Greivis Vasquez

maryland at uva preview: top meets bottom

On March 5, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

I think I see Charlottesville down there somewhere.

The last time Maryland met UVA on February 15th, the Terps were feeling low after a bad loss to Duke, and UVA came into town to provide Maryland with a much needed rebound. Maryland solved the Cavaliers’ pack-line defense by shooting over it and knifing through it. A weak Wahoos backcourt had no answer for Greivis, who finished the game with 30PTS, 8RB, and 5AST. Tony Bennett even gave us a song.

The rebound win got the Terps right back on the horse. That game sparked a six game winning streak for Maryland. They can clinch a share of the regular season ACC title with a win at Charlottesville on Saturday, and cap off a total turnaround of their season in style. A quick win and time has healed all wounds.

For UVA, that loss was the third in an eight game tailspin that has lasted a month. In consecutive losses to Wake, VT, UMD, Florida State, Clemson, Miami, Duke, and BC, Virginia has averaged a 14PT margin of loss. They’re getting blown out on a biweekly basis. Clemson embarrassed them on February 20th, 72-49. Duke embarrassed them 67-49 on February 28th. UVA is, arguably, the worst team in the ACC right now.

So what do the Turtles have to fear as they trek down to Charlottesville? Sylven Landesburg (17PTS/5RB/3AST per game) and Mike Scott (12PTS/7RB per game) are still putting up decent numbers, but after that the rest of the Cavaliers lack consistency. Maryland has only gotten better since they beat this same team by 19PTS a few weeks ago, and UVA has probably gotten worse. The Terps should come into the match-up a double digit favorite.

Perhaps Maryland’s greatest fear should be of itself. There are three things Maryland needs to guard against in order to avoid a trap loss against UVA:

Exhaustion – Maryland has been leaving it all on the court in the past month, culminating in an emotional Senior Night win against Duke this Wednesday. Will the Terps have any gas left for UVA?
Hubris – The Terps are finally ranked, they’ve locked-up a NCAA Tournament bid and the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament, they’ve beaten one of the best teams in the country this week, and, well, their opponent stinks. Will the Terps be able to get it up for this game?
Nerves – Have you ever wanted something so bad that it actually hurts your ability to achieve it. The Terps would clinch a share of the ACC title with a win tomorrow night. If they come out tight, there will be the added pressure of bringing home the banner working against them. Will the Terps be able to push that distraction out of their heads?

The answer to each of these questions will be “Yes”. Maryland has been showing the kind of resolve that a team needs to get through this sort of game. They’ve won the “should wins” all season. The ACC’s best team will simply be too much for the ACC’s worst team to handle. These two programs are headed in the opposite direction. Tomorrow night, Maryland will be headed for a win and an ACC regular season title.

(Game aired on Raycom and Terrapin Sports Radio Network. In DC market, game will be on WTTG Fox 5.)

Final Score: Maryland 80 – UVA 66.

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Maryland Beats Duke: The Instant YouTube Classics

On March 4, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

The Vasquez shot, via D.C. Sports Bog:

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

Tagged with: Basketball • Big Wins • f*ck Duke • Greivis Vasquez • Jon Scheyer • Jordan Williams • riots

duke at maryland preview: pride comes before the fall

On March 3, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

Kyle Singler is so ugly that when he cries, the tears turn around and go down the back of his head.

Duke is coming to Comcast Center this evening to renew a rivalry that has been on ice for a few years. Although the Terps have played the Blue Devils tight through the lean times of the Gilchrist and Caner-Medley Years, there has been a sense that this was not an even match-up for a long while. Now, the Dukies are so swollen with pride that they claim that Maryland is not their rival. In fact, this “non-rivalry” is so heated that fans from both sides of the aisle have contested the existence of it with competing edits to the Wikipedia entry on the rivalry.

Tonight, the rivalry is rekindled because there are high stakes involved. There are implications bigger than one win or loss. There is more than just pride on the line. There’s an ACC regular season title at stake. There is an implication that the winner of this game is the team to beat in the ACC Tournament. There are tangible rankings, votes, and NCAA Tournament seedings on the line. There’s bragging rights on the line. There’s confidence on the line.

The Terps have rattled off five straight wins since their 2/13 loss at Duke. Maryland has shaken off the stigma of a few early season losses and disrespect in the press to put itself in a position to win the conference. They’ve shed their pride and just played harder than the rest, and that’s been the difference between mediocrity and success.

