Duke’s home-court loss to Maryland on Wednesday, their first defeat of the season, was surprising considering how the Blue Devils fought their way through tough ACC road games against North Carolina State, Miami, and Florida State. But don’t tell that to the folks in College Park – the Terrapins have been a major pain in the backside for Duke since coach Gary Williams arrived back in 1989.

The teams have split their season series in nine of the last 11 years, and the Terps beat the Blue Devils in the 2004 ACC Tournament championship game. Since Williams took over, Maryland has beaten Duke seven times when the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 10 and four times when they were ranked no. 1 or no. 2.

How has Maryland been able to stand up to the mighty Blue Devils? It starts with defense. When the Terps play with an intensity level that mirrors their coach, they are hard to beat.

Still reeling from an embarrassing 85-69 home loss to N.C. State, Maryland certainly played with fire against Duke. Williams challenged his team to respond in a tough environment, and the Terps delivered, holding the Blue Devils to a season-low 33% shooting. Maryland was able to limit the damage done by Duke’s big three of Shelden Williams (6-for-15 shooting), J.J. Redick (7-for-21), and Daniel Ewing (3-for-12).

Wednesday’s loss notwithstanding, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has turned in a remarkable coaching job this season even by his lofty standards. Defections to the NBA, transfers, and injuries have combined to make Duke’s roster the most threadbare among top-10 teams – they have just eight scholarship players. Yet Krzyzewski has found a way to keep the Blue Devils winning.

No longer a team that can overwhelm its opponents offensively or with pressure defense, Duke is winning games with toughness, half-court defense, and intelligence. Most coaches wouldn’t feel sorry for Krzyzewski – he still has All-American candidates Williams and Redick, as well as senior stalwart Ewing. Still, to have kept his team unbeaten through late January despite a dearth of bench help and one of the nation’s most demanding schedules was remarkable.

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After Duke’s unceremonious ouster from the ranks of unbeaten Division I teams, only Illinois and Boston College remain unbeaten, begging an obvious question. Which one goes down next?

The easy choice is Illinois, which plays at Michigan State next Thursday. But both the Illini and the Eagles could keep their streaks going for a while.

The Eagles will play their next two games at home against Georgetown and West Virginia before traveling to meet mediocre Seton Hall on February 5. Their biggest challenge will come on February 8, when they go to South Bend to take on Notre Dame (12-5, 4-3 Big East). If the Eagles manage a win there, they’re off for eight days before returning home to play Rutgers (7-9, 1-5).

Illinois has a tougher task ahead, with home games against Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and road games at Michigan State and Michigan.

Michigan State resembles Illinois with its small, quick lineup and a lack of real power in the frontcourt. Thus, the battle in the post between the Spartans’ Paul Davis and Illinois’s James Augustine will be key.

But Illinois has a secret weapon in the form of 6-foot-10-inch senior Jack Ingram, who has played for four coaches in a five-year career that began at Tulsa. Ingram has recently begun making significant contributions, draining critical three-pointers in wins over Iowa and Wisconsin.

Though his job isn’t to shoot from behind the arc, Ingram has become difficult to guard with that added element in his game. If he can provide some quality minutes in relief of the frontcourt tandem of Augustine and Roger Powell, Illinois will probably leave the Breslin Center with a win.

After that, the Illini bracket the home games against Indiana and Wisconsin around a date in Ann Arbor with a depleted Michigan squad. Given the way Illlinois has played at home, its unbeaten run could stretch into March.

Mr. Dortch is the editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Forecast.