ENGELKE: For Terps, a failure to launch

With the Terrapin men's basketball team trailing Duke by only seven points with eight minutes remaining in last night's game, guard Cliff Tucker took two steps back on the baseline as he lined up a wide-open 3-pointer.

A basket would have put the Terps within two possessions of the Blue Devils. But the shot clanged off the rim, just short.

The next time down the floor, Duke guard Andre Dawkins did what Tucker could not. His 3-pointer ended with a swish of the net.

The crucial six-point swing highlighted the main difference between the Terps and Blue Devils this season: The Terps don't have a bona fide, lights-out shooter. Duke, meanwhile, has at least four of them.

It's a difference that puts No. 5 Duke at the top of the conference and among the nation's upper echelon, while the Terps sit in the middle of a weaker-than-normal ACC.

The lack of a legitimate 3-point threat isn't something that's gone unnoticed by coach Gary Williams, especially after last night's 80-62 defeat at the hands of the Blue Devils.

"You have to shoot the ball better, no doubt about it," Williams said. "The fact that they made 10, and we did what we did, that's a big difference in the game."

The Terps shot a dismal 2-for-9 from beyond the arc, missing all three of their 3-point attempts in the first half. Duke, on the other hand, shot 43.5 percent from long range, hitting 10 of 23 shots.

"They just have a great team that knocks down shots," guard Adrian Bowie said. "It's hard to come back on a team like that."

The lack of a 3-point shooter is something the Terps haven't had to deal with in a while. From 2006 to 2010, the Terps had Eric Hayes and, to a lesser extent, Greivis Vasquez knocking down shots from deep. Now the team's best options are Bowie and Tucker, who were a combined 1-for-6 from beyond the arc last night.

It's a problem that seemingly won't go away this year. Against Georgia Tech on Sunday, the Terps didn't hit a 3-pointer for the first time in 407 games. Tucker's one successful 3-pointer last night, which came in the second half, was the first for the Terps in more than 73 minutes of action.

It's safe to say the Terps' issues are becoming part of a worrisome trend. If they can't hit 3-pointers consistently, opponents will fall back to defend forward Jordan Williams — as many already have — without fear of repercussions from double and triple teams.

"It's very important because if teams start sagging on us, and we can't knock down shots, they're just going to keep sagging on us and double Jordan," Bowie said. "If we don't knock down shots, it's just going to hurt us more."

That capability is exactly what makes Duke so good. Whenever the Terps slid to a driving opponent last night, they left a wide-open Blue Devil on the perimeter, who for the most part drained the shot with ease. Five Duke players — forward Kyle Singler and guards Nolan Smith, Tyler Thornton, Seth Curry and Dawkins — hit at least one 3-pointer last night, a stark contrast to the Terps' own weak perimeter game.

"We have guys that can shoot 3s and make them," forward Dino Gregory said. "We just need to get to a point where we can make shots and make them on a consistent basis. When we get there, we can be a really good team."

Gregory is right. Until the Terps can show they have a legitimate and consistent threat from long range, they'll remain a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC.

jengelke@umdbk.com