In a high stakes game, winning and losing is determined by who blinks first. Maryland didn’t blink in a last second win against Georgia Tech. They didn’t blink in 2OT’s against Virginia Tech. They’re not going to blink against Duke.

Unlike the last go around, the Terps will be hosting the Blue Devils. During the 2/13 game at Cameron Indoor, Duke jumped all over Maryland, and it was over as soon as it began. Maryland couldn’t get over its mistakes and the momentum was too much to overcome.

The Terps are a much better home team than a road team, and Duke will be stripped of its home court advantage. At Comcast Center, Brian Cro-magnon Zoubek won’t get away with a half dozen over the back fouls. John Schyer won’t be able to use his left arm to push off without hearing the whistle. The Cameron Crazies will be watching this game on TV. Duke is going to have to come into the shell and fight.

At home, on senior night, with everything at stake, Maryland will have the juice to pull it out. They’ll do it on the back of Greivis Vasquez, a guy that is playing above his head right now. He’s going to outplay Jon Schyer and show everyone why he’s the ACC Player of the Year. Schyer vs. Vasquez is the key match-up, and nobody is playing better than Greivis Vasquez right now. Add to that the fact that Mosley and Hayes have awoken from the slumber they were in during the 2/13 game, and this contest should be a much closer affair than it was three weeks ago.

The Terps are a 1.5PT homedog, and Vegas Sports-Odds feels strongly enough about the Terps that they wrote a feature on why it’s a good idea to put money on them. My prediction: Maryland wins 74-73.

Congratulations to Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne, and Eric Hayes on your great college careers. Go Terps.

Tagged with: Basketball • Brian Zoubek • Eric Hayes • f*ck Duke • Greivis Vasquez • Jon Schyer • Kyle Singler • Landon Milbourne

uva at maryland basketball recap in five easily digestible bullet points

On February 16, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

Thank you, UVA. Thank you. The chips were down. The Terps were feeling low. You came to town and gave them just what they needed, and then you left, no questions asked. You didn’t even resist. It’s like you knew just the right buttons to push to get Maryland back on its feet. The day after Valentine’s Day can now be a fond memory. Let’s recap it, shall we?

GREI-VIS VAS-QUEZ! Greivis was on fire, shooting 10/13 FG in the first half. His 25 PTS in the first half were nearly as many (34) as the Cavaliers had altogether. Virginia had no answer for Greivis, and he put the dagger in early. Final line on Greivis: 30 PTS/8 RB/5 AST. Maryland needed it’s leader to step-up, and he responded by putting his foot on the throat of a conference rival, effectively ending their chances of a tournament appearance.
The Cavalier’s defenses were down. UVA’s vaunted pack-line defense looked more like a dotted line. UVA had coach Tony Bennett said of his team’s defensive play, “There were so many holes in it tonight.” So many holes that Maryland shot 70% FG in the first half, and 56% FG for the game.
Maryland won with a team game. The Terps finished with 22 AST on 36 FGM and 12 OREB. They were sharing the rock and crashing the boards. Combine that with lights out shooting, and Maryland was unbeatable last night.
Jordan Williams bounced back from a Fresmanlike performance against The Unmentionables with 11 PTS and 11 RB. It was a solid effort, and it showed that the kid can forget the bad days and move on. That’s a good sign developmentally.
It was good to be home. Maryland is now 12-1 at home, and their average margin of victory at the Comcast Center is 19 PPG. When you’re an average team in a tough conference, it is of utmost importance to defend your home court. The Terps made a living off that for years at Cole Field House. If this season is any indication, there might be the beginnings of a new tradition of excellence at home starting with2010.

Last night, Maryland succeeded in picking up the pieces from Saturday’s loss. They got their rebound. They’re back on the horse. The Terps still need a few more wins to solidify a tournament bid.

Next notch in the bedpost: NC State on Wednesday.

Tagged with: Basketball • Comcast Center • Greivis Vasquez • Jordan Williams • Tony Bennett • UVA

maryland fans, greivis needs your love

On February 5, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

Florida State fan holds Deport Vasquez sign.

Greivis faces real, actual hate on the road. The hometown fans ought to get behind the guy.

I know it’s fun for some of you to hate on Greivis, but for you it’s hateratin’. It’s more like play hate. I understand that. I don’t buy it, but I understand it.

