Len Elmore tried to justify them quitting by blaming it on not getting calls from the refs and stopped trying because of that.

[Ben63]

This has been a great season to watch. They play beautiful team basketball and boy is it FUN to watch. Go Duke!!!!

[slower]

Point of note, Bill Russell was smaller than Wilt Chamberlain.

EVERYBODY (at the time) was smaller than Wilt. Russell was not (in that era) particularly undersized for his POSTION, was he?

[captmojo]

So am I - your point?

...and history shows that you don't have to be the largest on the floor to have success.

[Cormac]

Duke 2nd Half = 45

MD game total = 44

Good win for the good guys. Lots of minutes for developing the youngins which is always good in an ACC game, regardless of how bad the other team plays. Plumlee has a chance to be really really good on defense. I think he can be a solid contributor on offense once he matures. Is it just me, or does he look like he's still trying to fit into his body a little? Almost like he's uncomfortable with being so big right now. He's more athletic than Zoubs (who played really well against bad competition today) so I think he's got a shot if he sticks with it and keeps his head up. Just needs some time to develop. I expect him to be a factor later on down the road, if not by the end of this year. All in all, not much to complain about! Next play.

[Lord Ash]

That... was... GREAT.

[Diddy]

Its a matter of pride to have our players succeeding in a higher level and giving us fans something to talk about with our rivals. Would you rather he failed in the NBA?

I agree. It is also a great recruiting tool if your grads/alums/ex-players are doing well in the NBA. I think Kenny Boynton would have been a lot more receptive to Duke's J-Will comparisons if J-Will were a regular All-star (like he would've been sans bike accident).

Duke is going hard after a Jr named Harrison Barnes, a freak athlete at the 2/3 a la Hendo. If Hendo is blowing it up in the league next year, that will look good to HB. It doesn't always work, see wide-body low post bangers, but that is as much a testimony to the scarce number of Duke Caliber (academic) low posts as anything else.

I also agree with the original post, that Hendo could be Duke's BEST pro. Right now it is still G-Hill, but his injuries sapped what should have been an All-Time level career into merely a perenial all-star career. It sux, but there it is.

Hendo, in the right situation, could be great. He has the body, he has the effort, and now he has the skills. There is almost no one in college that can stop him. I don't see that many in the pros. Some of the truly greats can lock him down, but they will have to work their tails off to do it. With him hitting J's, his game is almost flawless. Heck, his ally-oop to Singler was pretty. Passing is his weak link, and it is really good.

With Hendo having spent 3 years, at least, as a Dukie, it would be a real feather in Duke's cap. K can rightly take credit for molding an athlete into a basketball player. We rail against the "entourages" of some prep athletes, but most of those people arround a player DO have the player's best interests at heart, even if they have selfish motivations for doing so. Hendo was a freak athlete. Lots of freak athletes never learn to play ball, and never do anything. K turned a dissappointing Frosh into a POY candidate, and more importantly to recruits, into a high lottery selection in the near future. Recruits and the people arround them will remember that.

Starting with Harrison Barnes.

[Jumbo]

What a fantastic effort. The combination of Duke's talent and desire and Maryland's lack of talent, desire and focus created an avalanche. There were so many great things to see, including:

-Zoubek stepping back up and taking advantage of a mismatch. Duke looked to him early and he delivered. He really is quite a good passer, too.

-Scheyer finding his stroke from deep. He was 4-8 from three, one of which was a desparation heave at the end of the clock and two others which were halfway down. Granted, it help that Maryland decided to stop guarding anyone and none of our shooters even had a hand in the face for most of the game. Still, it was clearly early on that he wanted the bal and he was ready to be aggressive. I thought he got fouled on the three where he tried to draw contact and got hit on a drive. A couple of those missed layups were just weird.

-Lance Thomas' best game in a while. He was aggressive at both ends.

-Kyle being Kyle, Gerald being Gerald.

-Paulus seems to have finally latched on to a role.

-Dave knocked down a jumper!

I also think this game offered a nice explanation for why our top eight guys are playing more than the next three. Granted, you'd expect Williams, Plumlee and Pocius to struggle a little bit because they were on the court with each other (as well as Czyz and Paulus), rather than one at a time with a bunch of starters. Still, you could see that Miles is REALLY raw offensively and struggles to finish, that Williams hasn't learned pacing (be quick, but don't be in a hurry -- you don't have to go full speed all the time) and that Marty's jumper is off.

But for the people who believe game experience is critical for development, they got a nice, long stint on the floor. Hopefully it will benefit them in the long haul. As I've said, I'm fine with the eight-man rotation in close games, as long as Plumlee, Williams and Pocius remain options when needed (as Plumlee showed against Georgetown, Pocius against Georgia Tech, etc.). Hopefully this game will help quell the minutes-played arguments down the line.

What a great, fun, awesome win. Enjoy it!

[VAGentleman05]

Impressive win, my Blue Devil friends! My favorite part was what happened in the grad section right before half-time. I got to the walk-up line pretty late this morning, so I ended up standing way over in the corner, next to where the Maryland players walked to get to the locker room. Of course, they were ribbed pretty bad when they were down 40-15 at the half. Gary Williams came out about a minute after the rest of the team after half-time, and one grad student was standing next to the rope and yelling "Sweat, Gary, Sweat." Gary stopped, took a couple steps toward the guy, pointed at him, and said "You're fat and you're ugly," and then walked into the arena. By the end of the 2nd half, the guy was a legend in our section. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen at a basketball game.

