Sunday, December 12, 2010

Maryland Vs. Boston College Live Blog

Post Game reaction: Gary was visibly upset after today's loss, but said that the next 3 games are crucial as the terps try to rebound. Jordan was pleased with his performance (no turnovers) but said it doesnt matter as long as they lose.

Final score: Maryland 75 Boston College 79. The game came down to the final minutes, where the Terps showed their youthfull inexperience with plenty of missed shots and free throws. Another tough loss for Maryland, as they fall to 7-4 on the year

14.0 to go: Stoglin misses a 3 when Maryland could have held for the last shot. Instead BC is at the line now, where 1 free throw can pretty much seal this one.

33.7 to go: Corey Raji just hit a huge 3 to give BC the lead. Timeout for the Terps now, and they'll have to get a quick bucket, since there's a 1 second differential between the shot and game clocks

55.1 to go: He misses, which means the Terps have now missed their last 3 free throws. Boston College has the ball, with the score still knotted up.

1:03 to go, 2nd half: A foul by Danny Rubin has put Stoglin at the line. Tie game at 75. This is big.

2:12 to go, 2nd half: timeouts galore here at the Comcast Center. Jordan Williams now has a double- double with 27 pts and 10 rebs. Gary's squad is struggling from behind the arc though, as they've hit only 3 of 14 shots from deep.

2:22 to go, 2nd half: 30 second timeout for Steve Donahue as he is looking to regroup his squad. Maryland is up 75-72 now with all 5 starters on the court for Maryland, and all but 1 in for BC.

3:06 to go in 2nd half: The 2 teams are just exchanging buckets at this point. We've seen at least 5 straight posessions get converted to points, with Maryland still clinging to its lead, 73-72 at the moment. Williams now has a career high 27 pts, and Bowie just converted a mid-range shot for his first points of the afternoon. Boston College is hanging in there still, this time behind Joe Trapani who hit a nice 3 to temporarily give the Eagles the lead.

7:35 to go, 2nd half: Jordan Williams is playing out of his mind. He now has 25 pts to go with 8 boards. Maryland is only up 65-64 though, as Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris have carried BC this half. They now have 16 and 19 points respectively, and are shooting a combined 12-17 from the field. Maryland seems to have overcome their struggles at the charity stripe so far, as they have only missed 2 on the day.

11:34 to go, 2nd half: Freshman guards Terrel Stoglin and Pe'shon Howard have looked great today. Stoglin has 12 points in only 19 minutes, while Howard just made a nice pass to Gregory for the jumper. Boston College keeps answering the call though, as Reggie Jackson now has 7 points so far this half- equalling his output from the first. Maryland leads 59-57

15:00 to go, 2nd half: Jordan Williams now has 19 points for Maryland, leading all scorers. Biko Paris is countering for BC, with 16 points in 21 minutes of play. It's tied right now, at 53 a piece.

Halftime, Maryland 41 Boston College 39: The story of the half for Maryland has to be their activity on the offensive glass. With just over a minute left Jordan Williams grabbed several offensive boards and finally got the bucket with the and-1 to give the Terps the 2 pt lead they currently hold. For Boston College, it's once again the 3 point shot. They are only 6-17 from beyond the arc. Now for what should be a rousing speech by Head Football Coach Ralph Friedgen on why everyone should buy tickets to the upcoming Military Bowl.

3:17 to go, 1st half: It seems like every Boston College poseession results in an open 3 look from the corner. Theyve missed their last couple though, and the Terps are clinging to a 33-31 lead. So far Josh Southern for BC has 2 fouls, the only player on either team with more than 1.

5:12 to go, 1st half: Maryland is up 29-98, following a rare 3-ball from Hauk Paulsson and some nice shooting by Terrel Stoglin. The defensive effort is lacking though as Boston College is consistently getting easy looks at the basket.

7:45 to go, 1st half: A Sean Mosley and-1 has the Terps up 22-21. So far we've seen Pe'shon Howard, Terrel Stoglin, James Padgett, and Berend Weijs come off the bench for Maryland, with Stoglin contributing 5 points. Foward Danny Rubin already has 9 for Boston College.

11:33 to go, 1st half: Jordan Williams as carried the load for Maryland, as he has scored their last 6 points, giving him 8 so far. Boston College is leading 16-13 though, behind strong outside shooting from BC's guards Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris.

14:21 to go, 1st half: The yellow unis are out for the terps, but it's not helping much as the Eagles have yet to miss a shot from the field, and they lead 11-7. Williams, Gregory, and Tucker have all scored thus far for Maryland

Maryland vs. Boston College Preview

3 things to look for in the Maryland/ BC matchup
- Can Gary Williams' squad defend the 3? Boston College is shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc this season, and have made at least 10 treys 4 games in a row.
- How will the seniors contribute for the Terps? At times this season the senior trio of Dino Gregory, Sean Mosley, and Adrian Bowie have struggled. With a bounceback performance vs UNC Greensboro behind them, the 3 seniors will have to step up their game against a tougher opponent in BC.
- How hot can BC continue to be? Senior foward Josh Southern has missed 1 shot in his last 2 games and as a team the Eagles are shooting 47% from the field. They'll have to overcome a hostile Comcast Center crowd if they want to keep it up.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Maryland vs. UNC Greensboro Live Blog

Final Score- UMD 99 UNCG 56 - The Terrapins are able to get back on track with a big win over the Spartans heading into the start of conference play on December 12 against the Boston College Eagles in College Park. Maryland was able to keep a stout defense to force UNCG mistakes and really dominated the glass. Jordan Williams with a huge game as the Terps win!

