By BRYAN STRICKLAND
bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Duke lost a gut-wrenching game and an opportunity to claim a coveted championship Wednesday night, yet the potential gains from the game weren't lost on the Blue Devils.
"A game like this is good for both teams," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said following a 79-72 loss at Maryland. "Our guys responded in this atmosphere. They were in a position to win, and I'm proud of that.
"This wasn't a game where we didn't play hard or we played stupid -- it wasn't anything like that."
The loss dropped the Blue Devils (25-5, 12-3 ACC) into a first-place tie with the Terrapins in the ACC standings (22-7, 12-3) with one game left for both. Maryland visits Virginia on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m., WRAL), hours before Duke hosts North Carolina (9 p.m., ESPN).
Given what was on the line and the emotional energy between Duke and Maryland regardless of records, the Blue Devils didn't want to lose under any circumstances.
Still, the circumstances could benefit them going forward into postseason play.
The game was just Duke's fourth one all year -- all on the road -- where the game was up for grabs in the final seconds, and just the second one where the teams entered the final minutes on even terms.
While Duke rallied to make the loss at Wisconsin interesting in the closing seconds, and Boston College did the same in its home game against Duke, the only game before Wednesday that went to the wire virtually even was Duke's loss at Georgia Tech nearly two months ago.
"We had courage to shoot and take it, and it didn't go in," Krzyzewski said. "We're not coming off the Eastern front here, not ready to fight again. We're ready to fight. My team is a bunch of fighters.
"There are no blank stares. There's disappointment."
Duke junior Nolan Smith was among the disappointed but seemed far from distraught. After Duke went through a brutal shooting stretch midway through the second half -- missing 13 of 14 shots as a four-point lead turned into a five-point deficit -- Smith responded with three strong scoring plays toward the basket in less than two minutes to reclaim the lead for Duke.
A couple more inches, and Smith could have been celebrating rather than contemplating. He had Duke's last best chance to pull it out, but his 3-pointer with 1:05 left and Duke trailing 71-69 bounded off the front of the rim.
"I thought it was a great shot, and the coaches were happy with it. It's great going forward to know that if we're in a tough situation like this, guys aren't going to be afraid to shoot," Smith said. "I think I can definitely take something out of this. I grew up tonight.
"I've been growing up all year, getting more and more confident. In an atmosphere like this, this is where players are made. I really felt confident."
While such a game could help prepare Duke for a similar, potentially season-ending situation in the fast-approaching NCAA Tournament, it also served as a reminder of how difficult it is to be the one team out of 65 to avoid ending the NCAA Tournament with a loss.
Duke as a likely No. 1 or 2 seed could find itself in line to play a Sweet 16 game against a team seeded around the same slot as Maryland likely will be -- a team just as hungry and possibly just as talented as the Blue Devils. Win that, and you're only halfway home.
But before Duke worries about its NCAA Tournament fate, it still needs to secure the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils own the tiebreaker with Maryland but have to win and have the Terps lose to claim the title all to themselves.
"We didn't want to share the ACC title, but they still have a tough game against Virginia and we have a tough game versus Carolina," Smith said. "Going into this game, we knew we could take it outright, but they're a great team to share it with if we have to. We would respect that."
NOTES: Duke will compete along with Kansas State, Gonzaga and Marquette in the 2010 CBE Classic in Kansas City on Nov. 22-23. Tickets go on sale today at 11 a.m. at www.TicketMaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. ... Duke senior Brian Zoubek and freshman Ryan Kelly are two of 12 players picked for the 2010 ACC All-Academic team for men's basketball. Zoubek was honored for the third consecutive season.