[DukeDevilDeb]

Man what a game for Duke, they were ahead so much, johnson and davidson even got to play. Post your thoughts. LGD!!!!

Unless I blinked and missed it, Jordan Davidson did not get into the game. On the goduke.com boxscore, he is not listed. He is a terrific kid, has played the point for the Blue team for a while, and I was really hoping to get a chance to see him even play 30 seconds!

Otherwise, however, sensational game. Best entire 40 minutes we've played in a long, long time!

[captmojo]

This morphed into the "post game" thread yet remains as a stand-alone.

When I click on "Are we Having fun".

[rockymtn devil]

Not really a whole lot to say. Duke was fantastic. I was especially pleased to see our defense forcing turnovers and getting rebounds that led to fastbreak opportunities. It looked like the run-and-gun Duke teams we've all enjoyed for years but maybe haven't seen as much of over the past two years or so. Maryland never looked comfortable and, as a mentally weaker team (who is the perfect embodiment of their overly emotion, desperate coach), they allowed their frustrations to derail any chance at victory.

Great to see Duke not let up in the second half as we've done this month--FSU, Davidson.

On to Wake!

[BlueintheFace]

I liked the "You're Evicted" cheer

[Papa John]

Extremely fun game, though it stopped being fun (from a TV watching standpoint) once the lead got to 44 or so -- then it became a non-stop Len Elmore whinefest. I don't generally complain about announcers, but Elmore was incredibly grating...I've watched NBA broadcasts where the home crew hasn't been remotely as partisan as Elmore was.

Oh, come on! It was darned fun throughout, particularly when it turned into a Len Elmore whinefest!!!

My 2 favorite Elmorisms from today:

1. When he sputtered about how appalled he was at Maryland's horrible rebounding due to a failure to box out and put a body on a Duke player.

2. When he noted, at the 35-15 point in the first half, that 'without Duke's offensive rebounding and putbacks, this is really a tight game'. That one in particular had me rolling on the floor. I mean, you might as well say something as moronic as "well, if you took 20 points off of Duke's total right now, this game would be tied!" Just like on those beer commercials--BRILLIANT!!!

One final question, and this has bugged me for a number of years... Is Mike Patrick simply senile, or just tremendously stupid? I swear, that guy has got to be the worst play-by-play announcer I've ever had the misfortune of hearing. He always seems to make multiple mistakes with simple things like names. He doesn't seem to have a solid grasp of the nuances of the game or the rules. It was like listening to Laurel and Hardy today! (only not quite as humorous)

[captmojo]

To Elmore's credit, his line, was that there had been a foreclosure.

[mgtr]

I want to win all games like this! Well, not necessarily by 41 points, but by our guys playing well. Heres hoping this success gets them pumped for Wake. That won't be quite so easy.

[hustleplays]

Yes, this team is really fun to watch -- such good fundamental basketball. What a beautifully played game this was! What I love to see in Duke's D is the constant switching, cutting off passing lanes and trapping. Except Zoubek (who is playing so much better) almost everyone on the court for Duke can guard, decently enough to exceptionally well, anyone else on the other team. "Switch without worry" is the D's mantra. Then, the shallow part of me loves the fast breaks with great spacing and finishing. The camaraderie of this team is a joy to watch.

And, a 40 point spread was enough to get the rest of the bench on the floor for some serious minutes! I hope Plumlee can really settle down and get his confidence (more strength will take longer).

[3rd Dukie]

In Elliot, I see a LOT of Hendo. Wheras Hendo was sick/not conditioned as a frosh, E-Will's skills need work. Both players had flaws that impeded them from getting regular PT. E-Will is doubly hammered by the fact that he essentially backs up Jon and Hendo, two of our three best players. Combine McClure's D prowess, and getting minutes is hard for the lad.

Next year, I can really see E-will handing in a year like Hendo did last year. E-Will has noticably improved his skills. He is a streaky shooter, but that will improve, like his ball handling, this summer. He needs to gain some weight, but that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, I think he looks bigger now than when the season started. He is obviously getting a lot out of practice. His athleticism is freaky, and I think he will be a Hendo like player in a few years.

I like where that Kid is going. He has as much upside as anyone in the country. Most importantly, he plays solid D and goes hard all the time when he is in.

AMEN!
It seemed to me that they were running the same play for EW that G runs; sort of a curl/cut, from the key down the right side of the lane. G has had several specdarntacular dunks off that play this season.
Did anyone else notice this?

[DU82]

One final question, and this has bugged me for a number of years... Is Mike Patrick simply senile, or just tremendously stupid? I swear, that guy has got to be the worst play-by-play announcer I've ever had the misfortune of hearing. He always seems to make multiple mistakes with simple things like names. He doesn't seem to have a solid grasp of the nuances of the game or the rules. It was like listening to Laurel and Hardy today! (only not quite as humorous)

If I remember correctly, Patrick had emergency bypass surgery a few years ago. It appears to me that there's a big difference in his announcing before and after. Increased mis-statements, calling the wrong person, etc. Perhaps it's also less prep time (or effort.) I think this is why he was pulled from the NFL Monday night crew. I feel sorry for all of you who had to listen to Patrick and Elmore this afternoon.

[Lord Ash]

Email is AGGRESSIVE. Every time he has a chance he goes RIGHT at the hoop... he gets fouled pretty hard a lot too, but still, only a matter of time until he gets on a few posters;)

And yeah... Greg Pocious? Seriously? It is MARTY Pocious, and GREG Zoubek. Get it right!

[jv001]

Email is AGGRESSIVE. Every time he has a chance he goes RIGHT at the hoop... he gets fouled pretty hard a lot too, but still, only a matter of time until he gets on a few posters;)

And yeah... Greg Pocious? Seriously? It is MARTY Pocious, and GREG Zoubek. Get it right!

Once Williams knocks down a few more 3's teams will have to play him closer and that will open up the lane for his slashing drives. While I don't think he will be our point guard, I do believe he will play the #2 & 3 for us. His best days are ahead. GoDuke!

[mgtr]

And yeah... Greg Pocious? Seriously? It is MARTY Pocious, and GREG Zoubek. Get it right!

OK, that is seriously funny. I love it -- just the right cap to a great afternoon.

[dukerev]

Not only was the team on its game, the Crazies were definitely on top of theirs (at least as far as this tv viewer could tell). Us old folks tend to complain that it isn't like it was in our day...and so I say to the Crazies: Kudos!

Glad to see everyone get some playing time. PT breeds confidence which breeds better play which breeds better depth. It was clear that the more time EWill and Plumlee got, the more comfortable they felt and the better they played.

A thought on G going pro. He's going to fit into a "2" role in the league and to be a good shooting guard, he's going to need a 3-point shot - an NBA 3-point shot. Clearly his shooting has improved drastically this year, but it wouldn't hurt him to have one more year of seasoning to develop more range. Furthermore, there's no salary cap on endorsements. Disclaimer: this doesn't mean he isn't ready, wouldn't be drafted, or should (or shouldn't) go pro. Just that he's going to need to extend that range a little bit before he "tears up the next level."

Having so much fun this year. The past few years I think I have had less fun as I've approached games afraid to lose (like I'm on the court!). For whatever reason (perhaps K is in my head, too), I'm enjoying the ride a lot more this year and am excited about our impending #1 ranking. Go Duke!

[miramar]

The Crazies as usual were at the top of their game. They decided to ignore Greivis before the game, and since he obviously loves to be the center of attention, this seemed to deflate him a bit.

Or was it the missing soul patch?

The announcers often say that Coach K is an excellent psychologist, but the Crazies are also pretty good.

[CameronCrazy'11]

This from ESPN: "It was Maryland's worst defeat since a 39-point loss to Wake Forest in 1963." And then again from the Associated Press in the GoDuke game recap.

Okay, bear with me here. 85-44=41, which is > 39, no? So isn't this Maryland's worst loss since before 1963?

[miramar]

Maybe it was a Maryland Terrapin who was doin' the cypherin'...

[rthomas]

This from ESPN: "It was Maryland's worst defeat since a 39-point loss to Wake Forest in 1963." And then again from the Associated Press in the GoDuke game recap.

Okay, bear with me here. 85-44=41, which is > 39, no? So isn't this Maryland's worst loss since before 1963?

You are very good at math, my friend.

[jjasper0729]

they were probably speaking in relativisms... meaning not abolutes in terms of point differential, but in terms of how it was as bad as the one in 1963.

[moonpie23]

i watch all the games in high def(when available) but sometimes, the sound of the crazies is not mixed up enough to hear WHAT they are chanting..

what were some of the good ones today? (NOT YOUR HOUSE!) should have been one of them.,...

[billybreen]

lol @ Maryland

[Papa John]

If I remember correctly, Patrick had emergency bypass surgery a few years ago. It appears to me that there's a big difference in his announcing before and after.

Did he have unsuccessful brain surgery at the time as well?

Health issues are not a viable excuse for Mike Patrick--he was a poor play-by-play announcer for more than a few years--well before his bypass surgery...

[Diddy]

A thought on G going pro. He's going to fit into a "2" role in the league and to be a good shooting guard, he's going to need a 3-point shot - an NBA 3-point shot. Clearly his shooting has improved drastically this year, but it wouldn't hurt him to have one more year of seasoning to develop more range. Furthermore, there's no salary cap on endorsements. Disclaimer: this doesn't mean he isn't ready, wouldn't be drafted, or should (or shouldn't) go pro. Just that he's going to need to extend that range a little bit before he "tears up the next level."



No one would dispute that another year would be good for G. Heck, another year of college would be good for every single player looking to play in the NBA. Some people get ripped for staying too long and hurting their draft stock, but that is basically saying that a player should have come out before his fraudulent play was exposed.

Another year would obviously help G's game, but you have to look at how much it would improve relative to draft position. This year's draft is WEAK. It is especially weak at the guard positions. This year's draft features only 2-3 guards that are even in Hendo's class, that being Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, and Curry. Curry and Teague might not even come out, but I think they will.

And Gerald could easily go ahead of most of those guys. I love Teague's game at the NBA level. He will be a good one. Relative to G's draft position, which has got to be top 10 at this point, how much more can he improve?

There are probably two knocks on him right now.
1, he lacks IDEAL size. At 6-4, he is a little short for the position.
2, Gerald is not a great three point shooter.