2nd Half 3:08 remaining- UMD 88 UNCG 52 - Weijs hustles back for a block from behind a UNCG fast break, UNCG able to cash in on the rebound. Terps keep padding their huge lead.

2nd Half 4:33 remaining- UMD 83 UNCG 50 - Maryland continues to work against the Greensboro defense to get to the free throw line, forcing Aloysius Henry and David Williams to the bench with 4 fouls each. Terrell Stoglin re-enters the game for the Terps looking to continue to spark the offense off the bench, which he has done tonight.

2nd Half 7:32 remaining- UMD 79 UNCG 47 - Berend Weijs is able to get into the action with a strong dunk beneath two UNCG defenders. The Terrapins head into a TV timeout in command thanks to a big night by Jordan Williams and a fast, hard-working defense.

2nd Half 10:45 remaining- UMD 70 UNCG 43 - The Terps defense continues to be effective on all parts of the floor denying the Spartans many second chances at all. Jordan Williams and Terrell Stoglin continue to lead the charge while Kyle Randall and Aloysius Henry have accounted for more than half of UNCG's points.

2nd Half 13:34 remaining- UMD 66 UNCG 40 - Maryland offense continues to make plays for baskets down low, as Aloysius Henry is able to respond with a UNCG 3. Jordan Williams continues to draw fouls stepping to the basket able to convert more from the line, definitely a good sign for coach Gary Williams.

2nd Half 15:35 remaining- UMD 60 UNCG 33 - Maryland's press continues to bottle up the Spartans, forcing a 10-second violation and more turnovers. Bowie gives up 9 inches in height but still gets a huge block under the basket!

2nd Half 18:42 remaining- UMD 56 UNCG 31 - The Terrapin defense continues to be opportunistic with the press. Maryland hopes to continue a 7-0 run coming out of the timeout.

The Terrapins inbound to start the second half, UNCG will try to get back in it.

End of the 1st Half- UMD 49 UNCG 31 - The Terrapins take a big lead into the half as they have controlled the tempo and rebounds in this match-up with the Spartans of UNCG.

1st Half 1:34 remaining- UMD 45 UNCG 29 - Padgett with a great finish on a Terrapin fast break, only to have UNCG knock down a 3 going the other way. Jordan Williams comes back with a huge one handed alley-oop! Maryland takes the momentum of the game right back with that great play.

1st Half 3:56 remaining- UMD 40 UNCG 26 - Jordan Williams takes a rest while close to his 8th double-double of the year and the first half hasn't ended yet.

1st Half 7:51 remaining- UMD 32 UNCG 21 - The Spartans began to claw their way back but the Terrapins have been able to work hard on the fast break and their full court press with Jordan Williams and Terrell Stoglin continuing to score.

1st Half 10:17 remaining- UMD 22 UNCG 15 - The Terrapins continue to control the glass but need to continue executing the fast break with a quick turnover leading to a Spartan 3.

1st Half 12:33 remaining- UMD 18 UNCG 8 - The Terrapin defense is continuing to force UNCG into tough shots on the defensive end. Stoglin comes off the bench and quickly contributes to the Maryland scoring. Jordan Williams continues to lead Maryland scorers with 8.

1st Half 15:12 remaining- UMD 10 UNCG 6 - Tucker and Gregory opened the scoring as the Terrapins jump out to an early lead. Maryland is owning the glass so far leading to more possessions and chances to move the ball up the floor. Kyle Randall leading the scoring for the Spartans.

Terps win the tip and we are underway at the Comcast Center.

Maryland vs. UNC Greensboro Pre-Game Report

The Terrapins welcome the winless UNC Greensboro Spartans to the Comcast Center looking to rebound from a tough loss at the hands of Temple in the BB&T Classic Sunday at the Verizon Center. Coach Gary Williams will be looking for his team to get off to a more fast start tonight as Maryland allowed Temple to jump out to a 32-21 lead at the half Sunday night. The Terps were able to nearly overcome the adversity of a large deficit in the second half, but fell 64-61 to the Owls in a tough contest.

Jordan Williams continues to be a force contributing double-doubles nearly every night so far for Maryland. He will be counted on again tonight coming off a 17 point and 11 rebound performance at the BB&T Classic. Terrell Stoglin fueled a near Terps comeback Sunday with 12 of his 16 points in the second half. The Terrapins will continue to look for Stoglin and fellow freshman Pe'Shon Howard to provide a spark off the bench against the Spartans tonight. Starters Sean Mosley and Adrian Bowie will look to expand their leadership roles as expected this year tonight while Stoglin and Howard are continuing to perform behind them in the rotation. Cliff Tucker will try to bounce back from just one field goal against the Owls Sunday.

UNC Greensboro has had a very tough start this year, remaining winless through seven games. The Spartans have had a difficult time controlling the tempo of games and that has translated to the scoreboard. After losing to some ACC competition (Florida State and Virginia Tech early on) and starting off 0-2 in the Southern Conference the UNCG has had some real dry spells offensively while allowing opponents to reel off big runs. The Spartans really need to concentrate on hanging around for the balance of games to start finding success this year. Aloysius Henry, Kyle Randall, and Brandon Evans will look to keep tonight's game competitive while keeping the Terps in check on the defensive end along with help from David Williams and Aaron Brackett.

