By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
DURHAM ó The signature sequence in second-ranked Duke’s 85-44 manhandling of Maryland resembled a futuristic form of “Pong.”
Gerald Henderson poked the ball away from Greivis Vasquez, and Kyle Singler made a one-handed pass as he crashed into Cameron Indoor Stadium’s media table.
Singler’s sideline-to-sideline offering reached Jon Scheyer, whose mid-air touch pass from the left wing found Nolan Smith. He left his feet near the right block and tipped the ball to Henderson, who sent the home crowd into a frenzy by making a layup while drawing a foul.
“For all of you who think you can play, you can’t do that,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said with a smile. “That’s one of the beauties of watching sport. I could Wii it and it’s not going to look like that. It was beautiful basketball.”
That possession featured all kinds of side-to-side movement. The Blue Devils (18-1, 5-0 ACC) are headed in a different direction ó up to No. 1 in the national polls ó following their dismantling of the Terrapins, who endured their worst loss and scored their fewest number of points under veteran coach Gary Williams. It was the fourth-largest margin of defeat in Maryland history.
Henderson had 17 points to lead Duke in the most lopsided game of a series dating back to 1926. The Blue Devils were ahead 60-20 with more than 15 minutes remaining, and they picked up their biggest ACC win since a 100-58 decision against Florida State in 2001.
“This can happen here probably quicker than any place in the country,” Williams said from the press room inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke is set to become the third ACC team to occupy the top spot in the rankings this season.
Wake Forest ascended to No. 1 six days ago and then lost to Virginia Tech. Duke, which faces the Demon Deacons on Wednesday, didn’t reach No. 1 in The Associated Press poll during either of the previous two seasons.
Krzyzewski complained about a lack of recognition when his team rose to No. 2 earlier this month, and the Blue Devils are now poised to take the next step.
“It’s an honor, and it says that you’re playing real well,” Krzyzewski said. “You don’t get anything from it except a really big headline when you lose.
“We’ll get a really big headline when we lose because we’re probably going to lose at some time. We’re going to try not to do that, but chances are we’re going to get hit here sometime. While it’s on, it’s cool.”
Duke looked worthy of such distinction throughout its game against Maryland (13-6, 2-3).
Much-maligned center Brian Zoubek scored 14 seconds after the opening tip and swatted shots on two of the Terps’ first five possessions. He had nine points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 18 minutes.
The Blue Devils went into the break with a 40-15 lead after holding Maryland’s trio of starting guards ó Vasquez, Adrian Bowie and Eric Hayes ó to a combined four points on 2-for-12 shooting, nine turnovers and no assists. Vasquez, who had called Cameron Indoor Stadium “my house” leading up to the contest, finished with four points and one rebound.
Henderson’s crowd-pleasing layup capped a 15-2 run that enabled Duke to triple the Terps’ score.
“The start of the second half, for about four or five minutes, that was as good of basketball as can be played,” Krzyzewski said.
Duke has allowed an average of only 51.6 points per game in ACC play, and its next test comes on the road against a high-scoring Wake Forest team.
The new AP poll will be released Monday, and Wake’s recent loss ruined the possibility of a 1-vs.-2 matchup. The Blue Devils hope they fare better with a big target on their back.
“If we get that ranking,” Smith said, “we’ll just have to continue to play well and hold onto that No. 1 like some teams haven’t.”