A good solid nine minutes of grainy riot video (NSFW, unless your colleagues are sailors):

My favorite: Jordan Williams CRUSHING Jon “A twig has a better chance in the middle of a river” Scheyer

If the Maryland men’s basketball team revealed today that they had X-Ray vision, the strength of 100 men, and a solution for ending gridlock in Congress, wouldn’t you believe them? I would. And not just because of their hard-fought 79-72 win over Duke last night. It’s because there doesn’t seem to be a mountain high enough to stop them right now. Want a buzzer beater? Done. Want two buzzer beaters? Come on, challenge us. Want us to come back from 13 down to win? No problem. Want us to win in one of the toughest gyms in the conference? Boom. Overtime? Check. Double overtime? Double check. And then last night, they coughed up a lead against their most hated rivals — and we’ve all seen that movie before — but kept their composure, kept fighting, and pulled it out on Senior Night. What a win. To the points:

1. FFFFFF***********CK DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

2. Barring a Roy Jones-level travesty, Greivis Vasquez is ACC player of the year. The D.C. Sports Bog posits that Vasquez’s game-clinching shot — over Jon Scheyer — followed by stopping Scheyer on the other end was the symbolic final nail. Oh, and he also had more points. And assists. And a better FG percentage. And a better FT percentage. And a better three-point percentage. And his team won the game.

 

3. For the record: Vasquez was clutch tonight. He didn’t used to be. He is now. In a way, this makes my A-Rod comparison stronger than ever. After years of struggle and doubt, both men have gotten the monkey off their backs. So there.

 

4. I heard the announcers mention that Maryland would get a share of the regular season title even if both teams win out. Duke would get top seed in the ACC tourney (that’s done by win %), but they would each get a banner (that’s done on records). If someone with more time and inclination on their hands is interested in confirming this, please be my guest. I’ll take Johnny Holiday’s word for it.

 

5. Maryland ran their offense last night very, very effectively. The screens were strong, the cuts were crisp, and most importantly, they forced their transition game and earned plenty of “run-outs,” or as we used to call them, “fast breaks.”

 

6. Duke stifled this during their late-first and second-half comeback by going to a zone. Maryland didn’t attack it.

 

7. Until, that is, a mysterious young man strode onto the court. Man by the name of Bowie. Adrian Bowie. He fearlessly threw himself into the teeth of the zone, slashing it to ribbons. Then he canned a wide-open three. Nine points on four-four shooting. It’s official. This man is Maryland’s X factor until further notice.

 

8. This was a huge victory and all, but was it really the kind of victory you riot in the streets over? Want to storm the court? Go for it. Whatever. But rioting? It’s so easy to picture all the Dookies, arms folded, smirks solidly in place, chuckling over how desperate we are to beat them. I know it’s a free country. And I admit to doing my share of it. But this one reminded me of the 2005 Washington Wizards, who printed T-shirts just for making the playoffs. Just felt a little superfluous is all.

 

9. All the seniors did their thing tonight. Milbourne was fairly quiet (as expected, given Duke’s physical bigs) but hit an early tone-setting three. Eric Hayes was — wait for it –

 

10. ……wait…….for……..it………

 

11. steady. He was very steady.

 

12. The Jordan Williams Bandwagon continues to fill. Fifteen points, 11 boards, great D on Zoubek and the Lord Plumlee Brothers, two clutch free throws in the waning seconds. Another cap feather for the freshman who didn’t make a lot of preseason watch lists. Good luck with Durand Scott there, Andy Katz. Just kidding, Andy. I love you, baby. Text me.

 

13. OK, this was a few more than ten. But hey, it’s deserved. If the Terps take care of business against UVA, they’ll have a banner to hang (supposedly), then a relatively stress-free ACC tourney, and then The Dance. Selection Sunday is 11 days away.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass, former Diamondback photog, via Testudo Times)

Let’s go right to the game’s ending, because that’s what this game will be remembered for.  1:20 left in the game, it’s tied 68-68, and Eric Hayes hits a three.  The crowd goes nuts.  Everyone’s feeling good.  A hard fought game seems to finally be tipping in the Terps favor.  Georgia Tech gets the ball, Lawal misses his shot, but Derrick “Sexual” Favors gets the tip in off his 52nd offensive rebound of the day.  That has to be some kind of record.  Maryland has the ball up one.  The Terps get the ball into Dino Gregory and he misses from POINT BLANK RANGE.  After what was otherwise a solid game, Dino leaves us all shaking our heads, and of course Tech gets a jumper out of D’Andre Bell to fall for a 72-71 GT lead with 18 seconds left.

