Duke fans are as "classless" as all the rest

Last Friday, around midnight, I stumbled upon a Craigslist ad for three tickets to the Maryland/Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After placing a couple phone calls and figuring out some logistics, we were all set to cross an item off our sports fans' bucket list.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to make the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Durham. Tickets in hand, we found our seats and got settled in.

Though the game didn't turn out the way Terps fans had hoped -- Maryland lost by 20, despite trailing by just 10 with 11 minutes left in the game -- it was fun to see the "Cameron Crazies" up close and in person.

Please note that I was fully willing to swallow this post and continue my life interrupted until I ran across a Duke grad who wrote up a whine-filled sob story after attending the Miami/Duke game last week. (Of course, Duke suffered one of its worst-ever losses under Coach K that day, so maybe this "fan's" skin was a little thinner than normal.)

Here are a few of my favorite passages:

"Unfortunately, the maturity and good sportsmanship displayed by these men was not reflected by the institution they represent."

"Uninspired expletives, homophobic slurs and limp references to genitalia were the only "cheers" I heard from Miami students the entire game."

"This experience only served to deepen my appreciation and respect for Cameron Crazies, an exemplary group of boisterous, witty and dedicated supporters—the sixth man, a true fan indeed."

Duke's student section, for some reason, prides itself on being classier and more clever than the average fan base. But here's the thing: it's not. It's just as bad. Maybe worse.

At one point, Maryland center (and Ukranian import) Alex Len had the ball and was backing Duke big man Mason Plumlee down in the lane. Duke students chanted "USA, USA, USA" at Len. Not only is that not clever, it's straight-up plagiarism. (NC State fans chanted the same thing at Greivis Vasquez in Raleigh back in 2010.)

Later, when sophomore wing (and Xavier transfer) Dez Wells was shooting a pair of free throws, Duke students chanted "No means no! No means no!" Wells, if you recall, was expelled from Xavier amidst rape allegations that were later dismissed. (But wait, Maryland fans chanted the same thing at former Duke big man Shelden Williams, who faced similar circumstances, in College Park back in 2003.)

Not only is the "No means no!" chant played out, it's just plain ironic that a fan base whose lacrosse team was brought down by rape allegations (that were later proven to be false) would be so casual as to poke fun at Wells' case (which was also thrown out in court).

And at the very end of the game, the Cameron Crazies chanted "Don't come back! Don't come back!" which is also strange, because the Terps have fallen to Duke 12 out of the last 13 meetings between both teams. Basic math would suggest that Duke would want to play Maryland more often.

So congratulations on the win, Duke fans. But don't call yourselves "witty" or "clever," especially when you're using someone else's material.

In any event, after separating the Terps fan from the sports fan in me, the trip to Cameron was well-worth it. With Maryland heading to the Big Ten as soon as 2014, not only was it potentially my last chance to get to see a Maryland/Duke game at the iconic Cameron Indoor Stadium... it was also my last shot at eating Bojangles for a while.

Redskins host Seattle in NFC Wild Card

The Redskins' final offensive play was fitting: a one-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Alfred Morris, his 33rd carry of the night. The final, hard-fought yard gave Morris 200 on the night, and his third touchdown of the game.

More importantly, it ended Dallas' season -- and propelled Washington to the postseason for the first time since 2007.

On Sunday, the Redskins face off against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in 2007. Washington fans remember it all too well.

After the Redskins mounted a comeback to take a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter, Seattle responded with 22 unanswered points in the final six minutes of the game.

Led by star running back Marshawn Lynch, who ranks third in the NFL in rushing, the red-hot Seahawks (11-5) have outscored their last four opponents 42.5 to 10.8 points per game. Lynch has tallied 10 games of 100-plus rushing yards this season, and ranks just behind Morris in rush yards.

Seattle comes to town as the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, having won seven of its last eight games. But five of those wins came against non-playoff teams.

The Seahawks have a rookie phenom at quarterback, too. Russell Wilson ranks fourth in the league in quarterback rating -- again, just behind Washington's Robert Griffin III. But Griffin and the Redskins hold the advantage on the ground, where the former Heisman Trophy winner has run for 815 yards and seven rushing touchdowns to Wilson's 489 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Washington is similarly hot, having won seven straight after starting the season 3-6. Heading into the bye week in Week 10, head coach Mike Shanahan told the media "Now we get a chance to evaluate players and see where we're at."

Despite the throwing-in-the-towel-esque comments from its head coach, Washington rallied behind Morris and Griffin to finish the season strong -- not only securing a playoff spot but going 5-0 against NFC East opponents to win the division at the same time.

On paper, both teams are fairly similar. Seattle has the better pass defense, while Washington has the more dynamic quarterback. And in the end, that's the phase of the game that could very well decide the outcome on Sunday afternoon.

Maryland leaves ACC, joins Big Ten

The University of Maryland's Board of Regents voted to approve a move from the ACC to the Big Ten Conference, effective in 2014.

The move has seemingly divided the fanbase, with half the population eager to gain the fringe benefits that come with the move, and the other half disappointed to lose rivalries and tradition that come with staying put.

While it will be strange to see Maryland -- a charter member of the ACC since its inception in 1953 -- become the newest addition to a Big Ten Conference that has far outgrown its name, the move was born out of necessity.

So out go Bojangles, Food Lion and Ruby Tuesday, and in come Gatorade, Verizon and UPS. Out goes a Carolina-centric, basketball-first conference headquartered in Greensboro, in comes a Midwestern-focused, football-first conference headquartered just outside of Chicago.

For the Terps, whose basketball program comes ahead of anything else, it's going to take a bit of getting used to. Football is clearly the priority in the Big Ten. But the Big Ten isn't exactly a downgrade in basketball success.

Since 2005, the ACC has sent 15 teams to the Sweet Sixteen, including four teams to the Final Four. In that same timeframe, the Big Ten has sent 16 teams to the Sweet Sixteen and six to the Final Four.

So while losing annual games against Duke and North Carolina stings at first, consider that Indiana boasts five NCAA men's basketball championships, Ohio State has reached three Final Fours in the last 13 years, Wisconsin has six Sweet Sixteens since 2000 and Illinois has four since 2001.

The proximity to other teams in the conference will usually require airfare rather than a tank of gas. The steep exit fee required to leave the ACC -- an estimated $50 million -- won't be easy to swallow, either. But the Big Ten will split the bill, and some have suggested the ACC would take closer to $20 million or $25 million for the Terps to leave the conference.

And it may seem ludicrous to pay that kind of money, given that the school was recently forced to cut several varsity sports. But consider this: the money that comes along with being a member of the Big Ten has been estimated to add around $40 million per year in annual revenue to Maryland's bottom line, according to InsideMDSports.com's Jeff Ermann.

That's money that can be put toward recruiting budgets, arena and facilities improvements, and generally making the University of Maryland a better place to go to school, a better athletics program to be a part of and a more nationally recognized academic institution. 

Maryland fans will come around on the issue eventually. They'll have to. The rivalries will come eventually. And the benefits of joining the cash-rich Big Ten far exceed those that come with staying put in an ACC with an uncertain future.

 

Terps season preview and bold predictions

At long last, the college basketball season is finally back upon us. For many teams around the country, the season starts with a handful of games against cupcake teams. But not Maryland, which faces off against No. 1 Kentucky at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight.

Last year, I made seven predictions about the Terps in head coach Mark Turgeon's first year at the helm. (I ended up going six-for-seven on my picks.) That said, here are five bold predictions heading into today's season opener against No. 1 Kentucky...

1) Freshman guard Seth Allen will end up on the all-freshman team
The unheralded recruit from Fredericksburg, Virginia committed to the Terps just five days after Turgeon was hired, and left many fans wondering who the heck he was. But in the team's exhibition win over IUP earlier this month, Allen led scorers with 16 points, five rebounds and five steals. He was an efficient 3-for-6 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. And he's stepping into a point guard situation in need of consistency. If he's the guy, he'll end up playing significant minutes this season -- and should continue Maryland's streak of putting a player on the all-freshmen team. (Jordan Williams, Terrell Stoglin and Nick Faust have the Terps' streak at three.)

