Greivis Vasquez no longer resides in College Park, Md. But an irrepressible hatred for all things Duke remains.
And following one of the Blue Devils’ worst performances in recent memory, Terrapin fans may feel an upset over their hated rival is ripe for the picking—even if Vasquez’s absence has hindered the team’s performance this season.
No. 5 Duke (19-2, 6-1 in the ACC) was shell-shocked against St. John’s Sunday, losing a game many viewed as a projected easy non-conference victory by 15 points.
The loss revived fears that these Blue Devils might have the same road woes as in recent years, as Duke has lost two of its five true away games this season.
Now the team faces Maryland (14-7, 4-3) tonight at 9 p.m. in the Comcast Center, a venue in which it has lost three of its last six contests.
“We had our worst game of the year,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of his team’s effort against the Red Storm. “As a result they just handed it to us. It’s something we need to learn from.”
The Blue Devils could also learn from last year’s performance in College Park. Just like against St. John’s, Duke got off to a slow start against the Terrapins and was down 33-19 in the first half before a 19-7 run to end the half saved the team from a probable blowout.
Trading baskets with the home team in the second half in front of an emotional crowd on Vasquez’s senior night, though, proved to be impractical, as Maryland prevailed 79-72.
This season, however, the Terrapins will be without the stellar Vasquez, who scored 20 points, including the game-clinching basket, in that contest. Instead, Maryland will rely on their new star, sophomore Jordan Williams, to set the pace.
The center had 15 points and 11 rebounds in that victory last season and led the Terrapins with 23 points and 13 rebounds earlier in the season against Duke. The Blue Devils, though, pulled out a 71-64 victory in Cameron thanks to a combined 43 points from senior captains Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.
More pressure will be on Smith and Singler after the disappointing defeat against St. John’s to not only raise the level of their games, but that of their teammates as well.
“Throughout a year, a team isn’t going to play well all the time,” Krzyzewski said. “I would hope that our leadership does come forward.”
Krzyzewski hopes the impact of that leadership will manifest in a resurgent Blue Devil frontcourt, led by Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee. After a streak in which he made 18 consecutive field goals, the second-longest such streak in Duke history, Kelly cooled down against St. John’s with only seven points.
Plumlee’s performance dipped similarly against the Red Storm—following five straight double-digit rebounding performances, Plumlee pulled down only four boards and was 0-for-2 from the field.
Sunday’s loss to St. John’s served as a wake-up call to the Blue Devils that subpar performances on the road will rarely result in wins against quality competition.
Against a rival like Maryland tonight, that call will need to be heard not only by Duke’s senior leadership, but by the whole team, for the Blue Devils to get back on the winning track.
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