After Maryland lost to both Wake Forest and North Carolina earlier this month, Terrapins head coach Gary Williams proclaimed them two of the three great ACC teams this year. Duke was not the third.
The Blue Devils (15-0, 5-0 in the ACC) have since passed the Demon Deacons and Tar Heels in the national rankings, moving up to No. 2 Monday, and remain one of three undefeated teams in the nation. Maryland (11-5, 2-3), on the other hand, has struggled in conference play, having lost most recently to N.C. State 85-69 Sunday night.
Widely perceived as Duke’s second-biggest rival—behind, of course, North Carolina—Maryland will visit Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight at 9 p.m. to try and tarnish the Blue Devils’ perfect record.
“When you go down to Cameron Indoor Stadium, no one is going to be there to help us or give us sympathy,” Williams said. “It’s up to us to be strong. Duke’s a great team, but we’ve also played the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the country. You have to be ready to play at this level. I personally like the challenge.”
In their first game against a high-profile ACC opponent this season, the Blue Devils will rely on their three veterans to continue posting big numbers for the team. The “Big Three,” as Shelden Williams, Daniel Ewing and J.J. Redick are often called, together average 54 points per game.
Williams’ size and strength is unmatched for a Maryland team that lacks a true presence in the paint. Williams has shown that he can take advantage of a mismatch, recording nine double-doubles this season.
Ewing will often be matched up against John Gilchrist, who currently leads his team with 5.6 assists per game. Gilchrist is having a tough season to date, but after he scored 26 points and handed out six assists in the ACC Tournament finals a season ago every Blue Devil will have an eye on the Terps’ dangerous point guard.
Redick, who every Maryland fan loves to hate, has had outstanding performances in recent games, proving he can shoot under almost any circumstance. Redick tallied 31 points against Florida State Saturday, hitting eight three-pointers in one of the best shooting efforts of his career.
Especially in front of the home crowd at Cameron, limiting Redick will be one of Maryland’s top priorities. Coach Williams emphasized the importance in guarding Redick’s shot, saying the Terrapins would practice keeping defensive pressure on the outside.
“J.J. Redick is the best shooter in the country,” Coach Williams said. “I don’t think that’s going out on a limb’
‘[Daniel Ewing]’s got the ability to handle the ball and run the offense plus put the ball in the basket. Shelden Williams has stepped up his game,” he continued. “They complement each other and play well together.”
The Terrapins have four starters averaging more than 10 points per game. Nik Caner-Medley and Gilchrist anchor the squad and provide size at the perimeter. With the recent injury to D.J. Strawberry, Maryland, like Duke, is struggling with depth and athleticism off the bench. Further, the Terrapins have had a considerably tougher schedule than the Blue Devils thus far, facing Wake Forest and North Carolina early in their conference season. Duke has only faced one team currently ranked in the top 25.
The Blue Devils will focus their efforts on the defensive end and use turnovers to generate fast-break points.
“That’s something we’ve been trying to do against all teams,” Shelden Williams said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to speed them up or get some turnovers and convert those on offense.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.