With regards to 1, that won't change by him coming back another year. Besides, his athleticism largely negates being slightly undersized. As for 2, I am not sure that is really true, any more. Over the last few weeks, he is shooting 40% + from trey land. I concede that he may not have pro 3 range, as yet. However, G has dramatically improved his shooting each year at Duke. As a pro scout, this is a real strength. A scout would likely project that G would continue to improve from the perimeter. Within a year or two, his three would be on target. And scouts know that G won't get Pro range in college, cause they don't shoot from pro range in college.

Also, can you imagine how great G will look in workouts? G will be the workout wonder of the Draft. "Unnamed Sources" will rave about G throughout the process. He is like that kid from UCLA who shot up the draft charts before the draft last year.

I am not trying to shove G out the door. I would love to have him back. But we have to be realistic. G looks more and more like a top 10 pick, or better, this year. And that assumes the early entry of players who are no locks to enter the draft. After giving Duke 3 years, we really can't ask more of Hendo. He has to do what is best for Hendo. And if that is going pro this year, so be it. I won't be happy. Nor will I be surprised. Besides, how great will it be when UNC doesn't win the NC, and all of their "rather be pros" players are scraping for a late first round selection while G enjoys being one of the toasts of the lottery. Recruits will notice that.

[CameronBornAndBred]

ps How soon before the league changes Duke's "permanent" opponent away from UMD to (probably) Wake? PDQ at a guess.
As much as it seems senseless to not make our games with Wake home and away, to lose the Md. matchups would make less sense. It makes for a great conference rivalry that is defined by more interests than just those in the state of NC. Yeah they got drubbed today, but as a previous poster said this makes College Park even hotter. On occasion I've had interest in pulling for Wake, never for the terps. It's a rivalry that needs to stay one.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Regarding today's game, how many ways can you spell clinic?????

[roywhite]

Regarding today's game, how many ways can you spell clinic?????

No hablo español, but I believe clinic is the same word in English and Spanish, Greivis?

[Virginian]

In the pre-game thread I said "mark my words" Maryland will come to play, as they usually do against us. Duh.

On the other hand, that's exactly what the dopes behind the microphone said as well. Wait! Am I comparing myself to them? Yikes. The same guys who said "McClure never looks to shoot" about two seconds before he knocked down a three-point shot. Boom! Double dopes.

Fortunately I was recording this game on my DVR. In the first five or six minutes of the second half I rewound to check out those amazing plays about 10 times. I'm saving this game forever.

Sweet!

[roywhite]

Fortunately I was recording this game on my DVR. In the first five or six minutes of the second half I rewound to check out those amazing plays about 10 times. I'm saving this game forever.Sweet!

Something similar to what Coach Knight said, that tapes of this should be sent to school teams all over the country to show how to play defense, and offense. He was very complimentary.

[jipops]

11 guys saw double digit minutes for Duke. That's a ton of guys contributing to this butt-kicking.

[OldSchool]

This from ESPN: "It was Maryland's worst defeat since a 39-point loss to Wake Forest in 1963." And then again from the Associated Press in the GoDuke game recap.

Okay, bear with me here. 85-44=41, which is > 39, no? So isn't this Maryland's worst loss since before 1963?

From CBSSportsline:

...handing the Terrapins (13-6, 2-3) their worst loss under coach Gary Williams. It was the fourth-largest margin of defeat in school history....

It was Maryland's worst defeat since a 44-point loss to Seton Hall in 1941, according to the Maryland media guide. It was also the Terps' worst ACC loss ever.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAB_20090124_MD@DUKE

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

No hablo español, but I believe clinic is the same word in English and Spanish, Greivis?
muy bueno

As the students chanted: ¡Inspiración! ¡Transpiración!

[Virginian]

I also said in the pre-game thread that Gary can coach.

But then I'm watching this mega-blowout and see that mid-way through the second half with his team down 40 points, Gary the genius has his team sitting back in a zone defense while Duke stands around running down the clock. Just brilliant!

Please, please, please do NOT fire Gary. We need him around for many, many more years. If the Terps do fire Gary, can they bring in Pete Gillen?

[Lord Ash]

I also said in the pre-game thread that Gary can coach.

But then I'm watching this mega-blowout and see that mid-way through the second half with his team down 40 points, Gary the genius has his team sitting back in a zone defense while Duke stands around running down the clock. Just brilliant!

Please, please, please do NOT fire Gary. We need him around for many, many more years. If the Terps do fire Gary, can they bring in Pete Gillen?

... and his box of Lucky Charms?

[loran16]

i watch all the games in high def(when available) but sometimes, the sound of the crazies is not mixed up enough to hear WHAT they are chanting..

what were some of the good ones today? (NOT YOUR HOUSE!) should have been one of them.,...

Well, we didn't do "Not Your House".

Instead we did "Nuestra (sp?) Casa" to speak in Vasquez's language, Inspiration (Point at K), Perspiration (Point at Gary), and "Where is Grevis" for a large part of the game.

[Coballs]

Did he have unsuccessful brain surgery at the time as well?

Health issues are not a viable excuse for Mike Patrick--he was a poor play-by-play announcer for more than a few years--well before his bypass surgery...

What I think the original poster was alluding to was the phenomenon of cognitive impairment which may occur as the result of cardiopulmonary bypass during coronary artery bypass surgery. This is sometimes referred to (crassly) as "pump head".

