I don’t want to get too detailed in summarizing Maryland’s 85-66 victory over the Cavaliers last night in the Comcast Center. The Cavaliers got a raw deal by having to play on the road after one day of rest, coming off a tightly contested road game at rival Virginia Tech. Since the Terps were out of their road game Saturday against Duke with twelve minutes left in the first half, they exerted much less energy and looked the fresher of the two teams.
Cavalier fans should not be discouraged, because when the Terps roll down to Charlottesville on March 6th, they will surely hand the Terps a loss. They always do. Maryland shot 70% from the field in the first half last night establishing an 18 point halftime lead. The Terps were led by Greivis Vasquez, who came out scorching hot, scoring 25 points the first twenty minutes.
I still don’t understand why the Terps struggled so much handling the ball at Clemson and Duke. I would understand if they shot poorly, but bad turnovers and the inability to establish any offensive continuity, leads me to believe they will be an early exit in the NCAA tournament. The Terps have benefited from a lack of quality guard play in the ACC, but most NCAA tournament teams will boast a decent back court.
The one note I wanted to make regarding Maryland basketball is the development of freshman Jordan Williams. There isn’t a single fan or basketball expert who could have anticipated how quickly Williams would acclimate to Div I. and ACC competition. Jordan has been a revelation, and is exceeding every expectation for a freshman who just finished his first rotation through the ACC. It just goes to show you that Gary Williams is one of the best coaches in the nation in developing post talent. Jordan was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut, and averaged 35 points a game his senior year of high school. However, he was not highly recruited by major Div. I schools. The ceiling of potential for Williams may be higher than initially thought, and he may be the anchor of the team when Milbourne, Vasquez, and Hayes graduate in May. Terp insiders seem to feel that Mosley will be the team leader next year, but I don’t see it. Mosley has a lot of heart, but he cannot hit the broad side of a barn from the field. Unless he drastically improves his shooting, I don’t know how he can lead the team in 2010-2011.
I think the Terps can win at N.C. State on Wednesday, and hold home court against Georgia Tech and Clemson. This would push the Terps to 10-3 in the ACC with three games remaining.
Woodman – last night does not erase the bitterness of the Duke debacle
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops, Terps | Tagged: gary williams, jordan williams, maryland basketball, virginia cavaliers