The Terps will be looking to bounce back tonight against a winless UNCG team looking for a big upset. Check in right here on the WMUC Sports Men's Basketball Blog for updates and listen to the live broadcast on WMUCSports.com!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Maryland - Maine Postgame Wrap

Here is some post game video:

Postgame Notables and Quotables

Notables
- Cliff Tucker poured in 16 points. He's scored 15 or more points in all three games for the Terps this year. Prior to the first three games of this year he had never even scored double digit points in back to back games. He's finally developed the consistency both the Maryland coaches and fans have been looking for. You can tell he is more confident this year. After going 0-3 from deep against College of Charleston Tucker didn't hesitate in taking a three early on in the game which he made for the Terps' first points of the day. Another example of Tucker's confidence was a very subtle moment in the second half. Tucker has admitted that over the last 3 years he looked over to the bench and expected to come out after any mistake. In the second half Palsson was checking in and while other players looked to see if they were coming out Tucker didn't even look to see Hawk was motioning for him to come off the floor. Tucker knows he's getting consistent minutes and he's rewarding Coach Williams with consistent production.

- Jordan Williams - 8 of 10 from the line today including 8 in a row to close the day. Jordan has good form and says it all comes down to confidence. He said after the game he shoots 80% in practice every day, but has the tendency to over think free throws in the game. Today after missing two he got into a rhythm and punished the Black Bears for sending him to the line. If he can consistently hit those free throws, he really will be unstoppable this season.

- Stoglin/Howard - Seems like the two freshmen will trade off having excellent performances. Howard certainly wasn't bad, but unsurprisingly fell short of the lofty expectations set after his big game against CoC. Stoglin bounced back from a quiet game and scored double digit points for the second time in three games.

- Bowie played an excellent game today. After the game Gary Williams went out of his way to talk about how well he ran the offense in the game. Maryland will need to score out of its halfcourt sets in New York, so if its senior point guard can guide them to a more efficient offense that would help the team tremendously.

- Hawk Palsson continues to do all the little things (a few tough rebounds, broke up some passes on defense, knocking down free throws) while playing both on the wing and inside when Maryland goes to a smaller line-up.

- Mosley had another miserable game. He fouled out and failed to score. While its a little jarring to see the guy tabbed as the primary wing scorer to have 3 points in two games, Gary Williams seemed completely unconcerned after the game. I'll trust Gary on this one.


Quotables

Gary Williams - "We improved our free throw shooting by 50%. Which is usually pretty hard unless you shoot 27% the game before."

LIVE BLOG - Maryland vs. Maine

Final Score) 89 MD 59 ME -- Jordan Williams led the Terps with 20 points and for the Black Bears, Murphy Burnatowski had 17, the Terps next game is this Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Pitt Panthers at Madison Square Garden

2nd Half 3:36 Remaining) 87 MD 55 ME -- Mychal Parker and Berend Weijs score, which means that 9 different Terrapins have scored today. Jordan Williams has 20 points on the day, Gregory has fouled out with 6 points, and Mosley has fouled out with no points on the afternoon.

2nd Half 7:35 Remaining) 77 MD 51 ME -- Offensive rebounds have been big or the Terps, Palsson is able to bring one down, and also add two points after being fouled. Palsson has 8 points in the game, 6 of which have come in the second half.

2nd Half 11:05 Remaining) 68 MD 44 ME -- Mosley has 4 fouls and returning for Mosley is Howard. At one point, the Terps has all underclassmen (2 Sophomores, 3 Freshmen on the floor). Williams now has 18 points, 10 of which have come in the second half.

2nd Half 15:45 Remaining) 58 MD 37 ME -- A strong move to the basket as well as 6 points by Jordan Williams highlights the start of the second half for the Terps. On a side note, Dino Gregory commits his 3rd and 4th fouls for the game

2nd Half Has Begun

1st Half Notes) Terps shooting 57.1% from the floor, 75% from behind the arc, and 54.5% from the free throw line. Tucker leads the Terps with 16 points, For Maine, 37.5% from the floor, 23.1% from behind the arc, and 57.1% from the free throw line. Burnatowski leads the Black Bears with 11 points

End of 1st Half) 52 MD 29 ME -- The Terps run ended at 13 and the Black Bears responded with a 5 point run of their own, which was ended by Tucker's 4th 3-pointer of the game. Palsson stands his ground and gets the charge call.

1st Half 3:03 Remaining) 45 MD 24 ME -- Burnatowski is on fire from behind the arc, as he has hit 3 3-pointers already this afternoon. For the Terps, Stoglin picks a Black Bear pass, but is not able to convert the 3-point play. Also, Williams misses two from the line, but on his next visit, drains them both. Furthermore, Parker enters the game for the Terps, the 10th Terp on the floor so far. The Terps are in the middle of a 13 point run.

1st Half 7:53 Remaining) 26 MD 18 ME -- Dino Gregory get his second foul and Hawk Palsson comes in for the Terps, also Stoglin hits a three to help the Terps during a 7-0 run

1st Half 11:57 Remaining) 19 MD 16 ME -- Pe'Shon Howard comes in for Mosley and hits a 3-pointer, but Burnatowski responds for Maine with a 3 of his own. Stoglin has also entered the game for Adrian Bowie. Burnatowski is leading the charge for the Black Bears with 8 points

1st Half 15:58 Remaining) 10 MD 2 ME -- Mosley with his second foul and Cliff Tucker has an easy layup to increase hit total for the afternoon to 8

1st Half 17:30 Remaining) 8 MD 0 ME -- Mosley called with an early charge foul, back-to-back-to-back turnovers, and two Cliff Tucker 3-pointers are what have started things off here at the Comcast Center

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

LIVE BLOG - Maryland vs. College of Charleston

Who would've thought a freshman would score the game-winner? Pe'Shon Howard with the biggest shot of his young career and the Terps take this one 75-74. What a game folks. This is Naveed Siddiqui signing off from an electric atmosphere at Comcast Center.

