Blessing in Disguise? Duke/Maryland Preview

Duke fans' favorite enemy will be making his last trip to Cameron Indoor on Saturday

By Ben Linton

As mentioned earlier on this site, the Maryland-Virginia game has been postponed for February 15th (next Monday). This means that the Terps will four days to prepare for Duke on Saturday, while the Blue Devils will play on Wednesday in a big rivalry game at North Carolina ,which could possibly be physically and emotionally draining. This also allows Maryland to put its full focus on Duke, and could have possibly avoided the dreaded “look-ahead” game against UVA.

The Duke/ Maryland Rivalry heated up back in the early 00’s when both teams were dominant in the ACC and nationally, mainstays in the Top 5. In 2001, Duke beat Maryland in the Final Four on its way to a National Championship. The following season, Maryland countered with a Championship of its own. In 2004, Maryland and Duke faced off in the finals of the ACC Tournament. The Terps prevailed in overtime by a score of 95-87.

However, recently the Blue Devils have had the Terps, and Guard Greivis Vasquez’s number. Duke has won five straight over Maryland, including a 41 point beat down last year at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Maryland Guard Greivis Vasquez is 2-7 in his career against the Blue Devils, averaging only 11 points per game. The Terps’ best player must play better than he has in recent history to give the Terps a shot.

For the rest of this week leading up to the big game, I will be getting everyone’s juices flowing by recalling a key moment in the Duke-Maryland Rivalry, leading up to the preview of Saturday’s game and eventual recap of the contest. Stay tuned.

Never Seen This Before…

By Jesse Jones

In last night’s Kansas-Texas game, Kansas guard Brady Morningstar had a little mishap shooting free throws. See for yourself:

UVA-UMD Game Postponed

By Jesse Jones

Due to the blizzard that took place this weekend, and the extra foot-plus that is expected to hit the area tonight into tomorrow, the ACC and the University of Maryland has postponed tomorrow’s game against the University of Virginia to February 15. All tickets for the game will be valid on the 15th.

The University of Maryland has been closed since February 5th, and there are still large parts of sidewalks and parking lots that have not been cleared.

The time of the game has yet to be determined.

No Respect?

The Maryland Terrapins are quietly one game behind rival Duke for the ACC lead. Is anyone noticing?

By Ben Linton

When the new College Basketball Top 25 polls were released today, many people including myself felt that Maryland had done enough to be in the mix. But apparently the Terps have more work to do to impress, they are currently 32nd with only 18 votes.

This should motivate Maryland. They are one win behind #7 Duke for the lead in the ACC, with a solid 16-6 record (5-2 ACC), yet are getting no respect. The only other ranked ACC team is #20 Georgia Tech, who is 17-6 but has an average 5-4 record in the ACC.

If there was one week for the Terps to make their case that they belong in the Top 25, it will be this week, as they face Virginia on Wednesday then travel to Durham on Saturday to face Duke. It should be an interesting week of Maryland Basketball.

Also, in Joe Lunardi’s weekly Bracketology update, he has the Terps slotted as an eight-seed, moving up three seeds from last week. At least somebody is recognizing the accomplishments Maryland has made so far into the season.

One last note: due to most of the snow, I know most of our readers will be at home locked up. Have no fear. There are some great college basketball games on this week to keep you entertained. Here are a few:

Monday:

#5 Villanova at #4 West Virginia, 7 pm ESPN

#1 Kansas at #14 Texas, 9 pm EPN

Tuesday:

#12 Tennessee at #24 Vanderbilt, 7 pm ESPN

#6 Purdue at #10 Michigan State, 9 pm ESPN

Wednesday:

Connecticut at #3 Syracuse, 7 pm ESPN

#7 Duke at North Carolina, 9 pm ESPN

Saints Win First Super Bowl

By Jesse Jones

The New Orleans Saints are your 2009 NFL Super Bowl Champions.

