This Blog is a Lie

As many of my readers felt it necessary to point out, I'm a big, fat phony.

This past Saturday, it did rain in College Park. A lot. I know. I was there. My clothes are sitting in the basement next to a dehumidifier and I'm praying they don't grow mold. So sue me. Or do something constructive and think of another name for this blog.

The game itself was fairly good. Lots of running, lots of gritty play and mud - everything you want in a rainy football game. Plus, it was a win for the Terps, as they beat N.C. State with a last second field goal, 27-24.

I found it a little disappointing Maryland couldn't clobber the Wolfpack like the crappy team they are. Freshman quarterback Russell Wilson found plenty of room to run for 53 yards, and frankly, most of the time he made the Terp defense look slow. They gave up 155 rushing yards and 187 yards through the air. Luckily for them, the Wolfpack defense was worse.

Da'Rel Scott tore through like a tornado for 163 yards and a TD. Davin Meggett (who appears to be generating his own fan base) ran for a tough 34 yards and a TD carry, plus a 31-yard reception to set up the game-winning score. Honorable mention also includes tight end Dan Gronkowski, who managed three catches for 37 yards and a TD in unfavorable passing conditions. He's been a relatively consistent performer on a team bereft of consistent performers.

A win is a win, no? And even moreso, this win sets up a Terps bowl appearance and puts us in the lead for the Atlantic Division. Yeah girl.

Maryland has a real shot at winning this division, but the schedule doesn't exactly favor it. A victory over Virginia Tech next Thursday is doable, but not altogether likely. Beyond that, North Carolina and Florida State are tough games, but they will be at home. Boston College is winnable game on the road, and the Eagles always choke toward the end of the season. After that, the ACC championship.

Two wins and two losses seem reasonable to end this year, but three wins and one loss? That's potentially an ACC championship berth, depending on who loses and who gets tiebreakers.

So in short, this win puts the now-No. 25 Terrapins in terrific position for real success this season (as opposed to the fake success of the last few years). Even though it doesn't feel like a strong team and the defense is next to last in almost every category, Fridge now has some of the pressure off of him to be bowl eligible and he can focus on winning rather than saving his job (for once).

Potentially, this is a good team, it just remains to be whether or not they can live up to their billing in the tough games ahead.

Photos by Adam Fried

ACC Predictions

I don't have much time to write about the Terps' chances in the ACC tournament, so I thought maybe I would just offer some predictions about how things will go overall.


ROUND ONE


- Florida State over Wake Forest: Wake has gone cold, losing 4 out of their last 5 games. It's a bad time to run into the Seminoles, who recently beat Clemson and closed out with a win over Miami.

- Miami over N.C. State: The Wolfpack is trying to continue their 8-game losing streak, and the Hurricanes won't try to stop them.

- Maryland over Boston College: As poorly as Maryland has played, one win in your last 13 games is pretty terrible, BC.

- Virginia over Georgia Tech: Not only did UVA win this game a week ago, the Yellowjackets are a model of inconsistency, and Sean Singletary is playing dominant basketball.


ROUND TWO


- North Carolina over Florida State: The Heels beat them 8 days ago, and I see no reason why this would change.

- Miami over Virginia Tech: Last time they played, the Hokies were totally flattened on the boards. They kept it close with good shooting, but I think that they won't get that lucky this time, and Miami will still crash the glass.

- Clemson over Maryland: Both teams are inconsistent, but I don't think the Terps have the spirit to beat the team that delivered one of the program's toughest losses this (or any) season. Yes, I am calling them out. Please prove me wrong.

- Duke over Virginia: Duke has set up their defensive schemes with great discipline this season, and the Cavaliers are just not talented enough to beat them.


ROUND THREE


- North Carolina over Miami: This should be closer than people think, but it's hard to forget that UNC has only been defeated twice this season, and they're just starting to enter their element (see win over Duke).

- Duke over Clemson: Clemson can beat Duke if they play their best, but the Devils haven't let many teams play their best all season.


CHAMPIONSHIP GAME


This is the game the pundits want: UNC v. Duke III. They split the regular season games, now it's time to decide the real powerhouse in the ACC - and possibly play for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

I predict that the game will be pretty close, but Duke is too reliant on their outside shooting to win this match up again. The Tar Heels are better rebounders, and have better inside players. The Devils might be able to come out with the upset if they can rattle UNC's questionable defense with cutters like Demarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson, but I would chalk up a No. 1 berth to the tournament right now for Hansbrough and crew.

PROJECTED CHAMP: NORTH CAROLINA

So that's how I think the tourney will go. Hit up the comments, y'all.

Photo Credit: Adam Fried

ESPN Holds Basketball Games Hostage

I can't remember being so infuriated after a win.

Maryland got sweet revenge on Boston College, kicking them to the ground in a 70-65 win. Again, it was close at the end, but the Terps pulled away in a close one, and Gary Williams earned his 600th win against his old team (delightful irony). Maryland now sits at a decent 5-3 in the ACC.

None of that is why I'm angry. I was planning on titling this post "Sweet Revenge" in fact, because I was so upset after this season's early loss to the Eagles. This victory should've been mine (and my fellow fans') to savor.

That means being able to, you know, watch the game. No dice.

Of course, the game was broadcast on ESPNU, the station that ESPN keeps telling us is real, but no one has ever watched. It's not on regular cable; it's not on ESPN360; as far as I can tell, the only place you can watch it is in a bunker somewhere in Northern Canada. This is where Maryland-Boston College is broadcast. You know what game was on ESPN2, a channel we actually do get? Elon-Davidson. Yeah, really.

So as Maryland fans, we can't watch the win, and we can't get the satisfaction that should be ours. Wonderful. Do we have any other brilliant ideas ESPN?

As a matter of fact, they do. See, if you watch ESPN at all, you know that they've been talking about the North Carolina-Duke game as the best thing since Ali-Frazier. It's unbelievable how overhyped that game is, but still it's worth watching for a matchup with tradition and two top-3 teams.

So my roommate and I were chilling out, checking the ESPN box score for the Maryland game we couldn't see, psyching ourselves up for the UNC-Dook consolation prize.

GUESS WHAT? WE GET BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH!!! WE CAN'T EVEN WATCH THE ONLY GAME ESPN HAS BEEN ADVERTISING ALL WEEK!!! And you know what's on ESPN2? SOCCER!!!

I'm checking the broadcasting schedule right now. Guess which network that game is listed on?

You guessed it ... freakin' ESPNU.

I hate ESPN. I hate that they won't let us watch the games that we want to watch, and if we want to watch them, we have to leave the comfort of our own homes and go to some bar where you're pretty much guaranteed to sit next to some guy who spends the whole game screaming (unless you're me and you are that guy ... that's why I stay at home). I just don't get what the heck they have against us, but I have a message for the bigwigs over in Bristol:

We surrender. Please give us our basketball back.

Photo Credits: ESPN, Baltimore Sun (note that creative liberties were taken with the ESPNU logo)

How the Zebras stole the game

First off, the women brought it out against Temple this afternoon and killed them. Thanks, ladies, for giving us some good news to start with.

Now, let me tell you something about the men's game, an 81-78 loss to Boston College: Greivis Vasquez got 3 fouls and fouled out of the game with 10:30 left in about the time it took you to read these first few sentences. Bambale Osby earned 2 fouls in the time it took you to read this sentence alone. He had to leave the game with 6:13 left.

I have never been so angry at officiating, which some writers in the blogosphere might refer to as male cattle excrement.

Maybe this will tell you something about the game: Boston College took 41 free throw shots and got 31 points out of them (27-35 in the second half). That means they only scored 50 points outright.

Don't get me wrong; lots of things were wrong with that game. In the first half, I had never seen such poor perimeter defense and players were fumbling passes left in right. Landon Milbourne got a ball to the face in the first couple minutes. I'm really not sure why he didn't get the dish. Plus, I am told the Vasquez's final foul, a technical, was a direct violation of an NCAA rule (punching the pad on the basket support).