I start to feel The Fear.  Dread is starting to seep in at Comcast Center, but Terps fans are still pumped to get the last shot.  After a timeout, Greivis surprises everyone by getting a quick two, and Maryland’s up by one again, 73-72.  Elation returns.  Maryland fans start to celebrate.

This is where things got a little crazy.

Thirteen seconds left and GT has no timeouts, so they have to frantically drive the length of the floor.  Iman Shumpert, who had one of the better games of his life today, throws up a desperation shot.  As he’s shooting I yell at the top of my lungs, “PLEASE GET THE RE-BOUND!”  Time slows.  I can feel my temples throb.  Shumpert’s shot misses, but Derrick Favors collects his ninth offensive rebound of the day and puts the ball in the hoop.  “NOOOOOOOOO!”  Tech up 74-73.  Maryland didn’t get any breaks today, and this was no exception.

There are two seconds left.  I look up and Greivis has the ball in his hands at midcourt.  He heaves a shot… a whistle blows… the shot banks in!  Terps win!  The crowd goes nuts!  But it surfaces that Keith Booth had called a timeout right before Gerivis’s shot, and the crowd is suddenly quieted.  I have my head in my hands.  My friend Julie, a season ticket holder who brought me to the game, has tears in her eyes.  Her husband Mark is yelling.  It doesn’t seem possible.

What followed was just plain surreal.  There was five minutes of debate among the refs as to how much time should be on the clock.  This delay gave the fans, players, and coaches just enough time to breathe some oxygen, which, combined with the adrenaline and natural electricity shooting off everyones’ bodies, had the effect of providing everyone with that strange sense of calm that you probably feel right before you die.  Hayes goes to inbound, and suddenly the clock goes from .9 to .1, and the crowd yells out various explicatives.  Hayes is pointing at the clock.  The refs catch on and put 1.5 seconds on the clock, which is what it should be.  There was little hope among Terps fans at this point.  As my coblogger Scott would later put it, “I felt as though the Terps had spent all their karma on Vasquez’s shot.”  Everyone there shared the same sentiment.

1.5 seconds left, Maryland down one, Hayes to inbound.  He looks right and Greivis is blanketed.  Cliff Tucker springs free at the three point line.  The pass goes to Tucker and his defender is a step late, giving him time to square and shoot.  Cliff for THREEEEEE… THE SHOT RATTLES IN!  Maryland wins 76-74!  Cliff Tucker is the hero!  It’s pandemonium in the Comcast Center!  Fans are jumping around.  Terps players are chasing each other around the court, looking to hug-tackle each other in elation.  Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

That was three hours ago and I’m still checking my pulse to make sure that I’m not in cardiac arrest.  I’m going to remember this game for a long time.  I can’t help but think that the chances of a team hitting two buzzer beating shots in a row to win, only to have the first one be discounted by a timeout and the second one drop, have to be astronomical.  I’m just glad I saw it with my own eyes.

This is why I love sports.

What…what just happened? Wait…did I…did I actually call this game perfectly?  Is that what happened? Did my predicted Maryland butt-kicking of N.C. State just come to fruition?  Whatever happened, it’s sweet, baby, as the Terps smeared N.C. State Wolfpack 88-64.  I only wish my score prediction hadn’t been so conservative. To the points:

1. What else did I predict? Can you refresh my memory? I believe I said Sean Mosely would go off. Well, he ended up with 13 points (and it would have been more if not for a somewhat off shooting night), 7 boards and 4 assists. Scott Wood, welcome to the ACC.
2. I believe I also predicted a big night from one Cliff Tucker. And I believe you can add another check to the “things Scott was right about” column. Eleven points and one steal in 17 crisp minutes. Bravo, sir. And Cliff, nice job, too. Okay, I’ve had my moment.
3. Maryland did a great job around the rim defensively. They limited the Pack’s second chances and always seemed to be drawing fouls, rather than committing them (21 State fouls to 16 for the Terps), which means they were a little quicker to the ball.
4. Maryland did not do a great job around the rim offensively. I saw Jordan Williams, Eric Hayes, Dino Gregory, and Mosely all miss some easy ones. It’s an odd recurring theme with no quick (or at least apparent) solution.
5. Speaking of Dino, though, and getting back to defense, Dino did an outstanding job on Tracy Smith. He used great footwork to stay between Smith and the basket and keep him out of the lane. Tracy still netted an 18 and 10, but he sure had to work for it.
6. One more point on the defense: N.C. State averages 72 points per game on 46 percent shooting. Tonight, they got 64 points on 36 percent shooting. Only eight points below average, but again, we made them work. And they didn’t seem to enjoy it. Maybe that’s why an eight-point halftime lead went to 17 by the 10-minute mark, and ended up at 22.
7. A nice 9-9 for Jordan Williams, but more aggression at the rim would be a positive.
8. In addition to his great offensive game, Mosely also led the way in shutting down Dennis Horner, the team’s second leading scorer (and 18th in the ACC). Horner got four points on 1-5 shooting, well below his average of 13.
9. Vasquez had 19 to lead all scorers, but for the second consecutive game, just about all of it came in the second half. Who is he now, Kobe Bryant? He is The Closer. The Vasquez Shimmy is like the Red Auerbach Cigar, only minus the ten championships and hundreds of victories and so forth.
10. And last but most certainly not least: CONGRATULATIONS TO GARY WILLIAMS ON HIS 1000TH GAME!!! I love you, man.

