Five game-day predictions: Maryland-Duke

Thought I forgot, didn't you?

Not for this game.

Less than five hours remain until tip off. Here's five thoughts to keep you occupied between now and then.

1. Greivis Vasquez will shine on Senior Night. Maybe he won't drop 41 points for the second straight game. But he'll do well in his final night at Comcast Center. Look for 25 points and perhaps a few forced shots thanks to the adrenaline rush of a sendoff from College Park.

2. Sean Mosley won't defend Kyle Singler. At least not much, that would be my educated guess based on the early going of Maryland's loss in Durham last month. The Terps might be better off with Landon Milbourne contending with Singler and gambling that Mosley can contend with the Brothers Plumlee and Lance Thomas.  With a player like Singler, there's really no great way to proceed.

3. Maryland will get Brian Zoubek into foul trouble --- but not until he drops 10-and-8. Zoubek, strangely enough, is the linchpin to tonight's game. After his 16-point, 17-rebound outing against the Terps in Durham, he will be squarely on Maryland's radar. He usually fouls plenty, so getting him to the bench isn't a chore for many teams. Chances are, he does some damage against the smaller Terps --- but not as much as a few weeks back.

4. Not banking on it being Jon Scheyer's night. For some reason or another --- maybe it is Operation Scheyerface, v 4.0 --- I have a hunch it will be Singler and Nolan Smith are in for strong games. Smith, in particular, should be happy that Dave Neal won't be around to set a wicked screen.

5. Duke will win --- but it'll be one heck of a game. Between the Vasquez hoopla and a share of the ACC lead at stake, there is a lot going for Maryland. But it's also lost six straight to Duke and eight out of 10. Just as I won't be picking Georgia Tech or N.C. State to beat Maryland until I see it happen, it's difficult to pick the Terps to beat a superb Duke team until it unfolds again. The call here is Duke 79-77, spoiling Maryland's perfect home season in conference play and solidifying the top two seeds in the ACC tournament heading into the weekend.

Comments

[Ryan]

I like them all...except for the last one. Maryland is an emotional team, and they play so much better at home. Just the fact that Hayes will make some 3's puts this one more into MDs favor. Tonight, the Terps will pull it out.
81-76