But if I had been called on two wimpy fouls in 14 seconds, I would want to punch something, too. Better the pad than the zebra.

What I saw was an assasination. The referees took away our most valuable, emotional player when the Terps were making a run. And you know what? BC tied the game up after the 4 free throws, took the lead soon after and never gave it back. You know how many outright baskets they scored after that? 19 points. They tied the game at 43, and ended up with 81 - and they only scored 19 outright points!!!

There is no way anyone can tell me that Boston College would have won that game with one less foul. Even playing the refs and BC, Maryland, led by Hayes (whom I definitely underestimated), made five 3-pointers at the end of the game to make it 78-77 with 5 seconds left. Without the headhunting of Vasquez and Osby, Maryland would've won this game convincingly.

Unfortunately, a loss is a loss, and that game will be a costly loss come March. Maryland already has 4 losses in 10 games, and that's not tournament material.

We saw toward the end of the game the flashes of brilliance and potential that Maryland has on this team. Put that team in for 40 minutes.

The ACC Schedule Preview, Pt. 1

The Maryland men's basketball team kicks off their ACC season tonight against Boston College. Now that the ACC teams have played a few games, it's easier to see how things are going to shake out this year. So, through intense scrutiny and poring through stats, here's what I see:

PART I of III

BOSTON COLLEGE (6-1)

KEY STATS: Boston College is in the middle of the pack in most stat categories, but is No. 2 in assist-to-turnover ratio and No. 1 in blocked shots (right before Maryland).
GO-TO GUY: Tyrese Rice has torn up the non-conference schedule so far in his junior year, No. 2 in scoring and assists in the ACC ( 21.2 and 6.17 per game). This will probably translate well into the ACC schedule, as he was the No. 6 scorer last year and three of the guys ahead of him are in the NBA now.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A loss to Providence in OT, 98-89. Rice had 25, but their entire starting lineup had at least 4 fouls each.
AGAINST MARYLAND: The Eagles haven't really been tested so far, and Maryland definetely has. They will win, however, if James Gist takes another game off and if Hayes and Vasquez can't defend Rice. The savvy guard and the defensive-minded frontcourt are the main strengths of this team. They'll probably lose the road game.

CLEMSON (8-0)

KEY STATS: Clemson thrives on defense and passing - Top half of rebounding and blocked shots and No. 1 in assists and steals.
GO-TO GUY: The 6-5 K.C. Rivers leads the team in points and is tied for No. 9 in the ACC in rebounding with ... James Gist (for the record, Gist is 4 inches taller).
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A 61-58 win over Purdue. Rivers pulled down a double-double in the absence of much-ballyhooed forward James Mays.
AGAINST MARYLAND: Right now, James Mays is out with a fracture, but he'll probably be back by March when the Tigers play the Terps. A lot will happen between then and now, but for right now, Clemson rebounds much better than Maryland and capitalizes on Maryland's greatest weakness: turnovers.

DUKE (9-0)

KEY STATS: As much as it pains me, Duke is playing very efficiently and is No. 1 in FG% and scoring margin. And they've played a few good teams already.
GO-TO GUY: I'm looking for reasons not to say Kyle Singler. Besides being hideous, he leads the team in points and rebounds.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A 77-73 win over Marquette. Singler dropped 25.
AGAINST MARYLAND: Duke is very strong in the wings with Singler, Henderson and Nelson, but they have no one in the post. A lot of the teams they've beaten match up well because they're guard-heavy. The Devils have chosen their shots well, but soon, Greg Paulus will rear his ugly head and start giving the ball away. Maryland should be able to take the ball to the hole against a lineup where Brian Zoubek is the only player over 6-8. At Cameron Indoor, the Cameron Tame Students will be upset, but Greivis Vasquez feeds off of the hostile atmosphere, as we saw last year. At least one win for the Terps.

