It was the low point of the season. The Blue Devils entered Maryland's Comcast Center Feb. 11 attempting to end their three-game losing streak but left embarrassed after their worst performance of the season, a 72-60 loss.
In that first meeting, Duke was buried by a 29-4 first-half Terrapins' avalanche. During that run, which spanned 10 minutes, the Blue Devils committed nine turnovers. Eleven of Maryland's 12 made field goals came from inside the paint or outside the three-point line.
"Looking back at the tape, it's kind of sickening how bad we played," junior DeMarcus Nelson said. "That was obviously our worst team performance this year-our defense, our offense, not finishing, not being strong. And then as a team we did not match their level of intensity."
No. 14 Duke (22-7, 8-6 in the ACC) has not lost since the debacle in College Park, running off four straight wins to climb above .500 in the ACC and back into the national polls.
Wednesday night's home finale against the 24th-ranked Terrapins (22-7, 8-6) at 9 p.m. presents the Blue Devils with the opportunity to prove how much they've grown by avenging their worst loss of the year.
"We played really young that game, and that was a big turning point for us," freshman Jon Scheyer said. "That was a very disappointing loss, and since then, we've rebounded really well. We don't want to stop this streak we've got going."
In each of its last four games, Duke has been able to build large first-half leads and hold off second-half surges. The Blue Devils have averaged 40 points and outscored their opponents by a margin of 17.8 points in the first half during the streak.
A major reason for Duke's quick starts has been a minor change in its offense. The Blue Devils have employed a dribble weave at the top of the key between their guards to establish more rhythm in the halfcourt.
"It's something we added in just to get some movement," Scheyer said. "We've gotten some big buckets off of that. It's just one of the things we put in, and it's been helping us."
Duke had difficulty creating that motion on offense in the previous matchup with Maryland, as the Terrapins used a full-court press to speed up the Blue Devils and disrupt their offensive flow. The result was 12 first-half turnovers and only 11 made field goals.
"The biggest thing is we can attack [the press]," Scheyer said. "That defense is supposed to make you stand up and be tentative, and we can't let that happen.... If they're going to press us, we should be excited about that because that gives us a good opportunity to score."
As well as Duke has played over the last two weeks, no one in the ACC is hotter than Maryland. The Terrapins have won five conference games in a row to move from being squarely on the bubble to being a likely lock for the NCAA Tournament. In its last game, Maryland stunned No. 8 North Carolina by overcoming a 12-point deficit in the final eight minutes to pull out an 89-87 upset.
"Their confidence is sky-high right now," Scheyer said. "The bottom line is when you have a team like that, they're going to come out with a lot of energy. We have to throw the first punches. We can't let them dictate how the game is going to be played."
The Terrapins have been led by the resurgent play of D.J. Strawberry. The senior guard was named ACC Player of the Week for the second consecutive time after averaging 18.5 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in wins over Florida State and North Carolina. Strawberry poured in a career-high 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting against the Tar Heels.
"He's a very good player," said Nelson, who will likely spend much of the game guarding Strawberry. "He scores in spurts when he gets out in transition and gets some easy buckets and layups. It will be a tough matchup.... He's a hot player right now."
Before the game, the Blue Devils will honor their lone senior, Joe Pagliuca, who is suiting up for the final time in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"I look up in the rafters and see two guys that just got their jerseys retired, the ACC Championships and Final Four banner," Pagliuca said. "I look back, and it's just gone by in a flash."
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