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.

Okay quote time:

From Gary

On Greivis:

“He’s been a player who’s always wanted to get better. Some guys get here with a great reputation and they don’t work hard to keep improving because they think they’re good enough, but Greivis has always had the goal to be the best player that he could be. The only thing I did was I always told him that there is always another level to get to for any player, and he’s bought into that.”

When asked, “Was there any point early on in his career that he did something crazy on the court or in the office that you were thinking ‘What have I gotten myself into?’”

Gary: “How many times?”

On ACC PoY:

“Duke’s the fourth-ranked team in the country, and if Scheyer or (Duke forward Kyle) Singler get that award, how could you say that was wrong? I mean, look what they’ve done for their team. I know in terms of value to the team, I think Greivis has been tremendous for us, what he’s done for our team. Player of the Year, I think it’s debatable.”

On this team:

“We’re pleased with the way our players have developed this year in terms of continuing to work as you go through the season. That’s something you always try to get them do no matter what your talent level is at the start of the season. You just want to be the type of team that tries to get better each week you play, and I think our guys have done that.”

“They’re a special team. To watch what they’ve done in terms of their intensity level every day in practice, what I get to see, and how they are every day with each other… Regardless of their record, they’re a special team.”

On tonight’s game:

“Zoubek should get some credit because he’s worked hard to get where he is, and they’re a different team this year because of their defense. They’re a much tougher defensive team because they have much more inside players that they can rotate through there. Foul trouble is not a problem with the inside players. His rebounding, especially his offensive rebouding, gives them a different look. If you can make a team miss and you know you’re going to get the rebound, then all you have to do is make a team miss because you know you’re going to get the rebound. We have to work a lot harder in rebounding in this game if we expect to do well.”

From Vasquez:

“This game is obviously going to be one of the most important games of our season. We’re playing a great team, with a great coach and great players, and we’re looking forward to playing the game.”

On his attitude on Senior Night:

“It means a lot to me just because I want to win. It’s not going to be any different from any of the other games. It’s Duke, I mean, obviously we want to beat Duke, but more than anything else I just want to win. It’s about winning, it’s not about anything else.”

“This is new for me. Now I’m going to be the one walking and being involved with the whole ceremony, and I just, you know, I’m praying that everything works out not only for me but my teammates, the other two seniors. We had a great career here at Maryland, and I can’t really control much, I just hope that God just keeps everybody under control, not really emotional because it’s our last game. It’s hard. It’s tough.”

On the feeling on campus about tonight’s game:

“A lot of students talk about this game. They come to school because they want us to beat Duke, and obviously it’s going to be a great environment, fans are going to do a great job showing up and supporting us, and we’re looking forward to seeing all that.”

On his Maryland career:

“I wish I could play two more years at least. Unfortunately, it’s only four years. I’m very, very excited about tomorrow and I’m so because this opportunity that I have to play for Maryland and the chance I have to be here and play for four years at this school for coach Williams. I think coach Williams still does a good job being a great mentor for me and the whole team. I was talking to my family today, and we don’t have enough words to thank the whole institution of Maryland for what they have done for me and my country, my whole country. You know, kids back at home, all they talk about is Maryland and it’s unbelievable where I’m at right now. To me, this is a blessing. That’s why tomorrow’s game is not about whether I score 2,000 points, whether my jersey’s going to get retired…it’s just about winning, because that’s what I got out of my four years being coached by coach Williams.”

On playing for Gary:

“He’s been a great coach for 21 years. I’ve only been here for four. I wish I could have played for him for 21 years. I mean, he’s a great coach. He’s an unbelievable game planner, he loves practice. One thing about him, he has a short memory. Whether we win or lose, he’s so fired up for the next game. He inspires me. That’s one of the things that motivates me to do my best. When I see him on the sideline going crazy and doing all that stuff time, but at the same time he knows what’s going on on the court, and he calls a play from the bench…it’s unbelievable to me how he does things on the court and off the court. We talk almost every day. I go to the office, sit down with him and talk. We talk about the NBA, we talk about life, and I have no words to describe how happy I am to be here right now and to be winning for four years, so coach Williams is, at this point, one of my heroes because I see myself and I see coach Williams.”