In my opinion, Mike Patrick has always been dopey, but more than a few of my ESPN watching friends have commented on a further decline in the quality of his in-game commentary since his surgery.

Although he seems like a nice man, he really is an on air mess. He doesn't understand the game, he repeatedly calls players he's watched for several years by the wrong name (Greg Pocius is a new one), he confuses players on the court, he misses big plays, and he often gets sidetrack with stupid irrelevant topics (ie repeatedly talking about the circus during the game at FSU; talking about Britney Spears during an overtime football game). After the final buzzer in today's game, Patrick said (paraphrased) "86-45. A huge win for Maryland"

[LetItBD08]

Instead we did "Nuestra (sp?) Casa" to speak in Vasquez's language,

Hehe, I texted a couple of friends in the crowd toward the end of the game from my apartment outside Chicago that they should do this. A minute later I heard them chanting it on TV. A cool way to end out an amazing game. Got to love technology.

[gep]

Anyone have the back to back alley-oops online yet? I don't remember them showing a replay on the second one. Greatly appreciate it.

found this on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De0L-2AfrKc

[duketaylor]

"Hehe, I texted a couple of friends in the crowd toward the end of the game from my apartment outside Chicago that they should do this. A minute later I heard them chanting it on TV. A cool way to end out an amazing game. Got to love technology."
A few years ago I recommended, here on DBR, a "Sweat, Gary, sweat!!" chant and it took off. Few, if any, probably realize I thought it would work, but it did. Has anyone noticed, he doesn't seem to perspire nearly as much as he used to?;) I say this in all seriousness, tho' maybe it cause CIS now has AC, but I doubt it. Dude used to sweat thru his frickin suits, yikes!!

[wisteria]

Mark Alarie in the house (http://dukeblueplanet.smugmug.com/gallery/7179579_akmmJ#460917906_CAVWQ-XL-LB)

[gw67]

As a fan of both teams, I've enjoyed watching many a competitive game over the years. Obviously, yesterday's drubbing was not one of those games. Nevertheless, my admiration for this year's team grew and I am really looking forward to the rest of the ACC season, particularly, the four games against Wake and UNC, and the away games at Clemson, Virginia Tech and (yes) Maryland. The DBR summary and this thread cover the game very well. Stepping back, I have a couple of thoughts on the team/players:

This appears to me to be one of Coach K's best defensive teams. He can mix and match players and Singler and Scheyer can guard a number of positions.
Scheyer and Smith are still not shooting well. Defense will only take you so far and both players need to shake their shooting slumps for the Devils to handle a good team.
As I predicted, all 12(?) players got a bunch of minutes and Williams and Plumlee had some good moments. Both players are playing behind better players at the moment but each fits the Duke mold and they will be real contributors in the future.
I have always liked Singler as a player but the more I watch him play the more I admire him as a player. He has the whole game. He has size and strength; can dribble, pass, catch and shoot; is a very good defensive player and can defend the post as well as guard on the perimeter; he is one of Duke's most physical players since Meagher and like Dan, he is not above trading elbows with aggressive players; but, most of all, he is a mature player who seems to understand the nuances of the game. A couple of years ago, folks were comparing Morrison to Bird. Other than Morrison's shot, it was not a good comparison. Singler, on the other hand, has many aspects of his game that are similar to Bird 's game in college. Like Bird, he is old for his class (I believe he turns 21 in May) and, at times, he seem to be playing at a different level than his talented teammates. It will depend on how the teams fare, but he along with Hansbrough and Teague are the main candidates for ACC POY at this time, IMO.


I get the feeling that this will be one of Coach K's special teams but that has to be played out in the next nine weeks.

I'm about ready to leave for the golf expo near Dulles. Hopefully, I will find the magic elixir to improve my game or at least let me play at a comfortable level for the next few years as I get older still.

gw67

[roywhite]

Mark Alarie in the house (http://dukeblueplanet.smugmug.com/gallery/7179579_akmmJ#460917906_CAVWQ-XL-LB)

Always liked Alarie. He's probably the ex-player with the game most similar to Kyle's game. They're about the same size and both are smart, tough, can score inside and outside. Kyle has a little more skill on the perimeter in terms of passing and defense.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This is from a blog posted during the game on WRAL (http://www.wralsportsfan.com/rs/blogpost/4392391/). This excerpt is from our best moments.

"1:15 p.m., Roof is off the joint: Henderson just hits a three and has 14 points as Duke is up 56-20 now and MD didn't even reach the first media timeout before using two timeouts. I need earl plugs! This place just got so loud after a Singler alley-oop from Henderson and a Henderson lay-up. Duke now is up by 40, 60-20 and I couldn't even hear but I assume MD took it's third timeout of the half. Coach K even stepped out of the floor and took a big sigh after the last Duke bucket was made. You could see the expression of, "wow" in his face. The whole Duke team met out on the floor to congratulate each other on the really solid play."

Woulda loved to have been there.

[blazindw]

That was just about as fun a game as I've been to in Cameron. I was in the Crazies loving every second of it. In that sequence with the Henderson alley-oop to Singler and then the whole team playing And 1 basketball with the alley-oop passes to each other, we were beside ourselves. I agree, at that point, not a singular voice could be heard in the din that was Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Also, I think that was a complete statement game by our guys. I DARE a voter in the AP or Coaches poll to vote another team #1 at this point. Sure, it's not the end-all/be-all of the season, but let's keep it real: I think our boys are the best team in the country right now and anyone who votes differently tomorrow either is 1) delirious or 2) decided it wasn't worth it to watch the game yesterday.

[Devilsfan]

Mike's a good friend. This game could have been a 100 pt. margin of victory had he not called off the Devils by allowing certain substitutions.

[throatybeard]

And yeah... Greg Pocious?

I'm really upset about how few minutes that guy gets. It's going to result in an early NCAAT loss when Gerald Singler gets so fatigued from playing 35 minutes instead of 32.

[Diddy]

I also said in the pre-game thread that Gary can coach.

But then I'm watching this mega-blowout and see that mid-way through the second half with his team down 40 points, Gary the genius has his team sitting back in a zone defense while Duke stands around running down the clock. Just brilliant!

Please, please, please do NOT fire Gary. We need him around for many, many more years. If the Terps do fire Gary, can they bring in Pete Gillen?

I have to take exception to this. Gary is a good in-game coach, and he did a solid job on the sidelines yesterday.

Gary's failure yesterday was the result of years of lazy recruiting. There was nothing he could have done yesterday to get a win. The best coach in the world would have had trouble keeping that game within 15-20 pts. UMD just doesn't have the talent on the roster to do anything against a superior team like Duke. Wake and UNC will look much the same against MD. Their glaring lack of size will doom them against big teams, so long as there are at least competant gaurds on the squad. Against teams like Duke, Wake, and UNC, teams that have good to great guards to go with a post game, UMD is boned.

But, yesterday, Gary did all he could. First, as you say, with his team down by 40 he went into a zone. Well, they only lost by 41, so they were even in the second half. Yes, K was complicit with this by first calling off the attack and then by inserting a unit that was offensively challenged (especially since GP was looking to distribute and only shot late in the clock). But, that was Gary's only option. Trying to play Man D on a sguad that is bigger, faster, AND more skilled is a sure route to getting beat by 60. The late game unit yesterday was not a good shooting team, but they were potentially lethal off the dribble. Gary chose his poison, and chose it well. Pressing, man-to-man D would have led the way to a blowout.

Also, by slinking back into the zone, Gary bascially rolled over, exposed his underbelly, and submitted. He acknowledged the defeat, and K responded accordingly. Kyle and Gerald, our most dangerous offensive weapons, came out almost immediately. In games like this, K will usually leave in starters so that they can at least approach their averages, when it is reasonably attainable. Kyle only got 11 points, and with another 4-5 mpg he would have gotten close to his average and still played light minutes. Gerald could also have fattened his numbers by getting 20+ for yet another game in a row. Given the history between the teams, no one would have blamed K for letting the starters play another 3-5 mpg. They still would have played light minutes.

But no, Gary surrendered, and K accepted, and the dogs were called off.

Beyond that, Gary did a good job in game. By the second early time out of the Second half, Gary was no longer yelling at his players, unless they did a really bone-headed thing. But he didn't berate anyone. He explained, diagrammed, and taught. A lesser coach would have left his starter like Vasques in to get better numbers, even after the intentional. Instead, K sat the team's lone star, both as punishment and as a teaching tool. I think Vasques felt the hurt of getting crushed a lot more by watching it, rather than fattening his numbers vs a unit full of inexperienced players.

Gary lost yesterday's game when he refused to recruit top level players. If he doesn't get a higher quality of player, UMD will soon be at the bottom of the ACC. And that is assuming they aren't in the bottom 3 this year.

[devildownunder]

keep your head up, i think we'll make it through this tough time


Somebody mentioned trying to think of things that were less than perfect, and I addressed that. I'm enjoying this win and this team as much as anybody else. Please direct your sarcasm elsewhere. Thank you.

[ncexnyc]

After finally getting to watch the game all I can think of is the following line from, "The Empire Strikes Back", "Impressive, most impressive, Coach K has trained you well.":D

[BD80]

Something similar to what Coach Knight said, that tapes of this should be sent to school teams all over the country to show how to play defense, and offense. He was very complimentary.

Talk about a complete defensive effort, we even defended the free-throw line well (50%)!


...It's going to result in an early NCAAT loss when Gerald Singler gets so fatigued from playing 35 minutes instead of 32.

On that point, Coach Knight earlier called "BS" on the theory of teams "wearing down" during the season, saying that games are only 40 minutes long, there are only 2 games per week, and there are only 30 or so games per year. These kids are 19 or 20 years old, they can handle it. Rather, they need to be in condition to play 2 games in 40 hours come tourney time.

[BlueintheFace]

Kyle Singler will be good in the NBA. I know that this is an irrelevant, needless post... but I felt like saying it anyways.

[Lulu]

Oh, come on! It was darned fun throughout, particularly when it turned into a Len Elmore whinefest!!!

My 2 favorite Elmorisms from today:

1. When he sputtered about how appalled he was at Maryland's horrible rebounding due to a failure to box out and put a body on a Duke player.

2. When he noted, at the 35-15 point in the first half, that 'without Duke's offensive rebounding and putbacks, this is really a tight game'. That one in particular had me rolling on the floor. I mean, you might as well say something as moronic as "well, if you took 20 points off of Duke's total right now, this game would be tied!" Just like on those beer commercials--BRILLIANT!!!...

