This year...
...has been very un-emotional for me with the graduation of the last of the Dixon/Blake era.
There were sparks here and there, beat Carolina or Florida and then they'd implode and lose to Duke or Wake when they had them.
The common denominator all season was that they simply weren't phased by whatever their opponent did and they flat out never quit. Often it looked like a Chinese fire drill and I just figured
'talented team, way young. Wait until next year.'
Well, the fire drill gelled. Maryland never quit, got a few HORRIBLE calls against them late, Duke put 'em down for good and the Terps, per usual, couln't hit free throws...that is until they HAD to. They crept back step by step and Duke missed at the buzzer.
OT.
Here's the biggest thing about the Duke game: Half court offense.
The 4 wins prior to today were classic Maryland ball: Run 'em into the ground. Get the other guy out of their comfort zone.
Duke dictated the pace the entire second half yesterday and I was back to the 'youth and inexperience' thing. Marylands 1/2 court is a thing of horror against the better teams. They couldn't get Duke to run.
In the end, against a superior half court team, they overcame that to and that is what bodes well for the NCAA's.
Whose gonna make you nervous after you beat the best there is in their game, the ACC tournament Championship?
Here we go Maryland, here we go!!!