According to the D.C. Sports Bog, Vasquez was facing a more real kind of hate in Tallahassee last night:

“The fans here were crazy, the craziest I’ve ever had since N.C. State,” Greivis Vasquez said, via D1scourse. “They were being racist, they were talking about deporting me and sending me back home, calling me Mexican when I’m Venezuelan. It was pretty bad, so they deserved to lose. That’s why they lost. I showed up like I showed up, like I’m the best player on the court and they have to take it like that.”

-Greivis Vasquez in a post-game interview after the win at Florida State

I am not trying to get into some big debate over the virtues of his game or style. I am not saying that you have to love the guy. I’m certainly not equating Maryland fans to Florida State fans, because Maryland fans are obviously far superior in every aspect.

I’m just saying that, like it or not, Greivis Vasquez in the best player on the Terrapins this year. The team cannot win without him. He tries as hard as he can every night, and that’s really all you can ask of the kid. He faces enough hate on the road. Last night it was real, racist hate. Maybe it’s time for the hateratin’ Terrapin fans to drop the act and get behind him.

When our boys give us all they got we should show them love. They get enough hate from everyone else.

Tagged with: Basketball • Greivis Vasquez

maryland beats florida state in a game of four-on-four

On February 5, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

The Terps survived a horrendous first half by coming out hot after intermission, and won 71-67 in Tallahassee yesterday. If yesterday’s win at Florida State proved anything, it proved that Maryland can win ugly. In the first half Maryland seemed stuck in the same fog they were in at Clemson earlier in the week. How did they snap out of it? Let’s go to the Porsche Keys to the Win:

Vasquez (23), Milbourne (18), Williams (14), and Hayes (12) had 67 of the Terps 71 points. The rest of the team was 0-10 from the field for 4 PTS. This was the second game in a row where the bench was nonexistent. Luckily, Florida State performed a similar disappearing act. The Noles got 58 points out of four players and nine out of the rest. On Thursday night, Maryland’s best four outperformed Florida State’s best four.
At the start of the game Florida State was able to dictate the pace, turning the game into a helter skelter track meet and trapping the Terps into turnovers. Maryland managed just 25 points by half time, but they were still only down four points. At halftime, Gary Williams made the adjustments necessary to get the Terps into their set offense, and the team rattled off seven unanswered points right away to take a four point lead. As is often the case, Gary Williams out-coached his opponent.
From there, the Terps were able to maintain a lead for most of the second half, until the very end of the game when Jordan Williams had to start sitting due to foul trouble. The Seminoles tied the game with three minutes left, and suddenly, the crowd was back in it. Who was going to step up? Dino Gregory,that’s who! That’s right, Dino freaking Gregory comes out of nowhere, takes a charge, and Vasquez sinks a couple of FT’s to preserve the lead. Dino was an unlikely hero after he was largely absent for most of the game, but that key play enabled the Terps to win the game. Overall, the game was that close. It could have gone either way. Kudos to Dino for shaking off the rust and making a big stop.
I love me some Greivis. Just when the haters started screaming at their TV’s and secretly hoping Greivis would blow it, Vasquez turns it on with a running jumper and forces a couple of fouls to keep the scoring going. His final line – 23 PTS /7 RB/7 AST – was pretty close to a triple-double. You may howl over his five turnovers but most of them came off of some tight traps, and he was better than a 1/1 AST/TO ratio on the night, so that’s a good line. I love how he incited the crowd from the opening tip. He thrives on the hate, so keep hating bitches. GREAT JOB GREIVIS! M-V-P! M-V-P!
It was a nice night for Milbourne. He was, once again, Steady Eddie when the rest of the team started crapping themselves. 18 PTS and 6 RB (including 4 huge ORB) doesn’t tell the story of how he continually stepped up on both sides of the ball. He’s the yin to Grevis’s yang. Landon is such a tweener that I didn’t think that he had a lot of pro upside coming into this season, but the more of these clutch ACC games he has, the more looks he’s going to get from teams that have a need at the small forward position. That is how well Milbourne is playing right now.
I’ve said before that Jordan Williams is the missing piece to the Terps puzzle for success, and this game just proved the point. With Williams (14 PTS, 7/11 FG, 6 RB, 2 blocks) in the game, Maryland looked confident in their sets, and they were able to work the ball inside out against a couple of big dudes from Florida State. Without him, the front court looked small and disorganized. How high is Williams’s upside? I the Terps will be his show by next season. Reports are that he is a humble hard worker that likes to learn. If he can continue to learn and hit the gym to chisel that big frame, I can see Williams becoming a first round NBA draft pick in a few years.

