February 18, 2002

Neither, nor. It isn't a one time fluke- Maryland is a great team, as I've said elsewhere on the board, played damn well and deserved to win They've been competitive with Duke for the past 14 months; anyone who watched the last five games between the two shouldn't be surprised that Duke can lose badly against the Terps. But one game doesn't qualify as a passing of the torch, either. When the team supposedly giving away the torch has won or shared an unprecendented five straight regular season ACC championships and three straight tourney ACC championships, one game really isn't enough for a passing of the torch. This is particularly true when both teams are losing many of their key players. Juan Dixon (possibly the second greatest Maryland player of all time, behind Bias), Baxter, probably Wilcox. Duke loses a lot too, but we're reloading with the highest rated class in the history of the ACC. So... check back in and see who is on top next year. It may very well be Maryland- Gary is also bringing in a solid class, and he is maturing as a coach. But my money is still on Duke. So... it might be the beginning of the end for the recent Duke ACC dynasty. But it certainly isn't over yet.

posted by tieguy at 09:11 PM on February 18, 2002

Not so fast, djacobs: yes, Duke is Duke, but Maryland '02 is clearly not Maryland of the past. Past Maryland teams were emotionally fragile, and tended to lose big games they were supposed to win, and lose them badly. To wit, last year's multiple collapses, Duke's blowout wins when they had Steve Francis, etc. This year's edition got their ass kicked in Cameron, and instead of staying down and collapsing (as past teams would have) they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and kicked some ass. So... I've had faith in the past that Gary could be counted on to push his team over the brink when games were meaningful. That is no longer the case, so I don't think Maryland in March is easy money anymore.

posted by tieguy at 09:21 AM on February 19, 2002

for once i agree with tieguy. neither a torch-passing or a fluke. if you break the last 6 duke-md games into halves, md has won 7 of the 12. and while some people will deny it has become a rivary, the two have definately been the best teams in the ACC for several years now. any road game in the ACC is tough (see duke at fla state) -- so i don't get why people seem surprised maryland won. most people still see duke as the best team in the country, despite the polls, and rightfully so. they have nation's best player, a great coach who dwarfs all other active coaches in final fours, and a very strong starting lineup. the difference sunday was maryland's bench and home court advantage. (tieguy, why do you say md will probably lose wilcox? don't scare me like that, he's had a solid year and one breakout game--i don't think he's NBA material yet.) given the inherent inequity that the ACC tourney is played every year in greensboro -- at least one of those two factors will not come into play during the tournament. djacobs, you are kidding right? you expect a team that has seriously underachieved all year to suddenly rise up and defeat the terps in the last ever game at cole field house? you better make sure your registration at paypal is up to date. finally, i just discovered the 'power 16' at espn. if you haven't seen it yet check it out ... great fan comments area.

posted by danostuporstar at 12:02 PM on February 19, 2002

dano - I want good odds. Paypal is ready, and so am I! If Adam Hall is back, UVa will win.

posted by djacobs at 01:24 PM on February 19, 2002

UVA should not even be a top 25 team. I'd take Maryland too.

posted by gyc at 07:16 PM on February 19, 2002

dj: still that bold? I'm not sure UVa can beat UNC right now...

posted by tieguy at 07:56 PM on February 20, 2002