This Marks the Final of Four Matchups for Duke-Maryland

Duke and Maryland. Again.

There are presidential elections that don’t go on this long.

Tonight’s game, after the Arizona-Michigan State semifinal, will be the fourth between these teams this season. They split two regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference games, then the Blue Devils beat the Terrapins in the ACC tournament.

It is the 10th time in tournament history that teams from the same conference are meeting in a Final Four game.

All that’s left to decide is which team moves on to Monday’s championship game.

Plus that age-old question: Does familiarity breed contempt?

In this case, no, because the teams seem to have developed mutual admiration.

“We saw it in Atlanta,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said, alluding to the ACC tournament, “the eventual camaraderie and respect that developed as we walked off the court together. I was asked if from playing one another so much, is there animosity. That’s not even a word I would think of using. We’ve grown to respect one another at the highest level.”

Maryland Coach Gary Williams said, “When you saw Duke and Maryland during the year, there wasn’t much going on, other than great basketball. There wasn’t any talking; there were no cheap shots. You just come and play, and I think both teams respect that.”

Not that Williams doesn’t want to beat Krzyzewski and Duke’s celebrated brains out.

“Part of it’s, you want to play well against Duke,” Williams said. “We get measured by what North Carolina and Duke do. We want to be competitive against those schools because it means we could probably play anybody if we’re competitive against those two.”

In this game, the pressure is on Duke (33-4). The Blue Devils, playing in their ninth Final Four under Krzyzewski--and 13th overall--were the favorite of many before the season to win it all, something they haven’t done since 1992, their second successive title.

So Duke, winner of 11 of its last 12--that loss was to Maryland--and dispatcher of Monmouth, Missouri, UCLA and USC in the East Regional, is not content just to be here.

“I think we’re really hungry,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m not saying we’re hungrier than them. But we won’t lose because of lack of hunger. We want to play great basketball against Maryland. If we don’t win, we’ll be terribly disappointed. And that’s the way it should be.”

There is, among some, a perception that Maryland should be 3-0 against the Blue Devils this season instead of 1-2. That Duke was lucky to escape with two wins after being outrebounded, 141-110, and outshot, 49.3% to 38.1%.

Said Duke point guard Jason Williams, “Every time we play them, it’s like an instant classic.”

Williams and Shane Battier, who have averaged 28 and 23 points, respectively, in Duke’s four NCAA wins, symbolize the Blue Devil system of shoot until it hurts. They have combined for 30 three-point baskets. As a team, Maryland has 15.

“Coach gets more upset with the team for not taking a jump shot than for a miss,” Battier said. “That’s rare. With that philosophy, it makes it very easy to let it fly.”

Maryland (25-10) is making its first Final Four appearance.

The Terrapins have won 10 of their last 11 games, going 7-1 against ranked opponents in that span. The lone loss? Guess.

To get to Minneapolis, the Terrapins beat George Mason, Georgia State, Georgetown and Stanford.

Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon, averaging 17.8 and 16.5 points in the tournament, are the Terrapins’ strength and speed.

Baxter’s lone bad game was a two-point effort against George Mason. He has averaged 23 points in the other three games.

The elusive Dixon can drive past opponents with an explosive first step, set up the offense in the halfcourt game, or take the outside jumper. His 52.3% shooting is the best of any guard in the Final Four.

Still, the biggest achievement by Maryland this season, Williams said, was recovering its self-esteem after losing the Duke game Jan. 27 in overtime, which sent the Terrapins into a tailspin during which they lost four of the next five.

“We lost our confidence for a while,” Williams said. “We had to get it back. A lot of times when you lose it during the season, it’s difficult to get it back.”