It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win is a win is a win. The team turned it around in the second half and started shooting the ball very well. That should bode well for this Sunday’s game against UNC.

Tagged with: Basketball • Dino Gregory • Eric Hayes • Greivis Vasquez • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne

maryland at florida state preview: the carousel game

On February 4, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

If you stare at this picture long enough you'll understand the nature of suffering in the Terrapin condition.

A few weeks ago, Gilbert Arenas stopped by SG with guns ablazin’ to deliver a preview of the Florida State game that hit the mark. Who would have thought that the situation would blow up in Gil’s face like this since that post? It had to factor into David Stern’s decision to suspend him for the rest of the year.

What goes around comes around. On January 10th, Maryland ended up with a 77-68 win against the then ranked Seminoles. That win was the catalyst for a 5-1 run in ACC which put the Terps atop the ACC before the loss to Clemson. The Terps were red hot in January. True to form, just when the team started to exceed expectations, everyone was brought back down to earth with an ugly performance in SC on Sunday.

As the D.C. area braces for yet another obscene blizzard, there’s a feeling that things have come full circle. With ten games left in the regular season the, the Terps still need at least six more wins to put themselves in position for a tournament bid. The schedule here on out includes two “should wins” against NC State and VT, but the rest of it consists of ranked teams, road games, and no easy outs. I hate to overuse the term “must win”, but I’m going to use it in reference to this game against Florida State. Unlike a month ago, Maryland is now on the road and is going to have to beat a physical Florida State team in a hostile environment.

At home against Florida State in January, Greivis got off for 22 PTS. He was well complimented by 17 PTS from Hayes and a great performance from the front court. The win at Comcast Center was the first indication that Maryland basketball had some life in it.

Florida State is still keyed by 7′1″ Solomon Alibi, who is averaging 13 PTS and 7 RB per game. Alibi is flanked by 6′9″ PF Chris Singleton, who is averaging 11 PTS and 8 RB per game. Their front court is still strong, and the Terps are going to have a tougher time containing them without getting any hometown calls this time around. The Noles recently lost some bench strength as forward Jordan DeMercy left the team on Monday due to “personal reasons”, and that might provide some opportunity for Maryland’s bench to perform better after they disappeared in the Clemson loss.

Maryland’s key to victory will be forcing errors out of the Seminoles. Florida State averages a sub 1/1 AST/TO ratio. They’re mistake prone. They, how would you put it, give the ball away to the other team a lot. The Terps won the first contest against Florida State by forcing their hand with pressure. Applying constant back court pressure and collapsing on Singleton when he gets the ball will be the key to victory in tonight’s game, too.

The Terps have a golden chance to rebound from the Clemson loss and stay in the national discussion for a tournament bid with a win against Florida State. I can imagine that practice this week was not a quiet affair. Maryland will have to be focused in what should be another slug fest. The Noles are a 3.5 PT favorite on the Vegas line. My prediction: Maryland loses, 70-68. I hate to say it, but I don’t think Maryland has all their marbles in place, especially on the bench. They’re facing another team with their backs against the fence. This game is on the road. Maryland is not likely going to get another first half double-double out of Jordan Williams against a physical front court. This game seems eerily like the Clemson match-up, and unless something has drastically changed in the last four days, I can’t predict that the outcome will be any different.

When the music stops, everyone gets off the ride. There’s only so much music left in this season before the big dance begins. Is there some wisdom there? Not really. I don’t even know where I was going with this point. Abort. End post. Go Terps.

Tagged with: Basketball • Chris Singleton • Eric Hayes • Greivis Vasquez • Solomon Alibi

maryland at clemson preview: the moment of truth

On January 29, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

They say it’s lonely at the top in whatever you do
You always gotta watch motherfuckers around you
Nobody’s invincible, no plan is foolproof
We all must meet our moment of truth

- Guru, Gang Starr, “Moment of Truth”

Gang Starr "Moment of Truth" was the hottest spit ever dribbled. Disagree at your own demise.

Here it is. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. After a shaky start, the Terps have taken care of business. Problems have been addressed. The team got the message from Gary, and is following the lead of Greivis. After a 9-4 start, Maryland has gone 5-1 with their only loss to a tough Wake Forest team on the road. They’re blowing opponents out, averaging a 28PT margin of victory over their four game winning streak. The team is firing on all cylinders, maximizing its potential, and playing its best ball.

