Now, I don’t know much about Houston other than what I’ve read the past couple of days. Yes, they play a fast paced game and have the country’s leading scorer. They shoot a lot of 3’s and don’t rebound well. Sounds good to me. I do have an issue with the ESPN crew saying the game could be in the 100’s. Have they looked at the Terps defensive numbers?? We do play very good halfcourt defense and we will need it since, we are unlikely to have a lot of success pressing Houston fullcourt. If we win the rebounding battle and hit some shots, we should not have a problem, but 3-pointers are an equalizer and if they shoot the lights out, we’ll have a game on our hands.

Tom Penders may know Gary Williams and his style, but Gary knows Tom too, so I don’t think that will make much of a difference. As always when I’m in Vegas and people ask me about the Terps and the first round, I always tell them that Maryland will almost always win, but rarely cover. A win is all that matters.

Moving on…. if we end up facing Michigan State, that’s where I feel like I know what I’m talking about. I have watched probably 90% of their games in the past 10 years working in the sports field in Michigan. There is no doubt they are a very good team led by a future hall of fame coach. They play a solid defensive game and they rebound very well for a team that is not overwhelmingly tall. We will need to battle them on the glass to win, but I think that we can hold our own against them thanks to the experience of playing against the huge front lines in the ACC.

Their front line is not that tall. In fact, the tallest guy that gets legitimate minutes is 6′8”. Derrick Nix and Draymond Green are their inside guys and Green is a handful who can also step out and hit shots. Nix averages only 2 points and 2 rebounds a game and is horrid at the free throw line. Raymar Morgan is a great defender and tough cover for any of our players, but he is very streaky. He can score 20 or 6 depending on the night. Delvon Roe is a good player at 6′8”, 230, but he has been banged up all year and is not 100%.

The key to MSU is their guard play. Kalin Lucas won the Big Ten player of the year award in 2009, but had injury issues and has not played to the level he did a year ago. Durrell Summers has also struggled at times and was benched during the end of their Big Ten Tournament loss against Minnesota. Chris Allen, who leads the team in 3-point shooting didn’t play in that Minnesota game after being suspended for missing a practice. Needless to say, these 3 players along with a good bench guard in Korie Lucious, have the ability to light it up and knock us right out of the tournament, but they could also implode, putting us in great shape. We just have to hope that they all don’t decide to put it together for an NCAA run. I doubt you’ll see the Spartans that made the final game last year, but they are good enough to beat us and give Kansas a good game if they come together. If I had to guess, I’d say they won’t put it all together and we will have a great chance to win, but I never put anything past Tom Izzo, who is probably the best coach in the country.

The Spartans do play great defense and I know this after watching game after game of brutal Big Ten basketball where the halftime scores are often 24-20. We have the offense that can beat them if we take advantage of Jordan Williams’ height advantage over their starters and if we hit those midrange shots. That will come down to Milbourne and Mosley. Our role players will carry the day if we win.

I will do my best to comment as we get closer to Friday, though I leave for Las Vegas on Thursday morning (with a bunch of Spartan fans)… I can’t wait!!

We probably won’t come up against those teams in the Round 1; but there are still good matchups and bad matchups.  Bad matchups include, Notre Dame, Louisville, Siena, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Washington, and Illinois.

I’d be relatively happy with St. Mary’s, Cornell, Old Dominion, UTEP, and Utah State.

Looking ahead, there are potential second round matchups, that scare me too.  Any team in the Big East would be an unfortunate matchup.  Teams like Georgetown, Villanova, and Pitt make me squirm.  I don’t want to play Michigan State in Round 2 either.  Too much experience. Baylor is too athletic as well.

I’d consider us fortunate if we wound up playing Purdue, Wisconsin (revenge!), Vandy, and New Mexico,

I can’t decide how I feel about Tennessee and Temple.  Tennessee just strikes me as a team that would lay a big turd in the Tournament.  But, their athleticism could carry them.  Temple scares me because of the zone  they play, but I think our seniors could figure it out and we can drive on them.

Needless to say, there is a lot riding on the draw.  By the way, I could be completely wrong about this analysis.  I really haven’t thought it about that hard.

RELAX!!

There was a lot of angry back and forth during the game and I have to admit I got caught up in it too. It’s all out of frustration and while I disagree with plenty of the comments, this post is not about that. This is about putting this frustrating loss behind us and moving on to where it really counts.

Listen, we are ACC Regular season (co)Champions. We will have a banner hanging from Comcast Center forever. That can’t be taken away. This tournament would have been nice to win, but we clearly got the worst matchup we could have gotten in this one. Look at the other games. We would have cruised to victory over any other team in the bracket (besides Duke), but we just don’t matchup well against Georgia Tech. So we have to get over it.

