Erick Green's 24 Leads Hokies in Thrashing of Maryland, 74-57
by Ben Broman on Jan 20, 2011 11:17 PM EST
in Basketball
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PrintOuch.
Virginia Tech started the game with a 12-0 run, Erick Green dropped a career-high 24 points, and the Hokies destroyed the Maryland Terrapins on their home floor, winning 74-57 in a crucial ACC matchup. Maryland now drops to 1-3 in the conference, putting their NCAA tournament hopes in precarious position.
Oh, and here's a fun note: the 17-point margin is Maryland's biggest defeat ever in the Comcast Center. Yeah, it's a relatively young building, but the thing is nearly a decade old at this point. They've played any number of ranked teams in this building, including some highly-ranked Duke and UNC teams, many times when they were NIT-bound, and they never lost that badly.
That tells you plenty about how Maryland played. In fact, it tells you pretty much everything you need to know.
I'm not in the mood to do much recapping, nor are you likely in the mood to read much of it. Virginia Tech started out on a 12-0 run; Maryland's first seven possessions resulted in 0-5 shooting from the field and two turnovers. VT went with a zone and Maryland simply didn't know how to attack it; they sat on the perimeter, passed it around, and took bad perimeter shots.
That was pretty much the story of the game. Maryland battled back to get the game within single digits near the end of the first half, but a Manny Atkins three at the buzzer gave VT an 11-point lead going into the half. I'm not quite sure how to describe the second half other than saying it wasn't much different than the first one; except for a Beast Mode sequence by Cliff Tucker that brought the lead down to 8 around the 8:00 mark, the Terrapins looked pretty lifeless. They never got closer than eight after Tucker's run, and the Hokies pulled away down the stretch.
Here's how bad things got: Mychal Parker got 8 minutes of playing time. And not in garbage time and/or in an ironic manner. Yeah, it was that bad. And you know what, I wish he got even more PT.
There's a variety of things worth noting, chief among them the change in the starting lineup: Gary Williams pulled Terrell Stoglin and Adrian Bowie in favor of Pe'Shon Howard and Cliff Tucker. Obviously, that was a pretty short-lived line-up after that terrible 12-0 start. I don't think that was the reason for that awful run, but I also don't think we'll see it starting out any other games.
Past that, though, anything that might've otherwise had been considered "notable" is kind of tough to put weight in because the performance was just so bad. Maryland's the best defensive team in the country according to KenPom, but you sure as heck wouldn't know it by that performance. Just as an example, Erick Green, a sophomore starting only due to Dorenzo Hudson's injury, dropped 24, including 14 in the first half. Yes, that was a career-high; he averages only 10 points a game.
But don't think I'm cherry-picking. VT looked great offensively, and a lot of that was Maryland's doing. Again, they were lifeless and looked both disinterested and incompetent.
Things were worse offensively. I pray that I don't hear any type of "Well, VT used a zone" excuses tomorrow. Virginia Tech used a 2-3 zone, yeah, but that's a pretty basic basketball concept. Just because it's a zone doesn't mean the only recourse is to sit there, stare at it, and drool. Gary Williams has been coaching basketball for decades, these guys have been playing basketball for their entire lives, and I'm fairly certain both have encountered a zone before. It's not an excuse for that poor of a performance.
Jordan Williams, the best Maryland post player this decade and possibly the best player in the ACC, was all but ignored in the first half (and even much of the second). I counted a grand total of two touches (that weren't rebounds) inside the three-point line in the first half, and that's unacceptable for someone of his talent level. I don't know if it was Williams' fault, everyone else's fault, or both, but that cannot happen. Zone or no zone, Jordan needs to be touching the ball consistently down low.
And if you're wondering, yes, Jordan got his double-double. All but two of his 11 points came in the second half, but he got it done. 11 and 11 is a pretty bad total for Jordan these days, but hey, at least he tied Elmore and kept the streak alive.
I could go on. And on. And on. Sean Mosley played terribly again, shooting 2-9 with four turnovers. Terrell Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard looked lost at point guard for the first time all year; they combined for 2 assists, 5 turnovers, and 1-6 shooting. No one looked nearly aggressive enough against that aforementioned zone. They were 6-20 from deep. They shot 35% from the field. They were outrebounded by an inferior rebounding team. And Erick frickin' Green lit them up on the other end of the floor.