Through nineteen games, Maryland sits alone atop the ACC. Now the real work begins.

Maryland travels to Clemson to face the #21 ranked Tigers on Sunday. After beating up on the likes of BC, Longwood College, NC State, and Miami, Maryland heads south to play a ranked opponent in a tough venue. Clemson comes into the game on a slide, losing three straight, but don’t let their recent losses fool you. Two of those three losses came against ranked opponents. The other was a letdown, but it was on the road at BC.

Jordan Williams passed a big test this week when he shut down DaWayne Collins of Miami. He’s going to get a bigger test this Sunday when he goes up against Trevor Booker. Booker is listed at 6′7″, 240 LBS, and every inch of the man child is chiseled stone. NBADraft.net has Booker going late in the first round of the 2010 draft. He’s legit.

Now, I love Williams, but he does have a bit of baby fat on him. He is going to have his hands full with Booker, who comes into the game 16 PTS and 8 RB per game. I believe this low post match-up is a major key to the game. Williams has to contain Booker. He can’t let him get too many second chance points. Williams isn’t going to get as many calls on the road as he did at home against Miami, so he’s going to have to show some maturity and toughness when he’s getting pushed around in Littlejohn Coliseum. If he can, the Terps should be in good shape.

Like Miami, Clemson seems to be struggling in defining roles at the guard spot. Four guards – Demontez Stitt, Tanner Smith, Andre Young, and recently Noel Johnson – have been rotating on the perimeter. Stitt had a huge 20PT game against UNC a couple weeks ago, but has since cooled off and DNP against BC with an ankle injury. While Smith and Young have faded during the Tiger’s losing streak, Johnson has been playing more, although his contributions have been irratic at best. Maryland should be able to exploit these guards and force turnovers, although it will be a bit tougher to do so on the road than it was against Miami in College Park.

Speaking of guards, my man Greivis got a mention in the Weekly Watch by ESPN’s Andy Katz. Katz cited his work against NC State, but the mention is more likely attributable to Greivis’s generally high level of play over the last few weeks. In Maryland’s five ACC games, Greivis is averaging a gaudy 21PTS/7AST/3RB per game, and he has shot 45% FG against ACC opponents. Vasquez will have opportunities to exploit Clemson this Sunday. I believe he will take them.

The overall match-up seems to favor the Terps, especially if you consider momentum. But make no mistake, beating Clemson in SC will be a major hurdle for Maryland. Littlejohn Coliseum will be rocking. Clemson is already playing for their postseason lives. Trevor Booker is a specimen. The Tigers will be a tough out.

How will the Terps fare in this Moment of Truth? This will be the tightest contest they’ve had since the Wake Forest game. I think they’ll pull it out, but the margin of victory will be in single digits.

Final Score: Maryland 78 - Clemson 74.

Addendum: In case you had any doubts as to how tough a game this will be for the Terps, the line in Vegas is opening with Clemson as a 5.5PT favorite.

Tagged with: Basketball • Greivis Vasquez • Jordan Williams • Previews • Trevor Booker

Stop the Presses! Maryland’s Trap Works…Just Don’t Get Used To It

On January 28, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

There is a growing opinion (mainly among myself) that the full-court press in general — and Maryland’s in particular — is becoming a bit of a relic. Following its Kentucky and UNLV heyday in the mid 80s to early 90s, the number of teams heavily using the traditional full-court trap seems to have greatly diminished. This is perhaps due in no small part to an increase in early college departures and the NCAA’s 1991 decision to reduce scholarships from 15 to 13. These changes mean teams can no longer simply overwhelm opponents with superior depth and athleticism. It may also have to do with the fact that the press is, frankly, pretty easy to solve. Just don’t panic, keep the ball moving, and throw over your defenders for an easy bucket when the opportunity inevitably presents itself.

That trend changed for the Terps on Tuesday against Miami. Maryland pressed them into 14 turnovers in the first half, and breakaway layups and and-ones were a regular occurrence for the Terps. After building a 17-point lead, Gary Williams called off the dogs in the second half, and Miami committed only three additional turnovers the rest of the way.

But it was probably more a blip than anything else. Miami’s main ballhandler is a freshman and all but one of their guards are underclassmen. They’re greener than a bin of alfalfa sprouts, and crumple just about as quickly under pressure. (Zing!) The larger trend is that of the press getting kind of sort of absolutely shredded. For example, the Cincinnati loss turned into a jailbreak, with Maryland giving up 12 fast-break points to score 16 while sacrificing valuable help defense. Even William and Mary — up this year, sure, but still no Kentucky — solved it to the tune of six three-pointers on 50 percent shooting before the Terps retreated to the zone after halftime.

