Blue Devils Ready For No. 3 Maryland In NCAA Quarterfinals

DURHAM, N.C. --- Duke will play No. 3 seed Maryland on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md. This will be the second time this season that Duke and Maryland have met, as the Blue Devils won a 14-13 contest on March 1 in Durham. Live audio of the game will be available on www.wmucsports.com.

The Blue Devils: Duke is 12-7 this season and finished third with a 3-2 mark in the ACC. The Blue Devils hold a 5-7 record over ranked teams and a 3-5 mark over top-10 competition. Duke is 5-4 this year on the road, which includes a 10-8 victory over no. 6 seed Georgetown on May 11 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke in the NCAA Tournament: The Blue Devils are 11-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have made four trips to the national semifinals, in 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Duke has now reached the quarterfinals in seven of the nine years since the tournament expanded to 16 teams. This is Duke's 11th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, which is tied for the third-longest run in Division I behind only Maryland's 18-year run and Virginia's 13-year run. The Blue Devils have won their opening round game in eight of the 11 tournament trips. Duke is 1-2 on the road in the NCAA Tournament, while at home they are 10-3 and at neutral sites 0-5. The Devils have never played Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.

The Terrapins: Maryland is 18-2 this season and won the ACC regular season title at 4-1. The Terrapins are 9-2 versus ranked opposition in 2008 and 5-2 versus opponents in the top 10. Last year, Maryland advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before falling to Penn, 9-7.

Series History: Duke is 7-9 all-time against Maryland, and has won five of the previous six contests between the two teams. On March 1 of this season, the Blue Devils came away with a 14-13 victory over the Terps. Carolyn Davis scored a season-high six goals and Duke came back from deficits four times. A goal by Jess Adam with three seconds remaining sealed the victory for the Blue Devils.

Rankings: In the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings, Duke was ranked No. 11. The most recent IWLCA poll has the Blue Devils at No. 12. Maryland is tied with Virginia at No. 3 in the IWLCA rankings and No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse poll.

On The Horizon: If Duke should defeat Maryland, it will play the winner of the No. 2 Penn-No. 7 Boston University match on Friday, May 23 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md., at 8:30 p.m. The NCAA Tournament Final is Sunday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m., also in Towson, Md.

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