Happy Birth-Day! What better present could the Terps have delivered to newborns Markus and Tyler on the day of their birth --not to mention to their Mom, Coach B, and Dad, proud new father Mark Thomas -- than a sweep of Duke? Wow! This is one day in the life of the Thomas-Frese family that they will never forget! And this generation of Terps fans won't easily forget it either . . . mark it on your calendars folks, February 17, 2008.

The birth of the twins trumps everything in importance, but this evening's win over the Blue Devils, 76-69, was also Maryland's first victory in Cameron since 2000, and the first regular-season sweep of the Dookies in 15 long years. (Think about that . . . 15 years from now, M & T will be only a year away from getting their learner's permits . . . that's a loooong time!)

A large, enthusiastic contingent of red-clad Rebounders and other Terps fans traveled to Durham and were there, in person, to help cheer the team to this important victory. As special as that no doubt was, those of us watching at home got a little special treat of our own . . .we had the privilege of seeing Markus and Tyler make their national TV debut during the game, cradled in the arms of their beaming Mother.

As for the game -- well, Lang was virtually unstoppable and led all scorers with 25 points, to which she added 12 rebounds for another double-double. Marissa also had a double-double (15 points, 11 boards). Floor general Kristi Toliver was the focus of Duke's defensive efforts, as pretty much every possession saw her bumped, pushed, pressed, or trapped. KT still managed to run the offense successfully, and contributed 23 points of her own. Harp had 12 points and also made her presence felt under the basket, particularly late in the game when she had a monster block just as Duke was threatening a come back.

And as long as we're recognizing outstanding achievements, we would be remiss if we didn't mention Coach Park. While this is Coach B's special day, Coach Park took the Terps into one of the most hostile arenas in the country and came away with the WIN. Congratulations Coach Park!

A day like today definitely deserves a little bubbly, so the BasketCases will be popping a cork tonight and toasting Markus, Tyler, Coach B, Baby Daddy Mark, Coach Park, and the entire Maryland team.

Happy Birth-day!