Maryland Boosts NCAA Tournament Profile with Win Over No. 2 Duke
By Michael Shamburger
Maryland, desperate for a resume-bolstering victory to improve its NCAA Tournament chances, got one Saturday with an 83-81 win over rival Duke.
The Terps, which lost to Duke last month by 20 on the road, earned their best win of the season when Seth Allen sank two free throws with 2.8 seconds left. Ben Brust wasn’t playing for Duke, and the court in College Park was stormed.
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Alex Len led the Terps 19 points; his counterpart, Duke’s Mason Plumlee, had his worst game of the season, scoring just four points before fouling out. Plumlee wasn’t assertive, Duke fell in love with the 3-pointer (4-for-17 at one point, 6-for-19 for the game), and the Blue Devils lost despite a staggering 26 turnovers by the Terps.
The Blue Devils dropped to 9-3 in the ACC and are 2.5 games behind Miami, which plays Clemson Sunday.