Two of the Nation's hottest teams face off in Cameron Indoor Stadium this evening.  Maryland is coming off an upset of UNC, while Duke is riding their own wave into this important ACC game.

Thanks to the ACC giving Duke the leagues toughest schedule, Maryland may well win the tie breaker, should it come to that.  Unless Duke wins out against Maryland and UNC, they are assured a fifth or sixth place regular season finish going into the tournament.

With it being the last game in Cameron, the Crazies are sure to be rocking and will need to be.  Maryland has been a thorn in Dukes side, having had a good amount of success in the our building.

It wasn't that long ago, that obnoxious Terp fans stomped on the Duke logo at center court.  Somehow, the ACC then made Maryland our rival, meaning we play them twice a year.  Forget NCSU, the team a few miles down the road ... Duke is big TV bucks and they sometime suffer from that.

Duke has been forced to play three games in nine days, due to scheduling to accommodate TV.  But that is the norm, so about the game ...

The Terp guards had their way with Paulus and Scheyer in College Park, but it won't be so easy tonight.  Since that game Paulus has played some of his best ball of the season and Scheyer is a star in wait, who may decide tonight is good time to show that.

Maryland matches up well with Duke, having an athletic front court. They seem to get contributions from everybody when they  face Duke, so the Devils will have to counter that.

It will be important for players like Henderson and Thomas to show up, despite their youth.  Duke will have to value the ball against the Terp pressure defense too.

A loss would be devastating to Duke, but hardly the end of the world.  With rival UNC in wait after another loss, Duke will be hard pressed to finish in the top four, but building momentum is important and a win over Maryland assures them of a winning record in the regular season.

Let's make sure that the kettle is hot!

Beat the Twerps!

I hope the crazies have some home cooking in store and get behind their fellow students early and often.  While I expect the turtles to come to play, I think we will too.

My pick is Duke 72 Maryland 62

Match up -

Maryland Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Maryland Def
79.9 Pts F 59.0 Pts A 48.1 FG% 40.9 FG% 37.0 Reb. 28.7 Reb.	69.6 Pts F 67.6 Pts A 47.2 FG% 39.0 FG% 28.7 Reb. 35.9 Reb.

If you would like a three month pass to the premium newsletter, send your Duke-Maryland pick in!  The closest one to the exact score will take the prize, but you have to be closer than my pick in the preview which will be up shortly:)

The scoring system is simple ... 1)  you must pick the winning team.  2) it will be the total number of points off the score.  EXAMPLE - Duke 69 Maryland 68 is your pick.  The actual score is Duke 76 Maryland 73.  You would be 7 off on Duke and 5 on Maryland for a total of 12 points off.  The person with the lowest total points off wins.

The picks must be in by 6:45 EST.  They may be sent to watzonebdp@gmail.com.  The previous contest winners and answers will be announced tomorrow afternoon, as will the winner of this contest.  Good Luck!

It's now safe to say that the Duke offense under Ted Roof will be going in a new direction in 2007.

Link

Frank Dascenzo checks in on Wednesday's Duke-Maryland game.

Well, Oak Hill finished 40-1 on the season and will likely win the mythical National Championship for HS Basketball.

Link

My friends at Duke Basketball Report have a new message board system in place.  It is much better than their first effort after the original SBBS.  I can be found on their boards from time to time and since there is not one here, it is my unofficial pick for chatter along with the free board at Rivals, a site that keeps it tame or possible to have a real discussion.

So, if you have any questions that I can answer -- it is a good place to find me.  Keep in mind that you will not have a long leash for pettiness there, so keep it real, but pay them a visit.

I am still working around a nasty new virus and promise that things will be back to normal soon.  My pick was erased, but I missed the actual score by just three total points in the St. Johns game.  That makes three straight uncannily close picks to the actual score, so tune in this week for the Maryland pick.  My luck is sure to falter;)

Contest winners and the answers to the trivia are coming.  Also, if you send a Duke-Maryland pick in and it is 1) the closest to the actual score will win three months of premium-newsletter access.  You have to beat my pick though.  Since I bragged on my last three picks, that shouldn't be a worry:)  More details tomorrow.

Lastly, what an amazing Duke weekend!  The Women are simply incredible and the Men are playing their best ball when it counts.  Add LAX, unbeaten baseball and well, a great weekend!

Duke commitments King, Singler, Smith make McDonald's All American game.  Prospect Patrick Patterson will play too.

Harding -

On whether rolling her ankles affected her play:“It really didn’t, because it happened in practice and you just kind of shake it off and keep playing.  I rolled my right one.  I was crossing the ball, I think I crossed myself over, and just rolled my right one.  And then in the second half, I rolled my left one again, but it was fine.  I just shook it off.”

