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.