In other news, expect to see a lot of zone defense the rest of the year. Like, every single game.
I hate to question effort, and I'm not going to. Far be it for me to know how much exactly Sean Mosley wanted to win this game, or how much Adrian Bowie wanted to get to loose balls, or whatever other complaints there may have been. But even without criticizing effort, I can safely say that was the worst performance I've seen from a Maryland team at the Comcast Center, and the worst overall since that 40-point thrashing at Duke a few years ago. It was simply sad to watch. I don't know if it was preparation, focus, competency, or, yeah, maybe effort, but that was just terrible.
As a wrap-up, no Maryland's not out of the NCAA tournament picture. This is Maryland we're talking about after all: this program has made a living off of unexpected, late-season runs in the ACC to sneak into the NCAAT. But they're now firmly on the outside looking in, and the NIT certainly appears to be the most likely outcome. They can obviously play with anyone, but if they're not ready to go, they're not good enough to beat even the Virginia Techs and Boston Colleges of the world on their home floor.
No matter how many close games they lose to good teams, they're not going to get into the tournament without victories. And after watching that performance, it's not irrational to think that they can't get those wins.
It's tough to predict what will happen. In half of the games they've played, they've looked like an unquestionable NCAA tournament team, just waiting to break through. In the other half, they've barely looked like an NIT team. I have no idea which way the season will break, nor would I be surprised by either potential outcome. That's the nature of Maryland's team most years, and this year especially.
And no, that doesn't make being a fan very much fun. Things aren't over yet, but they're not looking up.
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Think it might be time to stop kidding ourselves
Call me negative, maybe i am after a loss like that, but honestly we may not be the team that we all thought and hoped we were. We may just not be that good this year. We have zero consistent perimeter scoring. Jordan Williams is a beast, yes, but we have no clue how to get him the ball, especially against a zone. We make very bad decisions with the ball, and anytime we have a run or some spark of life, we compound it with bonehead decisions and missed free throws. This is probably one of the worst losses i can remember in a while, and honestly i don’t know if its going to get better this season. Now, maybe we will catch fire and put together some wins, but not if we keep playing the way we have been playing. This team just does not know how to win, which is the polar opposite of last years team. God i miss the general.
Tonight’s game and our 1-3 ACC start really makes me appreciate last year’s 13-3 team a heck of a lot more.
Sigh…
by terpsfan06 on Jan 20, 2011 11:26 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Padge, Parker and Paulson
need to see more time on the floor. Maybe a loss like this will make Gary go with less of this three guard crap. Guard has got to be our weakest spot and he insists on playing three of them. At least the three P’s showed some energy. Rotate the two frosh at point and let SM and AB back up CT.
I agree...
I would really like to see a lot more PT for Hawk. Although he is jitterish out there sometimes, he is generally smart with ball and can actually move the ball the way its supposed to be moved.
I also have been very impressed with Padge. He may not have all the skill in the world but he busts his ass when hes in there
A few more thoughts
I just don’t like editorializing the recap too much.
- I’m pretty pissed off right now, as I imagine everyone else is. Virginia Tech isn’t bad, but there’s no way the fan that’s inside of all of us isn’t thinking “We just got blown out on our home floor by Virginia Tech. WTF is going on here?” This was a Lombardi “WTH’s going on out there?” moment if I ever saw it.
- Maryland’s obviously not quite as good as they had shown against Villanova, Pitt, Illinois, etc. It’s likely that they were more mentally ready for those games, as many teams are, and just don’t come as ready to play against lesser teams. Or maybe it’s just the zone. Or a combination of the two. Whatever the case may be, the only teams Maryland’s beaten this year are clearly inferior to them in almost every capacity. Every team that’s as least as good as they are has beaten them, even on Maryland’s own floor. That’s a very bad sign.
- That said, I find it tough to believe they’re that bad, either. Jordan Williams can’t be ignored that much every game, and the defense will improve. This was a perfect storm of sorts.
- Still, it’s unbelievably depressing and you’re perfectly right if this lowered your expectations of the team.
Bottom line, this team just is not very good
This team doesnt have high basketball IQ players- Tucker, Mosley and Bowie should be the leaders on this team, and I dont mean the “rally around me” kind of leaders. I mean the type of players that control the offense, recognize important possessions over the course of the game and get quality shots on those possessions. each of these 3 is a major disappointment- we all hoped for the best from each, but the bottom line is they havent imporved, and whats most disappointing is its the mental aspect much more than the physical/skill aspect
Dont think I’ever seen a display so poor tonight by a college team against a zone defense- in terms of passing the ball into the post, finding the lanes to penetrate, and finding the soft spots to get a good shot. Unbelievably poor
angry
disappointed
depressed
sick
maryland basketball is bad for my health
by bloodwatermission on Jan 20, 2011 11:43 PM EST reply actions
So
Was Mychal Parker’s PT a sign of him getting more PT in future ACC games, or was it just a hail mary by Gary, hoping for a spark from someone? Guessing on the latter, but Elmore did say Parker was really taking it to the starters in practice.
Last time we played this bad was the 40 pt loss to Duke and I believe Eric Hayes was pulled from the starting lineup. We can only hope that something like this might happen at the three spot. Maybe SM is better off as a spark plug.
by musicturtle on Jan 20, 2011 11:51 PM EST up reply actions
When he went in with 12:30 left, I was shocked. I would have thought he would put in Weiss as a desperation, considering he’s played a bunch earlier this season and has been OK. Parker looked a little slow chasing down a rotation of VT players, but I think he has the talent he just has to improve his decision making.
But on the upside, he did make both his free throws. Did you know we did better than VT? 73% – 69%
You know ten years ago the Terps would have gotten booed for a performance like this
Is it possible that excellence is no longer the expectation for the hoops team? Kinda sad if so.
I booed them.
Baseball: the only sport whose commissioner wants you to think it is still 1960.
by phillies fan in bowie on Jan 20, 2011 11:58 PM EST up reply actions
Disgusted.
I have never seen J Williams look that disinterested and slow since he got here. I’ll give him his one bad game pass, but I hope this doesn’t become a habit. More disturbing, IMO, was realizing the fact that Gary has seriously mellowed, and the good old days are gone. I remember when Gary would have lost it and went ape shit in order to break through to an under performing team. Instead, Gary was smirking and half-joking with the ref after a bullshit offensive foul call on moseley with about 3 mins to go. Damn, I miss my Gary….
I have to agree with this
I saw the same bs during the Nova game. We just blew the game and he’s smiling and looking like he’s cracking his best bar jokes with the ref. I was staying positive with this squad but now I just don’t see how I can stay that way. NIT may be a long shot now. Hope I’m wrong.
by LowcountryTerp1 on Jan 21, 2011 10:24 AM EST up reply actions
I don't know about that...
With three minutes to go the game was already well over. However, did you see Gary when he called that first time out after they went down 12-0 to start the game? He was about to explode. he looked right at Tucker and Howard and yelled at them to get out of the game and sit down. He didn’t look to be in a good mood to me. And Gary usually has a good relationship (joking even) with most refs. At least that’s what I’ve seen during games.
im super pissed
Maybe I’m just way to angry right now. I bet 2 girls who went to va tech on this game… Not money but a naked pic. So I’ve sent more dick pics then brett farve tonight. Anyway, wtf is gary doing? Our guard play blows. Jordan williams rarely saw the ball. I didn’t think I would ever say this but…. Maybe gary is past his prime. We can’t land any premier recruits because we run a flex that doesn’t translate to the most athletic players, he refuses to go on the recruiting trail… Or at least compared to rick barnes, roy, coach k, etc. Yea he can coach but when va tech has more athletic players on the court then us…. And we get blown out by 17, and they score 12 before we score 1… Shit needs to change. Our class next year sucks as well. I’ve been trying to play the glass is half full game all week… But let’s be honest. It isn’t. Hubert is gone. Whittington, who knows… Every other option…. Well there isn’t any other options. Lost on lewis and space because we didn’t give them solid offers and waited on hubert. good one! I’m glad fridge is gone and I’m ready for gary to be gone. J will will go pro and we are going to be bottom 3 in the acc w or w out gary next year. No way j will sticks around if he it supposed to be a 1st round pick. How’s he supposed to get any f-ing better if we don’t have a shooter to free him up? Now every team is gonna run a 2-3 zone on us and eliminate him from the game. Tonight blowssss big time.
by Charlotte NC Terp on Jan 20, 2011 11:53 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Time for excuses is running out...
No need to panic at all guys - the Terps shot an incredible 73% from the free throw line which is a huge improvement!
Of course they only shot 30% from 3 point range and a PITIFUL 36% from the field but hey it’s unreasonable to expect Gary and the Terps to have improved their anemic offense halfway through the season! The Terps were playing at home tonight in a virtual must win game, the staple of a Gary Williams coached team is to perform well in those situations right!
On the bright side, Howard looked good in his start going 0 for 5 which fits right in with the rest of the team. Sean Mosley continued his rapid improvement in his junior season with 6 huge points also way to go!
Face the facts - the Terps are horrid offensively and are showing ZERO signs of improvement, they are getting worse with each game. Even playing at home against an average team the Terps can’t score. Gary has not gotten this team to progress at all during the season in his vaunted flex offense.
It’s a good thing Gary isn’t under a tight of a noose as Ralph Friedgen as the Terps are now headed to their 4th NIT in 7 seasons barring a major turnaround. According to our new AD Maryland aspires to be GREAT. However seeing the pitifully mediocre results of the basketball program in recent years and showing signs of collapse this season, maybe a change will be in order for basketball very soon under the new regime…
Cut and paste much?
You are like on every site with the same tired song.
As Johnny Dep once said You need to get yourself a girl mate!
I kinda agree
We won a natty in 2002 and have seen ONE sweet 16 since……..
by TERP4LIFE96 on Jan 21, 2011 12:30 AM EST up reply actions
And that Sweet 16 was the year after the Natty, we haven't made it past the 2nd round since 2003
I love Gary, and I am in no way saying that he needs to be fired. As far as I am concerned he has earned the right to stay as long as he wants. He brought this program back from the dead and took them to as high a place as you can go as a college bball program.
But…
Since 2003, we have been way too inconsistent of a program. Its clear that good coaching can only take you so far. Something has to change with the way we are recruiting. And I know that the team we lost to has had worse classes then us in the past and is full of the same type of 3 and low 4 star players that we have. But I don’t want to be Virginia Tech.
We can’t be Duke or UNC, I get that. But we should be able to consistently get a top 3 class in the ACC with all this local talent, and its not happening.
Getting Faust is a start, if we can get Justin Anderson next year, things could start to roll.
4 Things We Learned Tonight
1. We have no idea how to execute a post entry pass (Minus Hawk)
2. Jordan Williams can apparently get a double-double even in his worst games
3. Mosley has gone from a fan favorite for his effort to a player who is almost impossible to like as a result of his lack of skill
4. Hawk needs to see the floor more, especially when facing a zone
I didn’t think I could be more frustrated with this team than I was Sunday. I was certainly mistaken. Horrible performance tonight that leaves me questioning what I once believed was a talented, albeit unlucky team.
Besides a 3 minute stretch where Tucker caught fire, a simple 2-3 zone absolutely flummoxed the Terps. It isn’t that surprising since you beat zones with shooting and we are terrible at shooting, but I would have expected better passing at the very least. Their was more than a handful of passes that were atrocious and the ball very rarely made it to the paint or the high post. When it started to, Tucker hit 3 straight 3’s.
Why didn’t Gary play Hawk more tonight? It seemed like he has been seeing the floor more the two games since Duke, but not tonight? I admit that I have quickly become a big fan of his. Was it just me or did it seem like every time he saw the floor, the offense flowed better. It appeared that he miraculously found it possible to execute a pass into the post?! Not to mention he is at least a capable outside shooter, which would have helped beat a zone (more than stoglin and howard can say on most nights).
One More Thing - NCAA Hopes
I hate to say it, but I think the best chance for the Terps to land a bid this year is by putting together a good 3-4 day stretch and stealing the ACC tournament. To earn an at-large bid, we’d have to put together a near flawless 2 month stretch, maybe we can afford another 2 regular season losses? Considering this teams obvious flaws (free throw shooting, point guard play, three point shooting, entry passes, post depth) I’d take our chances with a flawless 3 days over a near flawless 2 months.
Our Gaurds
Just aren’t skilled enough and they aren’t getting better quickly enough. Watching a guy like Delaney play makes me realize that none of the guards on our squad are anywhere close to being a complete, consistent player. If we had one person who was at least well rounded and consistent this would be a completely different year, but we don’t and this is what we’re left with.
Recruiting is the key
If your head coach can’t recruit you just can’t be successful. Let’s look at what Gary has done since the miraculous NC. He can’t get quality big men. He can’t get outside shooters with the exception of Mike Jones who he kept on the bench for three and a half years. He gets leftovers, previously injured, and seriously flawed players. It’s time to replace Gary, but from all we hear he will leave on his own terms when he is ready and not before. It seems like “true fans” are happy to have dear Gary here and are not concerned with how far we have fallen. Let’s not hear that North Carolina has had their share of bad years. Not compared to Gary’s Terps. It’s time for him to go. I only hope the new AD has the nerve and the will to replace him. How far can this program drop. Only time will tell, but the lack of skill players that Gary has recruited will need some miracles to finish at 500 in ACC play. Even the flex won’t save this team in mho. I hope that I’m wrong, but this team is too flawed and I see no better things for next year’s squad. Time for Gary to go.
No way
Will Gary get fired, at least not this season. We lost our best 3 players from last year, one of whom is our 2nd all time leading scorer and an all time great. It was to be expected that we were going to drop off. This was a bad game, a horrible game, and Gary deserves a lot of the blame for how we played and what we had on the floor.
But there is still a lot of season left to be played. I remember a team back in 2001 that lost to FSU at home, their 5th ACC loss in 6 games, got booed off the court, and everyone was saying how bad we were and how we were going to go to the NIT.
Now, I don’t think theres a Juan Dixon on this team, but remember, Juan Dixon didn’t become JUAN DIXON until after he went through what he did in 2001 during that horrible stretch of games. Nobody thought that team had it in them to do what they did.
Nobody thinks this team can do anything this year. We might not, but looking at past Gary teams, I am not going to bet against them.
I guess...
Jordan isn’t a quality big man. But what do I know?
by Dave Tucker on Jan 21, 2011 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
was this team smoking crack tonight or what? good grief
I’ll give credit to Virginia Tech but sheeeeesh this game was ridiculous. Too many fat girlfriends whispering in our ears. Okay starting line-up for next game Jordan, Padgett, Hawk, Parker and Dino. Looks like we have backslid and are now headed to the NIT. I sure hope Faust and Gibbs can help turn us around next year.
The team has a lot of sparkplugs off the bench
Bowie, Tucker, Mosley, Palsson, Dino—- they’re all guys that would be sixth and 7th men on most teams, jumping in and providing hustle and grit. J Will is really the only legitimate starter out there. Stoglin and Howard have that fire I suppose, but theyre young and inexperienced.
Consider last year, GV was a clear starter. Milbourne was borderline, but still closer than others. J Will proved himself too. What I mean to say is that starters are supposed to be consisently good. Except for this game, Mt Williams is consistently good. So was Greivis. If you look at 2002, Dixon, Blake, Baxter, Wilcox, Mouton those guys were good EVERY SINGLE GAME. Nicholas too was pretty consistently good, but he was a little streakier. Holden and Randle, for example, werent consistently good, but they could come in and add some fuel.
MD currently has alot of guys who can jump in and inject some life, but no one besides Jordan Williams who can consistently deliver. Theres too much of a variable. MD is not good because so much depends on the game for the players on the team. Cliff is great one day, and disappears the next. Mosley, same thing. Bowie, same thing. Or if they are consistent, they are consistent in hustle, a la Palsson, which is GREAT, but its still not enough unforunately.
That being said, Faust + Williams + Stoglin —> sounds pretty good to me :)
Easy everybody...
I agree that this game was an abomination, that this game was inexcusable.
But bad games happen. Especially on a team when you have 5 freshmen getting serious minutes.
From the beginning of the season, the question was, who will put up points for this team? At some point, teams were going to start noticing Jordan Williams. This was a zone that VT played tonight, but they always had someone playing Jordan Williams off the ball as well. That put pressure on our guards to make open shots — which they can’t do. Sorry, Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker, they need to make shots.
Cliff and Adrian are seniors with little starting or closing experience — and, face it, pretty low ceilings ability-wise. They are expected to shoulder a lot of the load, and they can’t really do it. Terrence Ross really would have helped.
Sean Mosley’s downfall has really been unforeseen. He came in with so much promise and was a really good scorer in high school — like, really, really good. I think he has a confidence problem, because he has good scoring ability but hasn’t trusted himself to take shots. He is the KING of the unnecessary pump fake. Let it fly…
I think we all agree on one thing — Hawk Paulsson deserves a lot more PT. The kid is what Mosley used to be — smart, reliable, good for a few points and a few steals if he’s given a chance. I’d certainly take him on the floor instead of Bowie at a lot of points.
If there was a pleasant surprise tonight, it was the skill of James Padgett and Mychal Parker. Those guys can really play. I think they both deserve more PT — especially considering it’s likely Padgett will be a starter next year and Parker will be one either next year or the following year. Gary clearly was just hoping for anyone to come in and give us a spark, and both of them really had good games. I bet we see both more.
2 other observations:
1) We commit more turnovers than any MD team I’ve seen in a long time. It’s the product of freshmen guards, but Mosley, Bowie and Tucker make so many dumb passes (often while jumping or running) that seem to always fall in the hands of defenders. We all need to forgive Stoglin and Howard for a few turnovers here and there, but they have been really careless with the ball lately. I think this is a coaching problem to some extent — they must not really grasp the offense.
2) We got severely outrebounded by a team whose tallest player was shorter than about 3 of our players. The effort was simply not there. I think this team was tired of losing and was wiped from a tough stretch of games. VT was also motivated from all this stuff going on in the media and came out on fire.
This was a bad game, and Gary should be blamed for a lot of it, including the fact that we have no outside scorer. But the tournament isn’t out of the question, though it’s not likely, and we have a lot of building blocks for the future. Let’s just hope we don’t see that again for a while… or ever.
by mmford10 on Jan 21, 2011 12:58 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
The only 2 good things to come from this game
1. Jordan got his double-double, even though he did nothing proactive in the first half
2. Hawk was spectacular and I hope he sees more playing time in the future
… everything else made me sad
I agree with many of these comments
Closing the gap to 8 points at the 8 minute mark on your homecourt and then folding as soon as VT scored speaks volumes about what we are. We are more of a collection of individuals right now than a team. Cliff and Adrian have made it clear that they just want to be role players but not leaders. Sean is struggling. Like it or not, I think the biggest problem we have is finding five guys that will play to win.
Lack of leadership
Especially at the guard position where it is most important is killing this team. When a team goes on a run against us you don’t see anyone step up and get our team together in a huddle or something to straighten things out; the run just keeps going as if there is no problem. I think Mosley could be that guy but I think his lack of confidence with his shot right now is preventing him from being the leader I thought he was going to be.
and lets go to Bentleys...
by johnnyrobs13 on Jan 21, 2011 9:44 AM EST up reply actions
Recap
I’m tired of hearing about JWill’s streak it means nothing for the team. Second JWill disappeared tonight. You can complain about we didn’t get him the ball, but great players find ways to make themselves open and that he did not tonight.
We have no clue in half court offense, especially when a real switches it up from man to zone and back to man.
We are NIT bound no doubt about it. I am disappointed, but at least now I’mnot going to be pissed about since my expectations are finally back to reality and not fantasy.
by El Goodd Terps13 on Jan 21, 2011 3:59 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Is it just me
or was this a big fat X’s and O’s fail for Gary Williams? I mean he had to know that they were going to run a zone…right? Like, if you are a real college basketball coach you at least run plays in practice to break a zone. At first I was like OK, GW will adjust…but no! At some point the players can only do so much. Their goal was to lock down JW (which they did) and force outside shots..and Gary basically watched a tutorial on how to run a Syracuse-esque zone defense. I maybe saw one or two passes into the top of the key (granted, I left with 5 min left) to attempt to break the zone but it was overall pitiful
I wonder
Just how much the 7 minute nose dive against Nova hurt this team? It may have been the straw that broke the camels back after sticking close to several other very good teams. Last night they had no fight, played soft and overall were just plain slow and seemed for the most part to just mail it in. Lack of on court leadership is the biggest problem, followed closely by the short fall of overall atheletic ability match up wise. As always I will go and support my Terps, but at this point they need to step up. Not sure just how much this group can step up.
Four things we learned vs. VT
1. If Dino leads your team in assists – you are not winning the game.
2. When Bowie and JP are aggressive they are effective.
3. Get over Hawk. He’s not that good. Sure, he looks like he belongs running around out there but he’s the worst shooter on the team and he has a negative A/TO ratio. Nothing he does is above average, or heck, even average — unless you want to count FT’s. Let him run around 8 minutes a game to give someone a breather but that’s about all he’s good for.
4. Never change your starting lineup if its not broken. Sure we’ve lost a few games but most were against top ranked teams. You start Pe’ and Tucker instead of Stoglin and Bowie and you start off the game down 12-0.
Gary only changed the line up
…because Stoglin missed a team meeting. And he started Tucker because he liked his size against Delaney better than Bowie.
by Dave Tucker on Jan 21, 2011 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
Hmmm
Glad Tucker was able to shut Delaney down to start the game. (for the record, I predicted Tucker starting and thought it was a great idea so I actually agree with the move, just seems it backfired here — but then again, any move we made seemed to backfire last night)
am i the only one that didnt want JW to get the DD?
he didnt deserve it last night. He didnt even try to get the ball in the first half and just looked like he didnt care. I mean i guess im happy for him but he just didnt deserve the streak beraker after last night.
Gary.....
I’m over it. He can’t recruit, we have a post dated offense, he’s lost his swagger… I’m over it. And I really don’t care how many people disagree or say I’m a fair weather fan or what not. I’ve been on here all year trying to sell positives but the bottom line is…. We don’t have the players to match the acc in a down year! So sad! Gary hasn’t had a good class since vasquez, hayes, and milbourn. Jwill great, padge ok bench player. Mosley- over rated. Tucker, bowie, dino… Average. In coming class of Faust and gibbs… We need sg and pf/c/sf not a pg….. and we are hoping Faust will be the savior which is a lot to ask….. Frosh class this year… 2 pgs, 2 sfs, 1 cripple, 1 juco twig. Hawk is the best player in the class. Average class at best. Last night really really sucked.
MD does not = NIT. But yet how many times has MD been to the NIT in the past few years? Im not even going to look up the stats but Im pretty sure its 3-4 times. Unacceptable.
I dont understand why people are hating on J Will either…. he had an off night last night, but contribute a lot of that to the fact that our guard play blowed and everyone was clogging the middle and not allowing the entry pass. Every quality center or pf needs a pg to get him the ball.
by Charlotte NC Terp on Jan 21, 2011 8:27 AM EST reply actions
Last year's
13-3 ACC co-champs run feels like forever ago.
As awful as last night was, the quality of a team can’t be judged on one game—good or bad. But we’re far enough into the season now that I think it’s safe to say the deficiencies that have plagued the team will stick around the entire season.
We’ve seen drastic turnarounds in ACC play from the Terps—most recently Gist’s senior year—but I’m not anticipating anything better than 8-8 or 9-7 at this point. When they can’t even beat BC or VT at home, they’re sure to drop some games to lesser teams on the road, not to mention another game or two at home.
by Jason Middlekauff on Jan 21, 2011 9:23 AM EST reply actions
Last night should make everyone take a moment remember and celebrate the brilliance that was Eric Hayes
Passing and shooting- 1st off, no way VT could have played a zone w/ Hayes on the floor- he would have knocked dow a couple 3’s and they would have been back in man 5 minutes into the game.
2nd thing, and more importantly- No one on the team outside of Hawk knows how to pass the ball into the post. Eric Hayes was the best passer MD has had in the past 25 yrs- I’m not talking the flashy kind of assist GV was capable of- i’m talking about good fundamanetal feeding the post. Great passers tell the big man where the defender is playing them, and put their big men in a position to score by the location of the pass- which was Eric Hayes’ most under-rated skill. The guards on this team can’t even get the ball inside- forget about locating the pass.
by Asnis71 on Jan 21, 2011 9:37 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Guys
Did we see anything from our seniors that would make us think they would be consistently good? No. Not once did we see them have about 5 or 6 good games a season that would make us think they could get the job done. Tucker is about the only one and he just looks so freakin awkward and out of control when he has the ball. Mosley has had like maybe 3 good games in his career where he has been t he go to guy.
Dino is the only one that deserves to be on the floor.
Otherwise I would love to see this line-up
Bowie, parker, palsson, Dino, JW
Finally Calm Enough to Say Something
Last night was (for lack of a stronger word) difficult. It was a tough night to be a Terps fan. Glad as I am that Jordan got his 12th double-double, he was, as you said, almost nonexistent. He did go 3-5 from the free throw line, though! In fact, the Terps were 73 percent from the line last night….Think we can pull that off in a game where free throws might help us win the game?
