• To start things off, SlamOnline pays homage to one of the NBA’s brightest young stars, former Maryland Terrapin Greivis Vasquez. Fans of the Terps know his story, but it’s good for the rest of the world not wearing Gary Williams-shaded glasses to acknowledge how tough his journey has been. As it stands today, Greivis is a major cog in the future of the New Orleans Pelicans, and really did start from the bottom.
• Ah , freedom of information. The Maryland v. ACC lawsuit, which is likely to go up there with McCullouch v. Maryland and Brown v. the Board of Education in terms of landmark court decisions, is revving up now. Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post is providing all the essential documents in case you’re really bored in the offseason. 44 pages of dry.
• Since it only makes sense that Maryland would still get tied to the ACC no matter how far they ran, the Detroit Lions bowl is about to pit the Big Ten and the ACC against one another yet again. They’d be traveling to Detroit…to play postseason..football? My head is on fire.
• Now that Kevin Dorsey is in the NFL, there will be plenty more written about him, as he’s on the national stage. The Journal Sentinel decided to take a look at Dorsey as a human being, and you get the idea the guy is pretty smart when he starts talking about conflict resolution skills during a conversation involving Xbox.
• And finally, even on the Duke end of things, the writers over at Bleacher Report agree that the Terps are going to pose a problem for even an incredibly talented team like the Blue Devils. I like the sound of that, although I am still extremely nervous about facing this team. Sike.
• And finally, Microsoft unveiled their Xbox One today, and that thing is an absolute beast. It actually started lighting Twitter up with its marketing towards sports fans. The whole Snap feature where I can pin my fantasy stats on the screen while watching football is seriously what’s going to push me to pick one of these up. Even if it looks like an Atari. (Joystiq)

While we don’t promote gambling on this website, more times than not, Las Vegas can usually a fair indicator of a particular teams chances heading into opening weekend. I have gone ahead and compiled a list of all of the teams who are considered to be within a 100/1 shot at cutting down the nets in Atlanta the first weekend of April and have provided a quick blurb as to why they would, or would not, be a smart bet for you to choose to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Mar 9, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Michael Snaer (21) during the second half of the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Game One: #8 Boston College v. #9 Georgia Tech, Noon

The Boston College Eagles have been up and down this season, as evidenced by their near-.500 record (15-16), and they get a chance to rectify all sixteen of those losses in the ACC tournament. Their first round match-up? A Georgia Tech (16-14) team they just beat on the last game of the season, 74-72. Joy! Neither squad made much of an impact this season, but both teams have served as definite annoyances for the upper echelon of the ACC throughout the year. Boston College barely lost to Miami earlier in the year, 60-59, and beat Virginia. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, finished off the season with two solid wins over their final four games; the first was a win against Maryland, and the second a huge win over #6 Miami.

So who’s going to win? Well, my money is on Boston College. The Eagles are one of the most frustrating teams because of the brand of basketball they play. Possessions are always scarce, as they run the clock down to the dregs and try to play half-court basketball. It isn’t always pretty, but teams have to sweat out every trip down the court as a result. Meanwhile, they have a stud freshman who is extremely smooth in Olivier Hanlan that complements Ryan Anderson’s inside game well, and get hot from deep. Georgia Tech is a young and exciting team that likes to get out and run, but unfortunately they aren’t going to have that opportunity against Boston College. When they are forced to run set plays, I can’t see many of their guys thriving. Tech is going to need someone to distribute the ball to freshmen Marcus Georges-Hunt and Robert Carter, but I’m not too sure they have that player on the roster.

Prediction: Boston College. Georgia Tech has some athletes and can book it up and down the court, but they might not get that opportunity against the Eagles. Slow, methodical basketball is BC’s brand, and it has won their last two matches against Tech. BC by two.

Game Two: #5 NC State vs #12 Virginia Tech @ 2 PM

What’s there to say about this game? Most people are pretty polarizing about NC State; they either love their athleticism or are completely disappointed in their inability to get over the hump. Don’t believe the hype: NC State is a damn good basketball team. They lost seven games all year long, and four of those came against teams that finished the season in the top fifteen. So sue them. The Wolfpack still have C.J. Leslie to score, they still have Dick Howell to rebound, still have Lorenzo Brown to push the pace, and still have an older team that’s hungry to become relevant in the state of North Carolina. Yes, they can lose to anyone on any given day, but I’ve got news for you, so listen good: SO CAN EVERYONE ELSE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL THIS YEAR.

