Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski extolled the virtues of his team's balance.
Miles Plumlee was the latest player to have his moment in the spotlight, grabbing 22 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 73-55 win over Maryland on Saturday. That was the most rebounds a Duke player has had since Krzyzewski arrived and the ninth-highest total in program history.
In the game before, Austin Rivers was the star, scoring 29 points in Duke's 85-84 win over then-No. 5 North Carolina.
"With our team, we're lucky enough that enough guys have done a good job - and then we've done a good job in parts of enough games to produce the record we have with the schedule we have," Krzyzewski said. "Really, overall, I think these kids have done an unbelievable job. Coming from the base that they had - none of them were star players for us last year."
While the Blue Devils might not be as consistent as Krzyzewski would like, they are 21-4 and 8-2 in the ACC heading into Thursday's home game against N.C. State. In the past two weeks, Duke has balanced perplexing efforts against Miami and St. John's with strong wins over North Carolina and Maryland.
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Duke’s usually-quick transition game was negated by Maryland’s ability to slow the game down, and the Blue Devils were ousted 16-10. Maryland will play Loyola for the national title. 
Will and John Haus have grown accustomed to playing against each other in ACC play. Saturday’s match between the Blue Devils and Terrapins will be the third this season, but the stakes will be much higher than in the previous two, with a spot in Monday’s NCAA championship game in play. 
Dave Harding, 10 of his fellow Duke offensive linemen and a strength coach went to Ethiopia in part to help construct wells where international organizations estimate that 76 percent of the eastern African country does not have access to clean water. The trip was something close to an unqualified success. 
N.C. State pitcher Carlos Rodon keeps winning. The freshman from Holly Springs won nine games during the regular season and two ACC awards on Monday. 
For winning the national title in 2010, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski received a $2.5 million raise, boosting his total compensation by 54 percent to more than $7.2 million. 
The Blue Devils program capped a tumultuous start to the offseason with a recruiting coup and optimism about a strong returning lineup. Keep up with the latest sports stories with our free e-mail newsletters, delivered to your inbox!
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Photo Gallery
First Look: Maryland @ Duke | 02.11.12 (93 images)
Duke beats the Terps 73-55 in ACC basketball action Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium
Photo Gallery
Duke 73, Maryland 55 | 02.11.11 (18 images)
The Duke Blue Devils defeat the Maryland Terrapins in an ACC basketball game played in Durham Saturday
