This time last year the Terps were coming off a humiliating road loss at Charlottesville in a game they needed to win to get into the NCAA tournament (or so we thought). The Terps had just beaten #1 North Carolina, but this loss to Virginia pushed their record to 7-9 in ACC play.

Maryland fans were calling for Gary’s head as it looked like the Terps would make their third straight NIT appearance. The fans were tired of terrible recruiting classes, tired of failing to make the NCAA tournament, and tired of letting Gary off the hook because of back to back Final 4 appearances. Maryland went to the 2009 ACC tournament in Atlanta needing two or three wins to have any chance of saving the season. They beat N.C. State, Wake Forest, and gave Duke all they could handle to secure their selection into the NCAA tournament. A beleaguered Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez were able to ice the cake with an NCAA tournament win over Cal 84-71.

The 2009/2010 season got off to a slow start as Maryland failed to beat a credible out of conference opponent. Maryland got worked over in the Maui Invitational by losing to Cincinnati & Wisconsin. The Terps proceeded to lose to Villanova in the BB&T Classic and dropped a miserable game to William & Mary in Comcast Center. Maryland was once again in danger of missing the NCAA tournament and there was no margin for error in ACC play.

I always believed the Terps would get it going and turn the season around. I knew that having two seniors in the back court would pay dividends. I knew Greivis would improve on his poor early season form and ultimately look like a 1st team All-ACC player. I knew they could finish Top 4 in the ACC and make a run to the Sweet 16.

I never expected or thought that the Terps would win 13 ACC games. I never expected Gary Williams to be the ACC Coach of the Year. I never expected Greivis to win ACC Player of the Year. And, NOBODY thought Jordan Williams would finish second for ACC Freshman of the Year.

I remember writing on the website that the Terps were “steamrolling” through the ACC. I got murdered for this headline as people couldn’t believe I would make this statement about a mediocre team that just beat three other mediocre teams. In retrospect, I wasn’t that overzealous with that statement. Not only did Maryland win 13 ACC games, but they covered the spread in 13 ACC games as well.

What a long strange trip it has been over the last 365 days of Maryland basketball.

Maryland will likely a face a hungry Georgia Tech team on Friday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. Georgia Tech currently sits at 7-9 in the ACC after losing their ACC finale at home to VA Tech. The shoe is on the other foot this year and Maryland will be the #2 seed who will try to beat a 7-9 team on the NCAA tournament bubble. The Terps nipped the Yellow Jackets at the buzzer in Comcast Center less than a month ago, and you know they will be out for revenge.

If Maryland can get by GA Tech or North Carolina in the quarterfinals, I expect them to beat Clemson, NC State, or Florida St. in the semifinals. As always, the Blue Devils are sure to cut down the nets on Sunday with the help of some tobacco road officiating.

Every person who took time out of their life to call a sports talk radio show and bash Gary Williams last year, needs to take the same time and write him a letter of apology. Also, do you think Greivis made the right decision by opting out of the NBA draft in order to play his Senior season at MD (sarcasm)?

Woodman – extremely worried about Friday

I know….the ACC is terrible, Duke isn’t that great, and all of the Terp wins this season are tainted etc. etc. etc. If you didn’t graduate from Maryland you still think the team is mediocre, and one win at home on Senior night isn’t going to change your perception. Even if Maryland beats Virginia to garner its 13th conference win, naysayers will just say the Terps took advantage of a weakened ACC.

I didn’t get to watch the first 30 minutes of the game because I was at the Alice in Chains concert, and haven’t had time to watch the game on DVR. My analysis is pointless anyhow because anything I say will be construed as “I am biased homer who can’t assess Maryland objectively.”

After starting the game 1-9 from the field and digging a 14 point deficit, Duke played like the #4 team in the country for the remaining 30 minutes (only 8 turnovers for the whole game). Even Coach K admitted the Dukies played well, so Maryland didn’t win because Duke laid an egg. Once again Maryland played a team that brought the heat into the Comcast Center and the Terps were able to weather the storm. The final 5 minutes of the game provided a dramatic theatre as each team made a number of clutch shots. I will admit that Vasquez made some difficult running one-handers down the stretch (which seem lucky to non-MD fans), but Terp fans know that these are his trademark. I was proud the Terps were able to execute in the half court offense and finish their sets under extreme pressure on national television. Success breeds confidence and you can see the change in this Maryland team from where they were two months ago.

Once again Greivis (20 points) and Jordan (15 points) supplied consistent contributions on offense, but the Terps also got double digit scoring from Hayes & Mosley, along with 9 big points by Adrian Bowie. An emerging theme over the last 10 games has been the secondary scoring for Maryland. There are a number of players who have stepped up recently and given scoring support to Greivis and Jordan. This balance gives me increased hope for Terp success in postseason play.

