Question: Matt Pilgrim or Save the Scholarship for 2010?

I believe the answer to this question will be rather one-sided, but I'm interested to see it regardless, but there has to be some debate about it. As you probably know by now, the Terps are hot after Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim, and are supposedly looking good. I believe he still needs to visit OK State and possibly Cincinnati, but Maryland has a legit chance with the 6'9" big man.

To learn everything you need to about Pilgrim, check out our previous post here.

Now, I have no doubt the staff already gave him the scholarship offer, so this isn't up for debate - it's a purely hypothetical issue. But, since everyone loves picking a side, it's time to pick now.

First, why take Pilgrim? Well, he's a big body who's ready to contribute right away, for one, which is something Maryland seriously lacks. Sure, the Terps have Jordan Williams and James Padgett coming in, but it's rare for a high 3 star big man to come in and make an impact in the ACC. Pilgrim could provide the perfect amount of buffer for the duo to get acclimated to the ACC. Not to mention, he's actually a very good player who (supposedly) would've started for Kentucky had he not had to sit for his transfer. He could cement Maryland's status as a top 4 ACC team, and vault them from fringe top 25 to securely top 20. Not to mention, he could have a very positive effect on recruiting - tweeners like Terrence Jones and CJ Leslie could see this as confirmation that they won't be stuck in the post the entire time.

Of course, there are negatives: it takes a scholarship away from that stacked 2010 recruiting, in which the Terps are looking pretty good. That may not matter if Steve Goins ends up transferring out again or if Jerome Burney gets hurt again, but it does minimize the impact that class could make. There's also the issue of the possibility that he doesn't get a waiver from the NCAA - he is presumed to get one, because he was forced out of a scholarship - and ends up having to sit out another year, a la Gus Gilchrist, which would be a major downer. Then there's the issue of possibly overrating Pilgrim - he averaged 10 points at Hampton before the Kentucky transfer, where he didn't play a minute due to the sitting-out requirement. Just how good is he, and how much of him is hype?

Choose carefully: