Memphis 89 – Maryland 70

Mar. 21, 2009, 6:44 PM

Maryland’s season has officially come to an end. The high flying Tigers from Memphis outplayed the Terps in every possible way on Saturday afternoon, and they move on to face the winner of Sunday’s Missouri-Marquette game.

-The way Memphis shot the three-ball in the first half, that was the worst imaginable start MD. By halftime, the Tigers were 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. From the 4:52 mark in the first half to 1:24, they were 5 of 5 from downtown.

-Memphis did cool down eventually, but the Terps didn’t play their game at all. They panicked and played like a team who didn’t know what to do down by 20. They were careless with the ball and played lousy defense.

-It would have been interesting to see how Maryland would have fared if they had jumped out to an early lead. But Memphis took control of the game very early and never looked back. They played like a team wanting to make a statement.

-I think it speaks volumes, the way that the kids played for Gary throughout the season. Whether it was a win or a loss, the players always had Gary’s back and played their hearts out for him him. Forget the media and the fans who moan and complain. For the players to give everything they have, that’s all you can ask for from a team.

-I’m not sure if we have seen Greivis Vasquez play his last game as a Terrapin. I wouldn’t be suprised if he tries to go pro. There is a chance he will return, but my gut says that his days as a Terp are over.

ACC Tournament Semi-Final, Duke 67-Maryland 61

Mar. 14, 2009, 6:49 PM

Here are a few notes/observations following Duke’s six point victory over Maryland:

-Duke started out 0-3 from beyond the arc, but then made six of their next eight. That was huge for them. They finished the game 9-22 from downtown.

-Eric Hayes scored Maryland’s final 11 points. He hit four field goals and also nailed a three-pointer in the game’s final 80 seconds. He seemed like he was able to score at will. But it was too little, too late, as Duke was able to knock down their free throws and negate the comeback effort.

-Duke’s Jon Scheyer had a great game, scoring 22 points. Half of them came from his four three-pointers.

-One of the areas in which the Terps have struggled all year, especially in losses, has been getting to the foul line. Today Duke was able to get to the line 12 more time than Maryland. The Devils had 11 more points from the line than Maryland.

-Maryland should be encouraged with their effort on the boards. In their previous meeting with Duke on February 25th, they got out-rebounded 37-25.

-Duke moves on to play Florida State in tomorrow afternoon’s ACC Title Game.

Halftime: Duke 32-Maryland 30

Mar. 14, 2009, 5:15 PM

It has been a solid first half of basketball from Atlanta. The difference has been Duke’s ability to shoot the longball (6/12).

Duke’s Kyle Singler is the only player in double figures so far. He has 12.

And how bout Florida State in the early game! They knock off the number one team in the country, North Carolina, to advance to the ACC Championship Game for the first time in their history.

Tickets Punched, UMD 75 – WAKE 64

Mar. 13, 2009, 9:30 PM

When the Maryland Terps last played Wake Forest, they played as well as you could play without actually winning the game. Dave Neal had a spectacular game on his senior night and for most of the game it looked like Maryland had the Demon Deacons’ number. But thanks to 18 offensive rebounds from Wake, it turned out to be another frustrating collapse by Gary Williams’ squad.

Fast forward to tonight’s ACC Tournament Quarterfinal game. Behind the leadership of Greivis Vasquez, Maryland out hustled Wake and came out on top 75-64. With the win, Maryland pretty much guaranteed themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament

Here are some statistics that jump out at me immediately: Maryland from the field, 44%. Wake, 30%. Free Throws: Maryland shot 81% while Wake shot 71 %. And finally the most staggering of numbers: The Demon Deacons were 3-25 from beyond the arc. That’s 12%!! Maryland on the other hand shot a cool 38%.

So statistically speaking, Maryland won easily. And that is fine. But I was really impressed with the effort from the whole team. Mosely, Hayes, Neal, Milbourne. They all played smart basketball.

Next up for the Terps will be the winner of the Duke/Boston College game

6 OT’s…WOW

Mar. 13, 2009, 1:38 AM

I really cannot say I have ever witnessed a basketball game quite like the one that occurred tonight at the Big East Tournament in New York. Connecticut and Syracuse battled into the early hours of Friday morning, playing six…yes six overtimes.

‘Cuse never led at any point of the first five overtimes. It was tied at 110 apiece after 5 OT’s. In the sixth, The Orange were able to outscore the Huskies 17-7 and win the game 127-117.

The game had everything. It just seemed like every overtime was destined to have the teams tied when the clock it triple zeros. What a game for two hall of fame coaches, Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim.

As for the Big East Tournament, Syracuse advances to the Semi-Finals and will play West Virginia Friday night. West Virginia has to have the early edge considering how tired the Syracuse players must be.

I will blog more on the impact of this game later today.

Terps secure first round win over N.C. State

Mar. 12, 2009, 9:59 PM

All season the Maryland Terrapins have played their best basketball when their backs have been up against the wall. Tonight’s opening round game against N.C. State in the ACC Tournament was no different.

Eric Hayes led the Terps in scoring with a career high 21 points, thanks to his five 3-pointers. Greivis Vasquez played unselfish basketball, dishing out ten assists while scoring 17 points and only turning the ball over two times.

The Wolfpack got out to a nice lead early in the game, leading by 13 at one point in the first half. But Hayes was able to knock down three 3-pointers to cut into the lead. The two teams were tied at halftime.

In the 2nd half, there were numerous ties and lead changes. This back and forth battle continued until freshman Sean Mosely made a lay-up with 3:52 remaining to give the Terps a 63-62 lead. They never looked back. That basket was the beginning of an 11-0 Maryland run in which the Wolfpack were unable to score for over three minutes.

With the victory Maryland moves on the the ACC Quarterfinals where they will face the number two seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons Friday evening. The game can be seen on RAYCOM Sports in ACC Markets and ESPN2 nationally.

Big Win for UMD

Mar. 1, 2009, 9:59 PM

Wow what a tremendous win for Gary Williams and the Maryland Terps. They really needed a victory tonight against N.C. State to keep their hopes of a NCAA Tournament bid alive, and they were able to get the win at RBC Center by a score of 71-60. Junior guard Greivis Vasquez led the Terps with 33 points, and scored 21 of them in the second half.

The win was only the second one to come on the road this year for Maryland. The other one came exactly three weeks ago when they were able to topple Georgia Tech in an ugly game in Atlanta.

At one point in the first half, it looked like all the Terps wanted to shoot were three-pointers. Which was fine because Vasquez, Dave Neal, and Eric Hayes were all making their shots.

Maryland trailed only once the entire game, that was after Wolfpack forward Tracy Smith was able to sink a fadeaway with 9:21 remaining in the 2nd half and draw a foul from Dino Gregory. Tracy hit his foul shot to make the score 49-47.

On Maryland’s very next possession, Cliff Tucker drained a three-pointer to steal the lead right back, making the score 50-49.

N.C. State was able to tie it up two more times in the second half before Maryland pulled away down the stretch with a pair of big shots beyond the arc from Vasquez and Neal.

Maryland has now won four of their past six, this is the perfect time for them to be hitting their stride.

–Up Next: Maryland has one day to prepare #13 Wake Forest. They host them this Tuesday night at Comcast Center. I don’t expect the Terps to win this one but marks my words, if they do, they will absolutely have a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament