Coming off a home loss to William & Mary, the University of Maryland rebounded with a strong effort at University of North Carolina Greensboro. Hopefully the good feelings from today, will help the Terps when they return to the building this March for the ACC Tournament.
The Good:
1) UNCG won on the boards against each of Clemson, Wake Forest, and NCST. With that in-mind, it was impressive that Maryland out rebounded the Spartans 49-29.
2) Great defensive intensity from the Terps today. They were active, and constantly getting into the passing lanes. Maryland only forced 14 turnovers, but they had 12 steals, which led to a lot of layups.
3) Late in the second-half, the Terps were outscoring UNCG 52-8 in the paint. Maryland might not get that level of point production every-game, but they need to continue to attack the paint like they did today.
3a) Maryland only took 10 three-point attempts, and I think that has to be a point of emphasis going forward.
4) The Terps shot 54% from the field, and hit 22 of their 28 free-throws. Conversely, they limited UNCG to 27% from the field.
5) In addition to the 12 steals, Maryland also had 8 blocked shots.
6) Dino Gregory provided almost non-existent production against W&M. Today he was clearly motivated to atone for that. Gregory finished with 11 points (7 at the line), 8 boards, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Excellent production for his 21 minutes.
7) Vasquez dominated the action today. 8 of 10 from the floor. 24 points, 6 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals, 1 block. He was disruptive on defense, and regularly looked for his teammates.
8) Milbourne was also big with 22 points, 7 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block. This was Milbourne’s 6th game this season with at-least 19 points.
9) Big game for Adrian Bowie today, which was great to see. 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block over 27 minutes. That is filling up the stat line. He made 5 of his 9 shots, and only took 1 free. He was overplaying the ball at the top of the key, and constantly looking to push the action. His speed, and ability to finish around the rim is a strength.
10) Gary Williams went out of his way in the post-game to phrase the effort of Tucker, so I will as well. 6 points, 4 boards, 2 blocks, 1 steal. The team looks so much more athletically talented when he receives additional playing time.
11) Jordan Williams was only 3 of 9 from the floor, and missed some easy looks. Still, he had great second-effort, and finished with 11 rebounds.
12) Padgett was able to receive 10 minutes of playing time at the end, and contributed with 5 points, and 4 boards. Gary Williams said after the game, that Padgett being able to help-out will be needed within ACC play.
The Bad:
1) Pretty hard to complain about anything today. If I was going to nitpick, I guess you could complain about Hayes, and Mosley receiving a combined 4 Field Goal attempts. Even there, Mosley still added 4 assists, and 4 steals.
The Ugly:
1) None. The Terps won by 34 points, and played as hard with the lead, as they did early in the game. There is nothing ‘ugly’ about today.
Up-Next:
Maryland starts their Atlantic Coast Conference play next Sunday against Florida State at home. The Seminoles are 12-2 overall, and 1-0 in ACC play. FSU hosts Texas A&M Corpus Christi tomorrow.
This will start a stretch of 5 games, which will have a large bearing on the Terrapin season as a whole.
1/10: #22 Florida State
1/12: @ Wake Forest
1/16: @ Boston College
1/19: Longwood
1/23: NCST
Maryland is not going to lose to Longwood, so really what I am talking about is the first 25% of the Terps ACC schedule.
To me, the Terps need to win the two home-games against FSU, and NCST; and look to get at-least a split on the road against WF, and BC.
If that is accomplished, Maryland will be 13-5 overall, and 3-1 in the ACC heading into a home-game against Miami. The Terps would be well positioned for the remainder of league-play. That all starts with defending the home-court against FSU, and Maryland claiming their first real win of note of the year.
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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.