When: 7:00
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
Where to Watch: ESPN2
Storylines/Notes:
- Well, this is it. Enough said. Maryland has no chance anymore past the ACC tournament. This is their last stand.
- NIT bubble, too? Maryland is coming dangerously close to the NIT bubble. I don't think they're that close, to missing out, but if they were to get blown out here, the selection committe (LOL) would have to think long and hard about it. Would Maryland have a significantly better resume than N.C. State even after a loss to them?
- Round 2. Maryland already beat N.C. State, but that was on February 20, over two weeks ago. Maryland's a very different team now, one that's been slowly but surely falling apart as the season comes to a close. Can the Wolfpack fix what went wrong last time out: namely, a complete inability to stop either Jordan Williams or Terrell Stoglin?
- Battle of slumps. Maryland has lost their last three and five of their last seven. N.C. State has lost four of five. Both teams have seemingly stopped caring. The only thing that matters in this one might be which one cares more. For once, "they wanted it more" might actually apply.
Keys in Cliches:
- Upperclassmen guards. Last time out against the Wolfpack, Maryland had basically only three scorers: Jordan Williams, Terrell Stoglin, and Dino Gregory. You can bet that Sidney Lowe (or at least his players) will focus on them more. Cliff Tucker or Adrian Bowie will more than likely have to show up tonight.
- Force the guards to shoot. Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown were dead silent the last time these two met. Both are mediocre outside shooters. The Wolfpack leaned on Tracy Smith and Scott Wood instead; if Maryland can limit the scoring from the frontcourt and instead force the guards to score - preferrably from the outside - the game will be a defensive success.
- Show up. This is rather obvious and has already been mentioned, but it's probably the most important thing. Maryland's the better team, but that won't matter if the only person who cares is, say, Terrell Stoglin.
Lineups:
| Maryland | N.C. State | |
|---|---|---|
| Terrell Stoglin (Fr., 6-0) | Ryan Harrow (Fr., 6-1) | |
| Adrian Bowie (Sr., 6-2) | Lorenzo Brown (Fr., 6-5) | |
| Sean Mosley (Jr., 6-4) | Scott Wood (So., 6-7) | |
| Dino Gregory (Sr., 6-7) | C.J. Leslie (Fr., 6-8) | |
| Jordan Williams (So., 6-10) | Tracy Smith (Sr., 6-8) |
Graph:
Red on red = lame. Maryland is on the right, with three pretty sizable advantages.
Prediction: Gary Williams teams don't quit. I don't know if the same can be said about Sidney Lowe's squad. Of course, now that I'm thinking this, N.C. State will run away with it. For now, I'm thinking Maryland gets a much-needed win; just don't go reading too much into it. Maryland by 6.