Anyway, Virginia Tech can give you a dose of scoring from a horse-sized pill named Erick Green, but that’s about all they bring to the table. Green may be the best player in the ACC, but his Hokies have been woefully bad this season at 13-18 with only four ACC victories. They are inconsistent from deep, don’t play phenomenal defense (the last time these two teams played, 176 points were scored), and when Green isn’t on, there isn’t much to talk about. That’s all I’ve got for you; the Hokies just aren’t that good. If Green plays like a bat out of hell, they might score with NC State, but I’m not sure he has enough gas left in the tank after his superhuman season.

Prediction: I get the feeling that NC State is going to get slept on by analysts, but will bulldoze over the Hokies. Virginia Tech just doesn’t have enough to work with to beat a team as deep as the Wolfpack. Sorry, Hokies, but this isn’t your day.

Game Three: #7 Maryland Terrapins vs #10 Wake Forest @ 7 PM

I’m going to write a longer preview of this unenviable game in a little, so I will obviously keep this brief. Anyone who is looking towards the second round matchup against Duke is an idiot. There are two games separating the Terrapins and the Demon Deacons, and while their record admittedly sucks, Maryland’s does as well. Both teams lose games they should win, and both teams can win games they should probably lose. This entire game is a crapshoot. Yes, the Terrapins have bested them twice, but the fact remains that you have to shave about 20 points on the Terps potential total because of how bad they are on the road. Anyway, more on this game later.

Game Four: #6 Florida State vs #11 Clemson @ 9 PM

Ho-doggy! We’ve got ourselves a bit of a southern-style barn burner this game. On one hand, we have a Clemson team that, literally, will not have won a game in a month heading into their matchup against Florida State. On the other hand, we have a Florida State team that has tomahawk chopped/Michael Snaer game winner’d their way into the middle of the ACC, and certainly earned some respect. So who wins?

Conventional wisdom this season tells you to always bet against Clemson. Watch one of their games and the only question you’ll have is, “How do they score any points at all?” Of their top five scorers, only Devin Booker hits over 42% of his shots. Clemson just doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with, well, anyone. They don’t have anyone who shoots 40% or better from 3 pt. range, and no one is a go-to scorer. Yes, Booker has his flashes, but relying on an undersized big man with no post moves to handle the brunt of your scoring is…it’s an awful idea.

Meanwhile, Florida State has one of the best late-game closers in the nation in Michael Snaer. Seriously, even as I write this I’m in fear of Snaer coming out of nowhere to dagger me into picking his team to win. With Snaer at the helm, you simply cannot count out Florida State, ever. They are tough enough to stand up against any team, or at the very least keep it close enough that Snaer might get them the win. No, they don’t have a lot of signature victories to their name and no, they don’t play well on the road. But they are similar to Virginia in that, given the right night, they can beat your team.

But then, they can also lose by like twenty points…as they did against Florida, Virginia, Miami, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and NC State. Either they win by a bit, or lose big, so my prediction is…

Well, considering Clemson is literally incapable of scoring enough points to blow out any team, I like Michael Snaer to close this one out for the Seminoles.

May 28, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; Maryland Terrapins midfield Kevin Cooper (left) and attack Owen Blye (13) celebrate after a goal against the Loyola Greyhounds during the first half of the NCAA Division I Men

For Maryland fans, it’s always nice to layeth the smacketh down on Duke in any sporting event. On Saturday, the Terrapins lacrosse team did just that during a high scoring affair at Koskinen Stadium. Maryland scored 16 goals for the second time this season thanks to a career game by junior Mike Chanenchuk. The midfielder came into the game with five points total, but set a career high in points with six on four goals and two assists.

The Terrapins started off the game hot and never looked back, with senior Owen Bly blasting a shot in off a pass from fellow senior Landon Carr a mere minute into the game. After that, it was a whole lot of Chanenchuk for the remainder of the game. He followed up Bly’s goal with a slingshot of his own from the top of the box a few minutes after that to give the Terrapins a 2-0 lead.

Next up, it was the Blue Devils turn to strike, with Christian Walsh scoring for Duke shortly after Chanenchuk’s goal. Of course, the junior continued his onslaught with a right handed dagger of his own, which spurred a 5-0 run by the Terrapins that gave them a cushion for the remainder of the game. By halftime, they had a 9-3 advantage, and continued to pile on the points for the rest of the game thanks to Chanenchuk’s playmaking.

