Now that most of the teams in the ACC have played a league game and are getting ready to start their conference schedules it is a good time to access each team and see what we've learned so far. I'll have a series of short reviews for each team over the next week. We'll start with North Carolina.
North Carolina
What we've learned so far:
This is a powerful, deep and multifaceted team. Like most Roy Williams' squads they are athletic and have speed to burn but are also prone to defensive lapses. The new backcourt players have yet to jell with the hold overs from last years' squad and Williams hasn't found a rotation that seems to work. The reduced roles of Reyshawn Terry and Bobby Frasor have resulted in a decline in the perimeter defense for Carolina. Freshman Ty Lawson is too short to be a very effective perimeter defender. Scary as it may be freshman forward Brandan Wright may be even better than Tyler Hansbrough by the end of the season. He can score and rebound but is also a far superior defensive presence than Hansbrough. Wright already leads Carolina with 21 blocks compared to Hansbrough's 4. Even with all the talent this Carolina team has significant weaknesses and is at least another season away from being a national champion caliber team. They should be favored to win the ACC with relative ease but their loss to Gonzaga showed that the Tarheels can be an inconsistent bunch. Unless Roy Williams can find a better recipe for rotations Carolina will not play up to their talent level.
Key Wins:
Tennessee, Ohio State, Kentucky
Bad Losses:
None
Prediction: 1st place (13-3)
Friday, December 29, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Holiday Cheer
Overall it has been a good fall season for Maryland fans. The field hockey team won their second NCAA championship in a row, the football team is back in a bowl game for the first time in two years, the women's basketball team continues to roll at the top of the polls and Gary Williams' merry bunch are surpassing expectations.
There shouldn't be much to complain about, but then again that is one of the favorite pastimes of Maryland fans young and old. Perhaps reducing your complaints about Maryland sports should be among your New Years resolutions. It will make watching the Terps much more enjoyable, I guarantee you.
Thanks to all of you out there who find your way to my humble writings. I've enjoyed another year of writing about Maryland sports, though the following the Terps wasn't always enjoyable in 2006. Let's all look forward to a prosperous and healthy 2007 for the Terps and our fellow fans. I'll be back next week with a few thoughts on the Champs Sports bowl and the early returns for ACC basketball.
It is somewhat appropriate during this season that guard Donnie Woods announced that he will be leaving the football team after the bowl game against Purdue to pursue a career in the United States military. Woods is on track to graduate but has another year of eligibility that he will forgo to achieve his goal of a military or law enforcement career. Instead of protecting Maryland's quarterback next year Woods may be helping to protect the rest of us in some dangerous and far away place. The physical toughness that was his trademark as a guard on Maryland's offensive line and the camaraderie he shared with his teammates may serve him well in desperate places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Woods won't enjoy any of the "preferred lifestyle", as his father called the life of a college football player, while in the military. It will be spartan and certainly lacking in the trappings of celebrity that come with being a big man on campus, but Woods seems to recognize how shallow and fleeting that kind of adoration is in the cold business of college football. Donnie Woods wants to do something more meaningful with his life. That kind of courage doesn't exist in many people, even less often in a 22 year old college student bestowed with the comfortable and privileged position that Woods enjoys. Let's be thankful that there are men like Donnie Woods and hope that we're worthy of his courage and convictions.
Read more about Woods in the Washington Post and Washington Times.
There shouldn't be much to complain about, but then again that is one of the favorite pastimes of Maryland fans young and old. Perhaps reducing your complaints about Maryland sports should be among your New Years resolutions. It will make watching the Terps much more enjoyable, I guarantee you.
Thanks to all of you out there who find your way to my humble writings. I've enjoyed another year of writing about Maryland sports, though the following the Terps wasn't always enjoyable in 2006. Let's all look forward to a prosperous and healthy 2007 for the Terps and our fellow fans. I'll be back next week with a few thoughts on the Champs Sports bowl and the early returns for ACC basketball.
