The Jack of All Sports on 105.7 The FAN Baltimore

In a game that set college basketball back a decade, the Clemson Tigers held on to defeat the Maryland Terrapins 62-53 at Little John Coliseum. The Tigers were without their best perimeter player, Demontez Stitt, but still managed a crucial victory despite shooting only 32% from the floor.

Clemson played like a desperate team trying to end a three game ACC losing streak. The Tigers extended their defense and suffocated the Terps forcing 26 turnovers. They also held the ACC’s best shooting team to 35% shooting from the floor (18-52), and 2-10 from three point range. Maryland came into the game shooting over 50% from behind the arc. Also, Maryland led the ACC in assists per game with 17, but managed only eight against the Tigers. Simply put, Little John Coliseum has always been a place where Terp offenses go and die.

I always talk about the importance of guard play in college basketball, and the fact that Maryland has two seniors and two juniors handling the ball. Unfortunately, this game was not reflective of a veteran back court that averaged only 11 turnovers coming into the game. Greivis Vasquez was a total disaster turning the ball over nine times and shooting only 3-11 from the field. Senior back court companion Eric Hayes wasn’t much better turning it over five times himself, and hitting only 1 of four from downtown. Unheralded Tiger guards Andre Young and Tanner Smith played with great energy and smothered the Terps defensively. However, the Tiger guards were also sloppy handling the ball, offering up 21 turnovers of their own.

Even more frustrating than being unable to capitalize on playing Clemson without Stitt was the fact that the Tigers best player, Trevor Booker, shot only 2-16 from the floor. Booker led the ACC in field goal percentage last year and many Terp fans thought he would have a career day against the inexperienced Terrapin front line. Instead, Tiger center Jerai Grant decided to have a career day. Grant shot 7-11 from the field, scored 18 points, pulled 12 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. Booker did come through in the clutch and hit a crucial three -pointer (only his second of the year) and scored nine of his ten points in the final seven minutes of the game.

The Terps scored only six points in the final ten minutes of the first half, and looked worse than the North Harford Hawks JV team. And, despite playing like garbage and digging a double-digit second half deficit, the Terps rallied to take a 48-46 lead with eight minutes left in the game. The Tigers than proceeded to outscore the Terps 16-5 in the closing minutes to end the Terps four game win streak. When the Terps took their first lead of the game, I truly thought they were going to pull it out, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Trust me, even if the Terps had won, I would have still been disgusted and sickened by their quality of play. And, you know things are bad when Mr. Steady, Landon Milbourne, shoots 1-8 from the floor totaling three points for the game. This game was one of the ugliest displays of Div. I basketball I can ever remember witnessing. Neither team looked worthy of a bid to the NIT, let alone a ticket to the big dance.

The lone bright spot for the Terps was the play of ACC Rookie of the Week, Jordan Williams, who posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Terps’ next game is Thursday night in Tallahassee against Florida St. before returning home to play the beleaguered Tarheels on Sunday.

Woodman – this game ruined my weekend. Typical Terp trainwreck in Little John

Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops, Terps Tagged: | acc hoops, clemoson tigers, jordan williams, maryland terrapins, trevor booker