Jan. 17, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In recent years, the rivalry between the Maryland Terrapins and the Duke Blue Devils has spawned from a regular conference matchup to a national phenomenon. Tomorrow afternoon's game will continue this epic, as the Terps test themselves against the No. 1 ranked Devils at 1:30 in Comcast.
The following quotes are exerpts from the Terrapins' pregame press conference.
Head Coach Gary Williams:
(On the differences between this year's Blue Devils and last year's team)
"Duke is a little different team this year. They lost Mike Dunleavy and Jason Williams, and to Duke's credit, they have changed. This is a team that uses its bench more than recent Duke teams and this is a team that has inside and outside ability. They have lots of ways to go, and that is why you have to play well. You can't do only one thing and figure you've stopped Duke. There might be two or three things you have to do."
(On the series rivalry)
"These are great games. I wouldn't trade this game for anything, and I told the players that too. To play in a game like this - you can find a lot of basketball and you won't find any better atmosphere, whether the game is here or Duke, or wherever it is.
"You look at an NBA regular season game and you won't find many spots that measure up to this. I told the players to enjoy it. Sometimes there is a tendency to forget that. You don't get to play the No. 1 team in the country very often, and to play in an atmosphere like this, with all the bells and whistles, is special.
"This has become a great game for college basketball. It is the way people like the game to be played. Neither team is going to back off shooting the ball. It is going to go up and down."
(On Duke's program)
"This is a great situation. I know we really respect Duke for what they have done. They have raised the bar in the the conference, and I know they have made us get better as a program. You respect that.
"It is always nice to have games you can point to each year on your schedule, and we have to stay good to continue that. The great thing about college basketball is in a game like this, it is Duke vs. Maryland, not this player vs. this player, or this coach vs. this coach. Guys can go early, sign out of high school, or do whatever they want. The characters have changed but it is still the two teams."
(Recapping the Wake Forest game)
"We did a good job coming back from 17 points. There were periods of time where we could have folded, but we chose to compete. Calvin McCall has turned out to be a great senior leader - he's gone into games and turned them around.
"I think the players realize that we all have to be on the right page in terms of emotion. It is so close this year that emotion becomes a part of a lot of teams. We are halfway through the schedule now and we cannot afford to go flat in any game we play the rest of the way."
Tahj Holden:
(On the atmosphere at Comcast)
"The game will definitely be emotionally charged. Any time you have the No. 1 ranked team come to your home court it's going to be a madhouse. This will be the best atmosphere we've played in so far, and it's probably one of the best atmospheres in the country."
Ryan Randle:
(On what advice he gives to the younger players)
"I just tell them to stay focused, don't worry about what the crowd is doing, and just do what you have to do."
(On the Maryland/Duke rivalry)
"This is really what basketball is for - having a rivalry, and going at it for forty minutes. I'm just going to enjoy every minute of it. They're a great team, and Coach K is a great coach. We really have to stay focused now. I guess we're going to bring our 'A game' and they're going to bring their 'A game', and we'll see who the best team is."
Steve Blake:
(On the keys to winning Saturday's game)
"We need our big guys to have big games for us, especially at this one. If we want to win the game, we have to produce. It's as simple as that. We want to show a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but we have to stay poised and focused."