Maryland Terrapins (14-9, 4-5 ACC)
At
#9 Duke Blue Devils (20-4, 7-2 ACC)

Saturday, February 11th, 4:00 pm at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC

Leading scorers: MD: Terrell Stoglin– 22.0ppg Duke: Austin Rivers 15.1ppg

Last game: MD def. Clemson 64-62 Duke def. UNC 85-84

Outlook:
For 39 minutes and 59 seconds, it looked like the Duke Blue Devils would be dead and buried and on their way their second consecutive ACC loss, however Austin Rivers had other plans. Rivers three pointer at the buzzer lifted the Blue Devils to an 85-84 road win over North Carolina, a win that may have changed their season. By no means does the buzzer beater mask the fact that Duke was dominated inside and that they continued to be the worst team in the ACC in field goal percentage, and they continuously get out rebounded. One thing they do well that has always been a staple is their ability to shoot the three, which single handedly won the game against UNC. With their confidence now back after a win against their fiercest rival, Duke should be ready to play against the Terps.

Every Terp fan remembers the 41 point beat down the Terps received in Cameron Indoor Stadium a few seasons ago– and that was with a more veteran Terp team– so few people are confident that this young team can handle the aura of playing at Duke. The main reason they lost to the Blue Devils in the first meeting was their inability to stop Mason Plumlee, and you can expect more of the same. Despite the lack of success they had stopping the inside game last meeting, it’s tough to imagine that Maryland would double Plumlee and leave the Duke shooters open. It’s a double edged sword defending Duke and maybe just hoping they are missing their three pointers, which may be the only way to defend them. Terrell Stoglin will need to pull his best John Gilchrist if the Terps want any chance of this happening.

Prediction:
This won’t be a 41 point blowout but it will not be pretty. The Terps just don’t have the players or shooting ability to exploit Duke’s weakness. Just because Miami beat them at Cameron doesn’t mean that Maryland will go in there and win. The Terps have nothing to lose and should play close, but I expect a tight, turnover laden, sloppy game on offense. Rivers and Duke continue their torrid shooting and defeat the Terps handily.

Duke 86, Terps 67

You can follow Marco Romanell on twitter @mromanell