It is somewhat appropriate during this season that guard Donnie Woods announced that he will be leaving the football team after the bowl game against Purdue to pursue a career in the United States military. Woods is on track to graduate but has another year of eligibility that he will forgo to achieve his goal of a military or law enforcement career. Instead of protecting Maryland's quarterback next year Woods may be helping to protect the rest of us in some dangerous and far away place. The physical toughness that was his trademark as a guard on Maryland's offensive line and the camaraderie he shared with his teammates may serve him well in desperate places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Woods won't enjoy any of the "preferred lifestyle", as his father called the life of a college football player, while in the military. It will be spartan and certainly lacking in the trappings of celebrity that come with being a big man on campus, but Woods seems to recognize how shallow and fleeting that kind of adoration is in the cold business of college football. Donnie Woods wants to do something more meaningful with his life. That kind of courage doesn't exist in many people, even less often in a 22 year old college student bestowed with the comfortable and privileged position that Woods enjoys. Let's be thankful that there are men like Donnie Woods and hope that we're worthy of his courage and convictions.
Read more about Woods in the Washington Post and Washington Times.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
All-ACC Football Selections
Four Maryland players made the All-ACC 2nd team. Unlike the Maryland website I don't count honorable mention as "making the All-ACC team". To me honorable mention implies the opposite, that you didn't make the team.
The players that did receive honors are:
2nd Team All-ACC
OG Andrew Crummey
LB Erin Henderson
P Adam Podlesh
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
A number of other players received votes but did not make the 1st or 2nd team. Quarterback Sam Hollenbach, CB Josh Wilson, OT Stephon Heyer, K Dan Ennis and TE Joey Haynos all made honorable mention.
I think Crummey was solid on an offensive line that underachieved all year but I'm not sure he was 2nd team All-ACC level. Josh Wilson probably deserved to be 2nd team All-ACC but didn't make enough interceptions to impress the voters. The lack of a pass rush hurt him as well. Wilson did receive the Jim Tatum Award given to the top senior football student athlete. Josh is a great representative of the University and football program.
Maryland was tied for 7th in the ACC for number of players on the 1st or 2nd teams ahead of only Florida State, Virginia, North Carolina (who had none) and Duke. That certainly speaks to the perception of the talent on Maryland's roster among the writers.
The players that did receive honors are:
2nd Team All-ACC
OG Andrew Crummey
LB Erin Henderson
P Adam Podlesh
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
A number of other players received votes but did not make the 1st or 2nd team. Quarterback Sam Hollenbach, CB Josh Wilson, OT Stephon Heyer, K Dan Ennis and TE Joey Haynos all made honorable mention.
I think Crummey was solid on an offensive line that underachieved all year but I'm not sure he was 2nd team All-ACC level. Josh Wilson probably deserved to be 2nd team All-ACC but didn't make enough interceptions to impress the voters. The lack of a pass rush hurt him as well. Wilson did receive the Jim Tatum Award given to the top senior football student athlete. Josh is a great representative of the University and football program.
Maryland was tied for 7th in the ACC for number of players on the 1st or 2nd teams ahead of only Florida State, Virginia, North Carolina (who had none) and Duke. That certainly speaks to the perception of the talent on Maryland's roster among the writers.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Terps blow away shooting records
It wasn't much of a contest between Missouri Kansas City and Maryland last week. UMKC stayed in their zone defense and Maryland began a long range attack like the Eight Air Force. Mike Jones hit 9 of his 13 attempts from 3-point range setting a new individual single game record in the process. He started off missing his first few attempts but then got white hot and scored 27 points in just 21 minutes, all on 3-point attempts. Jones also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists to his record setting performance. The team set another record with 17 three point baskets for the game.
There isn't much point in breaking down the game. It was a bad blowout against an over matched foe. A few of the interesting tidbits that came from the game. Greivis Vasquez and Bambale Osby replaced the struggling Eric Hayes and Ekene Ibekwe in the starting lineup. Hayes played well off the bench but Ibekwe didn't look all that great with only 4 points and 7 rebounds in his 19 minutes. If he doesn't get motivated by this demotion it may become a permanent move by Gary Williams. I'd be surprised if Ibekwe wasn't back in the starting lineup against American but he needs to show something in the next few weeks to firm up his hold on his starting job.
James Gist had another nice night with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hopefully we are witnessing the light come on for Gist who has yet to tap into his enormous potential. It was his second double double in a row and third for the season. His free throw shooting has improved dramatically as he's hitting 78% of his freebies, by far the best rate among any of the big men. By contrast Ibekwe is only hitting 55% of his free throws and has become a real liability against a team with a deep bench that can hack away at Ekene.
