Damn...The Terps almost pulled off consecutive wins versus two Top 5 teams, not to mention two of their biggest rivals! Things looked very positive for the Terps when they led by nine points at halftime. However, Duke still had 42 points to the Terps 51. If somebody had told me before the game that Duke would score 42 points in the first half, I wouldn't be thrilled. Maryland had their best offensive half of the year against Duke, but they still weren't shuttnig down the Devils. And history has told us that Duke is always capable of hitting a big shot when it counts, or more likely...getting a bogus call in their direction late in the game.
Gist and Osby were huge for the Terps down low. Duke is extremely weak in the front court, and the Terrapin seniors took advantage of that. Gist had 26 and 5 while Osby had 20 and 15 on the night. Those numbers are absolutely huge. Unfortunately Maryland didn't get much help from the bigs on their bench. Shane Walker had a rebound and Dave Neal had just a bucket and a board. This was the first game of the year that Braxton Dupree didn't see the floor, and I'm not surprised by that with Duke's type of play. BD isn't in good enough shape to run up and down the floor all night, and he isn't quick enough on defense to play against Duke's four guard lineups. Whats upsetting is that Dupree was supposed to be the 3rd big man on this team, and his minutes have been 12, 6, 8, 1, and 0 so far in ACC play. Thats not a good looking trend! He hasn't shown that he is ready to be a contributor on this team.
Despite the loss it feels better to be a Terps fan now than it was a month ago. A month ago today Maryland was 6-6 after losing to American University by eight. PATHETIC! It felt like everybody who followed Maryland basketball was ready to quit on this current team and crucify Gary Williams. In the last month Maryland has gone 6-2 with a win over the previously undefeated and #1 ranked Tarheels. Their two losses were unfortunately both in conference, but by a point to Virginia Tech and to the #3 ranked Duke. This has certainly been a good month for the Terps, and it would be for any other college basketball team too. Unfortunately the hole that the Terps are climbing out of is huge. At 2-3 in the ACC, they need to win about 7 or 8 more conference games to have any shot at the NCAA tourny. 19 or 20 wins with an upset of a potential #1 seed might get them into the tournament. However, that is still questionable with losses to teams like Ohio and American.
Like most people thought, the Terps will be a better team at the end of the year than they were to start it. However, with such an unpredictable lousy stretch to begin the year, will this team be good enough to have an overall positive season. The UNC win is certainly a highlight to be remembered for years, but will that be the only redeeming memory of this season? A win over Carolina and an extremely competitive loss to a Duke team that played well tonight give me hope that the Terps have yet to peak this season.
Showing posts with label terps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terps. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Terps Lose
Last night was my first opportunity to see the Maryland Terrapins this season. Thanks to their matchup with #1 UCLA, they got a nationally televised game on ESPN. I came away from that game not feeling too enthused about the team.
Maryland hoops fans have had things good for a long time. Gary Williams has done a great job of always fielding a good team. Even with some of their relative struggles over the last few years, they have still been a winning team in one of the best conferences in college basketball. However, it is hard to predict a great year from a team as young as this year's Terps. They return just 2 seniors(big men James Gist and Bambale Osby), 1 junior(Dave Neal 4.4 mpg and 1.6 ppg in 06-07), and 3 sophomores(Eric Hayes, Greivis Vasquez, and Landon Milbourne). Milbourne barely played last season and is basically a freshman in terms of experience, and Neal doesn't have much big game minutes under his belt. So basically the team is coming back with 4 proven contributors.
Williams seems to have Vasquez at the 1 with Hayes at the 2. Although Hayes is the better pure shooter, I don't think this is the best use of their combined talents. Eric played PG in high school, and seems to have that mentality. While Vasquez is a capable ball handler, his aggressive nature isn't suited for running the point full time. Both are capable players though, however neither is a true shooting guard. Vasquez is too inconsistent from beyond the arc, and Hayes doesn't have the mindset or physical ability to create his own shot. I like them on the court together, but I think they would both flourish more if the Terps had a legitimate 2 guard.
Gist and Osby look solid down low. Boom definitely improved his offensive game since last season, although he still turns the ball over way too much. I would like to see the Terps get the ball to Gist more, and for James to act quicker when he feels a double team. These two guys will be relied on game in and game out to put up solid numbers.
Watching the game last night was an introduction for me to the 5 freshman and Milbourne. What I saw from them wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't make me feel good about this season. Milbourne got the start next to the 4 players who got time last season, and he also saw the most minutes of the newcomers. He had a few promising moments, and ended up with 6 points and 5 rebounds. As the starter in the 3 spot, he should be putting up more than just 6 points. He seems like a good enough athlete to start at that spot, but I didn't witness a ton of intensity out of him. Considering that he didn't get time last season, and is still adjusting to being on the floor full time, I'll cut him some slack. However, I hope he comes out a little more determined to make plays later on this season.
Adrian Bowie had the next best showing among the new guys. He played 15 minutes, and had a solid stat sheet with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. His quickness was evident the whole time he was on the court, but there were several times when it seemed he struggled to control the ball. Unlike Milbourne he didn't lack aggressiveness, but it seemed like his game wasn't quite developed enough to be a reliable weapon. I can see him having some big games off of the bench this year, and he should be fun to watch.
Cliff Tucker had just 8 minutes, and never seemed to get into the flow of the game while he was on the court. He seemed to handle the ball well for a taller guy, but that was all I noticed from him. I'd definitely like to see more of him soon.
Calvert Hall product Braxton Dupree got decent minutes against UCLA's freshman big man Kevin Love. Dupree has a body that reminds me of Lonny Baxter. He is a short, yet muscular center who will rely on positioning more so than athleticism to be successful. Love definitely outplayed him on the boards when they went up against each other. Braxton seemed to have a soft touch around the rim, but needs to work on boxing out when he goes up against other physical big men.
The last freshman to get in the game was Dino Gregory, who I only saw for the final minute when James Gist had fouled out. It looks like he may find himself outside of the main rotation right now.
Overall there seems to be some promise with this large recruiting class. However, there isn't a guy who appears ready to step in and be a major contributor yet. With the lack of experienced depth on the team, they will all see good time this season and hopefully one of them shows they are ready to step up and carry a greater load for this team. Otherwise I don't know if Maryland has what it takes to be near the top of the ACC this season.
Maryland hoops fans have had things good for a long time. Gary Williams has done a great job of always fielding a good team. Even with some of their relative struggles over the last few years, they have still been a winning team in one of the best conferences in college basketball. However, it is hard to predict a great year from a team as young as this year's Terps. They return just 2 seniors(big men James Gist and Bambale Osby), 1 junior(Dave Neal 4.4 mpg and 1.6 ppg in 06-07), and 3 sophomores(Eric Hayes, Greivis Vasquez, and Landon Milbourne). Milbourne barely played last season and is basically a freshman in terms of experience, and Neal doesn't have much big game minutes under his belt. So basically the team is coming back with 4 proven contributors.
Williams seems to have Vasquez at the 1 with Hayes at the 2. Although Hayes is the better pure shooter, I don't think this is the best use of their combined talents. Eric played PG in high school, and seems to have that mentality. While Vasquez is a capable ball handler, his aggressive nature isn't suited for running the point full time. Both are capable players though, however neither is a true shooting guard. Vasquez is too inconsistent from beyond the arc, and Hayes doesn't have the mindset or physical ability to create his own shot. I like them on the court together, but I think they would both flourish more if the Terps had a legitimate 2 guard.
Gist and Osby look solid down low. Boom definitely improved his offensive game since last season, although he still turns the ball over way too much. I would like to see the Terps get the ball to Gist more, and for James to act quicker when he feels a double team. These two guys will be relied on game in and game out to put up solid numbers.
Watching the game last night was an introduction for me to the 5 freshman and Milbourne. What I saw from them wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't make me feel good about this season. Milbourne got the start next to the 4 players who got time last season, and he also saw the most minutes of the newcomers. He had a few promising moments, and ended up with 6 points and 5 rebounds. As the starter in the 3 spot, he should be putting up more than just 6 points. He seems like a good enough athlete to start at that spot, but I didn't witness a ton of intensity out of him. Considering that he didn't get time last season, and is still adjusting to being on the floor full time, I'll cut him some slack. However, I hope he comes out a little more determined to make plays later on this season.
Adrian Bowie had the next best showing among the new guys. He played 15 minutes, and had a solid stat sheet with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. His quickness was evident the whole time he was on the court, but there were several times when it seemed he struggled to control the ball. Unlike Milbourne he didn't lack aggressiveness, but it seemed like his game wasn't quite developed enough to be a reliable weapon. I can see him having some big games off of the bench this year, and he should be fun to watch.
