Maryland Keeping Its Tournament Hopes Alive

Who needs the regular season? This is the question that some basketball fans have been thinking while watching the madness start early this year in the conference tournaments. The Maryland Terrapins have certainly been a part of that, stunning the ACC with their convincing win over Wake Forest yesterday evening in which Greivis Vazquez nearly had a triple double and the Terps out-rebounded the taller and more athletic Demon Deacons.

It's very easy to say that this win was just a product of Greivis having another transcendent game, but it reminded me of the UNC game in that the rest of the team played exceptionally sound and smart basketball. They out-toughed Wake Forest from the opening tip and, unlike their previous matchup, forced Wake Forest into a litany of fouls. Maryland got to the free throw line, which has been their strength all season, and capitalized on Wake Forest's errors. Two names that I would like to throw out there for players who deserve commendation: Sean Mosley for finally stepping up offensively and playing a complete game, and Dino Gregory for his monumental improvement in play over the past few games. Dino Gregory has been a crucial part of both of Maryland's wins thus far in the ACC tournament, particularly against NCState where he grabbed a career high eight rebounds.

Now Maryland comes up against the hated Duke Blue Devils, with a scheduled tip off of 3:30 pm for a chance to go to the ACC tournament. Maryland possibly got themselves in with the win over Wake, but given the shrinking state of the bubble, I have serious doubts as to whether or not Maryland will be able to sneak in without a win today. Luckily for Maryland they have already played Duke twice, and they already have a blueprint for how to win. That blueprint being, play the same game they did against Wake except do not sag so much on defense. Maryland needs to get to the foul line, and play hard pressure defense. The Terps will need to play a perfect game to take down the Blue Devils, but they've shown that they're more than capable of doing that on any given day.

(Photo Credit: Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

There's Still Some Fight in the Terrapins

When the Terrapins came into the Dean Dome last night, every college basketball fan in America could have told you what was about to happen: the Tar Heels were going to run them off the court and win handily. What they probably did not see coming was the amount of resilience and depth shown by these young players.

Yes, Maryland lost by 17 points and the game was not particularly close at any point in the second half, but watching the game there was something about the way Maryland played that was impressive. North Carolina hit 11-16 from three point range in the first half (16-25 overall), and had all of their shots falling, but the Terps rarely let themselves get rattled or demoralized. Instead of letting up after Carolina made a basket, Maryland took advantage of the fast break and exploited the press quickly. Maryland did commit some turnovers, but 16 on the road in Chapel Hill is not a bad number, particularly when North Carolina committed 16 of their own in that game. The Terrapins were able to shoot at 48% for the game, which was a product of excellent shot selection throughout, which is a divergence from previous games in which the Terps would put up bad shots when the momentum swung against them.

The most important thing to take away from last night's game is the play of Sean Mosley and Cliff Tucker. For one of the few times this year, Mosley seemed confident in his shot and played aggressive to the basket, finishing the game with a career high 19 points. For Mosley, the passion has been there all season on defense and on the boards, but he has often been too hesitant offensively to contribute like he's capable. As for Cliff Tucker, all I can say is 'Welcome Back'. Tucker played decent minutes last season and started strong this year, but has been relegated almost solely to the bench for the past month or so. However, with his breakout 18 point, 4 rebound, 4 assist game, Tucker has played himself back into the rotation. Tucker played with confidence I had never seen in him. His physical tools are too great to be stuck on the bench on a team like Maryland. I expect to see big things from him down the stretch this year.

Without a doubt North Carolina was by far the better team last night. They took control of the game and never let it go. But if we're going to criticize Maryland for packing it in early against Duke in their 40-point debacle, let's give Maryland some credit for refusing to blink against the superior Tar Heels. There were a couple of young players who came up big, and the team as a whole played with poise in the heat of failure and adversity. That's worth something in my book.


Programming note: Signing Day news and notes for Maryland Terrapin football will be up later today.

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)