I thought it was a embarrassing that Jason McAlpin jacked up a 3-pointer with only a few seconds left in the game. Gary Williams could only smirk when the ball went in and carried Maryland over the 100 point mark. The defense backed off for UMKC and McAlpin had already scored in the game. It was just the latest example of the lack of respect that athletes have for their opponents these days.
Football Notes
Guard Donnie Woods, who had a spinal injury scare during the Miami game, has left the team and will pursue his goal of joining the military or a law enforcement agency. I don't blame Woods at all. It was apparent that he was very scared by the nature of his injury, as any rational person would be, and unless you've lain motionless on a football field not knowing if you'll be paralysed you couldn't say what you would do in his shoes.
Another guard Garrick Clig, who was a reserve, will also leave the team.
This will leave Maryland thin on the offensive line again next season. Jamie Thomas replaced Woods and did a fair job in his absence. Maryland will likely playing with two new tackles next season as Stephon Heyer is a senior and Jared Gaither will likely enter the NFL draft. Gaither had a very mediocre season despite several preseason All-ACC teams but has his sights set on professional football. Dane Randolph and Scott Burley will both have to dramatically elevate their play at tackle or Maryland will struggle to pass protect next year.
There isn't much point in breaking down the game. It was a bad blowout against an over matched foe. A few of the interesting tidbits that came from the game. Greivis Vasquez and Bambale Osby replaced the struggling Eric Hayes and Ekene Ibekwe in the starting lineup. Hayes played well off the bench but Ibekwe didn't look all that great with only 4 points and 7 rebounds in his 19 minutes. If he doesn't get motivated by this demotion it may become a permanent move by Gary Williams. I'd be surprised if Ibekwe wasn't back in the starting lineup against American but he needs to show something in the next few weeks to firm up his hold on his starting job.
James Gist had another nice night with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hopefully we are witnessing the light come on for Gist who has yet to tap into his enormous potential. It was his second double double in a row and third for the season. His free throw shooting has improved dramatically as he's hitting 78% of his freebies, by far the best rate among any of the big men. By contrast Ibekwe is only hitting 55% of his free throws and has become a real liability against a team with a deep bench that can hack away at Ekene.
I thought it was a embarrassing that Jason McAlpin jacked up a 3-pointer with only a few seconds left in the game. Gary Williams could only smirk when the ball went in and carried Maryland over the 100 point mark. The defense backed off for UMKC and McAlpin had already scored in the game. It was just the latest example of the lack of respect that athletes have for their opponents these days.
Football Notes
Guard Donnie Woods, who had a spinal injury scare during the Miami game, has left the team and will pursue his goal of joining the military or a law enforcement agency. I don't blame Woods at all. It was apparent that he was very scared by the nature of his injury, as any rational person would be, and unless you've lain motionless on a football field not knowing if you'll be paralysed you couldn't say what you would do in his shoes.
Another guard Garrick Clig, who was a reserve, will also leave the team.
This will leave Maryland thin on the offensive line again next season. Jamie Thomas replaced Woods and did a fair job in his absence. Maryland will likely playing with two new tackles next season as Stephon Heyer is a senior and Jared Gaither will likely enter the NFL draft. Gaither had a very mediocre season despite several preseason All-ACC teams but has his sights set on professional football. Dane Randolph and Scott Burley will both have to dramatically elevate their play at tackle or Maryland will struggle to pass protect next year.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Beantown Blunder
I've become convinced that this season will ultimately be a referendum on the senior class. If this team will achieve something notable or will falter after a promising start it will likely turn on the play from the current seniors. Given that Will Bowers is a minor bench player and his career at Maryland is "all over but the shoutin'", as the saying goes, the trio of DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones and Ekene Ibekwe are the foundation that will either be the rock, or sand, that Gary Williams will upon build this season. The play of freshmen Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez has been impressive but neither is at the point where they could carry a team.
If the 2005 season was the epitaph of the disastrous 2002 recruiting class then this season is the last chance for the current seniors to distinguish themselves from the infamy of their predecessors. The bad attitudes that plagued the '04 and '05 versions of the Terrapins are not present in the current bunch but whether they are winners or not has yet to be seen. In his post game interview Gary Williams alluded to the fact that the seniors didn't come through in critical moments during the loss to Boston College the other night. I am fond of DJ Strawberry and admire his determination and the way he sacrificed for the better of the team last season, but he hasn't been able to supply the on court leadership that I think Gary would like him to exhibit. As the closest thing to a leader this group has he can't go 2-10 shooting in an ACC road game and give the Terps a hope of winning.
