Pre-Maryland vs Duke

Inside the Comcast Center, home of the Terps

It's that time of year again when you start to see shirts with "Beat Duke"( or worse, "F*ck Duke)" being worn around campus. It's that time to spend 7+ hours being squished between two tall, drunk frat boys outside of the Comcast Center's student entrance.

The administration has taken a preventative approach to the game this year, sanctioning and supporting the "Beat Duke Week" initiative headed up by the Student Government Association (SGA) in an attempt to reduce rioting. You can see the site at BeatDukeWeek.com

Not only will there be a post-game bonfire, but 60 SGA members and about 40 regular students have been given tickets for special admission. They get in a special entrance at 5:00 and have had their seats reserved (plus they each get to save "one" seat for a friend with a regular ticket). These students and SGA members have pledge to not chant any profanities during the game and will therefore be strategically placed to sit near ESPN's microphones (aka strategically placed in the best seats in the house).

Duke is without Kyrie Irving, who they lost to a foot injury earlier this season. With Irving, the Blue Devils looked unstoppable; without him, this is a winnable game if three things happen:

1. Terps successfully defend the 3 point shot: The Blue Devils are traditionally a very efficient team from long range. They are very vulnerable when they are ineffecient from 3 point land as we saw when Duke went 1-13 from the arc in their loss against St. John's over the weekend. Maryland has had issues defending the 3 as we saw in their outing at Cameron Indoor, but if they can be successful at shutting Duke down or if Duke goes stone-cold from the 3 point arc, Maryland has a shot.

2. Duke has limited second-chance point opportunities: If Maryland forces Duke to take tough shots, the Terps have to rebound and convert Duke's misses to Maryland points. The Terps give away second chance points too often and have the losses to show for it.

3. Duke plays man-to-man defense: If Duke comes out playing the zone, I expect a long night for the Terps. It is no secret that Maryland struggles with their outside shooting and the zone forces them to take those long-range shots. The best example of this is the Virginia Tech game; the Hokies played a zone and, as a result, the Terps struggled offensively. Jordan Williams, the Terp's main offensive threat, all but disappeared from the game. If Duke plays man-to-man, Maryland will be able to run an offensive with which they are familiar and comfortable.

The game starts at 9pm and will be on ESPN.