On students tenting for tonight’s game:“They were out there for how many days, in the cold, in the rain?  It was raining and it was freezing.  I wanted to come out there and I wanted to give them a show.  I wanted to win for them, for myself, my last game, for my team and everything.  They get you pumped up with a lay-up, one score, one steal, they continue just to keep you pumped up.”

Bales -

On her offensive performance:“Last time against Carolina, I didn’t really score, especially in the first half.  I really wasn’t aggressive enough.  I was getting my shot blocked.  So, I wanted to come into this game, forget about that game and really come in aggressive, and I did and luckily my outside shot was falling.” 

On going undefeated in the regular season:“In the long run, you don’t get a banner that says ‘undefeated for the season.’ It is an accomplishment, and I think that right now we’re very proud of what we’ve done so far this season, but also in the same regards we’re still ready for the next part of our season.”

On the team’s expectations:“I think our expectations are the same as when we started the season.  We knew we were going to be good going into the season, and I don’t think that going undefeated changes what we want.  At the end of the season we want to be national champions.”

On the crowd support:“Duke’s known for its Cameron Crazies, and I think that it’s just an amazing feeling to have them be as supportive as they were tonight for the women’s team just like they are for the men ... It was really exciting to have them support us like they did tonight.”

Nothing could be finer than defeating Carolina!

Abby Waner -

On defending Ivory Latta:“We realized that last game she did go 3-for-20, but most of her looks were wide open, and when you’re a good player like she is, you’re not going to go 3-for-20 again.  We were consciously aware of where she was at all times.  Especially in a zone, it’s hard to lose somebody except for we all knew what side she was on and paid a little bit more attention to that side.”

On getting steals at the end of the game:“I told Ali[son Bales] at halftime that when I get beat, sometimes it’s just because I feel like letting her get a block.  It’s a comfort level that you can pressure and if you happen to get beat then there is that next line of defense.  And also, towards the end of the game, they had some of there bigger players up top, like Camille Little and Rashanda McCants, handling the ball.  As a defender, you have to learn to recognize that – when you can go for steals and be a little bit more aggressive – whereas if somebody like Ivory [Latta] had the ball, she’s a little bit quicker and you have to be more conservative.”

Duke held on to defeat Clemson after losing a sizable lead.  Of course, it is the final score that counts and Duke outplayed the Tigers for most of the game.  The Tigers lost for the 21st straight time in the series.

If you are a numbers freak, Duke won its 21st game of the season too.  They now stand 21-7, and more importantly, are 8-6 in conference play.

Just a week ago, people were questioning whether Duke was even going to make the tournament.  Now, they are working towards their usual high seed.

Duke came in well prepared for the game.  The staff had the team ready to play despite the recent virus bug.  Duke shot 52% for the game. 

"We played an almost perfect first half.  With their crowd and where they are [backs against the wall] they weren't going to fold.  We became tentative which a is the sign of a young team,' said Coach K to Bob Harris.

He went on, "we are telling them to run, but all of a sudden we are not doing that.  They [Clemson] press  well they have a good press and it disrupted us."

Jon led Duke with 18 points. Scheyer was 5-6 from the field, 3-3 from three, 5-5 from the free throw stripe.  He grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 1 assist and 1 steal. 

"People talk of out motion offense, but we stuck with it.  It works for us.  We've won 3 championships ..National and several ACC titles. We made some big plays late ... Josh's full court drive  and lay up,  Scheyer 3's and Paulus 3's, said K."

Scheyer led the Devils with 18 points, making several big free throws which helped tame the Tigers.

"It was a game where we had the lead early, but let them back in," said Duke freshman Jon Scheyer.  He went on, "we got conservative and had to make a couple of plays.  Nelson and Paulus hit me with good passes allowing me the good look."  That was in reference to his late 3's.

"We prepared well.  Our upper classmen were good all week long in getting the guys ready.  It was a good win versus a team that had their backs against the wall  for an NCAA bid," said Coach K. 

He spoke of Paulus too. He mentioned how Greg was kicking the ball out properly in the motion 2-3 offense.

Greg has put together two nice games and seems to be finding his groove.  His shots from beyond the arc, kept the Tigers from making a huge run until late in the game.  Duke has got a lot better of late and has learned how to hold on for a win.

Jon Scheyer may have said it best last evening, "We just worry about ourselves.  If we prepare and win, good things will happen."

The Blue Devils will travel to New York City to take on St. John's on Saturday.   They will then play their final game of the season in Cameron against Maryland in a game that will have great importance in the ACC standings.  Duke closes next week out with rival UNC.

OFFICIAL GAME NOTES

BOX SCORE

Duke has won 20 in a row and holds a commanding 98-27 lead in the series, but the Tigers have sprung quite a few upsets over the years.  In fact, they have defeated six Coach K top 25 teams during his tenure.