It is about time that Maryland fans stop judging Mike Jones through the prism of his lofty high school ranking and McDonalds All-American pedigree. After 3 seasons at Maryland Jones is an undeniably talented player with a beautiful shooting form but is also a flawed and incomplete shooting guard. When he shoots in rhythm he can score from anywhere on the floor and can get white hot if he gets into a grove early but if he struggles early his entire game suffers. Usually when a great shooting guard is struggling from the outside he can drive to the basket and score from the foul line. Jones is a very good free throw shooter but doesn't have the type of game to draw those shooting fouls. Despite a rugged frame he doesn't fare well in traffic and usually prefers to take jump shots which tends to make him one dimensional. Boston College extended the perimeter defense on Jones and made him a non-factor. It shouldn't be that easy to shut down a player that can score 20 points on any given night, but with Jones it is either feast or famine. His defense against Boston College probably cost the Terps 7-10 points. Jones seems to be a nice kid and I'm glad he chose to play at Maryland but he isn't the answer to Maryland's offensive woes. Gary Williams gave Jones 32 minutes of playing time because he had a bunch of friends and family in the stands from his nearby home town in Massachusetts, not because he was performing at a high level to justify those minutes.
Of all the seniors Ekene Ibekwe is the most baffling player. He has the skills to dominate games against elite competition, like the 21 point 9 rebound game against BC last season, but then disappears the next night. Ibekwe's lack of focus and motivation are his biggest flaws. Since missing the Illinois game he has, not to mince words, been playing godawful. He has 12 turnovers in the last three games, a feat for a power forward, and his free throw shooting has taken a nose dive at 3-11 in that same span. I don't know if his ankle is still bothering him but his play hasn't been anywhere near the level you would hope from a player that leads the team in career starts. His technical foul for taunting helped to seal Maryland's fate in the loss to Notre Dame.
Given this I think it may be a good time for Gary Williams to give Bambale Osby a reward for his hard work and improving play with a starting spot. With Missouri Kansas City and American coming up it would be a great time to let Ibekwe come off the bench and learn that he needs to raise his level of play. I'm not advocating that Ibekwe lose his starting spot at this point but he needs to learn that he can't give those kinds of halfhearted efforts and keep his starting spot. He hasn't been challenged for his position in almost two seasons but with Osby playing so well that isn't the case anymore. I think Ibekwe is the kind of player who will perform better if he has a little more urgency. Perhaps beginning the next two games on the bench can help instill that in the senior.
As for Osby it is impossible not to love what he is bringing off the bench. He nearly got a double double in just 23 minutes and scored a number of baskets on BC's shot blocking center Sean Williams. His effort is never in doubt and he scraps relentlessly for rebounds and loose balls. He played very good defense with 3 blocks and a number of disruptions on the Eagles high screens, if only Gist and Ibekwe could learn that from Osby's example. Add in 10 points from a tidy 5-10 from the floor and you can't really ask any more from the junior college transfer. His only weak spot now is his sub 60% free throw shooting.
After a sizzling start Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez are starting to look more like, well, freshmen. Hayes seems to have lost a little confidence and is playing a very hesitant game at point guard now which is hurting his best ability. Like a relief pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football a point guard has to have a confidence or even swagger to play at his best. Right now Hayes has lost a little of that and needs to find his way back to the free wheeling distributor he was for the first eight games. As the season goes on Maryland will also need Hayes to find his scoring touch. Vasquez and Strawberry are more scorers than shooters and Hayes' ability to shoot from the perimeter will help the half court offense. Vasquez plays out of control from time to time but Gary Williams wants that aggressive play from the frosh. He has a dreadful shooting night and really limits himself when he tries to make too many one-on-one plays. In spite of his early season heroics everyone needs to remember he is still a freshman with only a handful of games in college.
James Gist had his best game of perhaps the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He played well enough in the second half for Maryland to win but got no help from his teammates. Gist needs to assert himself more on the offensive end and defer to his teammates less often.