On potentially winning the ACC:

“It would mean a lot to me. That’s why you play college basketball, because you want to be a champion. It would be huge for us to beat Duke, but it’s not over. We beat Duke, then we have to go play UVA on Saturday. We still have a long way to go. We have to take it game by game, step by step, so tomorrow’s going to be huge for us just to be right there and show the whole world that we want to be the champion.”

On facing Duke:

“It’s going to be a fight for 40 minutes…we have to play great basketball for 40 minutes, we cannot play good basketball for the last 20 like we have been doing the last couple weeks because tomorrow’s team is a great team with great players and a great coach, so that’s why the game is going to be so good. It’s going to be a fight, and I love these types of challenges because I love proving people wrong.”

———————————-

How can you not get emotional but simultaneously jacked up reading that? I was there, I was hiding getting a little misty-eyed hearing Greivis and Gary talk about each other, because you know they love each other so much and are undoubtedly going to be lifelong friends or something along those lines. You can tell the guys are fired up for the game and are trying to downplay how much it means to them, but there were some points where Greivis and Milbourne (who was also there, but not very quotable) really showed how important tonight is for them. It’ll be all the sweeter if we win.

Jordan Williams has also been a consistent wonder. With double-digit rebound games in four of his last five games (the one missing? He scored 18), including seven offensive boards against Virginia Tech, he’s been an absolute force on the inside. Couple that with his unbelievable post defense (it’s still there, though his help defense has waned, his one-on-one game is still impeccable), he’s easily the Terps’ second best player.

Everyone with a soapbox has showered praises on these two guys for weeks now (including me). Sometimes, when you have a dynamic presence like Vasquez and an unexpected contributor, one can lose sight of the quiet one who nonetheless belongs up there with those two. I’m, of course, referring to Eric Hayes.

Let me read his lines in the past 5 games (all wins) and you can deduce from that what you will before I start spouting off:

UVA – 10 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 turnovers, 1-2 on threes

NC State – 0 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 0-1 on threes

GT – 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 3-6 on threes

Clemson – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers 3-3 on threes

Virginia Tech – 12 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 turnovers, 1-3 on threes

Deduce…

Okay, stop deducing. NC State clearly stands out as a “wha happened?!” game. The Terps won, he didn’t score anything, yadda yadda yadda. NC State was the offense’s low point in that stretch. The boys put up only 67 points, but scored 76 against Georgia Tech, and 85 or more in the other three. Greivis dropped 26, J-Dub put up 19, and that pretty much did it against the Pack.

Forget that game. Hayes clearly did. He bounced back to provide just ridiculous lines. Consider that he handles the ball almost as much as Vasquez does. He put up a 32:7 assist to turnover ratio in those five games. That’s…insane. Jose Calderon circa 2008 insane. Almost five assists for every turnover is godlike, especially in college basketball. As of Feb. 25, the number leading the nation was 3.38. Yeah, soak in that context.

Moreover, the guy is the definition of efficiency on offensive. Besides never turning the ball over, does he ever, ever, take a bad shot? Sometimes we get on his case for passing up threes, but he knows his percentage drops like a rock when a hand goes in his face, so he pumps and dishes to Greivis or takes it to the hole, as he is wont to do recently.

However, I’m not telling you guys anything you don’t already know. He’s playing better than he ever has before, but it’s still Hayes-ian. It’s just what he does. What he’s still not recognized for at all, however, is his defense.

Hayes doesn’t have Greivis’ length, Mosley’s ball instincts and muscle, or Bowie’s quickness, but he does have the kind of defensive presence that you would expect Eric Hayes to have. In fact, he’s so predictably consistent on defense, no one ever talks about how good he is at it. However, at the start of the Virginia Tech game, who was guarding 1^st team All-ACC guard Malcolm Delaney? Why Eric Hayes of course.

Hayes didn’t relegate Delaney to Revis Island or anything like that. It just took Delaney a full five minutes before he even got a shot off. Once Delaney got into the flow of the game, no one could really stop him. It says a lot about Hayes’ defense when a Hall of Fame coach sticks him on a player such as Malcolm Delaney to start a game, though, and Gary trusted him.

I’m not anointing Hayes as our best or second-best player. I just think that for all the love we’ve shown J-Dub and Greivis this year, and two days before Hayes’ last game at the Comcastle, the calming, overlooked 6-4 point guard from Woodbridge, Va. Deserved almost 700 words of love all to himself. He’s earned it.

