Despite Strong Effort, Terps Fall to Duke 78-67

Honestly, it's very difficult trying to come up with a coherent analysis for this loss. Maryland seemed to play the better game last night for the most part, but Duke pulled away at the end with the help of some key miscues and questionable calls. I know, this is sounding very partisan (it is), but generally the heart of the student section is not where one wants to be for an unbiased view of the game.

Regardless of the fouls and minor controversies, Maryland has to be heartened by how the team played last night. Unlike the UNC game in which one player (Greivis Vazquez) had a transcendent performance, Maryland's success against Duke came from a wide range of contributors. Even with Vazquez out for nearly all of the second half, Maryland continued to play with poise and distributed the ball well across the board. No, Maryland couldn't pull it out, but they once again played far over their heads (quite literally) against a bigger and more talented Duke team. From an individual player perspective, Landon Milbourne is the Terp that sticks out for his scoring and blocked shots, but I for one was impressed with the play of Eric Hayes throughout the game. He played very sound basketball, taking care of the ball and making smart plays from the point. Given Mosley's rough outing, Hayes might have a case to be re-inserted into the starting lineup in the coming games.

Speaking of the coming games, what now for the Terps? Well, don't panic, disgruntled Terp fans. There is still hope for the Terps as they now go on the road to face NC State, then home against Wake Forest, and finally end the season at UVA. Maryland absolutely has to win two of those games, but they most likely will need to take all three. If they only take two, Maryland will need to make a significant splash in the ACC tournament to make it, given that they only have two truly impressive wins (MSU, UNC). It's very possible, but Maryland is going to have to bounce back strongly from last night's game.

The game last night is the sort of game that hurts in the worst kind of way. Your team plays their best, the atmosphere is electric, but everything just slips away at the end. For the Terrapin players and fans alike they need to look past the disappointment and see the positive; even in a defeat, they played like a tournament team. If Maryland keeps playing like that for the next few weeks they won't just look like a tournament team, they'll be a tournament team.

Raise High the Gold: Maryland Gets Big Win over Virginia Tech

In their second straight home game wearing the gold jerseys, Maryland delivered a must-win game, winning against Virginia Tech 83-73 on Valentine's Day. They have now won three of their last four games, and although NCAA Tournament hopes are still bleak, this game was what Maryland needed, a strong game from start to finish.

Landon Milbourne and Greivis Vasquez led the way for Maryland with 23 and 17 point respectively as they were both strong against the Hokie defense. Maryland played an eight-man rotation with heavy guard play and fast-paced shooting. Maryland depended on the backcourt three-point shooting and did not try to challenge the frontcourt too much, though the transition play was killer.

I'm not sure what it is about the Comcast Center, but opposing star players do not do well here. Virginia Tech's big-3 did not do well as a trio. Malcolm Delaney, local kid from Towson Catholic, was very cold early on and didn't get the bulk of his 16 points until late. Jeff Allen had eight points and nine boards, but did not have an overall good game. A.D. Vassallo had 20 points, but the other two were not up to par. Add Delaney to the list of Silven Landesburg and Jack McClinton to players that did not play well in the Comcast Center.

Overal, this was a must-win game, and the Terps came through in good fashion. Maryland has three ranked teams in a row on their schedule, at Clemson, then back home for North Carolina and Duke. At the very least they need one victory, though two would be amazing for them. But if they lose all three, which odds in all of those say they will, then their tournament hopes are all but over.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Maryland Gets Destroyed by the Blue Devils 85-44

There is a reason why Maryland's press release is only four lines long. Maybe it will get longer, but probably not. The fact is there is nothing good to take out of this loss. Nothing. It doesn't matter that Landon Milbourne had 19 points, it doesn't matter that the Maryland defense played all right for 14 minutes. The fact is they lost by 41, the worst loss ever by Maryland to Duke. Duke is a far better team then Maryland that will take the #1 ranking, but you couldn't help but think the Terps just didn't show up in Cameron Indoor Stadium today, a place they call their "home away from home." This is a game they will want to quickly forget.

All year Maryland has been trying to play a game like Duke normally does. A guard-heavy offense that relies on shooting well. Problem is they don't shoot well. They don't have enough accurate three-point shooters or people that can grab the rebounds when they do have problems. Maryland normally runs a mixed offense of forwards and guards, and they are just not used to this. Though they prefer players that are bangers in the paint, even in earlier years with athletic forwards they have found success. But this year, they have neither.

The stats speak for themselves. Outscored 85-44, outrebounded 56-38, outstolen 11-5, outblocked 12-6. None of the Duke starters played more than 25 minutes; they didn't need to. Greivis Vasquez, who says he loves to play at Cameron and feeds off the crowd, shot 2-10 and got four points. Maryland shot 2-12 beyond the arc. It is not to take anything away from Duke, as they are a great team, but this is a rivalry, and rivalry games should be closer than this.

