There's no real ideal way for a team to approach a game against Duke.
Generally speaking, the Blue Devils have two of the 10 best (if not five or six best) players in the country in Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. They have plenty of talent elsewhere on their roster, even if Kyrie Irving isn't healthy.
Smith and Singler are going to get theirs on just about any night. Singler has at least 15 points in 14 of 21 games. Smith has reached that figure in all but two games. And both had solid night against Maryland back on Jan. 9, though Smith was forced to work for all of his points.
That said, the Brothers Plumlee and Ryan Kelly combined for six points on 3-for-14 shooting in that game. They did manage 21 rebounds in 60 minutes, but offensively they were nonfactors.
Maryland might not be so fortunate to catch all three on a sluggish night on Wednesday.
Kelly is averaging 13 points over his last four games, shooting 18-for-23 from the floor. Mason Plumlee has reached double figures in rebounds in six of seven conference games --- the exception being his foul-plagued stint against Maryland.
"They're a big, talented frontcourt," Maryland forward Dino Gregory said. "We know that going in. Last game, the Plumlee brothers and Kelly didn't play as well, but as of late, they've been playing really well together. We're aware of that and we're excited about the challenge."
Kelly's breakout is perhaps the most daunting development for Duke opponents. The 6-foot-11 sophomore has started all but four games, but reached double figures in scoring only twice before his recent stretch. He's 9-for-18 from 3-point land in ACC play, and his presence is an added wrinkle to contend with.
"I think Duke is different in that Kelly is shooting the ball better now," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "He's almost reached the point where he is a look that they go to in their offense and that wasn't true the first time we played them. That just makes them tougher to cover because when they've got it going, and I know they didn't shoot well against St. John's, but when they get it going they can put at least three great 3-point shooters out there plus a scorer that can shoot 3s. That's a pretty good combination and tough to defend."
One thing seems likely: Maryland will need far greater frontcourt depth against Duke than it did Sunday against Georgia Tech, when Hauk Palsson and James Padgett combined for five minutes, two fouls, one rebound and no shots.
Palsson played 14 solid minutes against the Blue Devils last month, and the Terps could use a rerun to help contain Duke's perimeter-oriented lineup.
"I think so, but those guys are ready," Gregory said of the need to use more forwards on Wednesday. "They're excited about the challenge coming up. Padgett has been around for a while now and Hauk's come into his own. I have confidence they'll come ready to play."
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