The win brought the #1 ranked Terrapins to 4-0 on the year, as well as 1-0 in the ACC. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils fell to 2-4 on the year and 0-1 in conference play. The victory was the largest margin of victory against the Blue Devils since 1984, when Maryland took home a 16-4 victory.

Next up, Maryland faces in-state rival UMBC in College Park on the 6th. The Terriers are 1-3 on the year, having just recently lost earlier Saturday to Fairfield 14-9.

Roll Terp!

- Twenty minutes until tip off, what are the chances Dick Vitale us calling his local RN to complain about a persistent Duke induced erection?

- Tonight’s drinking game? Take a shot any time you see an ethnic Duke fan. :Enjoy your sober night.

- The starters for tonight? Allen, Faust, Wells, Cleare, and Len. That’s not to odd of a lineup. Turgeon should follow the Maryland blueprint to beat Duke. That would be fouling early and often, and exposing their lack of depth.

- Even though Comcast is big, it’s hands down one of the toughest venues to play in thanks to a Maryland student section that wouldn’t hesitate to engage in cannibalism of the Duke ilk.

- Layman islands to start the scoring off with a three. If he’s hot, Maryland is a team that no one wants to face. If Len us jamming like he did on the ensuing possession, this is a team that won’t lose.

- Cleare might get abused by Plumlee if he doesn’t keep him out of the paint. That’s twice he could’ve gotten on him early in an entry pass and failed to do so. Letting Duke score in the paint is a recipe for an offensive barrage.

- Things we’ve learned so far? Seth Curry can shoot, and Maryland can turn the ball over big time.

- Maryland always has someone get hit against them. Tonight it’s Seth Curry who is single handedly making the game hell for them. They have to slow him down, or they’re going to have a very hard time keeping up. On another note, I think the Duke kid next to me pooped himself. Sure smells like it. Maryland down 25-22 with 7 minutes left.

- Len picks up his second foul with fine minutes left. It’s worth noting because him getting into foul trouble puts Maryland in a bind. That being said, they have a lot of front court depth. That’s a good and bad thing.

- Faust isn’t a point guard, as evidenced by his lazy swing pass. But I’ll be damned if he isn’t very creative with the ball. If he ever got his handles in check, Maryland might have an oversized PG on their hands. Maryland down 32-30 with three minutes left.

- Maryland might be down, but their strategy is sound. Duke had considerably better shooters then Maryland traditionally has, and Gary used to muck the game up so badly with fouls that the advantage was all but negated. I think Turgeon is taking a page out of the old guard’s handbook. It might actually work.

- At the half, the Terps lead 35-34, thanks to a big three pointer before the final possession of the half. They’re playing the perimeter well turning third game into trench warfare. If they confront doing that in the second half, I like their chances.

- At the start of the second half, starters are Allen, Layman, Wells, Len, and Shaq. Same as the first half. Here’s to hoping Allen gets hot. His play will be big thus half, Mark my words. Hairston is rumored to have a thumb injury. I guess that’s big too.

- Allen hits a big three to put the Terps up 42-39. I was saying something before about him having a big second half. I’ll post myself on the back now..

- Maryland is hitting their free throws! They’re also up 49-41. This place sounds like a volcano eruption, and they’re following a very Gary strategy in playing down low. We’ll see how this ends.

- Maryland turns it over on two straight possessions and gives Duke a chance to cut the lead to five. Scratch that, they turn it over on three straight possessions and Duke has cut the lead to three. A far cry from the Harlem Shake the student section was doing just two minutes ago. Nobody said it was easy with these Terps.

- Man, the Terrapins certainly know how to make their fans sweat. It’s like none of these players have made routine inbound passes. I have a mini heart attack on every pass.

- Dez Wells misses both free throws, reminding us that Maryland still has major, unspoken of issues in that area.

- Who the hell is this white guy Duke just trotted out to dunk on Maryland and then exit the game?

, Maryland leads it 64-59 on a pair of z Len free throws, and you have to wonder if Duke realizes that he’s their best free throw shooter. Of course Allen turns it over on three next possession. Maryland being Maryland.

- How are the Terps winning this game? Hitting their free throws and playing I’m the paint. Tough basketball isn’t Duke basketball. Maryland has made sure this game isn’t turning into a shooting gallery and in turn doing what their personnel dictates.

- Funny thing about turnovers: they don’t mean a thing until five minutes left in the game. Duke will take advantage if miscues with a few minutes left, count on that.

Jan 26, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Quinn Cook (2) drives past Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Editor’s note: Pick & Pop, for those who are unfamiliar with the format, pegs two of our writers against one another to gauge their opinions on a variety of game-time subjects. In this case, we have Chris Bengel (@DurtyPuckHead) and Michael Bohlin (@TerrapinStationMD, among others) going head-to-head on the heated Duke-Maryland matchup this Saturday at 6PM. Give them a follow and enjoy their banter.

1.) Your starting five for the Maryland Terrapins against Duke, and why?

Chris Bengel: With Pe’Shon Howard now suspended for the foreseeable future, the ideal starting five looks a little bit different. Howard would’ve been a nice insertion into the starting lineup. He is the lone floor general on the roster and has experience. Now that all goes out the window. My ideal starting five would be Nick Faust, Dez Wells, Jake Layman, James Padgett, and Alex Len. A case can be made for Seth Allen and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Turgeon started the freshman guard over Faust. However, Allen is much better off the ball and is more of a scorer. He also is more suited to come off the bench to give the offense a spark, which is something that the Terrapins may need if they fall behind Duke early.

Jan 26, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils fans let the Maryland Terrapins know their opinion on leaving the ACC during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

I know that technically this week I am supposed to be recapping the past decade of the Maryland-Duke rivalry, and this article is clearly spanning back to 2002, but there is simply no way I can leave out one of the most symbolic games of this rivalry. For the sake of this article, please understand the oversight.

Let me also say that this was incredibly difficult to exclude some games, including the “Gone in 54 seconds” even that scarred Maryland fans for years to come (and still currently hurts). These are just some of the best ones in College Park over the past decade.

5.) February 11th, 2006 – 96-88 Duke victory

This game stands out as one of the more memorable of the last decade for a number of reasons. Setting the stage, it was a game in which Gary Williams was honored pregame for being Maryland’s winningest coach with 349 victories. His 350th victory would have come against a team which had beaten him 29 times in 40 tries. Then, it featured one of the least popular and most hated Duke players in the history of this rivalry in J.J. Redick, who was playing his last game in College Park, having been swept the previous season and losing 3 of 4 in College Park.

Of course, by the score above you can tell that the Terrapins lost in a pretty poor fashion. Redick pummeled the Terrapins with 35 points, and Shelden Williams chipped in 26 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks to twist the knife in the Terps back. Redick walked off the court with a final win, and Maryland fans walked out of the arena early because they were so pissed.

4.) February 11th, 2007 – 72-60 Maryland victory

This one is memorable because it was the coming of the Greivis Vasquez-era Terrapins. Vasquez guided the Terrapins to a 29-4 run to start the first half, and the Terrapins rolled the rest of the game. The game was great because it sent Duke on their first 4-game losing streak since 1996, and their first 14-point ACC loss since 2003 against the Chris Paul-led Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Maryland fans knew about the Vasquez “Shimmy Shake,” but he unveiled it for the rest of the nation that day and his legend continued to grow from then on.

3.) March 4, 2010, 79-72 Maryland victory

There’s nothing like beating the enemy on Senior Night, and that’s exactly what Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne, and Eric Hayes did against Duke. It wasn’t just the victory that made the moment so special, but rather the additional awards that were at stake during the game. A share of the ACC title for the Terrapins team, ACC Player of the Year for Greivis Vasquez, and ACC Coach of the Year for Gary Williams all rode on the outcome of this game.

Maryland, of course, went for the clean sweep and got it, securing all the hardware with the outcome of that game.

2.) February 12th, 2005 – 99-92 Maryland OT victory

This was arguably the most exciting Terrapins victory of this past decade, but I won’t pretend that selecting this over plenty of other games wasn’t difficult. What made it so special was that this game marked the first time since 1995 that the Terrapins swept Duke during the regular season, it was their first three game winning streak against Duke since 1982, and, of course, it was an overtime thriller.

Maryland was clearly the inferior team heading into the matchup, but damned if Gary Williams didn’t coach those boys up to their full potential. Duke was 18-2 at the time, sporting five future NBA players in their starting rotation, while Maryland was 14-7 and 5-5 in the ACC.

In typical Garyland fashion, the Terrapins ground the game out and got to the foul line a whopping 39 times and managed to foul out five Duke players in the process. When Shelden Williams fouled out in overtime, the writing was on the wall for #7 Duke to get upset. They missed all nine field goals in OT, while the Terrapins finished the game with six players (Chris McCray, Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, Ekene Ibekwe, Mike Jones, and John Gilchrist) score in double figures. Unlike today’s team, this one only turned the ball over once in the first half…

1.) February 17th, 2002 – 87-73 Maryland victory

You can’t call yourself a Maryland fan and not recall this one. The #1 and #3 teams in the country playing against one another, an undefeated Duke team against a hungry Maryland team on the cusp of greatness. The game featured ten future NBA players, and was one of the most intriguing matches of the season which was certain to be a precursor to the NCAA tournament. Adding even more suspense to the game, it was the final time the two would be playing on the hallowed ground that was Cole Fieldhouse.

We all know the story: Maryland went on to run away with the game with a 38-29 point lead at halftime and never really trailed throughout the game. Of course, who can forget the Steve Blake steal:

The steal heard round the world! Perhaps the loudest that arena had ever been. Blake was feeling it that game, and was swishing three pointers on the Duke end during pregame warm ups. Of course Maryland and their fans got hosed after the game despite absolutely exposing Duke as being frauds, by never making it to #1 in the AP or USA Today polls afterwards. Kansas remained #2, until Maryland took care of them as well in the NCAA Tournament, where they went on to win Maryland’s first National Championship and cement themselves as a legendary team.

This segment is part of We Hate Duke Week, which we’ll be running with this whole week since the Terps don’t play. I’m personally going to enjoy the hell out of pointing out how much I hate Duke for a few more days. I encourage you to let me know if I’ve missed anyone in the comments section.

5.) Shavlik Randolph, 2002-2005

Lamer than: a penny

Not as lame as: crushing poverty

Shavlik was way before Sulaimon and Kyrie dominated for Duke. Shavlik is a product of the Coach K era where it seemed like he got bored with winning and decided to try doing it with a bunch of nonathletic white guys. Shav was probably the antithesis of that movement, which failed miserably and forced Duke into reverting back to mid-90′s recruiting.

Shavlik coined the saying around my household “Just because you can dunk doesn’t make you an athlete.” Specifically for the many times he got burnt on the basketball court for being a completely mediocre talent. I used to pray for this joke to get on the court against Maryland, if only because he almost assured a Terps victory with his play. His record against the Terps? 1-5, including two years where Duke got swept.

He also had this annoying, mid-90′s hair swoosh that looked like it required copious amounts of hair gel to create, and not even gale force winds could reshape.

Of course, Shavlik left early for the NBA before everyone realized that he had as much skill as a kindergartener would during accelerated reading classes. But if you think I’m not looking out for one of his kids to play at Duke so Mayland can immediately have a stroke of luck, you’re kidding yourself.

4.) Greg Paulus, 2005-2009

Lamer than: Furbies

Not as lame as: North Korea

Ohh man did I ever hate Greg Paulus. Oh man did everyone hate Greg Paulus. His likeability factor was similar to congress after allowing the U.S. to default on their gigantic AMEX credit line (or something like that).  He was the guy who wore a mouth guard and rec-specs to open gym and hard-fouled anyone who came near the rim. I mean, this is from a Duke BleacherReport.com article in 2009:

“Paulus had the unique ability to not only be hated by opposing players and fans, but Duke fans as well!

He just had something about him, that no matter what you couldn’t allow yourself to like the guy. As a Duke fan, his constant poor decision making, and his belief that actually could hit any shot he took was enough to make a hater out of me. I can only imagine how fans of other teams felt.”

Paulus sucked so much at basketball that he got benched his senior year in favor of a sophomore (Nolan Smith). Of course, that didn’t stop Dick Vitale from sporting a rock solid chub every time Paulus hoisted a midrange turnaround jumper that had no chance of going in, yet was summarily described as “heady” or “gutsy.” And no, slapping the floor and screaming loud enough to pop your rampant face and back acne doesn’t constitute good defense or solid play.

Paulus finally left Duke and decided to try his hand at quarterbacking the woeful Syracuse football team. He finished up with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions on 2,025 yards. But in my book, you don’t get an AttaBoy for being mediocre and winning four games. Paulus, you get an F for flaccid arm.

3.) Brian Zoubek

Lamer than: Teletubbies

Not as lame as: Genocide

Brian Zoubek was the guy you were forced to pick during recess basketball because he maybe kinda if you looked at him right, had something that could make your team better. At 7’1, he was tall enough to play center on a basketball court, but that’s about where his abilities ended. Zoubek was so bad defensively that he tried to master the flop to compensate for the fact that he backed into the starting center position because no one else was on the roster. It made everyone hate playing against him, because no one likes a cheap player. But, don’t worry, he got his:

Ed Davis gave him a 250 lb nut crunching of a lifetime for laying down like a fairy boy, which, coincidentally, probably was the nail in the coffin for Zoubek’s future career in the NBA as a journeyman who was worth six fouls. It also likely contributed to his future career as a cream puff maker. I can’t make this stuff up.

2.) Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler ’06/’07 – ’10/’11

Lamer than: this toy Not as lame as: The Black Eyed Peas

I lump these two together because they both deserve recognition for how lame they were, and because the top spot belongs to one Dookie. Both these players make the list because of how aesthetically unpleasing they were to glance at. Outside of Shelden Williams, watching these two guys on he court was like having a mini-Tiger Woods tee off on your retinas for 40 minutes.

For Scheyer, it wasn’t so much his basketball play that we hated, it was that every game he had a new, ugly face to have to stare at. His facial expressions ranged from “alien probing” to “sitting naked in a den full of bears in heat.” The faces he made while playing hoops made Crohn’s disease look like a cakewalk.  Look no further than this video:

As for Kyle Singler: look up any 1940′s Nazi propaganda ad, and you’re likely to find him leading the charge into hell. Aside from looking sneakily similar to an SS war criminal (which did nothing but propagate the perception that Duke is straight racist), he also looked like a kid who was kept in a basement his whole life, relegated to Mario Party with himself. Singler looks like Skeletor with slightly more pigment. You have to wonder what SPF he uses; 50? 150? Elmer’s glue?

On the court, he was lame because he never got any better after his sophomore year, and if that doesn’t scream “ceiling reached” then I don’t know what does. Sure, he’s in the NBA, but money doesn’t make you look any better. It also doesn’t make up for his potential involvement in WWII…

1.) J.J. Redick, 2002 – 2006

Lamer than: Swish pants in 2013

Not as lame as: Government corruption

The English language lacks the vocabular dexterity to accurately portray just how lame J.J. Redick is. I do not know a single Maryland fan who has ever had anything good to say about him other than “Man, F that guy.” That’s the best we’ve got for you.

What we can’t get around is that he was a great college player. In fact, he was one of the best college players to ever play the game. What he can’t get around is that Maryland consistently curb stomped him. He lost to Maryland more times than he lost to any other team. Chris McCray and John Gilchrist owned his ass all up and down the court. Granted he only lost to the Terps four times, but that’s more than most teams can say during his career. We owned his ass.

Yes, he’s in the NBA. But I’ll be damned if anyone else tell me J.J. Redick wasn’t a douchebag or that those matchups weren’t great. He inspired so much vitriol around the D.C. area that he is still booed whenever he makes an appearance at the Verizon Center. To this day, I still wouldn’t mind seeing him get suplexed for no real reason.

I hate you J.J. Redick, you are the worst.

Jan 22, 2013; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Dez Wells (32) is congratulated by guard Nick Faust (5) following his basket in the closing minutes against the Boston College Eagles at Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The score itself was not indicative of the majority of the play throughout most of the Maryland – Duke matchup. Believe it or not, the Terrapins were actually only ten down with a little over ten minutes left in the game. That, unfortunately, was when the wheels fell off.

The Duke Blue Devils went on a tear in the second half, capitalizing on Maryland’s turnover issues to take down the Terrapins 84-64 Saturday afternoon in Cameron Indoor.

Led in the first half by Rasheed Sulaimon’s five three pointers, the Blue Devils took a nine point lead that they never relinquished the rest of the game. Sulaimon, in his first game featuring these two rival squads, did not disappoint by hitting his first six shots (all three pointers). He finished with 25 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep, and catapulted the Blue Devils whenever the Terrapins made a slight push.

He wasn’t the only one doing the damage, as Mason Plumlee got the better of Alex Len in their matchup, tossing in 19 points and 7 rebounds on the day. A number of putback shots and dominating dunks got the crowd involved, and ultimately took Maryland out of the game.

