Maryland Basketball: Two's Not Better Than One

Maryland Terrapins (14-6, 4-2 ACC) vs.
Florida State Seminoles (16-5, 4-3 ACC)
Donald L. Tucker Center – Tallahassee, FL

Let’s face it; Maryland was probably due for a performance like the one on Sunday night. Not saying that makes it easier to take, and it certainly didn’t make it easier to watch, but they were long overdue for a game like that.

The 26 turnovers are definitely worrisome. Especially against a backcourt that was missing its best player. Clemson gave the rest of the league a blueprint for how to handle Maryland’s five-headed guard tandem. Press the daylights out of the Terps in the fullcourt. In the halfcourt, allow a guard to drive, then collapse on him and force a bad pass. That worked perfectly for the Tigers. It frustrates a player like Greivis Vasquez enough to force two early personal fouls and get him off his rhythm. It frustrates the rest of the guards, who can all move the ball around the perimeter, but struggle to pass in tight spaces. It frustrates the fans who have to watch Maryland literally hand a game to an inferior opponent.

Let me try to focus on some positives. The first, and most obvious, is the play of Jordan Williams. The kid was a stone-cold stud against Trevor Booker. 13 points, 13 rebounds and great defense from him. If either Landon Milbourne or Dino Gregory bothered to show, Maryland would have had a much better time on the boards and may have won. Again, Gregory’s suspension earlier this season may have been a blessing in disguise. It forced Williams to play more minutes than he should have, but it prepared him for the conference season. The more I see of Jordan, the more I like.

The other positive is that Maryland didn’t roll over facing a double-digit second half deficit on the road. Like I said after the Wake Forest game, the Maryland team from last season would never have gotten back in the game after trailing by 10 or more in the second half. The Terps not only got back in the game, but systematically chipped away at Clemson’s lead over an eight minute period. They even took a 48-46 lead themselves. I was sure that Maryland would win once they grabbed the lead. Unfortunately, Maryland started turning the ball over again, so it didn’t happen. But just like the Wake game, the Terrapins hung around and hung around during an off night and almost stole one on the road. Eventually, they’ll have to win a game or two like that. But for now, I’m happy with the way Maryland competed and stayed in the game for most of the second half.

I could go on and on about how sloppy Maryland was, or how they abandoned the team rebounding effort that helped them to a 4-1 conference start, or how everyone started missing shots at the same time (like back in November and December). But there’s no point. You all saw the game. I’m not going to uncover anything ground-breaking in the box score. Maryland played terribly, still had a chance to win the game, but couldn’t. It wasn’t a bad loss. Clemson is no slouch at home. The Terps are still two games over .500 in the conference. Let’s move on.

For the second time this season, and the second time in the last three weeks, Maryland takes on Florida State. The ACC schedulers are at it again. Maryland has yet to play Virginia, UNC, Dook, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech and they’re already facing FSU twice. That is just silly. I understand my dream of a 22-game round-robin ACC schedule is never going to happen. But shouldn’t the schedule-makers force everyone to play once before starting the half-ass home-and-homes? Maryland’s second game against FSU shouldn’t come before the Terps play Virginia Tech once. Also, the only game against Tech shouldn’t be on the last weekend in February. It’s simply not fair. For example, let’s say that Solomon Alabi had been hurt since New Year’s. He’s scheduled to come back by mid-February. That means Maryland and Georgia Tech get to play FSU twice without their best player before Wake is scheduled to play FSU. If Alabi or Player X returns before that March 3rd game, then how is that fair for either Wake or FSU? And the roles can obviously be reversed. Malcolm Delany has been banged up and struggling for the Hokies this season. But by the time Maryland rolls into Blacksburg on February 27th, they’ll be forced to play a healthy Virginia Tech while every other team in the conference got a shot at the Hokies with Delaney at 70%. If every ACC team is forced to play everybody else before starting their home-and-homes, this issue would be less of a problem.

Since losing in College Park on January 10th, FSU has gone 3-2. They have snuck out wins at home against both Techs and grabbed a 4-point road win at BC. They also got handled in Durham and dropped one on their home floor to NC State. So like we’re seeing throughout the entire conference, FSU’s performance this season has been a mixed bag. The only other difference for the Seminoles is the absence of Jordan DeMercy. DeMercy announced he was transferring earlier in the week, and left the team. So without DeMercy, and with Xavier Gibson still strapped to the bench, Leonard Hamilton will basically be forced to go to with a 7-man rotation the rest of the season.

FSU is still deep on the frontline. Alabi, Ryan Reid and Chris Singleton are all still healthy and contributing. In Maryland’s win, the Terps managed to get Alabi in early foul trouble. He still managed 17 points and 9 boards, but he only played 25 minutes. Most the time spent on the bench was in the first half and Maryland was able to open up a 14-point lead as a result. The Terps have to attack the hoop again and they need to get either Alabi or Singleton in foul trouble if they want any real shot at winning.

I want it known that I picked FSU to win this game before Maryland lost to Clemson. I even said so in my game post. So don’t assume that I’m just jumping on and off the bandwagon based on one game. That said, this week is CRUCIAL for the Terps. Maryland must beat UNC at home. That game certainly looks much easier than it did at the beginning of the season, but the Heels are still talented and Maryland could lay an egg at any time. I also feel that this is pretty much as close to a must-win for Maryland without it actually being one. I’m not too psyched about the possibility of facing UNC on a two-game losing streak.

However, I have no confidence that Eric Hayes will go 5-6 from behind the arc like he did in the first game against the Noles. I’m doubting that he’ll chip in 17 points again. So even if Vasquez equals his 22-point performance, the Terps are going to have to get contributions from elsewhere. Sean Mosley only had six points, and Adrian Bowie didn’t score in only 11 minutes, so those are two possibilities for Maryland. But away from the Comcast Center, Maryland has shot very poorly this season. I doubt they shoot 34% like they did at Clemson, but I don’t think they’ll shoot 47% like they did in their win over the Seminoles. The happy medium is more likely. Add in a better performance from Alabi and Reid, and Maryland’s season could come down to their game on Super Bowl Sunday. I hope I’m wrong.

Florida State 74
Maryland 68

Elsewhere in the ACC …

I went a bizarre 2-2 over the weekend (getting the two games I wasn’t sure on and missing the two games I was sure about). Combined with my Wake pick last night, I’m now 19-9 on the ACC season.

NC State at Virginia
I guess the question is how long will it take before everyone starts taking UVA seriously? This game against Dead Man Walking and the Wuffies aside, my answer is at least another couple of weeks.
Pick: Virginia 75, NC State 65

Georgia Tech at Duke
Even though the Yellow Jackets won the first meeting pretty handedly, the calls always seem to even Dook’s home-and-homes out. Especially when the second game is at the Durham Dump.
Pick: Duke 72, Georgia Tech 61

North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Until further notice, UNC is not to be treated like the defending champions, and should be treated like the 2002-03 team that was struggling to be rebuilt by Matt Doughty.
Pick: Virginia Tech 70, UNC 67