FLORIDA STATE (9-2)

KEY STATS: The Seminoles are No. 1 in FT%. Good job. They're also in the top half of the FG% defense categories.
GO-TO GUY: Star guard Isaiah Swann. Leads the team in points and has a 2-to-1 ATR. Toney Douglas isn't far behind, leading the team in minutes and already collecting 30 steals this season. Also, Maryland lost when Douglas was in the game last year and won when he was out.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A win over weakened-yet-still-reigning-champ Florida, 65-51. FSU took a 25-9 lead and never let it go.
AGAINST MARYLAND: The Terps have one very winnable game at home against FSU. The Seminoles have lost to Cleveland State and University of South Florida already and they've played only cruddy teams so far. As bad as Maryland is at rebounding, Florida State is worse: No one on their team is averaging more than 6 per game. However, this is an experienced squad that the Terps can't take lightly. At least Al Thornton is gone - that man killed us.

Part II is on its way tomorrow...

Extra Note: I just wanted to leave you with these wonderful words from Gary about the game the other night against Morgan State in The Sun:

Consider Thursday's night game, when Williams flung his pinstriped suit jacket to the Comcast Center floor and jawed at an official as the first half was ending in the 89-65 win over Morgan State. Williams said after the game that he hated giving the Bears the two free throws that resulted from Maryland being assessed a technical foul.

But yesterday he said he had no regrets about launching the coat - an act he said was intended as a not-so-subtle message to his team.

"I made my point and it wasn't about the officials," Williams said. "It was just about the way we played, and we played a lot better in the second half. So I look at it as it worked. It got everybody fired up."

Williams also kicked at a sideline table during the game, saying afterward: "I thought I'd work on a little martial arts."

Go Terps! See you at the game tonight!

Matt Ryan has two first names, ergo, you should not trust him

After Boston College choked last week against Florida State, I figured the Terps had no chance this week, as much as I wanted them to destroy the Eagles. History has indicated that BC blows the big one once a year - no more, no less.

However, the history of this season indicates something else - once undefeated teams lose, they lose repeatedly. Cal was #2 in the country - now they are 6-4. Florida looked unstoppable - before losing 3 out of 4 games. South Florida was this year's Boise State - before losing three in a row to Rutgers, UConn, and Cincy.

So really, based on the trends of this topsy-turvy college football season, BC's loss to Maryland shouldn't have been all that surprising.

Still, after watching Fridge take the training wheels off the offense with some inspired play-calling and seeing Chris Turner pick apart BC's defense for 337 yards and 3 TDs, my main emotion when rushing the field was "What? We just did that, right?"

The game had long been decided - although considering what BC did to Virginia Tech, I wasn't about to celebrate prematurely - and rushing the field seemed anti-climatic. Unlike last year against FSU, where the Terps blocked a field goal with precious seconds remaining, rushing the field yesterday didn't feel spontaneous or joyful - it was more just the fans playing their role in the script of an upset.

Still, I won't complain about an upset over the #8 team in the country. Particularly when the game was won because the Terps' biggest weakness this season - shaky play calling from the Fridge - became a strength. Although he was occasionally predictable - I swear we ran the ball on virtually every second down of the entire game - he had two key play calls that worked out.

The first was the screen to Da'Rel Scott. The second was the reverse to Heyward-Bey. Both were creative ways of getting the ball into the hands of two of the Terps' fastest - and most underused - players. The fact is that Scott and Heyward-Bey should both be touching the ball at least 10 times a game.

Other thoughts:

• Who is Emani Lee-Odai (3 catches, 78 yards) and why hasn't he been playing all year?
• Where did this pass rush come from? Some of it has to do with the fact that Terps repeatedly blitzed their corners, something that apparently shocked BC.
• I'm estatic to note that a lot of the Terps' seniors stepped on Senior Night. Jason Goode had two touchdowns, Dre Moore not only had an interception (!) but also put pressure on Ryan all night. Even the much-maligned Isiah Gardner played very well.

This win puts the Terps in position to get to a bowl game. After this, even if we do only go 6-6, I think Maryland at least deserves a spot in Boise for the Humanitarian Bowl.