NO ROOM TO HIDE

Everything in the hours leading up to last night's Terrapin men's basketball game seemed to line up with last year's Senior Night send-off. The long lines in front of the student entrance, the ocean of gold T-shirts, the palpable pre-game buzz and, yes, even the profane additions to several pre-game songs — it all mirrored the victorious final stand of the team's senior class inside Comcast Center last March.

Last night, though, the comparisons stopped short of the court. In another show of their youthful shortcomings, the Terps fell to Duke for the second time this season, 80-62, ending for at least a couple weeks any chance of at last snagging an elusive top-25 victory.

Addressing the media in the darkened auxiliary gym in Comcast Center following the game, coach Gary Williams expressed clear disappointment in his team's effort during its biggest home game of the season.

"There comes a point in the season whether you do it or you don't do it," Williams said. "There's no magic answers to those situations. You have to get it done."

For the second time in three games, the Terps (14-8, 4-4 ACC) suffered their worst-ever loss in Comcast Center. Even after weathering a strong first-half Duke run, the Terps couldn't quite match the sweet-shooting Blue Devils (20-2, 7-1).

No pre-game festivities could help the Terps stop All-America forward Kyle Singler. Last year's Final Four Most Outstanding Player scored 11 straight points for the Blue Devils in the second half. The Terps tried six different defenders on the senior, but none proved effective.

"We did a very poor job defensively," Williams said. "You have to get ready to play. You have to believe you can win that game."

For Singler (22 points) and the Blue Devils, scoring often seemed as simple as driving and kicking out to wide-open sharpshooters. Guards Nolan Smith, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry all punished the Terps from behind the arc.

There would not be a repeat performance of the Blue Devils' showing against St. John's on Sunday, when the Blue Devils hit just one of their first 21 3-pointers.

While a run for the defending national champions was all but inevitable, its timing last night made the upset all the more difficult for the Terps. As the Blue Devils nailed shot after shot from behind the arc, the Terps watched their back-and-forth battle slip away to a 15-point deficit in the first half.

"You put yourself in that situation," Williams said. "That's the problem. We shouldn't be in that situation where we have to come back like that. ... That's what's most disappointing to me."

The Terps had their chances. With the game quickly slipping away before intermission, the team finished the half with a 10-2 run to close the deficit to within seven points.

That momentum ended at the beginning of the second half, when the Terps made four turnovers before sinking a field goal. With Singler lighting up every defender he faced, the Terps fell behind by double digits once again.

With 13 minutes remaining, they had one final opportunity. Down 14, Terp forward Haukur Palsson hit a 3-pointer out of a media timeout, sparking an 11-2 run to close the deficit to five.

With the crowd volume at its peak, the Terps missed shots on back-to-back possessions. On the ensuing Duke drives, Dawkins hit successive 3-pointers that effectively drained the remaining energy from the building.

"That's what great teams do," said forward Jordan Williams, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. "They kept their composure. They just calmed down and hit huge shots."

Even foul trouble for Singler, Smith and starting forwards Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly wasn't enough to help the Terps keep pace with the ACC-leading Blue Devils.

"We can't keep playing like this or it's going to be too late," guard Adrian Bowie said. "We didn't come out and match their intensity."

The night couldn't have ended any more differently than it began. Fans trudged silently toward the exits as the Blue Devils put the finishing touches on their record-breaking rout. Terp players lumbered to their locker room with solemn looks to the gentle cheering from the scant remaining fans.

They wouldn't be engulfed by a wave of fellow classmates this year, instead passed over once again by a more talented team.

"It's extremely disappointing," forward Dino Gregory said. "It's all you see, the video from last year of the fans rushing the court. You just hope the same thing would happen this year, and it didn't. It hurts really bad."

ceckard@umdbk.com