Maryland Stock Report: What to make of heartbreaking loss?

It seems like every week now we have more and more moral victories, but seemingly less in the way of results. Obviously it's frustrating for fans, but it's Shaquille Cleare that there are some redeeming qualities to this team, and that the season isn't quite over... yet.

That sentence isn't meant to be a hint at a tournament run, but a NIT run? Up until this past weekend I thought Maryland should turn down a NIT invite unless they got a top-2 seed. I thought about it though, and after some convincing, making the postseason -- even if it isn't the big show -- is still a worthwhile venture for this team.

Maybe you disagree and you want to blow it all up and look to 2014-15 -- that's fine, but I would use the NIT as a Hunger Games-esque* scenario where I know who I want to keep and who I do not.

Stock Rising:

Seth Allen -- I don't think it can get any higher, but I'd love to be wrong. He's had a Dez-like impact these last two weeks and if they could get anything out of Jake Layman, that's a dangerous triumvirate. Allen has been on fire lately, and he's Gotham, err... College Park's hope right now (at least in the first half of games).

Dez Wells in the second half -- Can someone just tell Dez he's allowed to be dominant in both halves? Anyone? He didn't have a Duke-like second half against Syracuse, but he had a nice little tear there.

Dexter McDougle -- He couldn't participate at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he was able to go through the interview process. Also, he was invited despite missing half his senior year. Very happy for him.

Stock Holding:

Moral victories -- I'm getting tired of them, but I'd rather fight with the #4 team in the country than get blown out by 40. I know this isn't a popular opinion, I don't care.

Charles Mitchell -- Poor guy couldn't buy a basket against Syracuse. He had three shots in the paint not fall against the Orange -- three shots that he sank against Wake Forest and Duke. It's unfortunate that so much is falling on Mitchell's shoulders right now, but the team needs double-digit points out of him every game.

Damonte Dodd -- I like what I'm seeing out of Dodd. He protects the rim and alters shots. The Tyler Ennis three at the end of the first half was such a dagger, but there wasn't much more Dodd could do to alter that shot.

Nick Faust -- He wasn't scoring and it's debatable if he was fouled at the end, but he contributed in other ways on the court. I'll take a five rebounds, three assist night out of Faust right now.

Stock Falling:

Roddy Peters -- I think this is rock bottom, or at least I'm hoping it is. The two missed free throws combined with the immediate turnover was a terrible sequence. There's only up from here for the freshman.

Shaq Cleare -- Again, I think this has to be rock bottom for him. I don't know where to go from here with him, and I don't think Mark Turgeon does either.

Jake Layman -- It was a poor shooting night and a disappearing act on the offensive end as a whole. The Syracuse zone will do that though.

*Hunger games seems extreme, but it seemed the more relevant pop culture reference.