Outside of Osby the bench didn't contribute much in this game. The Eagles only played seven men and were normally outmatched athletically by Maryland but controlled the tempo masterfully to limit the Terps advantage. Maryland struggled to get any baskets in transition and if they cannot get a few easy baskets off defense they can't score very well. Boston College just plods along running their version of the flex down your throat. They make you defend for a good 20 seconds into the shot clock and will continually probe for a weakness until the find one. For Maryland that often took the form of terrible defensive rebounding as BC got far too many second chance points. Teams will study this game and the Michigan State game earlier in the year to get a blue print on how to attack Maryland. Slow the tempo down, prevent transition baskets by Maryland, spread your offense out and make Maryland's backcourt defend you one-on-one then attack the offensive glass. This is the formula that teams like NC State and Virginia Tech will try to employ later in the year. Few teams will outlast the Terps in an uptempo game but they have shown a vulnerability to patient teams with good rebounding frontlines.
In the second half with BC faltering and Maryland close to taking the lead the Terps seemed to bumble away every critical possession. With the deficit down to four points early in the half Maryland committed two turnovers and missed a layup with the next three possessions. With the Eagles only ahead by five with 13 minutes left the Terps went 0-5 and turned the ball over twice more. Finally with just over four minutes left in the game and only down four points Maryland turned the ball over 3 times and again missed all 5 field goal attempts with their next eight possessions before hitting a free throw with 45 seconds left. If they had grabbed any of those opportunities the game likely would have gone Maryland's way. Instead they degenerated into an ugly sequence of one-on-one battles that resulted in only 2 assists and 9 turnovers in the 2nd half.
This game wasn't a total disaster. Last years team would have been blown out by 20 on a poor shooting night like this team had on Sunday. They played tenacious and sometimes individually heroic defense to help stay in the game and remain in striking distance until the final minutes. That is something to build on. The offense will improve as the season progresses and the next month will provide the Terps with an opportunity to improve in a number of areas. Let's hope they take advantage of these games starting tomorrow night.
If the 2005 season was the epitaph of the disastrous 2002 recruiting class then this season is the last chance for the current seniors to distinguish themselves from the infamy of their predecessors. The bad attitudes that plagued the '04 and '05 versions of the Terrapins are not present in the current bunch but whether they are winners or not has yet to be seen. In his post game interview Gary Williams alluded to the fact that the seniors didn't come through in critical moments during the loss to Boston College the other night. I am fond of DJ Strawberry and admire his determination and the way he sacrificed for the better of the team last season, but he hasn't been able to supply the on court leadership that I think Gary would like him to exhibit. As the closest thing to a leader this group has he can't go 2-10 shooting in an ACC road game and give the Terps a hope of winning.
It is about time that Maryland fans stop judging Mike Jones through the prism of his lofty high school ranking and McDonalds All-American pedigree. After 3 seasons at Maryland Jones is an undeniably talented player with a beautiful shooting form but is also a flawed and incomplete shooting guard. When he shoots in rhythm he can score from anywhere on the floor and can get white hot if he gets into a grove early but if he struggles early his entire game suffers. Usually when a great shooting guard is struggling from the outside he can drive to the basket and score from the foul line. Jones is a very good free throw shooter but doesn't have the type of game to draw those shooting fouls. Despite a rugged frame he doesn't fare well in traffic and usually prefers to take jump shots which tends to make him one dimensional. Boston College extended the perimeter defense on Jones and made him a non-factor. It shouldn't be that easy to shut down a player that can score 20 points on any given night, but with Jones it is either feast or famine. His defense against Boston College probably cost the Terps 7-10 points. Jones seems to be a nice kid and I'm glad he chose to play at Maryland but he isn't the answer to Maryland's offensive woes. Gary Williams gave Jones 32 minutes of playing time because he had a bunch of friends and family in the stands from his nearby home town in Massachusetts, not because he was performing at a high level to justify those minutes.
Of all the seniors Ekene Ibekwe is the most baffling player. He has the skills to dominate games against elite competition, like the 21 point 9 rebound game against BC last season, but then disappears the next night. Ibekwe's lack of focus and motivation are his biggest flaws. Since missing the Illinois game he has, not to mince words, been playing godawful. He has 12 turnovers in the last three games, a feat for a power forward, and his free throw shooting has taken a nose dive at 3-11 in that same span. I don't know if his ankle is still bothering him but his play hasn't been anywhere near the level you would hope from a player that leads the team in career starts. His technical foul for taunting helped to seal Maryland's fate in the loss to Notre Dame.
