HALFTIME: Duke 39, Maryland 33

The Blue Devils came out with good intensity to start the half, pressuring the Terrapins with full court man-to-man defense and attacking the rim on the other end. Jabari Parker opened scoring with an impressive three-point play and finished the half with a game-high 14 points. Maryland seemed a little jittery in the opening minutes, but the Terrapins gained offensive rhythm as the half went on. The inside play of Charles Mitchell—who finished the half with eight points and five rebounds—and long-range shooting of Jake Layman, who had 12 points on 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Maryland countered with some pressure of their own as the half wound down, mixing in a half court trap in the final minutes that led to a steal and two-handed jam by Layman. Duke's double-digit lead was whittled down to one, but some late free throws, an Andre Dawkins 3-point jumper, and a last-possession drive by Amile Jefferson allowed the Blue Devils to take a six-point lead into the locker room.

Observations from the first half:

• Quinn Cook replaced Rasheed Sulaimon in the opening five after a 21-point performance at Boston College. Sulaimon seemed to not mind the relegation terribly—he checked in after the first TV timeout scoring two quick lay-ups and adding solid on-ball defense on the other end.
• Maryland looked to attack the paint early, putting a particular emphasis on getting big man Charles Mitchell looks. These attempts fell short in the early minutes—the Terrapins' first possessions included a missed inside shot, an offensive foul, and an emphatic interior block by Amile Jefferson—but Mitchell finished the half with eight points.
• The Blue Devils are sporting white throwback jerseys commemorating the team's 1991-92 championship season.
• With 6:58 remaining, Coach Krzyzewski and Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon appeared to engage in a heated shouting match at mid-court. After several minutes, the coaches came together with an official in apparent reconciliation.
• Nick Faust provided the most explosive play of the half, throwing down an emphatic putback dunk with less than five minutes remaining.