Greivis Vasquez and the boys are not worse players than they were 24 hours ago. They had a bad game. And you know what? Just like the Duke game last month, if you are going to have a bad game, this was the time to have it. Next week is what matters.

Georgia Tech pretty much beat last year’s Terps team. Without Jordan Williams playing to his full ability, we were bound to get dominated and it happened. JW was rendered invisible less than a minute into the game with picking up a foul. He played tentative for most of the game in fear of committing fouls and he was not even close to the guy we saw during the past month. This was JW’s fault. He made some bad decisions, but he’s a freshman and he will learn. Next week will be different, I hope.

Just look at the long list of quality teams that lost in their tournament quarterfinals in the past 2 days. We are not alone.

Now it’s time to get lucky with our seed. I don’t care if it’s a 4, 5, or 6. Whether we advance to the second round, sweet 16, or further will come down to the matchups. If we get a bad matchup in the first round, we may be in trouble. We have plenty of experience playing teams bigger than us this year, so hopefully if we find ourselves facing a team with a big front line, we can handle it better. But it all comes down to Sunday at 6pm.

I will guarantee you one thing though. The team used the word “embarrassing” to describe the first half against Ga. Tech. You can bet the farm that they will not have as bad a game this Thursday or Friday. I can’t guarantee a win, but you’ll see effort from start to finish because besides crabs and football… that is what Maryland does.

So let’s take our lumps like many teams have done this weekend, regroup and let it all hang out next week when it really really matters.

During my hiatus, both Greivis and Gary won the honors they deserved. POY and COY are appropriate accolades for two men who have accomplished much in the last 5 months. Terp fans hope that the hardware is nothing more a prelude of what’s to come later this month.

Can you believe that Gary Williams has only won ACC Coach of the Year twice? What a bunch of shit that is! Williams has made 15 of the last 18 NCAA Tournaments and has probably not had a team during his tenure that was the preseason conference favorite (even during the 2002 year; Duke was the favorite).

Greivis Vasquez has much on his mind over what I hope is at least a half dozen remaining games.  He can move from great player to legend.  He can go from all-time Terps to the Greatest Terp (if he wins the National Championship that is).

Regardless of Greivis’ ultimate resting place in the Terp Pantheon, I mostly just want to enjoy March.  That includes a few wins in this weekend’s ACC Tournament.

Georgia Tech survived UNC and will be hungry this evening.  Tech needs a win to punch its ticket to the NCAAs and there is that little business about the last second shot that gave the Terps a win last month.  GT would love to avenge that loss.  I’m afraid that we will get the best the Yellowjackets have to offer.

As for Maryland, well we’ve got some motivation of our own.  “Bracketologists” have us seeded anywhere between #6 (are you nuts Joe Lunardi) and #4 (Bracketology 101) and losing to GT will only hurt our seeding.  What’s more, our seniors have never been past the semifinals, and only once have they gotten that far.  It is their time to shine now.  The Terps are riding a 7 game winning streak and they are not about to roll over.

Expect Tech to try to dominate the glass. Our interior big men will need to play near-perfect fundamentals to hold our own on the interior.  Gregory was easily beaten by Derrick Favors in College Park and I would think that James Padgett will be called on to help if needed.

To win, Maryland will need continued production from its bench; and 2 of the three seniors will need to score 15+ points. If we lose, it is not the end of the world; but it will be terribly disappointing. We would probably be headed for a 6 seed depending on how other teams near our RPI perform.

The ACC tournament is underway and UVA is already moving on with a win over BC. How nice is it folks to have a Thursday in Greensboro without worry. We can sit back and watch some other teams play for their lives. After seeing Drew Nicholas’ buzzer beater on some cell phone commercial on ESPN a little while ago, I have spent the last 15 minutes on YouTube watching great Terps hoops moments from the past. So nice.

Let’s enjoy this stress-free day of baskeball!

And that usually means two things. Number one, I am very excited to head out to Vegas for the first 2 rounds of the NCAA Tournament and happily hoping that the Terps don’t play in the first game of the day on Thursday as I will still be flying in at that time. Number two, we are usually concerned at this point not about the winner of the 7/10 game in the ACC Tournament, but needing to win a game or two starting Thursday to insure we are in the big tourney. So nice to have that calm feeling about Selection Sunday.

Before looking ahead, I wanted to first have some perspective and look back on an amazing season. Early on, we had all the confidence in the world in this team after last year’s rally to make the NCAA’s and win over Cal in the first round. We had everyone back (except for Dave Neal) and were adding some size up front. However, things started poorly as Dino Gregory missed the first 2 months with academic issues and Greivis Vasquez was trying too hard to do the things all the NBA folk wanted him to do.

