Duke vs Maryland: Sunday Night Showdown Calls for Turtle Stew

Championship teams find a way to win.  You will hear that a million times between now and the March Madness finale.  Win early and often has been the Duke mantra of success of late, and this season has been much of the same.  This team already knows how to win and has had little problem doing it this year.

Although the Blue Devils seem to be peaking at the right time for ACC play, there are almost as many questions regarding the health of Kyrie Irving's foot than why Stanford's Andrew Luck returned for more Stanford football.  It simply doesn't make sense and the questions just keep growing.

Sunday night the Maryland Terrapins will invade the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium with an upset minded game plan and the desire to start their very own ACC run.

If Maryland's Gary Williams hopes to have a shot in this one, he will have to contain Duke's Nolan Smith.  The wild card since the Irving injury, Smith is arguably the hottest player in the country.  He has been on a scoring binge of late, getting no less than 26 points in his last three games.  In his last game he scored a career high 33 points as Duke crushed UAB.

While Maryland is a better team than UAB, they can not allow Smith to continue his hot streak.  To do so, they will need to make him shoot the ball.  If they limit his dribble drive penetration then they may be able to keep him at least in a conservative 10- to 15-point range.

If the Terps can limit Smith's scoring, that will force senior Kyle Singler to step up and be the primary playmaker.  While the pick your poison tactic may not be a solid one against Duke, it just may work. 

Singler hasn't scored more than 15 points in his last two games and is struggling at times to find his shooting rhythm.  If he can't find his range it opens a huge opportunity for Maryland.

If Maryland has one huge strong suit in this one, it will be their rebounding.  They are currently ranked eighth in the nation in rebounding.  If sophomore Jordan Williams can dominate the boards and continue to lead this team in scoring then it could be a great night for the boys in red.

Duke understands that they are outmatched down low and will throw Plumlee after Plumlee right at Williams.  They will try to combat his size and strength with constant pressure when they have the ball, trying to force him into foul trouble.  Williams does no damage while on the bench.

Additionally, Duke can spread the floor with a smaller lineup, making Williams work harder on the defensive side of the ball.  A tired post player often gets sloppy resulting in poor shot selection, weak post moves and extra turnovers.

Maryland has won three straight and may be riding a wave of confidence, but midway through the first, the Blue Devils will control this game.

Nolan Smith is simply outplaying everyone else in the country.  While others such as Kemba Walker are playing well, Smith just appears to get better each time he laces up the Nikes.  His best weapon doesn't lie within him, it sits with the weapons he has at his disposal.  No other team in the nation can boast the depth and focus this team has shown.

Maryland may be confident coming in, but they will leave with their heads down as they get outclassed by the best team in the nation.