Maryland Minute 3.25.13: Lady Terps face Michigan State in NCAAT second round

A predictably quiet weekend for the big-name sports, but a few notes (rev and non-rev) worth mentioning.

Thomas, Hawkins go for 52, Terps dismantle Quinnipiac
Combined for 29 rebounds, too. Wasn't a great start or always an easy game, but the light turned on in the second half and they romped by 20. Which means...

Maryland takes on Michigan State in NCAAT Second Round
The Spartans are the fifth seed in the bracket, and the game will be played in Comcast at 7:00 tonight, broadcast on ESPN2. This thread will probably serve as the GameThread, for those interested.

Two teams, five torn ACLs
And a bunch of other injuries, too, on both sides. Is it a stretch to say that if these two teams stayed healthy, they'd probably both be two seeds higher?

Maryland assistant Scott Spinelli brings experience, energy to Terps’ bench
You get the feeling Spin is so critical to the dynamics of Turgeon's staff. He's the only out-and-coach among the three assistants, really, and is clearly Turge's right-hand man (alongside Dustin Clark). He's also the likeliest to get himself a head coaching gig this offseason - and while I'd love to see the Mark Turgeon coaching tree get started already, it's also a bit of a scary thought.

Random thought to kick off discussion: if Spin leaves this offseason, who would you like to see earmarked as a replacement?

Damonte Dodd shines at Elite Showcase Classic
Via the Post, Dodd impressed at the local talent showcase:

The 6-foot-10 post player was one of the most active players on both ends of the court. At 238 pounds, Dodd can run the floor and shows flashes of a mid-range game. He’s not afraid to bang inside and is sound defensively with his footwork and shot-blocking ability. Dodd’s year of post-grad education at Massanutten appears to have polished his game well as he prepares to join a Terrapins team that likes to run. As he continues to fill out his frame, Dodd will have to evolve his post game to where he cuts out the fadeaways and relies on strong moves to the basket. Good get for the Terps.

Still think he'll be one of the last guys off the bench next year as he continues to grow, but the more you hear about his improvement the more you think he can really turn into something.

MLax: Terps finally drop first game, fall to UNC 10-8
Maryland actually out-shot the Heels, especially in a frantic 4th quarter, but UNC's goalkeeper was on his game and there was just too much of a deficit to overcome after Carolina jumped out to a big lead.

Mark Gottfried "very interested" in UCLA job
I mean, so am I, but I doubt they're going to hire me. (He's a long-time assistant at UCLA, has ties to LA, and knows the program well.) But hey, if Shaka and Brad Stevens turn them down I doubt they're getting any of the other big names on this list. I don't think Gott's a very good coach and I don't think he's going to significant upgrade State's program, but I'd love to see it happen for the chaos, especially because if they don't land a home-run recruiter progress would be set back at least another year or two; the nucleus of this team is leaving anyway, and guys like Cat Barber and BeeJay Anya may not stick around as reinforcements. Plus, this would annoy Debbie Yow, and anything that annoys Debbie Yow is fine by me.

Probably just fantasy, though, since this is Mark Gottfried and UCLA we're talking about.