I initially thought the Terps would choke and lose in Charlottesville on Saturday, but I have changed my mind and think Maryland will find a way to win by 1. Maryland has an opportunity to share the ACC regular season title and hang a banner from the rafters in Comcast. I don’t think they came this far blow it against VA. I know this isn’t a Final 4 team and am very realistic about the Terps chances in the NCAA tournament. But, it has been an improbable journey that most Terp fans couldn’t have expected in their wildest dreams.

Gary Williams will win ACC Coach of the Year, Greivis will have a chance to win ACC Player of the Year, and Jordan will compete to win ACC Freshman of the Year. Oh, but I know….it is only because the ACC is terrible. Please keep diminishing this team’s accomplishments and put an asterisk next to every win. I am sure if North Carolina was 12-3 in the ACC this season, it would be because they were a great team. But because the Tarheels can’t win with 7 McDonald’s All-Americans, lets minimize the accomplishment of the whole conference. I love it.

Woodman – haters can kiss my ass.

The Terps were able to take the Yellow Jackets’ and Tigers’ best shots and answer the bell with difficult back to back victories. Both teams had garnered only one ACC road win and were desperate to add a quality road win to their NCAA tournament resumes.

The Terps have gotten consistent play from Greivis and Jordan Williams, but have also received contributions from a number of other players during their four-game win streak. The Terps have won 9 of their last 11 games and have moved to 10-3 in ACC play, sole possession of 2nd place.

I know the ACC is down and that Maryland has a number of flaws, but at what point can we give Maryland their due? Cliff Tucker’s buzzer beater was the most exciting moment in the history of the Comcast Center. Aside from Drew Nicholas’s game winner against UNC-Wilmington in the 2002 NCAA tournament, I can’t ever remember another Terrapin buzzer beater in my life.

Greivis is the only player in the history of the ACC to have 2,000 points, 700 assists, and 600 rebounds. Seriously, there have been some pretty good players to play in the ACC in the last 50 years. Eric Hayes just passed the 1,000 point mark in his Terp career. Not bad for an unheralded recruiting class that was heavily criticized by most Terp fans.

Who knows what will happen in the ACC and NCAA tournament, but it has been a pretty good ride so far this season. I wrote an article before the season guaranteeing that Maryland would finish top 4 in the ACC and would make the Sweet 16. One prediction down, one to go.

The Terps play in Blacksburg on Saturday against a desperate Hokie squad that was hammered by BC today. It will be a hornets’ nest and the Terps will have their work cut out for them. The Terps return home and will play the Dukies on Senior night next Wednesday. When the Terps played in Cameron it was Coach K’s 1,000th game at Duke and his 63rd birthday. Hopefully the emotional story of Greivis/Hayes/Milbourne’s last game at Comcast will give the Terps a similar emotional advantage.

Hopefully the Terps can make a run in Greensboro.

Woodman – Terp alum and fanatic

Not to make excuses, but it was Coach K’s 63rd birthday and 1,000th game at Duke. Do you think any team in the country was going to march into Cameron and get a win under those circumstances? I love it that the Terps were on the schedule trying to overcome those emotional hurdles.

I don’t understand why we couldn’t handle Duke’s defensive pressure. This is a team full of white guys that may be long, but they are not very athletic. Duke extended their defense, overplayed the passing lanes, and ruined any offensive continuity the Terps were trying to establish.

Needless to say, when the Terps come to town somebody on the home team has a career night. Brian Zoubek, an absolute bum, looked like a first team ACC juggernaut with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

If you visit the Library of Congress, you will see that the Terps have the patent on going two full TV timeouts without scoring. I thought the Terps were going to weather the initial onslaught when they took a 6-5 lead. Needless to say, the Blue Devils rattled off a 15-0 run to take a 20-6 lead, and never looked back.

The Terps were abysmal on offense in every facet of the game. Mr. Steady Landon Milbourne was 1-5 from the field with two points. Eric Hayes had four of the teams 14 turnovers, and the ACC’s leading three point shooter came up empty from behind the arc. The Terps came into the contest leading the ACC in assist/turnover ratio, but managed only seven assists for the entire game. The Terps were 23-60 (38%) from the field and shot 2-13 (15%) from behind the three point line. With four minutes left in the second half, Greivis was 5-6 from the field, and the rest of the team was 1-14. Amazing.

The Terps had zero defensive intensity and displayed very little desire to win the game. I loved it when Duke came out after halftime and immediately rattled off six unanswered points to stretch the lead to 20. The only spark occurred when Greivis went on a personal 10-0 run to cut the lead to ten with eight minutes left in the game. Duke answered that run with nine unanswered of their own.

The officiating was not the reason the Terps lost the game, but it was horrible as usual. Zoubek came over the back numerous times, and Scheyer was sent to the line three times on ghost foul calls. Duke dominated the Terps from the inside-out, but the officials didn’t help the cause one bit.

Fortunately, the Terps will not have time to stew over this horrific performance, as they get back at it tonight in the make-up game versus Virginia. The Terps will travel to Raleigh on Wednesay to take on the Wolfpack in a very winnable game. Hopefully the Terps will rattle off two victories and head home this weekend against GA Tech with an 8-3 ACC record.

So much for thinking that the Terps deserve a Top 25 ranking. Also, I think I hate Scheyer less than Hurley, Wojo, Redick, Paulus, and the other Duke whities of the past.

Woodman – still bitter as hell

Maryland critics can point to a weakened ACC and fairly say that the Terps are not very athletic, explosive, dynamic, or sexy. Furthermore, the Terps do not have great size or blue chip talent.

These are the positive things you can fairly say about this team: they play hard (since the William & Mary debacle), share the ball, protect the ball, and look like they enjoy playing together. It may sound cliche but the Terps are a TEAM. Maryland was extremely unselfish against Miami and made the extra pass numerous times generating 19 assists on 28 made field goals.

Once again the Terps shot the lights out hitting 28-48 FG’s (58%) and were 7-15 from behind the arc (47%). There isn’t a single human being on this earth who thought this team could play this well offensively. Also, the Terps managed a draw in rebounding differential (28 rebounds for both teams) and won the turnover battle 19-11. Maryland had only five turnovers with eight minutes left in the game. I cannot overstate the importance of guard play in college basketball.

In the first half Maryland forced 14 turnovers and made more field goals (17) than the Hurricanes attempted (16).

Gary continued his trend of player rotation and got quality minutes from nine different Terps. Seven players scored eight points or more (five were in double digits). The rotation of players was so solid I never really noticed a drop-off in play regardless of the combination on the court. Also, Gary was relentless on the bench and got the team to focus for a solid 36 minutes despite winning by a large margin for most of the game.

Greivis did not force anything against the Hurricanes and got the team on track from the getgo. The emotional leader pumped in 16 points (14 in the 1st half when the game was in question) and dished out nine assists while committing only two turnovers. Landon Milbourne continued his steady play shooting 7-10 from the field and pumping in 16 points himself. Milbourne knows his spots on the floor and does an excellent job of getting shots that accommodate his skillset. Landon is always under control and will be a fantastic player in the European leagues upon his graduation from Terpland.

Obviously Maryland lacks the three NBA prospects required to win a National Championship (normally the formula for cutting down the nets in March Madness), but give Gary his due for conducting another virtuoso coaching effort on another unheralded group. I don’t know why people bother criticizing Gary for failing to bring blue-chip talent to College Park. Gary does his best when he is able to coach four year players that are interested in working hard and embracing his ideals and passion. I want blue chippers on this roster, but will give the credit and criticism to Rob Ehsan, Keith Booth, and Chuck Driesell who are the true engines behind the Terps recruiting locomotive.

Maryland travels to Little John on Sunday to play a desperate Clemson team coming off three straight losses. The Terps will be entering a hornets nest against a Tiger team that features the very talented Trevor Booker. The Tigers will be urgent to hold serve at home after dropping their last home game to the Dookies.

Jim, can you please give Maryland their due???

Woodman – Terp alum, fanatic etc.

There is no doubt that this team is beginning to fulfill the expectations I levied on them coming into the season. At the quarter point of the ACC schedule, Maryland is 3-1 and perched at the top of the conference standings. Things are wide open this year in the ACC and with an experienced back court, Maryland has a great opportunity to finish in the Top 3. The ACC is stacked with notable front court players, but there are only a handful of guards who stand out in the conference this year. Guard play is invaluable in college basketball and the Terps should benefit from this reality for the remainder of ACC play. Without a marquee non-conference win, it is crucial that the Terps stack as many ACC wins as possible.

I have been very impressed with the way Gary is spreading out the minutes and keeping nine players heavily involved in the rotation. Greivis is the emotional leader and general, but a number of Terps have contributed to the recent success of the team. The most important theme I will continue to monitor is the reliability of Milbourne, Hayes, Mosley, Williams, and Tucker in providing offense in our half court sets. Things tend to bog down at times offensively and Greivis is stuck forcing bad shots at the end of the shot clock. This tends to affect Greivis’s confidence in his teammates and leads to poor shot selection at critical moments of the game. Hopefully other players will grow in confidence and will want the ball in pressure situations. These complimentary players will have to deliver if Maryland wants to reach the ceiling of their collective potential.

Another theme to the 2010 season is the improvement in the area of rebounding. The Terps rank 4th in rebounding totals and 6th in rebounding differential. Most of these totals are garnered from hustle as Maryland seems to be overmatched in the front court during most of their ACC contests. However, Maryland leads the ACC in assists with 16.3 a game and also leads the conference in assists/turnover ratio. With a quartet of experienced guards I am not surprised that Maryland has a statistical edge in these areas and I look for this trend to continue all season. After finishing last in rebounding differential last year, we will see if the Terps can continue their resurgence on the glass over the course of the next month in ACC play.

I went to the ACC website and was amazed to see that Maryland is ranked first in the following categories:

1st in scoring offense at 80.2 ppg.
1st in scoring margin at 11.2 ppg
1st in FG% at 46.9%
1st in 3pt. FG % at 52.5%. To put this in perspective, Wake Forest is 2nd at 36%.

Not bad for a team that shot poorly from the field last season with many fans/critics wondering if the Terps would shoot the ball any better in 2010. Defensively, Maryland is 5th in scoring defense and 4th in FG% defense holding teams to 41% shooting from the floor.

On an individual level in ACC competition, Greivis is 2nd in the ACC averaging 22 ppg. and 6.5 assists. Jordan Williams is the wild card of the team and barely missed a double-double versus N.C. State. If Williams continues to work hard and give the Terps a viable post presence, it should help take pressure off the perimeter players. Also, I am hopeful “Mr. Instant Offense” Cliff Tucker can continue to give the Terps some pop off the bench. The Terps look to move to 4-1 in the ACC Tuesday with a home tilt against Miami. The Terps will embark on a two game road trip against 17th ranked Clemson and Florida St. before returning home to play North Carolina.

I guaranteed a Top 4 ACC finish and a trip to the Sweet 16. It looks like the train is back on the tracks.

Woodman – Terp Alum and Fanatic for life. Long live the spirit of Len Bias.

Since the Eastern Kentucky game on December 12th, Greivis has started to turn the corner on his senior season. In the last seven games, Greivis has averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and has shot 54% from the floor. Maryland is at its best when Greivis is playing well and in the rhythm of the game. The Terps feed off his confidence and accept their roles to compliment him when he is playing well. When Greivis is struggling, the offense tends to get tentative as the team looks for a secondary scorer. Milbourne, Mosley, Hayes, Tucker, and Williams all have the capability of providing another scoring option, but are not reliable on a consistent basis. Because Greivis is so hot and cold, Maryland will need to get consistent scoring from another source as the season progresses.

Even though Maryland lost a heartbreaker to Wake, there were a number of positive takeaways from the last two games:

1) the defensive intensity and overall energy level is much better. Hopefully the William & Mary game was rock bottom with regard to a veteran team playing without urgency.
2) The Terps out-rebounded two of the best rebounding teams in the ACC in back to back games. Rebounding has been an achilles heel for the Terps and I am very impressed with the tenacity of the whole team in getting on the offensive glass. Mosley pulled 13 rebounds against Wake with a majority of them being hustle plays.
3) Hayes has regained his shooting touch hitting 5-6 three point shots against Florida St. and 2-3 versus Wake.
4) Adrian Bowie turned in his best game of the year playing 19 minutes and scoring 10 points. Tucker played 16 minutes and scored 8 points vs. Florida St.
5) Jordan Williams had a great tip in at the end of the Wake game and continues to show incremental improvement every game. Since the beginning of last season, the Terps have been in need of a reliable post player.

Maryland had to compete in their first ACC road game with only one day of rest and game preparation. The odds were stacked against Maryland yet they hung in there and showed a lot of grit. Every time you thought the dam was going to break somebody made a play to keep Maryland in the game. Wake Forest knew they were embarking on a difficult three game road trip in the ACC making the game against Maryland a MUST win. The Terps fought tooth and nail and had a number of players make key contributions down the stretch. Unfortunately, it was not enough to help Maryland garner a valuable road ACC win for their NCAA tournament resume.

This is a Maryland team that is showing signs of becoming more consistent. The Terps have a veteran backcourt and enough experience to make 2010 a great year. But they better keep up their quality play of recent as they have little margin for error and need to stack at least 9-10 ACC wins. The Terps go on the road Saturday to face a Boston College team that has already posted losses to Maine, Rhode Island, and Harvard. The Terps will return home to play Longwood, Miami, and N.C.. State.

Woodman – keep the faith. This team can be a Sweet 16 type of team