I believe the turning point of the season was the Villanova game. The way the Wilcats were shooting that night it shouldn’t have been competitive, but it was the coming out game for Jordan Williams as something clicked and we battled against a Top 5 team and had a chance to tie late in the game. Now I know we lost to W&M after that, but the loss to the Tribe pretty much pissed everyone off and they really haven’t had a bad game since (except for at Clemson). Vasquez said screw it and played like himself, for better or worse (mostly better), Gregory returned and after a period of adjustment, he was making some big plays, like the charge at the end of the FSU game. Vasquez learned from a tough night in Winston-Salem and was a mostly different player the rest of the way. The confidence grew and when someone had a bad night, the rest of the team picked him up. They won by so many different ways. They won in blowouts, they won in close games, they won 3 games in 6 days, they won on buzzer beats, in double overtime, on great defense at the end of games, etc. They won the regular season ACC title going 13-3 in the conference, which is a damn good accomplishment and they have won games in every possible way and that is big headed into the postseason.

Which brings me to the postseason. It’s Greensboro, NC. The place where we routinely underachieve for reasons I never understand. In recent history, take away 2004 and last year and every trip to Greensboro has been brutal. However, this year could be different IF we can get past the first game. That first game is huge and it will be really difficult to win because assuming Georgia Tech beats UNC (and how bad are the Tar Heels.. ugh!), the Yellow Jackets will be in the exact position we were in last year. We needed to win on day one and then on Friday, needing to beat Wake to feel better about ourselves. Tech is desperate and they will have played on the court the night before getting used to the surroundings. Fatigue does not set in until Saturday, so they should be fired up and ready to play. They matchup well against us and all that, so a loss here would be no shame, but if we are rested and ready and take it to them, we can clearly win that game. If we do win on Friday, we’ll play the winner between Florida State and Clemson, two teams we can beat and that would set up a Sunday final against Duke again. (by the way, our game Friday night will be on ESPN 2)

Honestly I have a bad feeling about Friday night just because Tech will likely be playing for their lives and mentally we can lose it and head into the NCAA’s as a 5 seed or so.

Now that our guys are getting some rest, we should be reenergized for a good run. But make no mistake, there are a lot of good teams out there and while I think we can realistically make a run to the Elite 8 this year, we could also lose in the first round if we come out like we did against Virginia. Any team we will likely face in the first round of the NCAA can beat us. As long as the boys take that to heart, we should be able to use our experience and continue this special season.

Good luck guys!

Viriginia is in free fall (what else is new?).  They have lost 8 games in a row. You have to wonder if at some point UVA alums have to seriously question whether or not getting their degree in Charlottesville was worth it.  They easily have the worst sports program in the ACC. It’s been ages since the basketball team was good and the football program is middling at best (in a middling conference).  I get it.  The academics are good; but is it worth trading for a lifetime of rooting for the worst basketball program in the history of the ACC? I mean, are there really any majors or classes or career opportunities that UVA offers that Maryland doesn’t?

No matter.  Today is about ending the season on a high note.  The Terps can seal a winning road record with a win.  It’s been an incredible season with many great moments; but no moment has been greater than this past Wednesday night.  Beating Duke felt like a great topper to an incredible season.  The only problem is that we have one more game to play.

Make no mistake, Virginia will not beat Maryland today.  The only danger is that the Terrapins beat themselves.  I’d be concerned if I hadn’t been watching this team play all season.  There is no way that our seniors will let this team lose today.  There may be some tense moments, but they will emerge victorious.

UVA is Finland in 1980.  The US Hockey Team wasn’t losing to Finland after beating the Soviets.  Maryland is not losing to UVA after blazing through the back half of the ACC season unscathed.

If you are looking for a warm up; My buddy, Andy Krauss, will be live blogging the Maryland – Duke Lacrosse game at M&T Bank Stadium this morning at 11AM.  You can follow it here: http://bit.ly/9SqWna

The win moved the Terps into a tie with the Blue Devils atop the ACC standings at 12-3, and seed-wise, it will move them to the top of the 5 line in our bracket on Friday. The Terps would be even higher than that if they had more of an OOC resume, but they can still crack the 4 line if they make the ACC final.

Really?  We’re a consensus #5 seed if the season ended today (See Lunardi’s rankings) and the if Terps continue their winning ways all the way until the ACC Final (3 more wins); they will rise to only a #4 seed?  I find that hard to believe.