Agreed that Tucker should NOT dribble the ball. Like, ever. He’s one of our best catch-and-shoot guys though, and he definitely showed that in his two-minute shooting streak.
http://bit.ly/elZEmZ (More on the game)
Few thoughts
1. For the first time, the freshmen looked and played like freshmen. They showed moments during the year, but they looked uniformly poor all game last night. Pe’Shon in particular looked shaky and Stoglin rushed as usual. Hopefully, their innate talent and a year under Gary will make this a foggy nightmare come this time next year.
2. Parker looked active, but man, did he look awkward trying to cover on the perimeter. Hopefully he’ll get some more burn to work out the kinks
3. It’s been beaten to death, but this team needs to learn how to break the 2-3. Unfortunately, the best way to break it is to shoot your way out and force the defender to respect you, but as much as it pains me to say it, we don’t have those snipers, right now anyways. I saw little to no effective penetration, and it’s a sad day when the best feed inside to Jordan by far came from Hawk – sad because it wasn’t coming from one of your point guards. That said, Hawk needs to be out there more. Kid hustles and has zero fear.
4. Terrible inside game, but mostly related to #3. One encouraging sign was seeing Padge step up. Always brings energy, but last night it was good to see him hit some buckets. I do hope that learns more than that little up and under though. I think there’s still some room to go before we see his ceiling.
5. That being said, I’m just about ready to call it on the seniors. Tucker turns it on in spurts, but like someone above said, they would be complementary 6th or 7th men on other teams. We have seen nothing but inconsistency all year. After 3.5 years, either you get it/have it or you don’t. I think the entire body of work leans towards not. I want to cheer for Mosley. I want him to tear it up. I’m afraid what we have is exactly what we see. A tenacious defender who’s good for 7-10 ppg. A valuable piece, for sure, but not enough for this team, given this year’s deficiencies.
I do wonder about next year. Figure and assume and hope that the freshmen get it by next year. Will Faust be the sniper we need in order to keep defenses honest? What will we do with Gibbs (talented as he may be) – at that point we’ll have 3 point guards on the team? For the love of Buddha will we have a big to put down there with JW who doesn’t look like he’ll fall over if he sneezes? I love Gary and I think he’s done everything the right way – you have to admire that, especially in this day and age. I think he embodies what it means to be a Terp – nobody respects you, so you go harder, tear their heart out and tell them to f-off. But will that passion transfer to the kids he gets? One would hope. Personally, I fear a talent drought over the next few years, which is an absolute shame considering what we have in Jordan.
This has been one of the shittiest sports weeks of my life and I’m inclined to just unplug my internet connection and sit out in the coming 20 degree weather with a fire and a good bottle of scotch. I hope the boys come out Saturday with a chip on their shoulder the size of Mt. Everest and absolutely destroy Clemson…but we saw the trouble their speed gave us last year. I think we have the athletic ability to match their speed this year, but will there be a hangover/carryover effect from this game? I hope Jordan comes out pissed and posts a 3xdouble. I hope the guards shoot the lights out. I hope the rest of the ACC slate is not an up and down season of oh no’s. But at the end of the day, I’m afraid this is another NIT year, which again, would be a waste because of what we have in Jordan.
Hopefully the depression will pass and come Saturday night we’ll all be feeling better about the team
Look at the team Gary has assembled
That says it all. If you think this is a ncaa tournament team then I want what you’re drinking. Time to get a coach that wants to and can recruit. Praise be Gary for “Saving the Program”. How long can he play that trump card. What has he done lately? 3 nit appearances in the last 6 years soon to be 4 out of 7 if they even make that. Time, way past time for a change.
Huh?
Did you miss that ACC Championship he led us to last year?
I knew the Gary comparisons would come after KA fired Fridge
As much as many people dislike the comparison, the two situations have too many parallels to ignore (saved the program, successful seasons last year, ect). The big difference is, and always will be, that Gary won a national championship after years of raising the program up out of the dirt. That makes me believe that Gary will be here as long as he wants to be.
That said, the players failed Gary last night. I can understand losing because the other team is better at executing fundamentals, but we were also out hustled. What a sad sight that was.
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