Now take the recent 88-64 blowout of N.C. State, in which Maryland pressed very little and emerged with decisive advantages in fast-break points (10-2) and turnovers (11-9), all while holding N.C. State 18 points below its scoring average from the previous three games.

Which brings us to Sunday’s big showdown with Clemson. It will be extremely interesting to see what Maryland does given that Tigers point guard Demontez Stitt has a gimpy ankle. Here’s hoping they ”repress,” if you will, their full-court urges. Pressure defense is and should remain a Maryland signature, but the all-out full-court press seems like more of a situational play at this point. Is it a coincidence that several recent games, featuring a more judicious use of the press, have heralded no less than a full defensive turnaround? With cagey (and decidedly long-limbed) veterans Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne committing fully to defense, Sean Mosely become a stone-cold defensive stopper, a tougher and scrappier inside presence led by Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory, and some booster fuel off the bench in the form of Adrian Bowie (we’ll see if it sticks), this team doesn’t need to resort to gimmicks.

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Basketball • Dino Gregory • Gary Williams • Greivis Vasquez • Landon Milbourne

maryland whups miami 81-59

On January 27, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

The Terps made easy work of the lowly Miami Hurricanes last night in College Park. Before last night’s game I felt that Maryland would win, but I didn’t think it would be that easy. Maryland is coming into its own at just the right time this year. Here’s what I learned from the beat down of the McClintonless Canes:

Landon Milbourne is a stud. He was 7/10 from the field and finished with 16PTS and 5RB against a tough, physical Miami front court. The Brothers Barry were talking him up like he was NBA material toward the end of the game.
Speaking of the Brothers Barry, is it really appropriate to have them both announcing the same game? Their banter sounded like dinner conversation at some lame family gathering. ”Interesting point John, would you please pass the dinner rolls?” They actually went so far as to trot out family pictures. At one point, Drew Barry compared Greivis to Larry Bird. I love Greivis and all, but come on, couldn’t ESPNU get a couple of pros to do this game?
This game was the best game of Jordan Williams’s short career. 8PTS and 6RB might not sound like a sexy stat line, but he did it against Dawayne Collins, one of the bigger power forwards in the ACC. Williams also succeeded in keeping Collins off the offensive glass, which was no small feat, and took him off his game to the point where he was in foul trouble and sat for 16 minutes. Williams is starting to look like the missing piece that completes Maryland’s puzzle as a legitimate contender.
Dawayne Collins is a big dude but he’s slow. He needs to learn how to get his body under control, and he needs to learn that you can’t jump over the back of another player to get a rebound. That’s an “over-the-back foul”. It’s in the rulebook. Look it up.
To say that Miami is poorly coached is like saying that Baltimore has nasty strip clubs. It’s blatantly obvious, but nobody knows what to do to improve it. Miami spent the first half turning the ball over 14 times and leaving Maryland shooters wide open, and then they proceeded to do more of the same in the second half with no adjustments. Frank Haith was seriously outclassed last night.
Interesting point from the AP: “Combined with an 88-64 win over North Carolina State on Saturday, Maryland has recorded successive 20-point victories in the conference for the first time since February 2003.” After last night’s game I was thinking that I couldn’t remember a time when we had back-to-back ACC blowouts like this. Maybe that’s because my long term memory only goes back eight days.
Maryland is suddenly an outside shooting threat. Don’t tell anyone, but since the W&M game the Terps have been taking what the defense gives them. Last night they were 7/15 (46%) from beyond the arc. Keep playing zone, ACC opponents, please stay in that zone.
The press seemed to work last night against an inferior opponent. I don’t know if that’s a result of good coaching on Maryland’s part or bad coaching on Miami’s part, but it did work. Don’t count on it against Clemson.
It was a quiet 16 PTS and 9 AST for Greivis last night. He did what he needed to do to win the game. We only saw one Greivis Shimmy. Only one behind the back pass. I guess he’s saving his mojo for Sunday night.

Maryland has taken care of some crucial must win games before heading into the maelstrom that is the rest of the ACC schedule. I feel great about where the team is right now. The true test comes this Sunday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Tagged with: Basketball • Dawayne Collins • Greivis Vasquez • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne