Conflict of interests
Maryland wants revenge; Duke seeks return to No. 1
Posted: Tuesday February 02, 1999 11:17 PM
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The Blue Devils have history on their side, having won 28 of the last 34 from the Terps AP |
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- A Duke win Wednesday will likely elevate the Blue Devils to the No. 1 ranking. But the Maryland Terrapins have been waiting for this game since a humiliating defeat a month ago.
The Terrapins (19-3, 7-2 ACC) certainly remember the first meeting Jan. 3 in College Park. Md., a much anticipated game that ended in an 18-point Duke blowout.
"What we did to them up there is going to give them a little extra added incentive to come in here and play like they have nothing to lose," said Duke's Chris Carrawell.
The seventh-ranked Terps may have been looking forward to the Duke matchup so much that they may have looked past their latest opponent.
Unranked Wake Forest defeated Maryland over the weekend. Seniors Laron Profit, Terrell Stokes and Obinna Ekezie combined for just 15 points on 4-for-17 shooting.
"You do expect your seniors in games like Wednesday night to really step up and play great," Maryland coach Gary Williams said Tuesday. "As a player, I would like this game because Duke has a chance to be No. 1 and that attraction alone should get you pumped up."
With top-ranked Connecticut's loss to Syracuse on Monday, Duke (21-1, 9-0) can claim the top ranking by beating Maryland and then Georgia Tech on the road Saturday -- and also get off to the best start in school history.
The Blue Devils have been ranked second for eight consecutive weeks.
"We know they were fuming after we went up there in January and beat them on their home court," said Duke forward Shane Battier. "They are not going to be sleeping two games in a row."
Maryland's success against Duke since 1985 has been feeble at best, winning only five of 32 games. They Terps have won only once (1995) in Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the Blue Devils are riding a 33-game winning streak.
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"You do expect your seniors in games like Wednesday night to really step up and play great. As a player, I would like this game because Duke has a chance to be No. 1 and that attraction alone should get you pumped up."
--Maryland coach Gary Williams
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"We like to think before we step on the court we have a little psychological advantage over the other team just because we're Duke and that other team has that fear," said Battier. "By saying that, we have to go out and establish ourselves as a tough, physical, defensive basketball team the first couple of minutes to reinforce that psychological fear."
A key for Maryland this time around will be the play of Steve Francis, who was just 3-for-14 shooting with four turnovers in the first meeting as Carrawell's second-half defense frustrated the Maryland star.
"I don't think we caught Steve Francis off guard," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He just missed some shots against us and we were able to rebound his misses. For us, one of the keys to that game was we played really good half-court defense and we took pretty good care of the ball.
"We don't go into the game thinking we're going to stop Steve Francis," Krzyzewski added. "We just hope he doesn't become a dominant force in the game. He's one of the top players in America."
A win by Duke would give them a nearly insurmountable three-game ACC lead over Maryland and North Carolina with six league games left.
"If we can win this game it will give us big breathing room in terms of winning the [ACC] regular-season title," Duke's Trajan Langdon said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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