Given this I think it may be a good time for Gary Williams to give Bambale Osby a reward for his hard work and improving play with a starting spot. With Missouri Kansas City and American coming up it would be a great time to let Ibekwe come off the bench and learn that he needs to raise his level of play. I'm not advocating that Ibekwe lose his starting spot at this point but he needs to learn that he can't give those kinds of halfhearted efforts and keep his starting spot. He hasn't been challenged for his position in almost two seasons but with Osby playing so well that isn't the case anymore. I think Ibekwe is the kind of player who will perform better if he has a little more urgency. Perhaps beginning the next two games on the bench can help instill that in the senior.
As for Osby it is impossible not to love what he is bringing off the bench. He nearly got a double double in just 23 minutes and scored a number of baskets on BC's shot blocking center Sean Williams. His effort is never in doubt and he scraps relentlessly for rebounds and loose balls. He played very good defense with 3 blocks and a number of disruptions on the Eagles high screens, if only Gist and Ibekwe could learn that from Osby's example. Add in 10 points from a tidy 5-10 from the floor and you can't really ask any more from the junior college transfer. His only weak spot now is his sub 60% free throw shooting.
After a sizzling start Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez are starting to look more like, well, freshmen. Hayes seems to have lost a little confidence and is playing a very hesitant game at point guard now which is hurting his best ability. Like a relief pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football a point guard has to have a confidence or even swagger to play at his best. Right now Hayes has lost a little of that and needs to find his way back to the free wheeling distributor he was for the first eight games. As the season goes on Maryland will also need Hayes to find his scoring touch. Vasquez and Strawberry are more scorers than shooters and Hayes' ability to shoot from the perimeter will help the half court offense. Vasquez plays out of control from time to time but Gary Williams wants that aggressive play from the frosh. He has a dreadful shooting night and really limits himself when he tries to make too many one-on-one plays. In spite of his early season heroics everyone needs to remember he is still a freshman with only a handful of games in college.
James Gist had his best game of perhaps the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He played well enough in the second half for Maryland to win but got no help from his teammates. Gist needs to assert himself more on the offensive end and defer to his teammates less often.
Outside of Osby the bench didn't contribute much in this game. The Eagles only played seven men and were normally outmatched athletically by Maryland but controlled the tempo masterfully to limit the Terps advantage. Maryland struggled to get any baskets in transition and if they cannot get a few easy baskets off defense they can't score very well. Boston College just plods along running their version of the flex down your throat. They make you defend for a good 20 seconds into the shot clock and will continually probe for a weakness until the find one. For Maryland that often took the form of terrible defensive rebounding as BC got far too many second chance points. Teams will study this game and the Michigan State game earlier in the year to get a blue print on how to attack Maryland. Slow the tempo down, prevent transition baskets by Maryland, spread your offense out and make Maryland's backcourt defend you one-on-one then attack the offensive glass. This is the formula that teams like NC State and Virginia Tech will try to employ later in the year. Few teams will outlast the Terps in an uptempo game but they have shown a vulnerability to patient teams with good rebounding frontlines.
In the second half with BC faltering and Maryland close to taking the lead the Terps seemed to bumble away every critical possession. With the deficit down to four points early in the half Maryland committed two turnovers and missed a layup with the next three possessions. With the Eagles only ahead by five with 13 minutes left the Terps went 0-5 and turned the ball over twice more. Finally with just over four minutes left in the game and only down four points Maryland turned the ball over 3 times and again missed all 5 field goal attempts with their next eight possessions before hitting a free throw with 45 seconds left. If they had grabbed any of those opportunities the game likely would have gone Maryland's way. Instead they degenerated into an ugly sequence of one-on-one battles that resulted in only 2 assists and 9 turnovers in the 2nd half.
This game wasn't a total disaster. Last years team would have been blown out by 20 on a poor shooting night like this team had on Sunday. They played tenacious and sometimes individually heroic defense to help stay in the game and remain in striking distance until the final minutes. That is something to build on. The offense will improve as the season progresses and the next month will provide the Terps with an opportunity to improve in a number of areas. Let's hope they take advantage of these games starting tomorrow night.
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