2) One Terp will make each of the all-conference teams (all-first, all-second and all-third team)
Between Faust, Xavier transfer Dez Wells and European big man Alex Len, each player will land on a different all-conference team. Wells is the likeliest candidate to land on the all-first team, with Faust and Len looking like strong candidates for the all-second and all-third team. The trio looks poised to make the sophomore leap from strong freshman campaigns, and in a down year for ACC talent, all three will play their way into those honors.

3) The Terps will end the regular season with one of the ACC's top four conference records
It's not all that far-fetched, but few are predicting Maryland to be one of the ACC's powers this year. ACC coaches pegged the Terps as the sixth-best team in the conference, but Maryland play's the league's bottom four teams -- Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake Forest -- a combined seven times. That, plus getting home games against Florida State, Clemson and Virginia ought to set the Terps up for a 10- to 12-win ACC schedule.

4) Maryland will end the season ranked in the top 25
The Terps haven't been ranked in the top 25 consistently since the 2009-10 season, when they were led by a senior trio of Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. This is a far more optimistic prediction than Ken Pomeroy, who has predicted a 15-16 (6-12 ACC) record. This year's squad features very little experience beyond senior forward James Padgett and fifth-year transfer Logan Aronhalt -- but it also brings in the Terps' top-ranked recruiting class in several years. Add in sophomore leaps from Wells, Faust and Len and a talented freshman class could push Maryland into the top 25 again.

5) Maryland will reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003
This might be the longest shot of all -- after all, the Terps are 150-to-1 to win the NCAA Tournament -- but hear me out. If my earlier predictions come true, and Maryland is staring at a 25-9 (12-6 ACC) record with a couple top 25 wins under its belt, a five or six seed is within reach. Depending on how the bracket shakes out, a pair of postseason March wins isn't out of the question at all.

RG3, Redskins offer fans hope

I'll be the first to admit it: coming off a 5-11 season and deficiencies at several positions, I thought trading up in the 2012 NFL Draft for Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III was a mistake.

Don't get me wrong. I figured RG3 was going to have a successful NFL career. I just figured that the Redskins weren't simply a franchise quarterback away from regular playoffs appearances. 

And yet, through eight games -- and a meager 3-5 record -- it appears Washington's front office mostly knew what it was doing.

Griffin has drawn comparisons to last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Newton had a terrific rookie campaign. But through eight games, Griffin is on pace for an even more impressive year.

His completion percentage (66.8) is better than Newton's was (60.6). He's throwing for 75 fewer yards per game than Newton did, partially because the Redskins have an incredibly efficient run game. Griffin's eight touchdowns and three interceptions are clearly more efficient than Newton's 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And he's outrunning Newton by 157 yards.

He's not only besting Newton, though. His 97.3 quarterback rating ranks him seventh among NFL starting quarterbacks, ahead of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees... and ahead of the other three NFC East quarterbacks: New York's Eli Manning (89.1), Dallas' Tony Romo (78.8) and Philadelphia's Michael Vick (78.6).

Meanwhile, fellow rookie and sixth-round draft pick Alfred Morris ranks third in the league in rushing yards, and should make a Pro Bowl if he keeps at this pace.

And while a 3-5 record isn't putting the Redskins atop the NFC East this year, it's hard to argue that if Washington wasn't decimated by injuries, it could be a different story. Despite losing its top receiver (tight end Fred Davis), its Pro Bowl linebacker (Brian Orakpo), a solid defensive lineman (Adam Carriker), a pair of safeties (Brandon Merriweather and Tanard Jackson), a big-name wide receiver signing (Pierre Garcon), last year's leading rusher (Roy Helu) and a cornerback challenging for a starting spot (Cedric Griffin), the Redskins have remained competitive.

Washington is a three-point loss to St. Louis, a seven-point loss to Cincinnati, a seven-point loss to Atlanta and a four-point loss to the New York Giants away from sitting at 7-1. Even splitting those games 2-2 leaves the Redskins 5-3, not 3-5.

Combine an efficient pass offense, a prolific run game, a stout run defense (with a healthy Orakpo and Carriker) and the league's worst pass defense and it's clear to see the Redskins aren't as far away from being playoffs regulars as they seemed just a few short months ago.