Excuse me, Mr. Zoubek

Duke's 7-foot-1 senior center, Brian Zoubek, may have heard my comments about Duke's uncomfortable win over North Carolina on Wednesday, because today he came to play.

Behind 16 points and 17 rebounds, Zoubek led a Duke team that slaughtered the second-place team in the ACC, Maryland, 77-56, giving the Blue Devils the top spot in the ACC and making me breathe easier about Duke's woes in the paint.

Yes, Maryland is a guard-dominated team, but Zoubek still did a good job fighting for rebounds, and he showed a certain adeptness for tipping balls in (and making foul shots). All these will be needed for an actual NCAA Tournament run.

The Terps were expected to make a stronger showing after being humiliated by 41 points the last time they matched up with Duke.

In a humorous turn to the afternoon, Coach Mike Krzyzewski (who was appearing in his 1000th game at Duke) refuted rumors he was jumping to the New Jersey Nets by invoking his Polishness.