Cliff Tucker had just 8 minutes, and never seemed to get into the flow of the game while he was on the court. He seemed to handle the ball well for a taller guy, but that was all I noticed from him. I'd definitely like to see more of him soon.
Calvert Hall product Braxton Dupree got decent minutes against UCLA's freshman big man Kevin Love. Dupree has a body that reminds me of Lonny Baxter. He is a short, yet muscular center who will rely on positioning more so than athleticism to be successful. Love definitely outplayed him on the boards when they went up against each other. Braxton seemed to have a soft touch around the rim, but needs to work on boxing out when he goes up against other physical big men.
The last freshman to get in the game was Dino Gregory, who I only saw for the final minute when James Gist had fouled out. It looks like he may find himself outside of the main rotation right now.
Overall there seems to be some promise with this large recruiting class. However, there isn't a guy who appears ready to step in and be a major contributor yet. With the lack of experienced depth on the team, they will all see good time this season and hopefully one of them shows they are ready to step up and carry a greater load for this team. Otherwise I don't know if Maryland has what it takes to be near the top of the ACC this season.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Terps Win
Maryland needs to be thankful after Saturday that Georgia Tech wasn't lined up in the middle of the field on their last FG attempt. If GT's kicker had placed the ball just several feet to his left, then the Jackets end up with a win and hand the Terps another crushing ACC loss. Luckily though a W is all that matters at the end of the day.
The big deal coming into this week was how Chris Turner had led the Terps to victory over Rutgers, and the offense looked as good as it has all year with him at QB. Ralph Friedgen made statements during the week that Jordan Steffy will be back at starter if he is healthy, which obviously wasn't the case Saturday. I thought Turner looked good again on Saturday. He did have one crucial mistake, which was the fumble that GT returned for a TD before the half. That definitely gave the Jackets momentum and 7 points which kept it close down the stretch. However, he showed poise the rest of the game in the pocket, and made throws that I have never seen Steffy make.
I think the Fridge has a situation here that will be tough to resolve with his QBs. The traditional thinking is that players don't lose their jobs because of injury. However, do you rock the boat when things are going so well. Right now Turner has been at the helm for wins over 2 previously winning teams. If he is grading out at a high level, which I imagine he has to be, then I don't think you bring back Steffy yet. Jordan Steffy seems like a great guy and a great teammate. However, he doesn't look to me to be a great quarterback. He seems to have a Chad Pennington style of playing the position. He looks for the short easy pass and expects his receivers to do all the work. Turner is capable of making those passes, but also stretches the field. I think he makes a defense have to worry about more things than Steffy at this point.
Anyways...I don't make those decisions, and I'll support whoever the Terps have under center. Regardless of who has been playing at QB, the Terps running game has excelled, and deserves a lot of credit. Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball are a great 1-2 punch that don't get a ton of credit for how they play. Hopefully a few more wins in a row will get MD into the Top 25 and a little bit more national exposure.
The big deal coming into this week was how Chris Turner had led the Terps to victory over Rutgers, and the offense looked as good as it has all year with him at QB. Ralph Friedgen made statements during the week that Jordan Steffy will be back at starter if he is healthy, which obviously wasn't the case Saturday. I thought Turner looked good again on Saturday. He did have one crucial mistake, which was the fumble that GT returned for a TD before the half. That definitely gave the Jackets momentum and 7 points which kept it close down the stretch. However, he showed poise the rest of the game in the pocket, and made throws that I have never seen Steffy make.
I think the Fridge has a situation here that will be tough to resolve with his QBs. The traditional thinking is that players don't lose their jobs because of injury. However, do you rock the boat when things are going so well. Right now Turner has been at the helm for wins over 2 previously winning teams. If he is grading out at a high level, which I imagine he has to be, then I don't think you bring back Steffy yet. Jordan Steffy seems like a great guy and a great teammate. However, he doesn't look to me to be a great quarterback. He seems to have a Chad Pennington style of playing the position. He looks for the short easy pass and expects his receivers to do all the work. Turner is capable of making those passes, but also stretches the field. I think he makes a defense have to worry about more things than Steffy at this point.
Anyways...I don't make those decisions, and I'll support whoever the Terps have under center. Regardless of who has been playing at QB, the Terps running game has excelled, and deserves a lot of credit. Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball are a great 1-2 punch that don't get a ton of credit for how they play. Hopefully a few more wins in a row will get MD into the Top 25 and a little bit more national exposure.
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