My question is this: why is Duke never ready for MD mentally/emotionally?

[pacificrounder]

This is something that has always frustrated me about the Duke/MD feud. Every game, Maryland comes out and gives Duke the best of their best shots. Duke knows this is going to be the case because it always is. But every year, it just seems like we come out and go through the game...well, flat. This isn't a talent issue, it has happened in past games (ever wondered how we GOT down 20 points in the 2001 FF?)

There were sparks of emotion when the game was tied at 64, and Paulus started jumping around trying to get people psyched up. The rest of the team just walked off the floor. There is something to be said for intensity, but jeez, the fans are going to get into it more the players get into it and vice-versa -- they are going to feed off each other, it has to be a two way street.

All that said, I was really not at all disappointed with the pure effort tonight. It wasn't all that emotional, and maybe that's a good thing considering how young the team is - but there were several promising moments. Scheyer hoisting another shot after air-balling the most open shot he has had all season, Gerald Henderson in general, Greg Paulus proving many of us wrong (again), and supposedly DeMarcus hitting three early 3's (though ESPN prevented me from seeing it - along with the last 2.5 minutes, which was maddening). Then again, there were several downpoints - Zoubek failing to be aggresive offensively (I only got annoyed when Vitale started talking about Zoubek's legs for the 10th time), Pocius still failing to grasp the "Duke" game (he seems like he should be SO good, and is offensively to an extent, but just isn't the player I expected at this stage), and worst of all the fact that we actually did lose the game (which some optimists will lose sight of, even though it really does matter).

Anyway, hopefully this spurs thoughtful discussion. I am by no means a doomsday fan, but being from Columbia (20 minutes from CP and a die-hard Duke fan), I can tell you that since the end of the game I have received 4 IMs and 6 text messages about the game (not flattering, to say the least), so I am by no means calling this a "moral victory."

[Troublemaker]

Didn't we sweep them last year, including a blowout at home? Mental/emotional explanations are overrated, imo. There were basketball reasons for the loss, and Maryland is a tough basketball matchup for Duke.

[RepoMan]

But every year, it just seems like we come out and go through the game...well, flat.

Sounds like you have to deal with more than your fair share of Terp fans, so I empathize, but "every year"? That is demonstrably false.

[Duvall]

There were basketball reasons for the loss, and Maryland is a tough basketball matchup for Duke.

Maryland is a tough matchup for everyone right now. It only took 3 1/2 years, but their seniors finally figured out the offense.

[DankeShane]

Didn't we sweep them last year, including a blowout at home? Mental/emotional explanations are overrated, imo. There were basketball reasons for the loss, and Maryland is a tough basketball matchup for Duke.

Well, we've now lost 5 of 7 to MD including the ACC Championship game in which we were up a ridiculous amount.

This is what I said in an earlier MD thread:

I just hope we really come out amped up for this game. I know it's probably a cliche and can sometimes backfire if emotions get to high, but my impression of our games with Maryland over the past 3 years or so is that we come out a little too "cool, calm, and collected" whereas MD looks like they've been strapped into restraint chairs Clockwork Orange-style, and have just been forced to watch 6 hours worth of doctored footage of Duke players killing puppies and assaulting grandmas.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the case again tonight.

PS - I work in Washington so I have to put up with them on a regular basis.

[vango]

I know a couple MD fans and their rabid about these two games. They get really angry when I tell them we want to beat them but we'd rather beat UNC. I almost sense their season goals are in order:

1) beat Duke twice
2) make the tournament
3) win the ACC tournament
4) win the regular season

I'm not a fan of this school, some of its players, and its coach. Save UNC, they're the team I enjoy watching lose more than any other in the league.

The sweeps have been back and forth the last three seasons. I suspect if the trend continues (and considering the rosters I think it will) we'll sweep them next year.

To be fair though, I have to say - if they're not ranked next week something is wrong....

[Duvall]

Unfortunately, it seemed like the case again tonight.

How can you tell? It's not like the start of the game was televised.

In any event, Duke seemed to start the game quite well. I doubt lack of preparation was the problem.

[Troublemaker]

Well, we've now lost 5 of 7 to MD including the ACC Championship game in which we were up a ridiculous amount.

This is what I said in an earlier MD thread:
Unfortunately, it seemed like the case again tonight.

PS - I work in Washington so I have to put up with them on a regular basis.

And in every single one of those losses, there were basketball reasons for the loss. Honestly, lack of intensity will never be one of my concerns about Duke under Coach K. And I work in Washington, too.

[bhd28]

Trouble... I would venture to say that every basketball game one team loses due to basketball reasons.

I would say that I have never seen a football game lost for basketball reasons, though.

[dukestheheat]

troublemaker, et. al.,

i really don't think Duke is emotionally unprepared to play Maryland; I just think that Maryland has a better team than we do right now.

they really are very athletic and they can push it and I felt going into the game that we could struggle versus that type of offense and truly, we did.

imo, there were only two teams we played this year where we couldn't really compete with them (marquette and maryland) and the common denominator with those two teams was overall team athleticism/team speed up and down the court.

we'll be back and maybe we can avoid the first couple rounds in the ncaa where we have to face a team like maryland or marquette. i'm at least optimistic about that! GO DUKE!

dth.

dth

[Troublemaker]

Trouble... I would venture to say that every basketball game one team loses due to basketball reasons.

I would say that I have never seen a football game lost for basketball reasons, though.

Well, the New York Giants were penalized for doing their "shooting hoops" celebration this season, and I believe that helped cost them a game. In games they won, that celebration helped motivate their defensive players... So there..

[bhd28]

Doh! You got me... I will have to think more carefully about my smarta** comments in the future.

[Troublemaker]

dukestheheat, agreed. Maryland's the better team this year and I said as much in the pregame thread. The key to their team, or at least one of their huge keys, is their three tall guards. Besides being tall, they all shoot so well so they'll just make flex cuts into the middle or drive into the middle for easy (for them) midrange shots. Two of those guys are seniors and one is a freshman that's going to be a thorn for three to four years.

[Chicago 1995]

We came out well, and we played hard the whole night.

Maryland's athleticism and strength were too much for us.

I do think they got into our heads a little. Bullied us, if you will.

We're prepared to play and we wanted to win. We just didn't.

[BGDR]

I also didn't feel like there was any lack of intensity tonight. I wouldn't say however that we can't compete with Maryland, or that they are hands down a better team than us this year. We were in a position to win the game after Scheyer's three tied it with about five minutes to go. Things just didn't go our way in the last five minutes. Missed free throws, turnovers, and defensive mistakes are a part of basketball, and unfortunately those blunders cost us the game in the final five minutes. Its definitely not shocking that Maryland beat since they do have a pretty nice team, but I think the game could have just as easily swung in our favor after Scheyer had tied it up.

[NYC Duke Fan]

I keep reading that the reason that we lose to teams is because they are more athletic than Duke. If that be the case, and I am not sure that it is, how is Duke going to more ," athletic", next year. Singler and King are probably not...Smith probably is.. Is the addition of Smith going to make Duke more athletic...I don't think so ?

Duke will win when they play great defense, which they do now, have a great offensive threat,( a go to guy), which they do not have now, make free throws when it counts, which they sometimes do now but not enough.

Duke will not be more ,"athletic", next year, but potentially could have one excellent team.

[Virginian]

Too bad we didn't get to see the first part of the game, when we put up 18 points in 5 minutes. I'm wondering if our guys didn't get tired in the process because they looked flat in the second half.

There was very little motion in the offense, rarely used the weave, stood around flat footed much of the time in the half-court set. We didn't get back on their fast break and didn't have more than one guy fast breaking (usually Demarcus) on ours. We missed the front-end of two one-and-one free throw opportunities late in the game. Shots were falling short. All signs of fatigue, IMO.

We had a few brief spurts of energy and took advantage of them to tie the game but we just didn't/couldn't keep it up.

[dukelifer]

Fatigue was not an issue in this game. Duke's D did not do the job in the first half. The two threes in the last two minutes of the first half by Vazquez were killers. Maryland made shots- they played with poise when pressed. They played like an experienced team and Duke did not. Duke was not worn out- they just failed to get back on D at times and let Maryland control the game.

[Indoor66]

Fatigue was not an issue in this game. Duke's D did not do the job in the first half. The two threes in the last two minutes of the first half by Vazquez were killers. Maryland made shots- they played with poise when pressed. They played like an experienced team and Duke did not. Duke was not worn out- they just failed to get back on D at times and let Maryland control the game.

From my perspective it is quite simple. They made shots and we did not. We had opportunities, good shots, lay-ups, etc. and did not put the ball in the hole. End of story.

Yes, Md is quicker, older and more experienced; but they won the game because they made shots and we did not.

[CMS2478]

You can look for all the reasons you want as to why they beat us last night.....I might now be popular for saying this but....they are better than us, in fact they are better than a lot of teams. It took the first half of the year for them to get it together, but apparently now THEY GOT IT TOGETHER!!! They are going to be tough in the ACC and NCAA tourney.