Vasquez made some mistakes (that 3pt with 6 seconds left in the first OT being the biggest); but he also found an open Hayes for what should have been the winning shot in regulation. Vasquez’s line: 41pts, 7rebs, 6asts, 10-10 FT 5-15 3PT 48mins. It’s the first 40 point game since Joe Smith pumped in 40 in Cameron in 1995.

The team won’t quit.  Ever.  The credit goes Coach Williams and our guards (Hayes and Vaz). I haven’t seen the final stats, but at one point late in the second half, VT was 70% from the field.  Somehow, the Terps took every shot VT threw at them and kept on coming.

Tonight’s win was incredibly special.  It ended two unfortunate streaks:

1. For the first time since the ACC expanded to 12 teams, the Terps have earned a bye in the ACC Tournament.

2.  The Terps won at the Cassell Center for the first time since VT joined the league.

It’s been my experience that the team the forces the tie in regulation has the edge in OT.  The team that was in the lead gets deflated and momentum shifts.  This is especially true when the team that loses the lead is on the road.  Well, these Terps defy all the rules. This is a special team.

Clearly Vasquez took center stage tonight, but Mosley played well for the second straight game and Jordan Williams grabbed 15 boards.  Milbourne’s continued disappearance is an enigma; but we’ve proven we can without him (not that I’d like to make a habit of it).  This is a team of role players and we can be confident that someone will step up every night to complement Vasquez.

Undoubtedly, the Terps will be ranked in the next AP poll.  The RPI should shoot up as well.  Road wins against Top 50 teams tend to do that for you.  In my estimation, the Terps are looking at a 5 seed if the season ended today and if we beat Duke; I think we’ve earned a 4 seed.

Speaking of Duke; Wednesday night is going to be epic. The regular season ACC title is on the line (something the Terps haven’t won since 1995 I believe) and it’s senior night.

Our seniors have brought the program back from mediocrity and have left an indelible mark on the University.  Vasquez in particular has gotten the most out of his abilities and I expect that his name will be in the rafters next season.  He’ll also have the chance to outplay John Scheyer and end the debate about who the ACC POY should be.

I asked after the NC State win two weeks ago if it was too early to say WWO.  Perhaps it was, but the Terps have been perfect since then. We’ve gone from bubble team to a high seed and they boys aren’t done.

Let’s beat Duke on Wednesday and claim the regular season title.

Since Wednesday’s victory officially achieved the 10-win goal; it’s time we undertake the happy task of adjusting our goals upward.  A win at Virginia Tech today guarantees the Terps a bye in the first round of the ACC and also assures them of that long-awaited national ranking.  If the Terps win today; they won’t creep into the Top 25.  They should enter the rankings in the Top 20.

Many discount the value of the rankings but the truth is that it helps recruiting and it also helps with Tourament seedings.  All things considered; I’d prefer to be ranked.

These objectives will not be handed to Maryland today.  Virginia Tech has proven to be one of the top teams in the ACC and the Cassell Center is one of the toughest places in the conference to play right now.  The Hokies have not lost at home this year.  Added to the task at hand is the Hokies’ desperation.  Tech is coming off a demoralizing loss at BC and they must win today to remain on the good side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.  The Terps will get the Hokies’ best effort today.

Tech has a guard dominated offense (much like the Terps); with junior Malcolm Delaney leading the charge.  Delaney hails from Baltimore (Towson Catholic), so I’m sure he has no trouble getting motivated to play the Terps.  VT also boasts the services of ex-Terp recruiting target Jeff Allen on the interior.

The Terp seniors will need to play with the same composure and resolve that has gotten the Terps to this point.  A win today keeps us in the hunt for the ACC regular season title and sets up an incredible matchup on Senior Day against Duke.

The Terps have earned the right to start dreaming big things.  Beating the Hokies today would prove that we are not just a Tournament team but a force to be reckoned with.

“This game was over before it started.”
“Can you ruin a season with one game?”
“[We will] lose by 30″

I can’t say that I knew the boys would come back in this one, after all they have had quite an emotional run in the past few weeks and a bad night can happen, even at home. But I never lost faith that they had the ability to come back and win. I am so glad they got the job done. So proud of this team. So proud.

