Is playing Duke after a loss a good thing?
There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal, so the saying goes.
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How about a wounded Blue Devil?
That was the question for the Maryland basketball team as it prepared for Wednesday’s game against No. 5 Duke. How would the Blue Devils react after getting manhandled at St. John’s 93-78 on national TV Sunday afternoon?
“It was one of those games where they struggled. Every team goes through it,” Maryland junior Sean Mosley said. “We’re definitely going to be on our [toes] because they’re going to come in here hungry for a win because they’re coming off a loss.”
| Up next |
| No. 5 Duke at Maryland |
| When » Wednesday, 9 p.m. |
| Where » Comcast Center, College Park |
| TV » ESPN |
| Radio » 980 AM |
Duke (19-2), the top 3-point shooting team in the ACC (39 percent), missed 20 of its first 21 attempts from beyond the arc Sunday afternoon and trailed by as many as 25 points. Afterward, coach Mike Krzyzewski lit up his team.
“We were not ready to compete, we had blank expressions on our faces and guys weren’t talking, and that’s my responsibility,” Krzyzewski said. “Our program didn’t do well today.”
Krzyzewski has a history of success in bounce-back games. Each of the last eight times Duke has lost, the Blue Devils have won the following game. Maryland coach Gary Williams is aware of the trend.
“[St. John’s] was one game,” Williams said. “That one game might make Duke a better basketball team.”
Maryland senior Dino Gregory expects Duke’s state of mind to be similar to that of the Terrapins after their humbling 17-point loss at home to Virginia Tech two weeks ago. Maryland reacted well, beating Clemson and then slamming Virginia.
“You’re anxious to get back in the gym and play again,” Gregory said. “You don’t want to practice. You want to go about there and prove you can play, prove it was a fluke. They’re gonna come in here hungry. But we’re hungry, just as well.”
Maryland doesn’t have much history against Duke when the Blue Devils are coming off a loss. Of the last 31 Maryland-Duke games, the Blue Devils had won the previous game on 29 occasions.
In his 22 seasons, Williams has gone 12-31 against Duke when the Blue Devils were coming off a win. He has a 2-5 record against the Blue Devils after they lost.
The last time the Blue Devils came to Comcast following a defeat was in 2007. Maryland extended Duke’s pain with a 72-60 victory as freshman Greivis Vasquez scored 18 points. Afterward, Krzyzewski said Duke hadn’t “experienced that level of energy this season and it knocked us back.”
The Terrapins are counting on the same heat Wednesday night.
“The fans are really pumped up for this game. It’s a big rivalry,” Gregory said. “It’s definitely a confidence builder.”
