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GREENSBORO — Nolan Smith missed, missed again and then missed a couple more times.

The ACC Player of the Year didn't find his first made field goal until the second half against Maryland, and before he went down with a toe injury with a little under seven minutes to play, he had only made two baskets in 11 tries.

But thanks to some gritty work in the post from the Plumlee brothers, with a big assist from Kyle Singler (29 points), Smith's struggles didn't matter.

"The play of our big guys really helped us a lot," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "These guys have shown that they can put some points up, and when the big guys play like that, we're just a much better team. They give us second shots."

Maryland was supposed to be the team that held a big advantage in the paint. The Terrapins boasted first-team all-ACC forward Jordan Williams, the ACC's leading rebounder at 11.8 boards per game and a player who also happens to average 16.9 points.

And while Williams had a monster night with 16 points and 16 rebounds, Mason and Miles Plumlee more than canceled his contributions out.

The Plumlees combined for 20 points and 20 rebounds against the Terrapins, and they did it with six fewer misses at the free-throw line than Williams, who hurt his team with a 2-for-10 performance from the stripe.

Miles alone grabbed eight offensive rebounds to help Duke get 15 second-chance points.

"I think we're both at a very confident point in the year," Miles said of the two brothers' battles with Williams. "It's one and done at this point, so you've got to lay it all on the line."

With Smith sidelined for an unknown period of time, the roles of the two brothers might get a little bit bigger in the coming days.

While Duke didn't need the Plumlees to provide much production on the offensive end, their touches should increase without Smith taking most of the shots.

And if the Blue Devils want to replicate last season's ACC and NCAA success, the Plumlees need to respond to those extra chances with more performances like Friday night's.

"I guess one comparison you could make is guys stepping up when they're needed," Mason said. "Everybody took their game to another level at this time last year so we need guys to do that."