The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the most impressive teams in college basketball this season, but a few upset losses has kept the team from being a lock for a number one seed in March Madness, making Friday's rivalry game against Maryland in the ACC Tournament a must-win game.
Duke is the second seed in the tournament behind Miami and are looking to win 10 straight games within the conference tournament at Greensboro Coliseum and they could improve to 19-0 against the Terrapins with Ryan Kelly, who is finally back to full strength after dealing with an injury.
The Blue Devils are 14-4 in the conference and went 27-4 this season, slipping up a handful of times, including in a 73-68 loss to Virginia that saw coach Mike Krzyzewski argue against court-storming fans at games. The team has been boosted by the return of Kelly, who has been out with a foot injury for most of the year.
The Hurricanes surprisingly took the ACC regular-season title and beat Duke handily earlier in the year and could give the Blue Devils trouble down the line. Kelly made his comeback against the Hurricanes in early March and grabbed nine rebounds to go with 18 points and his return has helped Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry, who scored 43 points in a win over North Carolina.
"You want to be playing at your best going into the tournament and you can't afford a loss at this point in the season where you're questioning your lineups and what your identity is," Plumlee said to the Associated Press. "It was the kind of win we needed going into tournament time."
Plumlee had another excellent season while leading Duke in scoring and rebounding and was the lone selection for the team on the all-ACC first team. Duke has been boosted by Kelly, going 18-0 this season with him in the lineup ahead of the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The team could lock up a number one seed with one or two wins over the weekend.
"We're getting the feel back, but he was out two months, so it's not going to just happen overnight," point guard Quinn Cook said. "... We're getting back to where we were before he got hurt. We still got a long ways to go but we're just taking baby steps to where we need to be."
Duke has been money in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, winning 11 straight games after receiving that coveted first-round bye. Maryland and Duke have had some amazing battles in the past in the tournament. Maryland will be fighting to just play in the NCAA tournament, as they are 21-11 and could miss out without at least one win here. Taking on Duke will make it even tougher.
Dez Wells will be the focus for both teams, as the Maryland star will be the focal point of the Terps offense, as he has been scoring nearly 20 points per game this month. He scored 21 points in a 75-62 win against Wake Forest and now will take on Duke.
"Ryan changes the dynamic of the team," said Wells. "We're going to be ready for him and the rest of the players. Coach K is a great coach but I believe in my defense and my team and my coaches."
Maryland has shown in can play along with Duke, as the Terrapins defeated the Blue Devils 83-81 in February, which came after a road loss blowout to Duke 84-64. This matchup will be one of the final one for the teams, as Maryland is moving to the Big Ten after next season.
"I have a great deal of respect for Maryland," Krzyzewski said. "If it was such a rivalry they'd still be in the ACC. Obviously they don't think it's that important or else they wouldn't be in the Big Ten."
Duke has won five of the past six games and is the seventh-ranked scoring team in the nation with nearly 80 points per game. The team has had issues with rebounding without Kelly, but they will get a boost with him back. Duke also ranks 15th in the nation in field goal percentage, while Maryland is scoring just over 70 points per game and is ranked 41st in field goal percentage.
HERE is the Watch ESPN website for college basketball as well as the official ACC Tournament Website.