After an early 10-0 deficit in the first quarter, the Saints scored 6 points in the second, followed by an onside kick after halftime that led to a touchdown that put them up 13-10.  After another Colts’ touchdown, the Saints scored a field goal, a touchdown and converted a two-point conversion, and then returned an interception by Tracy Porter for a touchdown.  This put the Saints up 31-17, and that put the game away.

Drew Brees, named MVP, played extremely well, as he went 32-39 (82%) for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns (114.5 rating).  Brees was accurate and didn’t throw any unnecessary throws in the game.  He found his open receivers quickly, and put the ball in places that they could only get it.

Peyton Manning played a good game too (31-45, 333 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 88.5 rating), but it was the interception he threw in the fourth quarter sealed their fate.

In the second half of the game, New Orleans outscored Indianapolis 25-7.

The city of New Orleans has their first Super Bowl, and has something they can celebrate for a lifetime.  Keep rebuilding.

Quick Fact

• The Colts have played in four Super Bowls (2 as Baltimore, 2 as Indy).  They are now 2-0 in Super Bowls when they wear their white jersey, and 0-2 when they wear their blue jersey.

Maryland gives Carolina the Baby Blues

Photo gallery

Photo gallery 2

By Ben Linton

In a complete role reversal of last year’s matchup at College Park, with North Carolina being the team desperately seeking a win, there was still a similiar result, with Maryland winning 92-71. Even two feet of snow could not cool down the Terps’ hot shooting (12-23, 52% from three). The Terps led by as much as 25 and hold firm in second place in the ACC, ready for a collision course with Duke next Saturday.

Greivis Vasquez once again led the Terps with a double-double (26 pts, 11 asts, 6-11 from three). Eric Hayes (16 pts, 4-5 from three) and Landon Milbourne (15 pts) also made key contributions to the victory. The win puts the Terps at 16-6 (6-2 in ACC) and caps off a good week. Maryland faces a huge challenge on Rivalry Week as they host 3rd place Virginia on Wednesday and travel to Durham on Saturday in a showdown with rival Duke.

Huge Comeback Gives Caps 14 Straight

Ovechkin Scores His First of Three Goals

By Jesse Jones

Despite the three feet of snow to hit the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, the Verizon Center was sold out and packed with Capitals fans ready to watch the best rivalry in hockey.

The Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in D.C. at 2:30 in the morning because all airports in the D.C. area were closed.  Some members of the team staff for both teams spent the night at the Verizon Center, and both teams would eventually reach the ice rink in the morning to play their 12:00 game.

The Penguins took an early 2-0 lead behind 2 goals by Sidney Crosby.   In the second period, Alex Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season to cut the lead in half.  However, Jordan Staal scored twice in about two minutes to put the Penguins up 4-1.  With about three minutes left, the Caps scored again behind an Eric Fehr goal.  The third period was all Washington, as Ovechkin scored twice to tie the game up and give him a hat trick.  After 60 minutes of play, the score was tied up at 4-4, and overtime was going to be the deciding factor.  On a Capitals power play, Ovechkin took a hard shot that bounced off the post, and was put in by Mike Knuble.

The game was played at the highest level, and was very scrappy.  Fights were breaking out, and a total of 18 penalties were called.

The Capitals overcame a 3 point deficit against the defending national champions in a playoff atmosphere to show good heart and dedication.

Washington has now won 14 straight games, and will look to get their 15th straight win over at Montreal Wednesday night.

Big Night For DC Pro Sports

By Jesse Jones

Last night the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards both played. The Capitals hosted the Atlanta Thrashers, and the Wizards traveled down to Orlando to face the Magic.

The Capitals were looking for their 13th straight win in the second game of a back-to-back. The Thrashers scored the first goal of the game, but after that it was all Caps. Ovechkin tied the game up, and then goals by Backstrom, Semin, and Chimera put the team up 4-1. Atlanta scored again with about 7 minutes left, but Mike Green iced the game with an empty net goal in the final minutes.

