Terps lose to Clemson; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The University of Maryland Terrapins fell to 14-6 overall, and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 62-53 loss to the Clemson Tigers today.

It was an ugly game from start to finish, and a game the Terps will regret for some time.

There is no shame to losing to a strong, physical team like Clemson on their home-floor. There is plenty to regret when you have 26 total turnovers, and consistently hurt your own chances for getting back into the game.

The Good:

1) When the Terps review the game-film, the only player that will be able to feel good about their performance is Jordan Williams. The Freshman finished with 13 points, 13 boards, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. He played strong defense on Trevor Booker for the entire game. Maryland was quickly down 13-4, and Williams responded with a sequence where he got a needed board, made 2 free-throws, made a jumper, got another board, got a block, and got another board. Without his play tonight, the Terps would have had zero chance in this game. His one-handed flush was also pretty, and would get more time on the highlight-reels if Maryland had won.

2) Maryland was 15 of 17 from the foul-line, which helped keep them in the game.

3) 10 steals, and 7 blocks for the Terps, and they also kept Clemson to just 31.9% from the floor.

4) As bad as Maryland played, they battled back from a 11 point second-half deficit, on the road based on the strength of their defense, and will.

The Bad:

1) Vasquez, Mosley, and Milbourne combined for 21 total points, going 7 of 27 from the floor. The Terps can deal with any one of those 3 not scoring in a particular game. If all 3 of those players do not score, Maryland can not win.

2) Gregory contributed with 4 points, 3 boards, and a block; but I think it was a mistake to keep Padgett on the bench tonight. Once it became apparent that Milbourne was going to have a game where he struggled to score; having that bigger body come in off the bench that could help with the rebounding, and defense against Jerai Grant should have occurred.

3) Bowie, and Tucker combined for 30 minutes, 4 points, on 1 of 9 shooting. At their best, they provided a bit of defense. At their worst, they were forcing shots that were not there.

The Ugly:

1) They say that teams that like to play pressure defense, hate to be pressured. Well that axiom certainly looked accurate for Maryland tonight. You could understand with the up and down pace that the turnovers would increase. 26 turnovers is just mind-boggling ugly. For the Senior Guards Vasquez, and Hayes to have a combined 14 turnovers against that pressure is the definition of ugly. They needed to get the Terps into solid looks, and were unable to get Maryland into their offense.

2) I gave the Terps credit for battling back and finding a way to be in the game late. However, the reality is Maryland was gaining attention for their start to conference play, and they lost that positive momentum with their performance tonight.

Up-Next:

Maryland heads to Tallahassee, for a Thursday night showdown against Florida State. The Terps beat the Seminoles 77-68 in College Park a few weeks ago, with Vasquez, and Hayes combining for 39 points.

Vasquez commented after that game, that the win felt good because the Terps played ‘Maryland basketball.’ As Terp fans, lets hope that Maryland can again find that formula.

If you can get the win there, the Terps will be in good shape at 5-2 in conference, with a visit from defending National Champion North Carolina looming on Super Bowl Sunday.