I'm just curious, but does anyone know what Elmore was talking about when he said something to the effect (respond to Waner, I think), "If Duke needs _____ to get up for a game like then they have a serious problem". I meant to go back and replay to see what they were talking about. Sounded like Elmore was trying to fabricate problems for our team.

[Virginian]

Gary is a good in-game coach, and he did a solid job on the sidelines yesterday.... Gary did all he could. First, as you say, with his team down by 40 he went into a zone....Trying to play Man D on a sguad that is bigger, faster, AND more skilled is a sure route to getting beat by 60. The late game unit yesterday was not a good shooting team, but they were potentially lethal off the dribble. Gary chose his poison, and chose it well. Pressing, man-to-man D would have led the way to a blowout.

Also, by slinking back into the zone, Gary bascially rolled over, exposed his underbelly, and submitted. He acknowledged the defeat, and K responded accordingly....Gary surrendered, and K accepted, and the dogs were called off.

Beyond that, Gary did a good job in game.

First, I've shortened up the quote of your post for space reasons and to isolate the points in your post that I want to respond to. If it seems I have somehow ended up misrepresenting your argument, it was unintentional and I apologize.

That said, I guess we'll have to just disagree on this. I don't see how it's good coaching to just "surrender" when you're down but still have more than 10 minutes to play. I don't think Coach K would have rolled over and begged for mercy. He would have told his guys to double their effort and press like madmen and make something happen.

Many of the Maryland faithful on their various message boards are castigating their team and coach for giving up in the second half. If they don't accept it, I don't know why we should give Williams a pass for giving up. It's not the big loss, it's the lack of effort that's so embarrassing.

I just don't see how anyone can say Gary did a good job in that game. But maybe that's just me.

[devildownunder]

I'm just curious, but does anyone know what Elmore was talking about when he said something to the effect (respond to Waner, I think), "If Duke needs _____ to get up for a game like then they have a serious problem". I meant to go back and replay to see what they were talking about. Sounded like Elmore was trying to fabricate problems for our team.

The wonderful and spectacularly splendid Abby Waner had made a comment about how the events in the game had made Vasquez eat his words (although she put it much more diplomatically). Elmore responded by saying that if Duke needs someone to smacktalk to get them up, then there's something wrong. He went on to say in the same breath that this Duke team clearly didn't need that kind of extra motivation, that they are something special and working at becoming even better.

[BlueDevilJay]

Well, this is the perfect 40 minutes of Duke basketball we've waited for all season. Not too much to criticize in this game besides the fact that we missed some point-blank layups in the first half.

As for the announcers...
Mike Patrick: "Big win for Maryland!!!":confused:

Get these trash announcers out of here ESPN.

I'm fairly certain someone else probably caught this and already mentioned it in this thread, but if not, did anyone else catch Patrick ranting and raving about the 'amazing play' and 'display of athleticism' made by one MD player who was CLEARLY standing out of bounds, and slapped the ball back in to a teammate, with the ref standing right there and making no call of OOB whatsoever? At that point, Dad and I cut the sound off, turned on Bob Harris and just dealt with the slight delay in audio/video. Okay that he made a mistake, but the fact that he ranted and raved for a good 30 seconds, followed by Elmore stating the the MD player appeared to be 'hovering', was just all I could take. I posted about it on the DBR Chat but didn't see anyone else that caught on to it at the time. Thoughts?

[BlueDevilJay]

I'm really upset about how few minutes that guy gets. It's going to result in an early NCAAT loss when Gerald Singler gets so fatigued from playing 35 minutes instead of 32.

Did you see that monster dunk that G Singler threw down in Cameron Indoor Fieldhouse? It was sick!

Oh and I'm in love with Abby Waner methinks....wow that is one gorgeous sideline reporter....er....basketball player.

[Indoor66]

Oh and I'm in love with Abby Waner methinks....wow that is one gorgeous sideline reporter....er....basketball player.

I like Abby as well. I am sure she will learn to speak slower - as the nerves settle.

[BlueDevilJay]

I like Abby as well. I am sure she will learn to speak slower - as the nerves settle.

Well I hope she ends up on ESPN or somewhere as at least a sideline reporter so we can continue to be blessed with her appearances. First time ever I haven't been all that upset at ESPN missing game action because they were still talking with their 'Campus Connection' or whatever it was they called it. I think we actually missed a 3 ptr or something nice based on the Crazies reaction when the camera returned to the action.

[ArnieMc]

I'm fairly certain someone else probably caught this and already mentioned it in this thread, but if not, did anyone else catch Patrick ranting and raving about the 'amazing play' and 'display of athleticism' made by one MD player who was CLEARLY standing out of bounds, and slapped the ball back in to a teammate, with the ref standing right there and making no call of OOB whatsoever? At that point, Dad and I cut the sound off, turned on Bob Harris and just dealt with the slight delay in audio/video. Okay that he made a mistake, but the fact that he ranted and raved for a good 30 seconds, followed by Elmore stating the the MD player appeared to be 'hovering', was just all I could take. I posted about it on the DBR Chat but didn't see anyone else that caught on to it at the time. Thoughts?That was so funny. The MD player (who was 2-3 feet out of bounds) saw the ball coming and looked around for help. Finally, he just jumped in the air and batted the ball back in. Roger Ayers apparently thought that was close enough. In fairness, I think Elmore said that he thought the MD player was out.

[allenmurray]

First, as you say, with his team down by 40 he went into a zone. Well, they only lost by 41, so they were even in the second half.

