Maryland Hosts Duke At 1 P.M. On Sunday
2/15/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2002
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland (No. 3 AP, No. 3 USA Today/ESPN) and Duke (No. 1 AP, No. 1 USA Today/ESPN) renew what has become college basketball's fiercest and most competitive rivalry on Sunday afternoon when the Terps and Blue Devils stage a national showdown at Cole Field House in College Park. On the line is a potential No. 1 ranking, and the driver's seat in the race for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship. Nationally televised to over 80 percent of the country on CBS-TV, tipoff is 1 p.m.
* Maryland is 20-3 overall and 10-1 in the ACC after seven consecutive wins since falling to Duke on Jan. 17. Maryland won its 15th straight home game (12-0 this season) on Wednesday with an 85-65 win over Georgia Tech, behind 22 points and 10 rebounds from All-America candidate Lonny Baxter.
* Duke is 22-1 overall and 11-1 in the ACC following its 108-71 win over NC State on Thursday.
TERP NOTES & STORYLINES
* Cole Field House is the site of just its fourth top-three matchup in 47 years of existence. Maryland's only previous top three affair at Cole was in 1973 when No. 3 NC State defeated No. 2 Maryland. The 1966 Final Four at Cole was the site of a semifinal matchup between No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Duke. The national title game that season saw No. 3 Texas Western defeat the top-ranked Wildcats.
* It is Maryland's fourth top-three matchup overall, including a 99-78 loss at Duke earlier this season, and just its second ever at home.
* A Maryland victory will put the Terrapins into sole possession of first place in the ACC with four games to play in the regular season. Maryland's 10-1 league record is its best-ever ACC mark through 11 games.
* Maryland is bidding for its first outright ACC regular season title since 1980 (11-3) and just the third in school history. Maryland's only other regular season crown was in 1975 (10-2). The Terps split a four-way tie with a 12-4 ACC record in 1995.
* The Terrapins have won 14 of their last 15 ACC regular season games dating to last season.
* The Terps of 2002 are just the second team in Maryland history to begin a season at 20-3. In 1974-75, Maryland began 22-3 before eventually finishing 24-5 and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight.
* Maryland has won seven straight games, 12 of 13, 20 of its last 22, and 30 of its past 35. Maryland's five losses in the stretch have come to Arizona, Duke (3) and Oklahoma - all on the road.
* In the last 365 days, Maryland and Duke have combined to win 66 of their past 73 games - dating to Maryland's win at Wake Forest on Feb. 17, 2001. Four of those seven losses have come to each other.
* A Maryland win over the Blue Devils would mark the school's seventh win all-time over a No. 1-ranked opponent, and its first since an 89-83 overtime win over North Carolina on Jan. 14, 1998.
* It also would mark the seventh upset of a top-ranked team at Cole Field House (would be the sixth by Maryland at Cole), surpassing Notre Dame's Joyce Athletic Center with the most No. 1 upsets of any arena in the country. Both have been the site of six No. 1 upsets previously.
* Would a win over Duke compel voters in national media and coaches polls to tab Maryland as its new No. 1 team in the nation? It would mark the first time in history that Maryland has ever been ranked No. 1. Maryland currently boasts disctinction as the school that has been ranked No. 2 most often in the AP poll (20 weeks) without ever being No. 1.
* The Terps are bidding to remain undefeated at home during their final season at Cole Field House, winning each of 12 games so far this season. The last time a Maryland team was undefeated at home was in 1994-95 (16-0).
* The Terps own a 15-game home win streak dating to last season, the longest overall homecourt streak since a 21-game streak between the 1993-94 (1), '94-95 (16) and '95-96 (4) seasons.
* Duke has enjoyed uncanny success at Cole Field House recently, winning four straight games in College Park. Maryland's last home win over the Blue Devils was a 74-70 decision on Jan. 26, 1997.
* Maryland is 5-1 in ACC road games this season, with upcoming road bouts scheduled at Clemson and Florida State to end the regular season. Maryland's best road mark in ACC history was 6-2 in 1999.
* Maryland remained in the top five in both major polls this week, for the 11th week this season. Maryland opened the year at No. 2 by the AP, and has spent a total of four weeks at No. 2 this season.
* Senior honors candidates Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon have each been named finalists for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award, the James Naismith Player of the Year Award, and the nation's Senior CLASS Award which is presented to the country's top senior.
* Maryland has played 128 consecutive home games at Cole Field House since suffering consecutive home defeats. The last time Maryland lost back-to-back home dates was during the 1992-93 season.
* Maryland owns the nation's longest non-conference homecourt win streak which spans 84 games and over 12 years. The streak began on Dec. 30, 1989 against Alcorn State. The Terps' last non-league home defeat was on Dec. 12, 1989 vs. Coppin State. The streak will continue at the Comcast Center in 2002-03.
ON DECK
* Maryland travels to Clemson on Wednesday, Feb. 20 (9 p.m., RJ), and returns to Cole Field House on Sunday, Feb. 24 against Wake Forest (2 p.m., RJ/ESPN2).
* The Terrapins close the regular seasonat Florida State on Wednesday, Feb. 27 (9 p.m., RJ), and at home against Virginia on Sunday, March 3 (8 p.m., FOX Sports Net).
