Maryland Basketball: Shaking the Ledbetter Out Against Heels

North Carolina Tar Heels (12-5, 3-3 ACC) at
#NR/23 Maryland Terrapins (14-5, 4-2 ACC)
Comcast Center - College Park, MD

Going to keep is short and sweet today. It's been hard updating this week with the real job getting in the way. Yes, I actually have a legit job...I'm not some unemployed vagabond who has nothing better to do than keep you people updated on the latest happenings in sports. So let's get right to it.

They gave up 91 points against TEMPLE?!? The same Temple team that scored 34 against UMass. WHAT? If you asked John Cheney before tipoff if his team could score 91 points, he would have asked "In two games?" Seriously, it takes Temple weeks to tally a total of 91 points. Where's the defense? Where's DJ Strawberry? If you find him, please let Gary know. He's worried.

Ok, so the defense wasn't so good against the Philadelphia Goon Brigade (And yes, for all those worried, Temple mafia hit-man Nehemiah Ingram is still gooning it up. My favorite play was when he picked up Caner-Medley in a bear hug and threw him to the court right in the middle of action...and all three refs missed it). But there were positives. Nik, despite getting beat up for thte second straight game, played extremely well. Surprinsingly well. And Mike Jones seemed to find a groove (although his turnover rate is getting a bit high). As long as he keeps hitting the 3's, Maryland will be able to score with anybody, even high-scoring Temple, and more than make up for the missing Chris McCain. Or was it McCray? I'm forgetting about him already. (By the way, since the game was on ESPN2, we got some C-rate braodcasting crew from the former Worldwide Leader. Some dope named Mark Davis was doing color commentary. He sounded exactly like Norman Chad doing those poker broadcasts. I was expecting to see Chris Moneymaker box out in the low post. I kept waiting to hear Davis say "Mike Jones hits another three...on the river for a full house!" He also refered to Travis Garrison as Travis Garrett on many occasions. It was horrible.)

So Maryland has had five days to stew over their defensive effort, and now they get a chance to face the defending champs, who are averaging more than 78 points a game. By the way, that's without Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Marvin Williams. And just in case you forgot, if you listen to Roy Williams long enough, he'll remind you. Roy, you just won the national championship. Your job is not in jeopardy. We know you lost a lot of talent. Relax...take a deep breath.

North Carolina still two main holdovers from last year's KLJASLVHLAMOIEJWSOEGM. FJKDLKDR#*@OGKDSMSD?DSFJK. Oh wow, I'm sorry. I just got hammered by Sheldon Williams in the head. As usual, no foul was called (You want visual proof of how many calls Duke gets, just watch the last two minutes of their game against BC last night. That's all I watched, and that's all I needed to see to figure out what the story of the game was.). Now where was I. Oh yes, UNC still has two players most of you will be familar with. Reyshawn Terry and David Noel remain in the lovliest of the triangle universities. Despite their senority, the offense isn't built around them.

Tyler Hansbrough, a 6-11 freshman forward from Missouri, is the second coming of Michael Jordon, Jesus and James Worthy (FACT: All three used to play for North Carolina. I think.). He is doing everything for UNC because...well, because the rest of the team isn't very good. Most writers will try and convince you that Terry and his 13 points a game are legit. But there was a reason that Terry saw very few minutes last year for the champs. He simply wasn't good enough to play ahead of the typical ACC talent that UNC possessed. He is playing this year because the Heels don't have anybody else. Noel, Byron Sanders and Wes Miller fall under the same category.

Hansbrough seems to be legit though. For a freshman to be the fourth leading scorer in the ACC is impressive, even if it is a down year for the conference. He also has 7.6 rebounds a game to go along with those 18 points. Basically, despite the Hansbrough getting double-teamed with amazing regularity, he is the engine that drives this version of the Tar Heels. It's simple. Maryland figures out how to stop him, they win. But since the Terps couldn't stop 6-4 Temple guards from grabbing rebounds and getting easy inside points, don't expect Hansbrough to be shut down. And if he gets going inside, that leaves Noel, Miller and Terry open on the outside. All of them can hit the 3. So can interesting freshmen Danny Green.

So Maryland will have to outscore Carolina. Like most Roy coached teams, defense is secondary, as long as his boys run 'n gun it. Carolina is having all kinds of trouble stopping teams from hitting 3 pointers. Jones, if he is on, should have a field day. So should Caner-Medley. Only Noel should be able to defend Nik at an average level. As long as DJ and Jones cut down on turnovers, and Gary convinces Sterling Ledbetter that the game is on Friday so he doesn't show up, then Maryland should be able to hang with the Heels. And for the love of God, someone grab a rebound. Please. Ekene? James? Garrett? Bueller?

Expect a high-scoring contest. Gary is the superior coach and Maryland has more talent overall. Just stop the turnovers. That's the one thing that will beat them tonight against the Runnin' Heels. The loss to Temple wasn't so bad because it was out of conference. The Terps are still near the top of the ACC standings. But losing this game at home would be costly.

Maryland 88
North Carolina 83

Elsewhere in the ACC...

Did I miss the Tuesday picks again? I can't keep up with all these games. So while I was away, Tech beat Tech (Virginia over Georgia) and Wake Forest lost again (this time to Miami). I probably would have picked those games correctly. So my ACC record of 19-12 would have been better. You know what, I predicted the exact score of the Virginia-Duke game, so I'm giving myself an extra win. So I'll be 20-12. Don't like it? Oh well...my game, my rules. More on the UNC-Maryland tilt tomorrow. Here is Wednesday's ACC slate.

Wednesday
Clemson at Florida State
Ok, Clemson keep winning. So they are no longer Clemson. Wake Forest apparently has been filling the Clemson role this season. The school formerly known as Clemson goes to Tallahassee to face a Seminoles team that is playing their usually disappointing basketball. I'll go with the Noles at home anyway.
Pick: Florida State 68, Clemson 61

Virgina at NC State
I don't think Little Herb will allow a repeat of the Seton Hall game. Then again, he doesn't have Julius Hodge to kick around, and Sendek always manages to screw up his team more than he helps them.
Pick: NC State 80, Virginia 65

Duke at Boston College
E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!
Pick: Boston College 77, Duke 74