Duke led by 25 at half-time. They won by 41. Thus they were hardly even in the second half (unless you meant the second half of the second half - the last ten minutes).

[BlueDevilJay]

That was so funny. The MD player (who was 2-3 feet out of bounds) saw the ball coming and looked around for help. Finally, he just jumped in the air and batted the ball back in. Roger Ayers apparently thought that was close enough. In fairness, I think Elmore said that he thought the MD player was out.

Ah another who remembers it! I didn't hear Elmore say that, but Patrick just going on and on about how athletic and smart a play it was, pushed me over the edge as far as listening to his incoherent ramblings.

[Kedsy]

Ah another who remembers it! I didn't hear Elmore say that, but Patrick just going on and on about how athletic and smart a play it was, pushed me over the edge as far as listening to his incoherent ramblings.

Elmore definitely said he thought the player was probably out of bounds.

[Rudy]

Well, we didn't do "Not Your House".

Instead we did "Nuestra (sp?) Casa" to speak in Vasquez's language, Inspiration (Point at K), Perspiration (Point at Gary), and "Where is Grevis" for a large part of the game.

Thoroughly enjoyed the game. I only wish Maryland was a little better and stayed a little closer so Gary would get more worked up. By halftime he was pretty subdued for him.

Great chants. Some others I heard:

"Inspiration" (pointing to K) "Perspiration" (pointing to Gary W)

Fear the classroom! (For those who don't know, a Maryland motto is "Fear the Turtle")

Whenever Brian does something good: "Zeee" (with hands held up, one inverted, to show the letter Z)

And finally, when it was time to put in the subs:

"Insert Johnson!"

[Virginian]

I'm fairly certain someone else probably caught this and already mentioned it in this thread, but if not, did anyone else catch Patrick ranting and raving about the 'amazing play' and 'display of athleticism' made by one MD player who was CLEARLY standing out of bounds, and slapped the ball back in to a teammate, with the ref standing right there and making no call of OOB whatsoever? At that point, Dad and I cut the sound off, turned on Bob Harris and just dealt with the slight delay in audio/video. Okay that he made a mistake, but the fact that he ranted and raved for a good 30 seconds, followed by Elmore stating the the MD player appeared to be 'hovering', was just all I could take. I posted about it on the DBR Chat but didn't see anyone else that caught on to it at the time. Thoughts?

Patrick was out of his mind. The Md. player was clearly out of bounds when he pushed the ball back "into play," but the refs in the final 8 or so minutes with the game decided just let anything happen. You could tell they wanted it over as much as we all did. At first I was put off by all the non-calls, but then I figured that if they started stopping play and sending all those bench players to the free throw line it'd have been horrible. So the non-call was funny but understandable and no harm to anyone, but not nearly as funny as Patrick trying to make it into a "great" play.

[camion]

This just in:

In an amazing show of unity and team spirit the entire Duke men's basketball team announced today that they are changing their first names to "Greg." Incidentally this will also make life easier for announcers and visiting posters on Duke bulletin boards.

[merry]

This is from a blog posted during the game on WRAL (http://www.wralsportsfan.com/rs/blogpost/4392391/). This excerpt is from our best moments.

"1:15 p.m., Roof is off the joint: Henderson just hits a three and has 14 points as Duke is up 56-20 now and MD didn't even reach the first media timeout before using two timeouts. I need earl plugs! This place just got so loud after a Singler alley-oop from Henderson and a Henderson lay-up. Duke now is up by 40, 60-20 and I couldn't even hear but I assume MD took it's third timeout of the half. Coach K even stepped out of the floor and took a big sigh after the last Duke bucket was made. You could see the expression of, "wow" in his face. The whole Duke team met out on the floor to congratulate each other on the really solid play."

Woulda loved to have been there.

I thought this excerpt was particularly hilarious:

"1:05 p.m., What I want to see: Since we have an old fashioned blowout on hand here, I want to see something they call the "Gerald Henderson Show". Also, the "Oh baby" baby just touched me on the back. Get that thing off me crazies! Not to mention it was sitting in my seat when I came back."

[diesel]

I see a football recruit, Tyree Watkins, was at the Maryland game and immediately after committed to Duke.

That's wonderful for Duke football. But did we have any target bball recruits at the Maryland game who would have been impressed by this historic whipping? Nobody from the DC area who would now be able to see the writing on the wall after the Maryland rout and before that the Georgetown win?

[Mr Blue Devil]

I see a football recruit, Tyree Watkins, was at the Maryland game and immediately after committed to Duke.

That's wonderful for Duke football. But did we have any target bball recruits at the Maryland game who would have been impressed by this historic whipping? Nobody from the DC area who would now be able to see the writing on the wall after the Maryland rout and before that the Georgetown win?

No one that I know of but I am sure Ryan Kelly had a GREAT time there!!

He sat a few seats away from us.

[davekay1971]

Gary has no shame. His team got absolutely destroyed by 40+ points, down 25 at halftime (when we weren't even shooting all that well as a team), and he's got the stones to blame it on the refs!

I look forward to the day (coming sooner rather than later, hopefully) when Gary is run out of College Park and (hopefully) they hire a coach who has a little more pride. That team and their fans take follow Gary's lead of unsportsmanship and bitterness. A new coach MIGHT make Maryland less loathesome...