The Capitals are still in first place with 40 wins and 86 points, a 12 point lead over the Devils for first. They lead their conference by 27 points, and are 13-2 against the Southeast.

The Washington Wizards are the complete opposite of the Capitals.  They are dead last in their division, and third to last in the conference.  Orlando leads the division and is third in the East.

That didn’t matter much.

After a 15 point halftime deficit and an overall deficit of 21, the Wizards came out strong and tied the game up at 60.  It was back-and-fourth for the rest of the game, and came down to the final seconds as Caron Butler hit the game winning shot to give the Wizards a 92-91 victory.

Caron Butler was the key player in the game.  He only scored 2 points in the first half, but then errupted and scored 29 in the second to gie himself a season-high of 31 points.  Butler hasn’t been a huge factor at all this season, which is part of the reason why the team is so bad, but last night was a glimpse of the “Tuff Juice” we used to know.

The Wizards game at home against the Hawks tonight has been postponed because of the blizzard.  A date has not been set.

Last night was definitely a huge night for DC professional sports.

Terps Sweep Seminoles, Boost Resume

Photo Gallery

By Ben Linton

Prior to tonight’s game with the Florida State Seminoles, The Maryland Terrapins were inbetween a possible lead in the ACC conference race and a possible bubble spot for the NCAA Tournament. But with last night’s 71-67 win in Talahassee, the Terps (15-6, 5-2 ACC) have solidified themselves as a serious NCAA Tournament contender.

After a slow start in the first half, The Terps shot 49% in the second half to propel themselves to victory. Greivis Vasquez led the Terps with 23 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Landon Milbourne was also a key contributor, with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.

The Terps were able to withstand a hostile White Out at the Donald L. Tucker Center, becoming only the second team to win there this season. They also held off a career performance by FSU Guard Derwin Kitchen , scoring 29 points.

The defining moment of the game was with 14.5 seconds left. Down 66-64 and with the ball, Florida State’s Michael Snaer drove into the lane and made a layup, but Dino Gregory made a smart play by drawing a charge. The Terps were able to maintain possession and make a few free throws to seal the deal.

This was a great win for the Terps’ NCAA Tournament hopes. It now gives them two wins against the AP Top 50, both against Florida State. Since Maryland does not have any good non-conference win, they must get conference road wins like these to boost their case. It also gives the Terps a 5-2 record on the road, a very impressive statistic.

Next up is North Carolina on Sunday at 2 in snowy College Park. The Defending National Champs are looming, and Maryland always seems to have their number as of late. Hopefully things will turn out in the Terps favor.

Caps Win 12 Straight, Ovie Gets 500th Point

Ovechkin and Backstrom Celebrate

By Jesse Jones

Last night the Washington Capitals traveled to the Big Apple to face the New York Rangers.  The Caps had just came off their 11th straight win, and were looking for a franchise best 12 game winning streak.

They got it.

Down 5-3 in the second period, the Capitals got a huge boost by who else but Captain Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin got the puck and on a one-on-one, but it between the defender’s leg, and then with one hand, he shot it over Lundqvist’s left shoulder.  The puck just snuck past the blue line, and resulted in Ovechkin’s 500th career point.  The goal also propeled the Caps to score 2 more goals, and win 6-5.

Besides the great play of Ovechkin, Washington has been riding on the play of Nicklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore.  Backstrom scored 1 goal last night and assisted on 4 others.  His goal also proved to be the game winner.

Due to the injury to Semyon Varlamov, Jose Theodore has started all but 3 games in the 12 game streak.  Until last night, the most goals he had given up was 4, which was the first win of the streak.

Another aspect of the Capitals’ game that has improved has been the defense.  Since Ovechkin was named Captain, the defense has been more aggressive and has really locked down.

Washington is now on a franchise best 12 game winning streak, and look to make it 13 straight as they host Atlanta tonight at 7:00.