How does MD compare with UNC, and Duke?

UNC and Duke were named the co-favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, with the Terps projected to finish 5th.

Let us take a look at the rosters, and see how they compare.

Maryland
1) Bowie, Hayes
2) Vasquez, Tucker
3) Mosley, JSC
4) Milbourne, Padgett
5) Gregory, Williams, Goins

Duke
1) Nolan Smith, Andre Dawkins
2) Jon Scheyer
3) Kyle Singler
4) Lance Thomas, Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly
5) Mason Plumlee, Brian Zoubek, Olek Czyz

North Carolina
1) Larry Drew II, Dexter Strickland
2) Marcus Ginyard, Leslie McDonald, Justin Watts
3) John Henson, Will Graves
4) Deonte Thompson, David Wear, Travis Wear
5) Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller

Thoughts:

1) Both the Blue Devils, and the Tar Heels have a talented core of post-depth. As starters, Milbourne, and Gregory would have a hard time matching-up physically with either team. (Ed Davis should have received more consideration as the Pre-season Conference POY)

1a) Padgett, Williams, and Goins will each be needed to provide productive minutes (and fouls) against those teams.

2) While MD lost 3 games to Duke last-season, the Terps have traditionally played Duke tough. As we all know, the Terps beat UNC for the 3rd consecutive season last-year. Part of the reason MD has had success against these teams has been the styles of play that have been used. Maryland has always been at their best against teams that want to run up and down the court, which obviously has long been the preferred style of play for Coach K, and Roy Williams. With UNC needing to rely on a Freshman PG (Drew) that is a bit slower than Lawson, and Felton; I do not see UNC pushing the ball quite as much as they have in recent seasons. If you look at Duke’s roster, and you see the complete lack of guard-depth, it is hard to imagine how Coach K will be able to run as much as he would like. There are even reports out of Durham, of Duke planning to play plenty of zone this year.

If these opponents slow the ball down at-all, it will be that much harder for MD to win these match-ups. If Duke has their trees out on the court and is playing zone, the Terps are going to have to show they can bury some 3’s.

3) If Mosley carries over the play he has shown all summer, and now in camp; the Terps have the best-overall guard and wing depth of these 3 teams. Though if Ginyard shows he is back from his foot-injury, and Graves steps-up, the Tar Heels are at-least even. The more I look at Duke’s roster, the more I envision Singler getting some-time at-guard.

4) You go into this season knowing that Duke will have an advantage in the post in probably every-game they play. You know that at-least within the ACC, nobody probably has a more talented-roster than North Carolina. What MD needs to stay within striking-distance of these teams is incremental improvement across the board:

Bowie has to have a more consistent outside shot, hit his FT’s, and be more comfortable handling the ball.

Hayes has to have the mind-set that he will now allow himself to disappear on the court. I would love to see him regularly pull defenders out, and attack the rim. He should be seeking contact, and trying to get to the line.

Vasquez will have to resist the temptation of playing to the scouts in his Senior year. Additionally, while he is a PG at the next-level, he is the Terps primary scorer. He greatly improved at the line last year, now needs subtle improvement behind the arc.

Tucker averaged 20ppg against UNC, and showed a sweet 3pt stroke. You need more consistency, and an ability to his athleticism to finish around the rim this year.

Mosley does a bit of everything. If the reports about his shot, and improved ability around the basket are correct; he is on the verge of a big-year.

JSC is still a stick, but he is 6’8 and capable of doing a lot of positive things. He needs to get his shot-off quicker this year. With nobody guarding him, he has the best shot on the roster. He needs to show he can bury some 3’s when needed this year.

Considering Milbourne is really a 3, playing the 4 – I think you get everything you can expect out of Milbourne. If anything, with some legitimate options behind him this year, I just want to see him go all out for 20-25 mts a game. There were times last-year that he was obviously cognizant about picking-up fouls. Every-year his skills have improved, I just want to see him use his athleticism to his full-advantage.

Gregory / Williams / Padgett and Goins do not have to do much beyond rebounding, blocking a few shots, and getting put-backs for Maryland to be a very good team this year. However, I think you will need a bit more than that, if the Terps want to compete against UNC, and Duke for a conference-title.