Maryland Basketball

The Maryland Terrapins, most commonly referred to as the Terps, represent the University of Maryland, College Park in NCAA sports. The University of Maryland basketball team is an NCAA Division I-A team that belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have, for the majority of their existence, been regarded as one of the premier college teams in the Mens NCAA Basketball field. The euphoria over Terrapin basketball is generally regarded to be on the same level as that of schools such as, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky, etc. Their mascot is Testudo the Turtle, who was born in 1932, when Dr. Curley Byrd suggested that the school's mascot should be the diamondback terrapin. Their official colors are red, white, black, and gold.

Maryland-Duke Rivalry
The Maryland-Duke rivalry in men's basketball has taken on interest in recent years. Some trace the origins of the rivalry to a game played at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 9, 2000, in which Maryland, led by Juan Dixon's 31 points, upset then second-ranked Duke, ending the Blue Devils' streaks of 31 consecutive ACC victories and 46 consecutive home victories. The two teams would go on to meet in the finals of the ACC tournament, where Duke would prevail, taking two out of three meetings that season. (Many Duke fans consider the Maryland rivalry to be one of the two intense rivalries they have, the other being the historic University of North Carolina rivalry.) Both teams entered the following season among the preseason top 10, and met in four highly-contested games.

The two teams entered the 2001-02 season among the national championship favorites. They met twice during the regular season: a 21-point Duke victory in Durham, and a 14-point Maryland victory in top-ranked Duke's final visit to Cole Field House. The College Park matchup is noted for a memorable play before halftime, as Jason Williams, attempting to set up Duke's last shot, turned his eyes towards Coach K for instruction. As he did, Steve Blake stole the ball from him and scored on a lay-up, giving Maryland an eight-point lead and momentum. In the NCAA's, Duke would be upset in the Sweet Sixteen by sixth-seeded Indiana; Maryland would go on to win the title, defeating that very same Indiana team in the championship game.

On January 18, 2003, Duke, relying heavily on a highly-touted freshman class, came to the newly-opened Comcast Center undefeated and top-ranked. Maryland, which was able to start five seniors, overcame a halftime deficit and won by 15 in a manner reminiscient of the teams' previous meeting. Duke would go on to win the rematch a month later, and the following season, took the regular-season series.

Maryland ended the 2003-04 regular season with a 7-9 conference record. With wins against Wisconsin, top-ranked Florida, North Carolina, and North Carolina State, Maryland entered the ACC tournament as a probable team to make the NCAAs. Sixth-seeded Maryland upset third-seeded Wake Forest and second-seeded North Carolina State to advance to final game against top-seeded Duke. Maryland led for much of the first half, while Duke made a run in the second, leading by 12 with less then five minutes left in regulation. Maryland, buoyed by the play of John Gilchrist, made a series of plays down the stretch to tie the game at 77 at the end of regulation. With many on Duke's team, including Shelden Williams, in foul trouble or disqualified, Maryland went on to outscore Duke 18-10 in overtime, resulting in a 95-87 victory and the school's first ACC tournament title in 20 years.

In the 2004-05 season, Maryland swept the Blue Devils, becoming the first conference team to do so since Wake Forest did nearly a decade earlier. They also became the first school to win three straight games against Duke since Michigan accomplished the feat in 1995, 1996, and 1997. The victories over Duke were negated, however, by losses to supposedly weaker conference foes like Miami, North Carolina State, and Clemson, who defeated the Terrapins three times during the season. Maryland was relegated to the NIT; Duke won the conference tournament, earned a one-seed, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the eighth consecutive year.

As of February 2008, Duke holds a 103-60 lead in the all-time series. Since the 1999-00 season, however, Duke holds an 13-9 advantage. Maryland won both of its games against Duke in 2007, completing its second sweep of Duke in 3 years. Duke later returned the favor by sweeping Maryland in the 2008 season. The game is the source of frenzied fan interest in College Park and routinely draws large television audiences.

Because of the intense nature of the rivalry in Men's Basketball, dislike between the schools has spilled over to other sports, notably Women's Volleyball.

Terps Postseason History

ACC Season Champions - 1975, 1980, 1995, 2002 ACC Tournament Champions - 1958, 1984, 2004 NIT Champions - 1972 NCAA Tournament Appearances - 22 Sweet Sixteen Appearances - 13 Elite Eight Appearances - 5 Final Four Appearances - 2 National Champions - 2002

Steve Blake - PG, Portland Trail Blazers Juan Dixon - PG/SG, Detroit Pistons Steve Francis - PG/SG, Houston Rockets Joe Smith - PF, Cleveland Cavaliers Chris Wilcox - PF/C, Seattle Supersonics D.J. Strawberry - PG/SG, Phoenix Suns