Happy Birthday to Coach K from the Blue Devil Nation!

It's kind of odd when it seems like you are the one giving the gift Coach.  I speak for the entire Blue Devil Nation in wishing you a very Happy Birthday!  We applaud you and appreciate what you have done for Duke University and basketball in general.  Thanks for the memories and may we spend many more special days with you as our coach.

Maryland Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Maryland Def
74.2 Pts F 67.1 Pts A 46.4 FG% 43.0 FG% 35.0 Reb. 32.4 Reb.	86.0 Pts F 67.8 Pts A 48.2 FG% 38.4 FG% 32.4 Reb. 32.3 Reb

Mark's take- Let's face it, Maryland has lost one game in their last seven and that was a hard fought game to the Blue Devils in College Park.  In other words, they are the second hottest team in the ACC right now and are playing well.

The Terp's know this would be a signature win where the NCAA selection committee is concerned.  If the past is any indication, they will not need any added incentive,  Maryland has had success in Cameron and will bring  two strong front court players and a savvy point guard who would like to show the nation they are the best unranked team in America, which they probably are.

Vasquez is coming off and amazing game as is Gist and Osby kind of had his way around the glass in the game at Maryland.  In that game Duke showed resilience in coming back and the win catapulted them toward further success.  Duke will look for a way to slow Maryland inside and will likely run, run, run hoping to get some of the key Terp players into foul trouble or at least winded.

Duke must do a better job at the free throw stripe, especially is their three point efficiency tails off.  Williams seems to take more pride in beating the Dukies than he does making the tournament, so look for him to throw another wrinkle into the game plan.  Coach K on the other hand had been able to keep his kids grounded and a tough game against Boston College in their last outing should be enough to make them realize they need an "A" game effort to stay undefeated at home and in the conference.

I look for the usual tough game in this series, but feel Duke will pull away in the end provided they hit their free throws.  Like all other games, keeping Singler out of foul trouble is a must too.  When the dust clears I see Duke 86 Maryland 79

Official Game Notes                Terps will test Duke

Singler a key for Duke          Duke is aware of trend

Terps ready for rematch     Vasquez answers critics