It has been said all year, but it’s worth noting yet again that the Maryland Terrapins hurt themselves severely by turning the ball over seven times in the first half, and 14 in the game. Nick Faust and Dez Wells led the charge in that regard, with seven between the two of them, and most leading to transition buckets for the Blue Devils. Wells sloppy ball handling overshadowed an otherwise great game by the sophomore guard, who finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Wells was the best player on the court at times, blocking fast break shots and hitting a clutch three that put the Terrapins within six in the first half.

Faust, meanwhile, failed to muster up much on the offensive end. Nine points on 3-of-12 shooting wasn’t going to cut it against the Blue Devils, and the four turnovers he committed didn’t help his cause much. Faust received a few more minutes thanks to a disciplinary infraction by Seth Allen that kept him out of the first half (per the orders of Mark Turgeon). The Terrapins could have used his shooting in the backcourt, however.

The only other Terrapin to truly impress was big man Charles Mitchell, who had 13 points and 7 rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end. Mitchell proved his worth quickly by outplaying Plumlee and everyone else on the Duke roster. Unfortunately his tenacity and conversion of offensive rebounds into points just couldn’t stop the onslaught Duke put together.

Up 61-51 with only ten minutes to go, the Blue Devils put together numerous runs by Plumlee and Sulaimon that ultimately crushed any hope the Terrapins had of mounting a comeback. The Terrapins eventually lost their will to fight towards the end of the game, and completely pulled away at the end.

The Maryland Terrapins head to Florida State next in hopes of avenging their home loss earlier this year to the Seminoles. Turgeon is going to need to work some magic to get this squad moralized again after this drubbing.

Jan 23, 2013; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Mason Plumlee (5) reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half at the BankUnited Center. Miami won 90-63. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Chris Bengel, another talented staff writer who hates Duke equally as much as any Terrapin fan. Follow him on @durtypuckhead for some great Terps insight.

The Teams: Maryland Terrapins (15-4) vs Duke Blue Devils (16-2)

The Time: 1 pm ET

The Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium. Durham, NC

TV/Radio: CBS, 105.7 FM

The Backstory: After being absolutely embarrassed on the road against North Carolina, the Maryland Terrapins rebounded with a nail-biting win against Boston College. The Terrapins shot the ball better than they have in recent games. Maryland shot 42.4-percent (25-for-59) from the floor and every player, except for Pe’Shon Howard, made at least one field goal. The Terrapins had three players that scored in double figures. Alex Len had a very strong game as he scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. In a starting role, Jake Layman netted 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in 28 minutes. Layman was also strong from beyond the three-point line as he made two of his four attempts from long range. Maryland stands at 3-3 through six games of ACC play and will travel to Duke for their toughest challenge  yet on Saturday afternoon.

On the contrary, Duke is coming off its worst loss since 2009. The Blue Devils were absolutely dismantled by Miami on Wednesday night by a margin of 27 points. Nothing went right for the Blue Devils as they only made nine shots in the first half and trailed the Hurricanes 42-19 at the break. The hole proved to be too deep to climb out of and Duke went on to lose 90-63 on the road. The Blue Devils have been struggling as of late. They have lost two of their last three conference games after going 15-0 to start the season.

Keys to the game

1.) Slow down Mason Plumlee

It is absolutely paramount that the Terrapins attempt to slow down Mason Plumlee right out the gate. Len will certainly have his hands full with the Duke forward and will have to be physical and aggressive. Plumlee is averaging 17.3 ppg and 11.4 rpg this season. Despite Duke getting throttled by Miami on Wednesday, the Indiana native still got his as he scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Plumlee is a great athlete and is excellent in the low post. He abused Len a season ago but that was the soft Len. Len is having a great season and has shown how physical and aggressive he can be at times. He’s going to have to be on top of his game if the Terrapins want to have a shot to pull off an upset at Cameron.

2.) For the love of all that is holy, don’t turn the ball over

If you’ve watched any Maryland basketball this season, then you know that turnovers are a sore subject around here. Despite shooting the ball pretty well against Boston College, the Terrapins still turned the ball over 14 times. Through six ACC contests thus far, Maryland is averaging a shade over 15 turnovers a game. The Terrapins just downright struggle early in games and make bad passes and just look disjointed at times. If Maryland can cut down on the turnovers, they have a puncher’s chance to upset the most-hated team in all the land.