I read a lot of the negative posts as the game was going and I think most of them were just frustrations of a team that did not seem to be playing the kind of basketball we have been used to seeing. Some are quick to jump off the bandwagon and to address those people, it’s a shame that you can’t enjoy what a special season this has become. No matter what happens from here on out (and we all wish for a lengthy run in both tournaments), this has been a season to remember and a sign of positive things to come for this program.

This team showed a lot of heart not wilting under the pressure and lights-out shooting from Clemson early on. The Tigers were good and they were nearly unstoppable on offense early on. I will get to the players and how I thought they did, but first I want to congratulate the person responsible for this win…. Gary Williams.

Our coach stuck to a gameplan that looked ludicrous in the first half. They decided to keep the ball out of Booker’s hands as much as possible and take our chances with Clemson’s outside shooting. In the first, it looked like a horrible idea as the Tigers dropped in 8 three pointers and made us pay time and time again. At halftime it would have been easy to throw away the game plan, but GW made the necessary adjustments. He still doubled down at times, but he gambled with allowing JW and DG to take it to Booker as well. They may have paid a little more attention to the perimeter, but the Tigers still had plenty of decent looks from 3. Gary gambled that there was no way Clemson could continue to be that good from long range. That gamble also worked as they went cold from the outside and we took advantage.

Players of the game:

Sean Mosley - My goodness. Mosley had more points at the first TV timeout than he had in any ACC game so far this season. In 5 minutes he proved what we’ve all hoped…. that Mosley does have the ability to shoot the ball and shoot it well. Yes, he passed up some shots later in the game, but his 3 pointer to tie the game at 63 was as big a shot that we hit all night. Mosley should have the confidence after this one to continue to help us out on the offensive end the rest of the season and beyond.

Jordan Williams - What a beast! He may have had only 5 rebounds, but he’s got some sweet hands and a touch around the basket we haven’t seen since Lonny Baxter. And this kid is only a freshman. That bucket and foul midway through the 2nd half was amazing, but the play he made with a few minutes to go, tapping a loose ball into the hoop to silence a Clemson run was even bigger. He will improve his rebounding position and free throw shooting, but for now he is giving us everything we could have imagined and more. Just think about the big men he has had to defend in the conference season.

Greivis Vasquez - Further proving his evolution into a smarter player, GV did not have the best shooting day of his career, but his 13 assists and 2 of the biggest shots of the game let us all know that this is our star and he’s going to lead us somewhere special. His 3 pointer off a screen that put us in front, and his jumper late in the shot clock in the final minutes were superstar shots. Earlier in his career, an off shooting night spelled disaster, now it’s not as big a deal. Plus, GV apparently had stomach issues early on and had to take some medicine. That may have contributed to his struggles in the first half.

Eric Hayes – One of the things that hasn’t been discussed as much in regards to Hayes this season is his ball handling improvement. Earlier in his career, Hayes would be a liability when pressed. Now he brings calm to the team and handles the defensive pressure much better. His ability to knock down big 3’s is something we also haven’t appreciated. He was 3-3 in the game and all 3 of them were huge. Great job EH!

Tucker showed some ballhandling issues, but hit some big shots and showed that he’s got one heck of a first step to the basket. He has a chance to be a solid contributor next year (he’s gonna have to be!!). Bowie was Bowie, Gregory missed a 3 incher, but his defense was pretty darn good again. Milbourne had another tough game and we are going to have to deal with the shooting woes against teams that he does not match up with well with. But LM still had a couple of big time blocks and rebounds and he does not let the misses get him down when it comes to the defensive end.

To recap, this was another in a long line of gutsy efforts this season. We may not look great all the time and we may not get away with playing only 20 good minutes in March, but for now this team is 20-7 and 10-3 in the ACC. After that loss to W&M, nobody could have forseen this. Let’s congratulate these guys for what they have accomplished so far.

A guy I work with who witnesses me losing my mind during these games, said that after seeing the Terps early in the year, they now have to be considered one of the biggest surprises in college basketball other than UNC’s collapse. He was amazed at what they have done and we need to have some perspective. I know the team has issues and we are not perfect, but I am enjoying every moment of this special season and I am looking forward to giving the Hokies all they can handle on Saturday night!!!