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com)

This one’s easy to analyze.  Pretty good team from big school plays bad team from small school.  Small school needs money, offers basketball team as sacrificial possum on the interstate highway of ACC basketball.  End result is some Longwood Lancers splatter pattern all over the Terps windshield en route to the largest margin of victory in Comcast Center history, edging out a 50-point win over Hampton from 2003.

Sean Mosely led the Terps with 21 points and a perfect 8-8 shooting night; he was also a perfect 4-4 from the stripe, so the ball literally went in every time he put it up.   But that’s not what you care about.  How did the benchwarmers do?   I’m delighted to report that they all got in and all got on the score board.  Forward and reggae superstar David Pearman netted 3 points while Rudyesque walk-on Ersin Levent sank a free throw with about a minute left to get a 1 in his points column.

And there you have it. A speed bump at most, but at least it was of the record-setting, bench-clearing variety.

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com)

Do you recall any time in recent memory when the Terps dominated a legit opponent the way they dominated Boston College 73-57 yesterday? I don’t. I only need five points for this one.

1. I’m of the opinion that Maryland is currently playing its best ball of the Greivis Vasquez era. And that includes the man himself (17 and nine). This is even sweeter after 2009’s BC loss that served as the nadir of the season.
2. Maryland: 50 percent shooting, 58 percent from three. BC: 37 percent shooting, 35 from three. Maryland: 12 steals, 20 transition points. Boston: 18 turnovers, 4 transition points. The Terps controlled this thing on both ends, wire to wire. The only bad spot: BC outrebounded us 40 to 28. That’ll always be a demon for Maryland.
3. To be fair and balanced, BC is in a horrible funk right now. Normally a solid defensive group, this team can’t guard a cow pasture in broad daylight…they’re ninth in the ACC in scoring defense, 11th in blocks and turnover margin, and dead last in FG percentage defense, scoring margin, and steals. Oy. Co-captain B.J. Parish is the deadest dead weight that ever died. I almost — ALMOST — feel bad for them.
4. Finally, a great night for the Terps bench! Pop the champagne. Tucker and Bowie combined for 29 points on 11-19 shooting, two steals, one assist and one turnover.
5. A little breather this Tuesday against Longwood before resuming ACC play with N.C. State and Miami. If Maryland keeps it up, we’ll be 15-5 heading into a big game at Clemson on Jan. 31. Here’s hoping they keep it up. This is starting to look like maybe it could possibly have the potential to be a fun stretch run. Maybe.

(Photo credit: Mary Schwalm/Associated Press via the Washington Post)

Woo! Awesome team victory tonight, as the Terps upset #18 Florida State 77-68. FSU remains oh for the Comcast Center after its sixth game there. To the points:

1. Game MVP: one Greivis Vasquez. Twenty-two points on 8-18 shooting, including some clutch shots down the stretch to quell an FSU rally. He also played brilliant defense, including some great helping D in the post. What a motor. This is the kind of game they tend to lose…a big lead evaporates and the team loses its composure. Vasquez didn’t let that happen tonight. I’m not exactly Vasquez Superfan 21 over here, but credit where it’s due: he was numero uno out there tonight.
2. The bigs did a solid job on FSU’s formidable front court. Jordan Williams and Landon Milbourne seemed quicker and more nimble than Solomon Alabi et al, and were able to get Alabi in early foul trouble. They do need to box out more consistently, though.
3. Clunky is not even the word for FSU’s offense. Seriously, do they have to start it up with a hand crank before every game? Is it powered by hamsters? If one of the bigs couldn’t get a layup, they kicked it out for three. If that didn’t work, they simply tossed the ball to the referee. By the end of the season, they’re gonna lead the nation in not dribbling. And that exhausts my cache of FSU’s-offense-stinks-related zingers.
4. Fiesty crowd at Comcast tonight. Terp fans seem to understand that (a) this team needs a home-court advantage, and (b) they need it every game — not just Duke and Carolina.
5. FSU commits a ton of turnovers (11th in ACC), and Maryland exploited that, forcing 12 turnovers and 17 fouls.  And it actually seemed like a lot more than that.
6. Props to Cliff Tucker, who provided the Terps with a serious booster shot in 16 minutes off the bench. He’s out of Gary’s doghouse for now. Has Adrian Bowie (no points in 11 minutes) taken his place in there, or did Gary simply view Bowie’s slash-it-up style as a bad fit against the Noles’ Redwood forest of a frontcourt? As always, only TIME…will tell.
7. The three starting guards (36 pts and 11 assists all together) did great jobs getting shots for themselves and others. FSU repeatedly fell for their pump fakes and step-backs, and they seemed committed to making the extra pass without getting gaudy abut it.
8. Speaking of passing, Maryland was excellent in moving the ball around the zone, although it occasionally crossed into hot-potato territory. They backslid into freelancing at times, but by and large they showed real patience and poise — very encouraging.
9. Gary shows again that he’s just better in underdog situations. (I also noticed he used the press pretty sparingly, which is good.)  Dear AP voters: please do not vote for Maryland.
10. Tucker and Sean Mosely put the clamps on 6′9″ Chris Singleton, who wasn’t a major factor while the outcome was still in question. I’m no Singleton expert, but “passionate” isn’t a word I’d use to describe his personality on the court.

The Terps now travel to Wake for a Tuesday night game. Will be interesting to see what their focus is like after this win and on short rest.  They don’t have the luxury of letting up.

(Photo credit: Alan P. Santos/DC Sports Box)

YEAH BABY!  We did it!   Thanks to your votes, the Cinderella slipper fits, and Shell Games has won the Baltimore Sun’s Mobbie Award for best blog in the Terps category.  We also finished seventh overall.

A thousand sincere thank-yous to everyone who voted, be it once or be it every day.   Special thanks to those who put up with our regular e-mail and Facebook reminders. 

Also, much respect to our fellow Terps bloggers, especially Testudo Times (which won for best general sports blog), Turtle Soup, Terp Talk, and Maryland Basketball: Where Are They Now? (Michaelangelo:  Thanks for the bulletin board material heheh.)  I guess we’re technically “competitors,” but at the end of the day we’re all in the same gang.  Blogging can be hard work, and people don’t exactly do it for the fame and fortune.  We here at Shell Games do it because we love the Terps, and love making smart-ass comments about the Terps.  That is our mission.  Some might call it a calling.

In all honesty, Shell Games may not get hundreds of comments per post, and we may not be familiar with the long snapper class of 2019, but we’ve got our own thing going on here, and I think we do it pretty well.  Hopefully, those who found us over these past couple weeks will stick with us.  Thanks again to everyone who voted.  We’ll be at the awards reception tonight in Baltimore…paparazzi must keep at least 15 feet away.  You’ve been warned, you filthy parasites!

A few quick observations:

• Freshman phenom goalie Brittany Dipper has a porn star name.  Just calling it as I see it.  Miss Dipper, you’ll always be welcome in “the industry,” as we like to call it here in the industry.
• What’s up with all these Maryland towns named after larger, more famous places? ACC MVP Caitlyn McFadden hails from Phoenix, Md. Amanda Spinnenweber, who does NOT have a porn star name, is from Pasadena, Md.  Grace “I can’t believe I’m not Asian” Gaeng is from Bel Air, Md. There is also a California, Md. and a Hollywood, Md.  I’m telling you right now – there is no Maryland, California.
• Lady Terps Brittany and Brandi Jones are sisters.  But more interestingly, both bear a strong resemblance to actress Rashida Jones, who is perhaps best known for playing Jim’s other girlfriend on The Office a while back or the fiance in “I Love You, Man,” which was a really good movie by the way.   Same last name…all from California…

Judge for yourself:

Brandi

Brittany

Rashida

See? Freakin uncanny right?  Now this is the kind of hard-hitting news I like to provide. You are so welcome. Goterps.

That was a fun sentence to type.  THEY DID IT!  MARYLAND’S GOING TO THE DANCE BABYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had my doubts, but they got it done.  It was a solid 40-minute effort and they didn’t fold under pressure.  Vasquez that crazy guy I love to hate, he came through.  As did Sean freaking Mosely (his block to force that Wake shot clock violation in the early second half was my play of the game), Big Dave Neal, Dino Gregory, Eric Hayes, everybody.  And how about that zone?  They shut down Teague and frustrated the bigs.  Great win.  Great win.  THEY’RE GOING DANCING!!!!!!

I think I’ll let the pictures take over now.  I’M GOING STREAKIIINNNNG!!!!!!!!!!!