With all of this, Maryland needs to regroup and put this loss behind them. This schedule is not getting any easier, and if they want to go .500 in the ACC, they need to get their act together. They still have North Carolina twice, Duke again, plus Wake Forest and Clemson, all which will be losses if they put performances like today's, count all of those as losses. It doesn't matter if they are close losses, a loss is a loss to the NCAA. There is still time, but they have to be ready.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

Maryland's Last Non-Conference Game: What Needs to be Done

Tomorrow Maryland will wrap up its non-conference schedule with their game against the Morgan State Bears, which should be an easy victory. Maryland has done what they needed to do through this play, going 11-2 including winning all nine games at home and taking away what should be helpful wins in March against Michigan State and Michigan. But it has been a rough ride in certain games, including slow starts and very rough frontcourt play. Before the ACC stretch begins this weekend against Georgia Tech, here's what Maryland needs to work on.

--Find the frontcourt options.
Maryland clearly has issues down low, and it is not clear how this will be solved. The Terps leading rebounder is Greivis Vasquez. The two main forwards for Maryland are not the kind Maryland needs: Landon Milbourne, a 6'7'' athletic forward who is a good shooter, and Dave Neal, a 6'7'' banger that can shoot from anywhere. The problem is neither is good at snagging

rebounds and pushing in the paint. Dino Gregory seems to be developing there, but he is never seeing much time on the court, so Gary must feel he is not ready to be that type of player yet. Braxton Dupree, the player Maryland was hoping to be the big man, is barely even on the court since the Old Spice Classic. Jerome Burney is still out with a stress fracture but even when he was healthy he was not playing. This is not a problem that will solve itself, the ACC is full of solid frontcourt players. Maryland will need Neal and Gregory to step up their game so they can compete in the paint.

--Adrian Bowie and Sean Mosley need to develop their three-point shot.
After the Charlotte game, Gary emphasized how much he liked Mosley's play particularly since Maryland has limited three-point threats. Only Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez have taken more than 30 three-point shots this year. Without a solid frontcourt, Maryland needs to adapt to these circumstances, including having more threats from the perimeter. This would spread out the defense more if they respected other shooters. This would fall on Bowie and Mosley, both who see a lot of time on the court. If either of them can become a three-point shooting threat, that would ease a lot of pressure on the frontcourt and Vasquez.

--Work on playing a 40-minute game.
In a number of non-conference games, most notably Elon, Charlotte, and Vermont, Maryland's slow starts got them in real trouble. The Terps have done well recovering in the seocnd half and traditionally do better in the final 20 minutes. With Maryland's system, they will need to shoot consistently, and they won't be able to come back if down early. They will need to play games close or put their opponent away quickly.

--The half-court offense needs work.
Maryland has clearly established that they like fast breaks and points on turnovers, however they are stuggling when it comes to regular-style play. The ACC will not be committing as many turnovers or as many bad passes. Maryland needs to be able to slow down and be calm on possessions.

(Photo credits: Baltimore Sun)

Lessons of the Old Spice Classic

The Old Spice Classic started with hope and ended with disappointment for Maryland. What was expected to be a first round loss to Michigan State then two contests on ESPNU turned into a huge upset of the Spartans then two losses to ranked teams Gonzaga and Georgetown. Now that Maryland is 4-2, and the rest of the non-conference schedule does not have much to gain from with the exception of Michigan and American, they need to learn lessons from the Classic. The ACC schedule starts in five weeks, and Maryland needs to be ready.

Big men dominate Maryland. Not that we did not expect this, but Maryland undersized frontcourt got dominated by Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt, Austin Daye, and Georgetown's Greg Monroe, all who stand at 6'11''. Normally Gary has at least two players that can play down low well enough the spread the floor, but Maryland does not have those type players right now. Braxton Dupree is the only player that has the physical nature to be able to play with them, but he is still getting used to starting. He is having trouble receiving the ball on Vasquez's passes and is not being physical enough in the paint. The ACC may be a guard-heavy conference, but a few teams do have strong big men, and Maryland needs to develop the frontcourt game more.

Hello Dave Neal! Dave Neal plays his guts out during the Classic. He got Player of the Game against Michigan State and was always hustling out on the court. For the first time in his four years here, he is playing like he is a forward that can shoot for three. Physically, he is not a great player, but he is showing good senior leadership on the court. With the frontcourt problems, don't be surprised if Neal sees 20 minutes a game come down the stretch if he continues play like this.

When Maryland shoots well, they can play with anyone. Against Michigan State, Maryland was 9-19 from downtown, six of those shots missed from Greivis Vasquez. Adrian Bowie and Dave Neal were hitting those shots from beyond the arc. Combined for the other two games, the Terps shot 4-31 on three-point shots. Vasquez, Eric Hayes. Bowie, and Jin-Soo Kim are considered the main threats from three-point range this season, but all will need to step up. With the problems in the front court, the shooting needs to be better to keep Maryland in contention. Before the season, Gary said that shooting has never been a problem in his time with Maryland. That may be true, but they don't have defense to fall back on if they have a bad day. But, the Michigan State proved that they can play with anyone if they are on their game.

The starting five still are not set in stone. Cliff Tucker did not start against Georgetown, as he had a bad Classic. Landon Milbourne and Dupree were not playing great either. Bowie shot very well, and Neal was a big spark off the bench. Sean Mosley got the start against the Hoyas, but he did not play like anything special. The starting lineup could easily shake up during the year in more inconsistent play is seen. Bowie could start if Maryland had another backup point guard, but with Vasquez and Hayes starting, he may have to stay a reserve for now. It does not look like Dupree will be replaced, as Dino Gregory and Jerome Burney are not playing much. Neal can not replace Dupree; that would be giving up any reasonable down low play.

Maryland made a huge mistake letting Bobby Maze go. Maze is the starting point guard for Tennessee after Maryland pulled their scholarship offer to him to get Tyree Evans, which as we all know ended in Evans not coming here after his criminal past came up. If a Maryland fan saw Maze play for Bruce Pearl's Volunteers this weekend, it would hurt. He is the kind of point guard the Terps would love, a primary passing guard that does not shoot often and shows a lot of energy and passion on the court. Obviously he would not have solved many of Maryland's problems, but they could have used a player like him. Maze wanted to come here, did not have a major problem in his past off the court, and Maryland did not take him over Evans.

Maryland must win the rest of their non-conference schedule. As previously mentioned, only Michigan and American provide any competition to Maryland's remaining non-conference opponents. Though the Classic ended with two losses, that Michigan State win was huge, and hopefully one that will mean something in March. The Terps can not afford a defeat like last year's loss to Ohio. These games are all at home except the BB&T Classic against George Washington. It will be hard for them to win eight straight games, especially after nearly losing to Vermont, but it will give them a lot of leeway for the ACC stretch.

Maryland's next game is the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup against Michigan on Wednesday at 7:30.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)

And For Your Maryland Terrapins, The Starting Lineup...

Has not been announced yet. Nor will it be by any means set when the Terps Mens Basketball Team open up exhibition play next Saturday against Northwood. Certainly the tumult over last season's disappointment along with the departure of key players (James Gist, Bambale Osby) and the loss of promising young talent (Gus Gilchrist, Bobby Maze), has dimmed the hopes of the Terrapin fan base for this season. Certainly yes, this team is starved for front-court depth and is plagued with question marks. However, this is Maryland Basketball and a new season is always approached by hope and excitement (regardless of whether or not it is warranted).

Getting back to my point on the potential starting five, there are only three players who are essentially guaranteed: Eric Hayes, Greivis Vazquez, and Landon Milbourne. That leaves two spots open. Keep in mind that the only one of these three capable of playing in the front court is Milbourne, and he is more of a forward/guard combo rather than a pure forward or pure guard. So, of the remaining two Gary Williams will need at least one person to play the power-forward/center position. The last will be determined by whether or not he decides that he wants a traditional lineup with two inside players or go with (essentially) a four guard lineup with only one big man.

What do I see as this year's starting five? Funny you should ask...
1. Eric Hayes - PG - Hayes has already been given the starting point guard role by Gary Williams, and that is not in doubt at this point.
2. Greivis Vazquez - SG - Vazquez has been slowed badly by offseason ankle surgery, but he is a cornerstone of this team and is the best offensive weapon Gary Williams has. Assuming he gets healthy, Vazquez should benefit from being moved off of the point.
3. Sean Mosley - SG - This is where things are a little dicey, because if Mosley is inserted into the lineup then you're leaving yourself with a thinner bench at guard and taking away a spot from the front court.
4. Landon Milbourne - G/F - Milbourne was streaky last season, but he is a tremendous athlete with a work ethic that has been highly praised by Gary Williams. For the second year in a row, he has singled out Milbourne as the player who has put in the most offseason work; no way he doesn't crack the starting five.
5. Jerome Burney - PF/C - Jerome Burney is certainly not a significant offensive weapon, but is a tremendous defensive presence in the paint. Burney came on strong at the end of last season, and based on the alignment that I forsee, the Terps are going to want a big man to just contain the paint and play defense. The scoring should come from the other four.

That's where I see the starting five shaking out -- feel free to post your own projections.

(Photo Credit: Monica Lopossay/Baltimore Sun)