Throughout this 2013-14 season, we have seen the University of Maryland Terrapins unable to close out close games down the stretch. Those previous losses were missed opportunities. Today could have been another such game. However, after Virginia forced OT; the Terps were able to answer and come away with a 75-69 win.
The victory has the Terps ending their regular season at 17-14 overall, and 9-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Next-up for MD is their last ACC Tournament.
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What did we see?
1) There was a great atmosphere in the Comcast Center, easily the best of the season. That energy clearly helped the Terps. The game did not mean a ton for UVA (beyond the potential for continuing to improve their NCAA seeding), but obviously meant something for the Terrapins. This was the last ACC Regular Season game ever for MD. The last time the Comcast Center will have ACC showing on Gary Williams Court. Duke is the ACC team MD fans will always hate most, but there is no love lost with the Cavaliers. After falling behind 14-5 six minutes into the game, MD finished the half on a 29-21 run. That had UVA leading 35-34 to begin the second 20 minutes. Maryland had a 4 point lead with 1:45 left in the 2nd half, but as we’ve seen all year – nothing comes easy for this Terps team. Up 3 points with 3 seconds left, MD sent the Cavs to the line. After Malcolm Brogdon made his first FT, he intentionally missed his 2nd. Wells knocked the ball out of bounds, giving UVA a chance to tie. Anthony Gill would score on the in-bound to send the game to OT. In overtime, Allen took over with back-to-back layups, a block, and a FT. Layman would then ice the game at the line.
It has been a tough year which has tested everyone associated with Maryland basketball (the Coaches, the Players, the Fans). Beating a quality team on the home court to end the regular season allows everyone to feel a little bit better.
1a) Game-to-game, and even possession-to-possession you don’t know what you are going to get from this Terps team. This game (and the recent losses vs. UNC, Syracuse, Duke) show the Terps are capable of playing with good teams. Today was important because it showed MD could not just play with a good team, but that they were capable of beating a good team.
1b) The Terps and UVA both shot over 50% from the floor in the 1st half. For the game, MD shot 48% (23 of 48). The Cavs shooting percentage ended at 39%.
2) Smotrycz led the way for MD in the 1st half, hitting 5 of his 6 FG attempts (including 2 of 2 from 3). In the 2nd half and OT, he had just 1 shot combined. He finished with 13 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists.
3) Wells had another ‘1st half Ghost’ outing, as he had just 2 points (and only 1 FG attempt). With 2 fouls called on him 5 and 1/2 minutes into the game, Wells spent a considerable amount of time on the bench. In the 2nd half, it was once again the ‘Dez Wells Show’. 18 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block. He was 8 of 8 from the from line. It’s somewhat criminal that he only had 7 shots.
4) Maryland had a 15-9 edge on the boards in the 1st half. The Terps had a 35-31 advantage for the game.
5) Allen was 3 of 9 from the floor (just 1 of 5 from 3) in the 1st half. He finished with 20 points (7 of 17), 2 boards, 2 assists. As we stated above, his play in OT helped decide the game.
6) The Terps were 6 of 8 from the foul line in the first 20 minutes. Overall, MD was 24 of 30.
7) Layman has to develop other aspects of his offensive game beyond jumpers and dunks. I’d like to see some post-up from him, and a more consistent ability to get to the line. Today he had 2 points (2 FT’s) in the 1st half, and no shots. It often feels like he is searching game-to-game of how to get involved. He finished 1 of 7 from the floor, including 0 of 4 from 3. However, he was 8 of 8 from the line. A nice showing at the charity stripe, especially considering he was shooting under 70% from the line going into today. He also had 8 rebounds, so credit for making a difference on the glass.
8) Not disciplined further after the Virginia Tech game, Mitchell scored twice in the 1st half. The 2nd basket coming on a nice give-and-go. 6 points, 3 board for the Sophomore. He fouled out with roughly 5 minutes left when he secured a rebound, but made a bad decision on an attempted pass – and then confounded things with a foul.
9) Cleare played well in the 2nd half against the Hokies, making the most of his extended time on the floor. In the 1st half today, he had 3 FT’s, and a board. Cleare finished with 5 points, 5 boards, and a block. You can be disappointed in what Cleare has provided MD overall (especially considering he was a Top 40 recruit), but he contributed today. The effort was good.
10) Maryland had 6 turnovers in the 1st half. Layman with 2, 4 others with 1. The Terps finished with just 12 turnovers.
11) The Terrapins had just 3 assists on their 12 made FG’s in the 1st half. For the game, only 8 assists on their 23 FG’s.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.