The NCAA Selection Committee always rides the hot hand and this year should be no exception.  All of the Terps “bad losses” came in 2009.  I get that we don’t have a signature out-of-conference win; but that only matters when your conference record sucks.

Here’s how I see it and I’m fairly certain this is how our seeding will play out:

1. Lose to UVa and lose in the Quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament: #7 seed (5% chance of happening)

2. Beat UVa and lose in the Quarterfinals:  #5 seed  (25% chance of happening)

3. Lose to UVa and lose in the Semifinals:  #5 seed (5% chance of happening)

4. Beat UVa and lose in the Semifinals: #4 seed (20% chance of happening)

5. Lose to UVa and lose in the Finals: #4 seed (5% chance of happening)

6. Beat UVa and lose in the Finals: #3 seed (25% chance of happening)

7. Lose to UVa and win ACC Title: #3 seed (5% chance of happening)

8. Beat UVa and win the ACC Title: #2 seed (10% chance of happening)

When the Terps won the ACC Title in 2004; they went from a bubble team needing to beat Wake in the Quarterfinals to get a bid, to a #4 seed in the NCAAs after we beat Duke.  You can’t tell me that a similar run now, would only move the Terps to a #4 seed?

I’m by no means a professional, but I’m right, right?

The boys did it. It was not pretty. They could have packed it in, but this team is special. Enjoy this Terp Nation! We are the lead story!

The title says it all. The Terps are back. Now, for a team that has won at least 19 games for 15+ years, they never went too far down, but the words uttered when Duane Simpkins beat Georgetown are true again. After 4 years of frustration brought on by super high expectations, we took control of a game against Duke and our senior leader would not be denied.

Greivis Vasquez will have his name in the rafters for all to see forever. Tonight’s win against Duke didn’t cement that, but years from now when you look up and see the jersey hanging there, you can remember this night. He wasn’t perfect, but he is the heart and soul of this era of Maryland basketball and he willed this team to victory.

There are many other players who deserve big props for their play in this one. Adrian Bowie showed flashes of brilliance that I know had most of us saying to ourselves, “Next year may not be so scary!”.
Jordan Williams was a flat out stud. Rebounding with the biggest and tallest all night and hitting 5 straight clutch free throws.

But this night is about the seniors. I know I didn’t want the students rushing the floor, but what can you say? Vasquez deserved to be carried off the floor. Hayes deserved to be carried off the floor. Milbourne, who busts his butt no matter how his shot is falling, deserved to be carried off the floor. Nobody will ever forget this game and this season. Buzzer beaters, double OT wins, and grabbing first place against Duke on senior night.

Now this season is far from over and I’m sure we are all scared of a letdown on Saturday, but that’s for tomorrow and the rest of the week. Let’s all enjoy this fantastic evening!!

It’s here.  The waiting is almost over.  How long have we waited?  I guess it depends on your perspective.  Only since beating Va Tech on Saturday have the Terps had legitimate dreams about earning a share of the regular season ACC Title.  In that sense, we’ve only “waited” a few days.  However, if by “waiting” you are referring to the long road back to national prominence; well, we’ve been waiting since 2004.

The Terps have earned tonight’s game.  Comcast is hosting a game between Top 25 teams for the first time in ages and the opponent just so happens to be Duke.  It just doesn’t get any better.   It’s also senior night.  The Terp’s seniors:  Milbourne, Hayes, and Vasquez have brought the program back.  By the time their careers are over, they will have led us to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances.  Not since Stevie Blake and Drew Nicholas has a senior class achieved that.

Despite their achievements, the season can move from a good season to a special one, with a win tonight. It won’t be easy.  Duke presents serious matchup problems.  On the interior, Duke is huge.  The Terps will need to hit the glass like never before if we hope to win.  The Terps can’t have 10+ rebounding disadvantage and hope to win.  On the perimeter, Maryland will need to play solid man-to-man defense.  Too much double-teaming and the Duke shooters will drain threes on us all night long.

I expect Maryland to execute its defensive strategy.  Tonight’s game is bigger than just a W or an L on the record.  The Terps can stake a claim to a Top 4  NCAA Tournament seed with a victory.  That’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around too often.

Before I go, I wanted to leave with a few viewing tips:

1.  If you live outside of MD/DC or North Carolina expect to miss the first five minutes of the game.  You see, ESPN thinks that college basketball games only take two hours to complete.  They are wrong.  Notre Dame-UConn will be wrapping up and we will be stuck watching that game because ESPN won’t switch over until the first game is over.  Let’s just hope Irish and Huskies don’t go into overtime.

2.  I expect the students to be a difference maker tonight (see photo).  Make Scheyer and Singler uncomfortable.  Be disruptive.  Expect a victory.  We are at home.