Big showing for Terp fans

For Glenn Licker, last night's Terrapin men's basketball game against Duke started well before the scheduled 9 p.m. tip-off.

The senior history major was at the front of a group of students who started lining up as early as 5 a.m. in order to get prime seats for what was widely regarded as the biggest game of the season.

Buoyed by Saturday's home win against then-No. 3 North Carolina, the Terp students were in rare form last night, almost completely filling up the student wall nearly an hour before game time.

That was plenty of time to reign a chorus of boos as the Blue Devils came out for their final warm-ups and to ready their photocopies of the now infamous "Scheyerface," an unflattering picture of Duke guard John Scheyer, which students held up periodically during the game.

"[Without the North Carolina win,] we might've come at 7 [a.m.] instead of 5 [a.m.]" said sophomore letters and sciences major Adam Hammer, a member of Licker's group.

Licker, who periodically rotated with a group of friends throughout the day, said he "just chilled" and worked on school work as more and more students joined the pack before doors were finally opened at 7 p.m.

Senior statistics major Mat Schulman, who came out at 8 a.m. to claim the 10th spot in the line, said the pregame camp-out was not as crowded as before the 2007 game against the Blue Devils, which fell on a Sunday. But in order to get a good seat for his final Duke game as a student, Schulman was willing to show up early.

"It's pretty important," Schulman said before the game. "I want to go out with a bang."

For the seniors in attendance, the Terps' 72-60 win against the Blue Devils in 2007 becomes the only positive home result from the rivalry.

With a chance for the Terps to take their NCAA Tournament resumé to a comfortable position that didn't seem possible just last week, the fans carried over their excitement from Saturday.

"[The North Carolina win] gave people a little more faith in our team, and we're ready to go" said sophomore economics major Cate McCrory, who stood in the front row holding a large poster with Scheyer's face and big blue tears, reading "Real men don't cry."

A late Duke run quieted the sell-out crowd, but that didn't change their feelings toward the Blue Devils. Licker made it clear the outcome was beside the point of his passion.

"Do I need a reason?" Licker asked rhetorically. "They're Duke."

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