Terps move to 8-3; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Playing without an injured Sean Mosley, the University of Maryland still had enough to beat Florida Atlantic and move one game closer to the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play.

The Good:

1) Maryland did a number of things you like to see if you are a Terps fan. They limited Florida Atlantic to 31% from the floor (23 of 73), and forced 18 turnovers. I also liked that the Terps only took 12 three-pointers.

2) Vasquez was an efficient 12 for 20, for 26 points, and also had 8 boards, 5 assists, and a steal.

3) Milbourne had 19 points, but I am putting him in the good category for his post-game comments. He stated that he did not play that well, and realized he should have been more effective on the boards. That type of accountability is true leadership.

4) Jordan Williams got the start over Gregory as deserved. He had a follow-up slam that Johnny Holiday, Chris Knoche, and Walt Williams were ecstatic about. They each talked about the hands necessary to catch the pass he received, and marveled over his better than advertised athleticism. He only received 6 shots, but finished with 7 points, 6 boards, and 3 blocks.

5) Bowie played 16 minutes and only took 2 shots, which has to be a record for him. While he did not score, he contributed with 6 rebounds. He is kindly listed at 6’2, so those rebounds are about effort. You add his 2 assists, and 3 steals and Bowie had a good game even without seeing the ball go through the basket.

6) Tucker received the start in-front of the injured Mosley, and responded with the increased playing time. 11 points, 5 boards, 3 assists. Gary Williams commented after the game that few players of Tucker’s size, have his quickness.

7) Hayes was limited to 7 points, but added 9 assists to 1 turnover.

8) Gregory played 19 minutes in reserve of Williams, and helped out with 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.

The Bad:

1) Brett Royster had 12 rebounds combined against Miami, and Georgia; but had 14 today against the Terps.

2) Florida Atlantic lost on the boards by 17 to Miami, and 7 to Georgia, but Yahoo.com says they out-rebounded Maryland 42-39. Jeff Barker of The Baltimore Sun, says Florida Atlantic won on the boards 49-45. Either way, it is a problem.

3) The Terps were only able to get to the foul-line 11 times tonight. I find that less acceptable then the rebounding. This team needs to be around 20-25 foul-shots a game, and that starts with aggressively taking the ball inside.

3a) There should be no game where Jordan Williams only gets 6 shots. The offense should work inside-out through him, with Williams touching the ball on nearly every possession.

4) The Terps did have 21 assists tonight, but Gary Williams went to the locker-room at half-time stating the team was being selfish and had to look to make the extra pass.

5) Florida Atlantic had shot 32% from 3 in their previous two games against Miami, and Georgia; but shot 42% from 3 against the Terps.

The Ugly:

None.

Up-Next:

The Terps host William & Mary on Wednesday night. The Tribe beat Radford today for their 8th consecutive win. W&M has already played at UCONN (lost by just 9), and won at Wake Forest. They are not going to be intimidated coming into College Park, especially with the Maryland students away for Winter break.

While the game is clearly a game Maryland should win, it is a game they are capable of losing if they lack focus. It will be important for the Terps to come out focused and take it to W&M early. You do not want the Tribe hanging around, and believing they are capable of knocking off another ACC team.