5 Reasons Why Duke Always Beats Maryland

Only one word can come to your mind when seeing the image above. Hitler, of course. Duke fans will deny that he portrays such a man, but all of us anti-Duke spectators (especially us Maryland fans) know the truth. Coach K is the closest thing we have to the devil, right? Duke is everything we hate. All we hear about is how they graduate everyone, how all of their players are such great men, great leaders. We have to hear Dick Vitale slobber over Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, Jay Williams, and Kyle Singler. (And no, I didn't forget J.J. Redick, but I am convinced that Vitale does a little something extra to him.)

But as Maryland fans, lets be real. We hate Duke because we aren't Duke. We don't get their players, we don't compare with their consistency, and we flat out don't win like they do. So what am I getting at? Coach K is undeniably a rat. He barks at the officials more than anyone, even when Duke appears to get the majority of the 50/50 calls. But we have to respect him. He has stayed away from recruiting violations, and is in the NCAA Tournament every single season competing for a championship. We have to respect Duke. We can make all of the excuses in the world, but Duke continues to beat the Terps continuously in the same way.

So I give you, the 5 reasons why Duke always beats Maryland:

1. The 3 point line:

One thing has always remained a constant in this rivalry. Duke always beats Maryland at the 3 point line. Duke will not lose to Maryland when they outscore the Terps consistently from beyond the arc. Whether it be Singler, Sheyer, Williams, Redick, Dunleavy, or Battier, Duke has poured in the threes in every matchup. Last night? Duke outscored the Terps from three by 24 points. Final margin of defeat: 18.

2. Coaching:

Gary Williams is one of the best coaches in the nation. Hands down. He may not recruit as well as we would hope, but he always has his players ready to play against the highest levels of competition. He is very well known to be a great in-game coach, in terms of making adjustments. He is that, but not against Duke. When Duke beats Maryland, they do it in the exact same fashion throughout the game. No adjustments made.

3. Loose Balls

If you are watching a Duke-Maryland game as a neutral fan, you may notice that every loose ball seems to go the way of Duke. And you would be right. Why does it happen? Don't know. Hustle, more will, and a better knack for the ball are all possibilities. Regardless of how it happens, it is debilitating to Maryland. Loose balls can often determine a close game, and when Duke wins, they get all of them.

4. They are better

You can say all you want about coaching, the atmosphere, whatever. Duke beats Maryland because they consistently have better players. They are better shooters, they have more size, they are quicker, and they are stronger. They are better prepared mentally. The only season in the past decade that Maryland was better than Duke and won it all? 2002, when they had better players.

5. The Block/Charge Call

I physically can not go through this list without taking one shot at the Devils. I don't think anyone would argue that Duke, and not only against Maryland, always gets the benefit of the doubt on a block/charge call. It may be because Duke players are instructed to flop, but thats a different issue. You may have noticed last night during a crucial part in the game, Terrell Stoglin was called for a charge that was clearly a block. A few plays later, one of the Plumlee goons was clearly out of control, ran over a Maryland player (who I have since forgotten), and a block was called. Not saying it ever determines the game, but it certainly doesn't help Maryland.