The emotion from everyone playing was phenomal. After the past few games, when the team was just as lackadaysical as they could possibly be, it was great to see some urgency. Here's my notes:
- This has been said before, but Gary is best when his back is against the wall. He was coaching this game for not only his job, but also his career's reputation. The emotion on his face was wonderful to see, and no matter what you think about him, it was great to see him win this game. I don't want to be too negative, but I wish he would learn to coach every game with this intensity. The players really took the personality of Gary tonight, as well. They came out ready to play with passion, the same way Gary would if he could've suited up last night.
- Sean Mosley started. About time. He didn't have the most-mindblowing of games, but it was certainly a good performance. He's a great all-around player. His defense is still solid, his offensive game is starting to come together, and he hustles more than anyone on the team (except maybe Bowie).
- Vasquez had an outstanding game. I (and every other Maryland fan) was wondering when he was going to break out of his slump, and he finally did. Moreover, he didn't break out in terms of points scored, but more of an overall game. When he changed his style of play from scorer to pass-first, I thought it was a bad decision, and it might have been. But if he can play every game like he did last night, I'll take it. It's a shame he missed the triple-double.
- For the record, Lance Stephenson was not at the game with James Padgett. He came by himself, which is great news for Terp fans - it means he's not just going along with James. I still think Maryland is a longshot, but you never know. This would possibly be the biggest recruit in Maryland history. Instant cred, Maryland's the cool school again, not to mention the kid is legit and we'd get one awesome year out of him.
- Love the gold unis.
- A lot of people are seemingly forgetting about the past few games. Yes, we beat Miami, and I'm as happy as anyone else about that, but this team still lost to Boston College, drops leads left and right, and lost to Duke by 41. I no longer think we'll miss the NIT, but the NCAA is still very off-limits in my mind.