Terps fans flocked to the games when Duke came to town. Now, they'll only get to face Duke once a year. (Photo by: Mitch Stringer-US PRESSWIRE)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WUSA) -- The riots on Route 1. The watch parties at Bentley's. The "Duck Fuke" T-shirt promotions. All of these are a part of what makes this matchup so special.
And even though Duke students could care less about the University of Maryland, Terps loyalists will always hate the Blue Devils more than Austin Powers did Dr. Evil. That's why the ACC's announcement earlier today is so depressing for this region's Terp fanatics.
With Syracuse and Pittsburgh set to join the ACC next season, the only team Maryland is guaranteed to play twice a year is Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh? Really? The ACC will now have 14 teams and they couldn't pick a matchup with a little more history?
The two teams have only met seven times in history, UMD leads the matchup 5-2 FYI, and before meeting last season the Terps hadn't seen Pitt since 1998. Why would the fans at Comcast Center pay the big bucks to see that?
Do you see what this schedule is doing? I'm so upset about this, my blog has more questions than answers!
The Panthers/Terps matchup lacks the rivalry. Greivis Vasquez vs. Kyle Singler, DJ Strawberry vs. JJ Redick. Or, how about this throwback: Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Mike Dunleavy vs. Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, and Chris Wilcox.
With home and home seasons between these two teams only happening once every three seasons, we can only hope the games will not lose their luster.
But one thing can be sure, College Park and University of Maryland police can sleep easier when Pittsburgh is in town. Pittsburgh, ugh.