Clemson boasts a 16-21 mark in recently renovated Littlejohn Coliseum.  They have a good home court edge when all is clicking.  Add to that a knack for pulling the upset in an arena where their emotional fans sit right on top of the action.

Powerful Duke teams have met their fate on the road as far back at the late seventies, when a couple of Foster coached teams were upset.  So, the record indicates more on the Bubas era.

So, the fact that Duke has won 20 in a row and is streaking is compelling, but this game could be a trap of sorts.  Despite the Tigers recent woes, a win is a cure all, putting them at 20 wins and a 6-7 conference record.

Add to that, Vernon Hamilton is a senior leader who has 52 points and a career high in his last two games versus Duke and you can see where this game will likely be close.

With a Clemson win, Oliver Purnell will have won 20 games at four different schools.  His team will surely let it all hang out tonight.

It will be important for Duke to contain the trio of Hamilton, Hammonds and Rivers, while watching James Mays, a match up nightmare.

There will likely be a lot of heat on the Duke guards, Scheyer and Paulus.  These two will be tested defensively.

Josh McRobert's has to watch out for early foul trouble.  Clemson has more than enough athletes to test the Blue Devils around the paint.  Speaking of down low, this is where Duke will have to finish strong.  Don't be surprised is Duke takes the ball to the hoop more often than expected.

DeMarcus Nelson will need a big game too.  He will draw the toughest defensive assignment all night long and must be on the court at games end.  This will  again mean, watching out for silly fouls.

So, if Duke wins its 21st game of the season and the 21st straight against Clemson, it will take a solid effort where they value the ball and maintain their focus in a hostile enivironment.

Obviously, I expect a great Clemson effort.  Duke will have to match their emotion and intensity to win.  Like every other team we play, the game is circled by teams and fans alike.

This is the fourth sell out in Littlejohn this season, which is a record for the Tiger's.

This one goes to the wire with Duke winning ... 68-66

STATS - 

Duke Off vs. Clemson Def	Clemson Off vs. Duke Def
69.6 Pts F 64.8 Pts A 47.2 FG% 43.7 FG% 34.0 Reb. 31.7 Reb.	74.3 Pts F 59.1 Pts A 46.8 FG% 40.9 FG% 31.7 Reb. 28.6 Reb.

The frontcourt will be tested this evening as Duke takes to the road to face Clemson.

ACC STANDINGS -

TEAM	CONF W-L	TOTAL W-L
North Carolina	10-3	24-4
Virginia Tech	9-4	19-8
Virginia	9-4	18-8
Boston College	9-5	18-9
Maryland	7-6	21-7
Duke	7-6	20-7
Georgia Tech	6-7	18-9
Clemson	5-7	19-7
Florida State	5-9	17-11
North Carolina State	4-9	14-12
Miami (FL)	4-9	11-16
Wake Forest	4-10	13-14

Be sure to see Patrick Patterson and his Huntington teammates go up against St. Patrick on ESPN 2  tomorrow night.

DeMatha was the only team to defeat St. Patrick this season.  Huntington is ranked  anywhere from #3 to 6 nationally.  St. Patrick could move into the top spot in every poll with a win, coupled with an Oak Hill loss.

St. Patrick [ranked #1 by USA Today] features Villanova bound Corey Fisher and Jeff Robinson who is headed to Memphis.

Patterson addresses the media.

Huntington High is healthy for the game.  Two players had head injuries, but have been cleared to play.

Duke commitment, Nolan Smith continues to shine for Oak Hill Academy.

Duke Baseball is undefeated so far this season.

There have been many close guesses on two seperate series of contest quetions, which you can see by scanning down.  Still, there is no complete answer to the pro team and it's ties to Duke.  Hint - look at the coach in the picture.

The other series of q's on Team USA and Cameron has been answered.   More to come -

O.J. Mayo was  coming off a 3-game suspension and he tallied s23 points, while teammate Patrick Patterson led all scorers with 26 points.  Huntington never looked back after taking a 14 point lead after one quarter of play. Huntington improves to 20-1 and Capital falls to 15-3.

The Highlanders host St. Patrick N.J. on Thursday night at the Cam Henderson Center. ESPN2 is scheduled to televise the game at 8:00 p.m..

The Pattersons on a recent visit to Durham.

Patterson selected POY -

Senior center Patrick Patterson of Huntington captured the Mountain State Athletic Conference boys basketball player of the year award Monday night at the Civic Center.

The 6-foot-8 Patterson entered Monday’s MSAC championship game averaging 17.9 points, 12 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots. He also leads the Highlanders, ranked No. 1 in West Virginia Class AAA and third nationally, with 72 slam-dunks.

He’s helped Huntington to the last two state titles and won the state player of the year award in 2005-06 as a junior