2nd Half 16.9 MD 73 CoC 74 - Williams 1-2 from the line that time. A rare miss by Goudelock and Pe'Shon Howard the rebound. Timeout Terps.

2nd Half 55.2 MD 72 CoC 74 - Jordan Williams to the line. Again, these free throws are crucial.

2nd Half 2:32 MD 68 CoC 74 - The Cougars are 14-17 from the free throw line while the Terps are 4-16. Free throws are going to decide this game.

2nd Half 3:37 MD 68 CoC 72 - The Cougars are simply out-hustling the Terps in crunchtime. Maryland was able to force a shot as the shot clock expired but Donavan Monroe kept playing and got the rebound. Charleston just seems to want this victory more than the Terps.

2nd Half 4:57 MD 68 CoC 72 - Jordan Williams 1-2 from the line that time. Free throws will be critical as we are now under five minutes to play in the game.

2nd Half - Maryland alum and Terps basketball standout John Gilchrist was just shown on the big screen. He's here cheering on his alma mater.

2nd Half 7:32 MD 64 CoC 68 - Maryland can't contain Goudelock as he has 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars. Coach Gary Williams has a media timeout now to try to come up with something to stop Goudelock.

2nd Half 8:25 MD 62 CoC 68 - Goudelock seems to be scoring at will as he just drove inside and scored on a jumper to increase his numbers to 27 points on the night.

2nd Half 10:25 MD 57 CoC 60 - Goudelock just hit his 5th three-pointer of the game, he has only missed twice from long range.

2nd Half 11:51 MD 55 CoC 52 - Maryland is 1-10 from the foul line in the game. Pe'Shon Howard is 0-3 and Jordan Williams is 0-4.

2nd Half 12:03 MD 55 CoC 52 - Not even halfway through the second half and there have already been 15 fouls called (8 on Maryland and 7 on CoC)

2nd Half 12:33 MD 55 CoC 50 - Jordan Williams with a fantastic steal on the inside pass and gets a pass back for a big layup.

2nd Half 13:26 MD 51 CoC 50 - Maryland just can't seem to knock down their foul shots. Howard just missed his two opportunities, and Maryland was 1-7 in the first half.

2nd Half 13:43 MD 51 CoC - Early in the second half and already CoC is in the bonus. Berend Weijs had 2 quick fouls and was benched in favor of Gregory.

2nd Half 15:07 MD 48 CoC 48 - Both teams are getting good looks and converting them as we are tied again. Sharp passes inside by both teams and a couple corner 3-pointers.

2nd Half 19:25 MD 39 CoC 39 - More looks inside for the Terps as Jordan Williams lays it in.

2nd Half set to begin.

Some halftime stats, Maryland with 34 points in the paint so it is evident that Gary Williams wants to get the big men involved in the offense down low. While the Terps have committed 9 turnovers they have forced the Cougars into 11. Andrew Goudelock, while he does have a game-high 13 points, has committed 6 turnovers for CoC.

At halftime, the score is TIED at 37. A terrific stretch of capitalizing off big defensive plays for the Terps. Howard stole an inbound pass after Cliff Tucker made 1 of 2 free throws. An inside pass to Berend Weijs led to a game-tying buzzer-beater to end the first half.

1st Half 2:31 MD 28 CoC 37. Goudelock just drained another 3 and now has 13 points. CORRECTION from the last post: Williams has 12 points for the Terps and Goudelock now has 13.

1st Half 3:37 MD 26 CoC 30 - Media timeout. 24 points in the paint for the Terps, 10 points off turnovers, and 8 second chance points. Jordan Williams the leading scorer for the Terps with 15. Goudelock with 16 for CoC to lead all scorers.

1st Half 5:00 MD 26 CoC 30 - Hawk Palsson making an impact after checking into the game as he draws the defense to him in the pain and dishes the ball to Jordan Williams for an easy jam.

1st Half 5:30 MD 24 CoC 30 - There he is. Andrew Coudelock showing just how dangerous he is as he drains a deep 3 for the Cougars.

1st Half 6:38 MD 20 CoC 27 - The Cougars are getting their shots off while the Terps continue their turnover troubles.

1st Half 9:30 MD 16 CoC 23 - A 3-pointer for CoC forced Maryland to take a timeout. Padgett with a couple mistakes as he made a bad pass that led to a turnover and fouled a Cougar that led to 2 foul shot points.

1st Half 11:05 MD 16 CoC 16 - Stoglin looked a little rattled running the point as he turned it over. Then press defense by the Cougars led to another Terps turnover and 2 points for CoC. Afterwards some nice quick passes by Stoglin and Howard led to a big dunk by Padgett.

1st Half 11:42 MD 14 CoC 14 - Media timeout. Some early numbers show Maryland with 12 points in the paint. Gary Williams is really trying to get the big guys Gregory, Williams, and Padgett involved inside.

1st Half 11:56 MD 14 CoC 14 - Pe'Shon Howard checks in as the Terps go with an all freshmen backcourt. Howard drains a three from the top of the key.

1st Half 12:22 left MD 12 CoC 12 - James Padgett checked in earlier and made a couple of nice hustle plays: going after a tough rebound on the baseline and getting a tough layup on the offensive end.

1st Half 14:15 left MD 10 CoC 10 - Terrill Stoglin checks in for the Terps and makes an immediate impact as he drives in for a basket.

1st Half 15:00 left MD 6 CoC 10 - The Cougars starting hot from three-point land as they are 2 for 4 early.

Side note - Just announced on the big screen that the FSU-Maryland football game scheduled for November 20 at 8pm will be the blackout game for the 2010 season.

1st Half 15:48 MD 6 CoC 7 - Our first media timeout of the night. Williams got fouled on the last play attempting a lay-up and he will go to the foul line for the first free throws of the game. Terps shooting 3-8 from the field early.

1st Half 16:53 MD 6 CoC 4 - Great defense continues for the Terps as Dino Gregory comes up with a block. Maryland looking to get the ball inside on offense as Jordan Williams has 4 points already.

1st Half 18:33 remaining MD 4 CoC 2 - Nice early ball movement for the Terps. Strong defense by Maryland has already forced College of Charleston into a turnover.

What to Watch For - Maryland vs. College of Charleston

Welcome to Comcast Center for tonight's matchup between the College of Charleston Cougars and your Maryland Terrapins. Coming off a big 105-76 against Seattle on Monday's opening night, the Terps will be tested tonight by the Cougars. Remember that this was the team that knocked off North Carolina in non-conference play last season.

What to watch for:

1) Outside Shooting - After shooting only 25% from three-point range against Seattle, the Terps will look to get better outside shooting from veteran players like Cliff Tucker and Sean Mosley and freshmen Hauker Palsson and Pe'Shon Howard.

2) Competition at the Guard Position - Howard and fellow freshman Terrell Stoglin are future leaders on this team, and both had fine debuts on Monday night as Howard had 5 points and 8 assists while Stoglin recorded 15 points and 5 assists. This will be an intriguing matchup for Gary Williams to look out for throughout the season.

3) Performance of James Padgett - Padgett was projected to have a much better performance this season after seeing little playing time last season. He struggled against Seattle, recording only 11 points and 5 rebounds. Look for him to be playing hard tonight.

4) Containing Andrew Goudelock - Goudelock averaged a team-leading 19.4 points a game for the Cougars in 2009-10. Sean Mosley and Adrian Bowie will have the difficult task tonight of containing Goudelock. An interesting matchup to watch.

Pre-game festivities are wrapping up and the introductions are about to begin. We'll check in at the start of the game. For WMUC Sports, this is Naveed Siddiqui. Welcome to another exciting night of Maryland basketball.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Players to watch in tonight's game

Under an hour to go until game time let's look at some key players for each team...

Maryland
1. Jordan Williams - I wrote before the NC State game that every game seems as if that is the toughest game for Jordan Williams. Each opponent offers a unique test that Williams must pass. Florida State offered his tallest opponent in Alabi; with NC State he faced his most skilled opponent with Tracy Smith. Now William's must face his strongest (and probably best) foe yet. Despite the team's struggles Trevor Booker has been tearing it up recently and will probably be first-team All-ACC. Booker only had 11 points last year against the Terps, but he destroyed them with 14 rebounds. Williams won't handle Booker by himself, but if the youngster can continue to prove himself against the ACC's best, the Terps will have a great chance to pull out a road win.
2. Eric Hayes - While Greivis Vasquez earned the reputation of the more turnover prone point guard of the the two seniors, Hayes has struggled against high pressure defense throughout his career. In four career meetings, Hayes has averaged 2.75 turnovers per game against Clemson and their full-court press. Hayes has been incredibly reliable with the ball recently (5 TOs in las 7 games), and will need to stay that way even against the press. Also Hayes' shooting has quietly gone cold recently. He is shooting 46% from three point land on the season, but only 33% in the last four games.
3. Adrian (Anthony) Bowie - You can pretty much plug either Bowie or Tucker in this section before every game, and the reason is obvious: the Terps are 11-1 when at least one of the two goes for 7 points of more (surprisingly there are only two games where both scored 7+). The team needs scoring from at least one guard off the bench. Today Bowie gets the nod for two reasons. The first reason is that he is coming off of a 9 point game against Miami. He could have had even more if he didn't go 0-3 from the line. While the Terps usually just need one guard off the bench to provide scoring, it would be simplest if one guy just became consistent, right now that might be Bowie. Also Andre Young will play a lot of minutes for Clemson (see below), Bowie is the best match-up the Terps have for the 5'9 sophomore.

Clemson
1. Andre Young - Demontez Stitt is "very doubtful" for today's game. Stitt has been hampered by a sprained ankle since the NC State game missed the BC game entirely. The Tigers are 0-3 in that stretch and one big reason is Young's inability to adequately fill in for Stitt. In the losses Young averaged only 7.3 ppg (below his season average) despite seeing an increase in minutes. Young has 6 assists and 6 turnovers in the last three games. Whether Stitt is limited playing or doesn't play at all, the Tigers need Young to step up his game.
2. Trevor Booker - Another Tiger that has some health concerns, Booker is recovering from the flu. He's been very good during the three game losing streak (20 ppg, 7.7 rpg), and he'll need to continue that production despite his illness. While Jordan Williams has played well and the Terps kept big men Tracy Smith and Solomon Alabi in check, the Terps' weakness is still inside. Booker has to continue his great play for the Tigers to win.
3. Noel Johnson - Which Noel Johnson will come to play today against the Terps? The one who scored 9 points (on 4-6 shooting), had 4 rebounds and 5 assists in only 25 minutes against BC? Or the one who more turnovers than points, rebonds and assists combined against Duke (2 to 1) the game before? You might expect some inconsistency from a freshman, but with Stitt hurting, Trevor Booker fighting illness and Devin Booker playing with a broken nose, Clemson needs this talented rookie to find a high level of consistency and fast.

Other things to watch:
1. Will the Terps double team Booker? That has certainly been their strategy against strong big men so far this season. With the Tigers shooting under 34% from 3-point land as a team this season and just 25% the last three games, the Terps shouldn't be afraid of the long-ball and they will almost certainly double down on Booker.

2. Greivis Vasquez can move past Steve Sheppard and into Maryland's top 30 all time with 4 rebounds today. 2 steals also moves Vasquez into the top 10 in that category for Maryland.


Because of bad weather, there will be no WMUC Sports broadcast, so feel free to enjoy the game on TV.

- Shane

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Notes and Links

Apologize for the blog being a little quiet the last few days, things have been a bit hectic with the start of second semester classes.

Hope you enjoyed last night's broadcast (which you can listen to here), or if you watched on ESPNU, you enjoyed the side line reporting of WMUC's own Norman Carter.

Here's some reaction/post-game stories from around the web:
Patrick Steven's as always provides the game's plus/minus
Baltimore Sun Reap and analysis
Ben Gibson at Bleacher Report wonders if the Terp's spot in 1st means they are the best team in the ACC.

Here's a blurb from SLAM online prior to the Miami game. Why post something that's older than a game? Because it's from former WMUC Sports director, Joey Whelan.
· Maryland’s 24-point thumping of North Carolina State announces the Terps as a possible threat for the ACC crown. Consider that the Terps have blown out their last two conference foes (the other being Boston College), beat a good Florida State team and was one or two plays away from being 4-0, losing in overtime to Wake Forest. The road ahead is far from easy, with games at Clemson, FSU, and Virginia Tech, to go along with hosting UNC and Georgia Tech. That doesn’t even include two games each against Duke and surprising Virginia. In two weeks time Maryland could be all but an afterthought in the conference depending on how they respond, but the pieces are there. Greivis Vasquez is playing well and teams with Eric Hayes to form one of the most battle tested backcourts in the conference. Landon Milbourne is a solid second scoring option having a career year and sophomore Sean Mosely has stepped up. They key may be freshman big man Jordan Williams who gives the team a frontcourt player who can bang with the other bigs of the ACC, something the team sorely lacked last season.

Also if you'd like to relive these last couple blow outs you can listen to the broadcasts:

Today in MD BBall history

January 27th has not been kind to the Terps over the years. The Terps are just 2-5 on this date over the last 20 years.

Going into the game the Terps were actually 3-2 in the ACC going into the game. However this loss started a five game ACC losing streak. Jesse Martin led the team in scoring with 14 points.

The lone January 27th win for the Terps was a big one. A blowout win where they scored over 100 for the 4th time all season and for the first time against a big conference opponent. Obinna Ekezie led the way with 22 points. Steve Francis pitched in another 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

The Terps had a 7 point halftime lead, but ultimately Brendan Haywood and the Tar Heels were too much for the Terps. Haywood was supremely efficient shooting 7/9 from the field and 10/11 from the line to score 24 points. Juan Dixon led the team with 22 points, but was only 8/20 from the field.

Just read the game recap (link above) if you don't know what happened.

Four years later the Terps were able to get a little revenge against the Blue Devils this time in Durham. Nik-Caner Medley exploded for 25 points on 8/13 shooting. He also had had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Ekene Ibekwe pitched in 15 off the bench.

The Terps came into the game riding high, winning six of its last seven games including a road win over #1 UNC. This was my first Maryland-Duke home game and it started out so well. The Terps were up by 9 going into the half. James Gist already had 14 points, and fan favorite was one rebound shy of a double double with 12 points and 9 rebounds at the break. Duke completely dominated the second half out scoring the Terps by 18. The second half outburst was led by DeMarcus Nelson who poured in 19 points in the second half. The loss sent the Terps into a tailspin as they finished the regular season on a 2-6 run.

Yet another January 27th loss where the Terps were up going into half time. This time they were up 11 on the Eagles thanks to great defense on BC's top two scorers - Tyrese Rice and Rakim Sanders (7 combined points in the half). The Terps couldn't keep that duo locked down in the second half though as the pair combined for 19 points in the second half. This loss started a lot of the controversy that surrounded Coach Gary Williams in the middle of ACC play.

- Shane

Sunday, January 24, 2010

MD-NC State Postgame Video

Here's a little video of Vasquez, Tucker, and Williams after their 88-64 win over the NC State Wolfpack:


-Tyler Radecki

Saturday, January 23, 2010

What to watch/isten for in today's game

We're 2 hours from tip-off so here are some things to look out for in tonight's game.

Maryland Players to Watch
1. Sean Mosley - Mosley was one of the Terps best (if not the best) offensive option early in the season. However, When the calendar turned to 2010 he started to struggle a little bit in single 8 points or less in the teams first four games this month. The last one of those games was the team's big win over BC. Mosley actually played well in that game, scoring 6 of the team's first 8 points however foul trouble limited his playing time. Against Longwood Mosley busted out with 21 points in 20 minutes. Tonight we'll see if he can put together a full strong performance against an ACC opponent.

2. Jordan Williams - It seems like every game presents a new tough challenge for Williams. This time the question is how will he deal with the array of post moves that Tracy Smith will throw at him. Williams has answered all the questions so far this season and is coming off his second career double double, I expect a good performance from the freshman tonight.

3. Adrian Bowie - If you haven't checked it out, read Steve Yanda's piece about Bowie and Tucker in today's Washington Post. The two bench players have been real up and down this season. Tonight they'll need Bowie to not only continue his offensive production (10.7 ppg the last 3 games), but play good defensive against small, quick guards like Javier Gonzalez.

NC State Players to Watch
1. Javier Gonzalez - Gonzalez struggled against the Terps last year (5 points, 2 assists in the ACCT). However, the junior has really stepped up his game this year raising his scoring from 6.6 ppg to 10.2 ppg and his assists from 3.3 apg to 4.7 apg. He had a huge game in their win over Duke shooting 5-6 from beyond the arc and getting 8 assists.

2. Scott Wood - Despite its hot shooting in the Duke game, NC State is not a great 3-point shooting team. Wood however, is a sniper. The freshman is shooting 50% from deep in ACC play. The Terps have struggled to defend the three at times this year so he will be one to watch out for.

3. Farnold Degand - The senior didn't play in the team's first six games due to a coach's decision, then came off the bench in the next 10 games. He has started the last three games though and has scored 11 points or more in all three games. He's a quick guard who can get into the lane so the Terps' big men need to be ready to help out.

Other notes:
- This is Gary Williams' 1000th game coaching.
- Yesterday in his press conference Williams' did not seem too impressed with the Wolfpacks' shooting, don't be surprised if Maryland drops into the 3-2 zone they've utilized recently.
- Eric Hayes can move past John Gilchrist and Brad Davis tonight with 10 or more points.

Of course you can listen to the game tonight by going to WMUCSports.com and clicking on the Listen Live link under the logos.

- Shane

Gameday Links

Here are some links to get you ready for today's game:

Game Previews - MD
Turtle Sports Report
Shell Games
Turtle Soup
Baltimore Sun.... Part 2
Annapolis Capital
Testudo Times.... Part 2

Game Previews - NC State
Pack Pride
State Fan Nation

Stories
Washington Post piece about Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie coming off the bench.
Lefty Driesell, still keeps tabs on his former school. Baltimore Sun
InsideMDSports.com says Dino is finally getting into a rhythm, as he spoke to the media for the first time since coming back.

Today in Maryland MBB history

The Terps will be adding one more to this list tonight at 6 p.m. (Of course you can listen live on WMUCSports.com) But for now these are the games that have been played on January 23rd. Only 4 games with a record of 3-1.

1990 - South Florida - W 84-66 (H)
A convincing out of conference win for the Terps. Every player on the roster got into the game. But it was Jerrod Mustaf and Tony Massenberg that led the way with 23 and 19 points respectively.

1993 - NC State - W 70-65 (A)
One of two January 23rd match-ups against the Wolfpack (before today), and this one is a good omen for the Terps. They cruised to a victory thanks to monster performances by Kevin McLinton (27 points) and Evers Burns (20 points, 10 rebounds).

2002 - Wake Forest W 85-63 (A)

An easy win during the Terps championship season. Five players reached double figures in points (including Tahj Holden and Drew Nicholas off the bench). The legendary backcourt of Blake and Dixon combined for 38 points (19 each) to lead the team.

2005 - NC State L 85-69 (H)

And here's the bad sign for today's game. Julius Hodge and the Wolfpack destroyed the Terps five years ago today. The Terps shot only 40% from the floor in the loss.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Today in Maryland MBB history - 1/22

Once again we have a 6-game day in history. Terps are stellar 5-1 (4-1 ACC) on 1/22 over the last 20 years.

1991 - Boston U. - W 85-59 (H)
Another late January non-ACC game, this was not the only one during this season though. The Terps also played UMBC, South Florida, and American after ACC play began. This win was tied for their largest margin of victory during the '90-'91 season. Matt Roe led the way for the Terps with a stellar line of - 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

1992 - Wake Forest - L 86-76 (H)
Terps fell short despite 39 points from Walt Williams during his great scoring run that season.

1994 - NC State - W 102-70 (H)
16 years and 1 day before the Terps play the Wolfpack in 2010, they demolished NC State. Five players scored in double figures in the blowout. Joe Smith led the way with eye popping 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks.

1995 - NC State - W 84-67 (A)
Different year, but same date and same story ... another blowout of NC State. Once again Joe Smith led the way, this time with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals. The Terps were able to win going away despite shooting 3/12 from beyond the arc.

2000 - Clemson - W 74-62 (H)

The Terps downed the struggling Tigers with a blanaced scoring effort. Juan Dixon led the team with 18 points, but he was one of five players that scored in double figures. Tahj Holden had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

2003 - UNC - W 81-66 (A)
Another big January 22nd win for the Terps. The backcourt of Steve Blake and Drew Nicholas led the Terps with 17 and 20 points respectively. Ryan Randle had a double double with 16points and 10 rebounds.



That's it for January 22nd.

Coming tomorrow:
- Today in Terps history
- NC State Preview
- NC State Previews from around the web
- NC State Broadcast

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Almost Terps

In this spot every week we'll update you on some guys that were recruited by the Terps and were oh so close to playing in College Park.

We'll start with the guys who were closest to coming:

Gus Gilchrist - USF - On Team Dec. '07-April '07 - Gilchrist of course actually was on the team practicing with them for a half year, after decommitting/"transferring" from VT. He then transferred to South Florida where he could play right away and have his personal trainer hired.

This Season: 18.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg - those numbers are very impressive... but they come in only 8 games. He has not played since December 8th due to an injured ankle. He had 18 and 8 against UVA.


Bobby Maze - Tennessee - Committed in Dec. '07 - Maze was supposed to transfer from Hutchinson CC in the fall of '08 to back up Hayes and Vasquez. He decommitted following Maryland's recruitment of Tyree Evans at the same spot and infamously bad had some choice words about the Terps in this youtube freestyle.

This Season: 8.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.5 a/to - Maze averages over 24 minutes per game for the number 8 team in the country. He had 16 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the Vols' big upset over #1 Kansas. That performance propelled him to being the SEC player of the week that week.


Tyree Evans - Kent State - Committed May '08 - The troubled shooting guard committed to Maryland amid a ton of controversy about his off court issues. Eventually the controversy proved to be too much and he decided it was best for him to go elsewhere.

This Season - 11.8 ppg, .342 3P% - Evans had the reputation as a sharp shooter and a guy who could fill it up. It seems like this might not have been that big of a loss after all.

Terrence Jennings - Louisville - Committed August '07 - Jennings was a top 20 player in his class and had Maryland salivating at the possibilities with him in the frontcourt. However, he decommitted just a month later following questions about his ability to qualify.

This Season - 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg - Jennings hasn't dominated as many thought he would. In fact his minutes are quickly dwindling - 5.3 mpg the last 3 games. However, he is still just a sophomore and could still become the player many thought he would.


Next week we'll look at some guys that are freshmen this season including: Lance Stephenson, DeShawn Painter, Arsalan Kazemi and others.

If you have any players you want to hear about let us know in the comments section.

- Shane

Today in Maryland MBB history

In this section we will take a look at who Maryland played on this date in years past. The history portion of the title will actually be just recent history. The look back will go back to the 89-90 season, the start of the Gary Williams Era (also known as the start of terrapinstats.com game logs).

Without further ado, January 21st in Maryland basketball history...

A popular day for games over the last 20 years. The Terps have played 6 times over the last 20 years. They are 4-2 in those 6 games, 3-2 in the ACC. Let's take a closer look at each game...

1997 - Penn - W 103-73 (Baltimore Arena)

Here's the one non-ACC game played on this date. Similar to Tuesday's game against Longwood, this was a non-conference game that came when the Terps would otherwise have a week off in ACC play. Current assistant coach Keith Booth led the way with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Rodney Elliot poured in 22 off the bench in the rout.

1998 - Georgia Tech - W 70-67 (A)


Much closer than the previous year. This one was a nail-biter that required three clutch free throws from Sarunas Jasikevicius. Jasikevicius sank three free throws with only 1.3 seconds left after being fouled by Matt Harpring. This one was a balanced scoring effort with five players scoring in double figures and no one scoring more than 16 points (Rodney Elliot).

2001 - NC State - W 75-61 (A)

Juan Dixon came into the game carrying a steak of 11 straight games with 19+ points. In this game the banged-up Dixon scored just 2 in 11 minutes. However, Terrence Morris and Lonny Baxter more than picked up the slack scoring 20 and 18 points respectively.

2004 - Duke - L 68-60 (H)

The first January 21st loss of the Gary Williams Era can be attributed to one of College Park's most hated players... J.J. Redick. Redick led the #1 Blue Devils with 26 points including 5/6 shooting from beyond the arc. His hot shooting was enough to overcome the fact that only one team reached double digits in points. The Terps were led in scoring by Nik Caner-Medley with 21 points.

2006 - Virginia Tech - W 81-72 (H)


For the second year in a row Nik Caner-Medley poured in over 20 points on January 21st. This time it was actually 23 points, and it was in a Terps' win. Maryland actually trailed 38-37 at the half before going on a 10-3 run early in the second half. The victory was Gary Williams' 347th, one short of what was then Lefty Driesell's record.

2007 - Viriginia Tech - L 67-64 (A)

Another 1/21 match-up against the Hokies, and the Terps once again found themselves down one point at halftime. However, this game ended in heartbreak for the Terps as they lost in overtime. Maryland was down by 8 points with under 7 minutes to play in regulation, before coming back to tie the game with under 2 minutes remaining. D.J. Strawberry, who made free throws to tie the game, led the Terps with 16 points.

That's today in history.

- Shane

Better Late Than Never

As we strive to advance the coverage of Maryland sports that you will receive from WMUC Sports, we have added blogs for each sport over the last year and a half. During this period some blogs (like the women's basketball blog) have been very active. So far this blog has been the opposite of active... non-existent. However, with ACC season and spring semester starting now seems like appropriate time to bring this blog to life.

What you can expect from this blog:
- Links to listen to broadcasts - both live and full re-broadcasts of games.
- Highlights from WMUC men's basketball broadcasts
- Audio stories and quotes from the news crew
- Daily links to stories about Maryland basketball
- Today in Maryland basketball history
- Weekly check-ups on current recruits (Mon.) and former recruits that got away (Thurs.)
- Weekly links for the teams around the ACC (Fri.)
- And of course lots of analysis from all your favorite WMUC broadcasters

Hope you enjoy the blog... even if it is only half the season.

- Shane