Not Buying It

Back from break finally! Sorry for the delay, I know y'all have been awake at night, wondering when INRCP was going to be updated - you can rest safely now. But you know what's going to be keeping me up at night? The Maryland women's basketball team.

If you haven't been watching the women's NCAA championship at all, and if you didn't have the courtesy to spend $8 and walk to Comcast to watch a session, then you're probably pretty comfortable with the first round 16-point victory and the second round 12-point victory. I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't be satisfied.

What am I not buying? All of it. I'm not buying that the Terps are a legit No. 1 seed. I'm not buying that they're playing their best basketball. I'm not buying they can win the championship. I'm not buying they can win their next game.

I attended the first round game and watched the second round game on TV. I was disappointed at the Terps' performance in both. Their play has me very nervous for next week.

We have problems (typically ones that can be addressed) in several areas. Here's what I've seen in the past two efforts:

- DEFENSE: We are simply getting killed in transition, and last night was the second time in a row we got beat in fast break points. Our players look slow when they have to run the floor, and often the opponent ends up with numbers down on the other end. There was a play against Nebraska where Ashleigh Newman ended up on an island and had no idea what to do against two bigger, athletically superior players who would've dunked on her if it was a men's game. Plus, it also looks like Toliver and Newman are having trouble guarding their marks: Three starting guards in the last two games have gone off for 20 points or more. Maybe the best option is to put Coleman or Strickland on the leading scorer.

- PASSING: For whatever reason, the last two game have been filled with errors and miscues, most resulting in Maryland turnovers. I grew very frustrated last night watching a string of UMD turnovers that led to a 16-2 Cornhusker run, closing a Maryland lead to a single point at halftime. The women play streaky ball - they go on runs, then let the other team go on a run. Coleman and Toliver both run the point, and a lot of the problems stemmed from trying to thread the needle in risky passes. Teams are covering Langhorne and Harper and making us beat them from the outside, which leads to my next point...

- SHOOTING: This team is not showing the touch that made them the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the ACC. Against Coppin State, they shot 30.% from long range, and against Nebraska, they shot a dismal 25%. Not going to cut it when Langhorne and Harper get double- and triple-teamed in the paint. Toliver has been struggling to find her shot, going 2-for-12 in the tourney, while Marah Strickland has only scored 3 points total so far and hit only one field goal. Maryland will have to diversify their game if they want to advance.

- FATIGUE: This is a huge problem which contributes to the other areas of concern. All five Maryland starters were in the top-30 list of minutes played in the ACC this season. The rotation typically only has Jade Perry and Newman get significant minutes off the bench. That's not going to cut it. It's obvious that the Terps get more tired toward the end of halves and the end of the game, even though they've been finishing strong. Now is the time when you have to see what depth you have and hope it works out. Nine Nebraska players had double-digit minutes compared to seven on Maryland. Drey Mingo was the only other person who played from UMD, and she was in for a whole whopping minute.

Here's the deal: I trust the Terps to handle these problems. Yesterday at the post-game press conference, Marissa Coleman expressed that the team was nervous about getting over the second-round hump where they lost last year. I understand that. There might be butterflies floating around in their stomachs right now, and the newbies - like Strickland - might be a little nervous about playing on the big stage (maybe, I have a hard time explaining her drop-off).

Coleman said it was like a weight had been lifted off of them. Maybe it was keeping them down. There were still great things about their game: Langhorne and Harper have played really well when they can get the ball, Coleman had an excellent second half last night and rebounding, even by the guards, is going very well.

Right now, this is not a championship team. I'm wary of our next opponent, Vanderbilt, and I'm absolutely terrified of the looming Stanford and Candice Wiggins, who is considered a class-3 lethal weapon in some countries.

However, it still can be. We have a lot of good parts, and we crushed top-five competition early in the season. I truly believe that when this team is in gear, they can defeat anyone. Now it's up to Brenda and company to make it happen.

Go Terps!

Ladies Headed to the ACC Tournament

Hey guys, time to talk about the women - they've earned the attention.

The Women's ACC tournament is this weekend, and the No. 2-seeded Terps get a bye until Friday when they play the winner of Boston College/VaTech. After that, the Ladies are likely to face Duke AGAIN on Saturday, before they likely face UNC again on Sunday (if they keep winning).

The accolades are already showering down on the Terrapins: An unprecedented FOUR Maryland players earned all-ACC accolades, and Crystal Langhorne was announced as the ACC Player of the Year this afternoon. Not too shabby ... right?

- Langhorne and Kristi Toliver to the 1st team
- Marissa Coleman to the 2nd team (next year, this will improve)
- Laura Harper to the 3rd team (first-timer)

Overall, Maryland led the conference in FG percentage and 3FG percentage, rebounding margin, and assist-to-turnover ratio. They missed a share of the conference title by one game to North Carolina (the only conference opponent they lost to). Toliver, Langhorne and Coleman all finished in the top 10 in scoring. Langhorne and Harper both finished in the top 5 in rebounding. Toliver was 4th IN THE NATION in assists per game.

Very cool stuff for the women. But they have a lot of fighting ahead.

Boston College wasn't a sweat for the Terps this year, but Virginia Tech was. Even though the Hokies have played poorly in the ACC, they gave Maryland a serious run for their money back in February (a 74-71 OT win).

After that, Duke is the next probable opponent. So far, the Terps lead this series 2-0, but the Blue Devils are always a threat: In both games, Duke closed the lead to single digits in the last three minutes.

Then we're talking about the Tar Heels, who have been a machine this season and squeezed out a double-overtime win in the previous matchup. However, I think that you can't discount the possible presence of Brenda Frese. She was still knocked up during that game, and if she comes out for the tournament (a maybe at best), I think that Maryland will win a close battle.

Yes, it's a long way to go to predict a final matchup of UMD and UNC, but they are the only two teams in the conference that have been overwhelmingly dominant this year, so I don't think it's very risky to guess.

Even if we do lose, Maryland fans can look forward to the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at home. At this point, Maryland is either a first or second seed no matter what happens, so we can hopefully enjoy some warmup throttles of mid-major teams. I already bought tickets for my dad - I think you should get some too. It's really not that much to see a team that might win another national championship this season.

Well best of luck to the Lady Terps - go get 'em.

Terps Break the Curse

Maryland finally beat Duke at home tonight, a rousing game between rivals since the 06' title match that was close until the closing minutes. The final score was 85-70. If you didn't see it, take a watch.

I think that some people might remember that Maryland hasn't won a home game against Duke in a long time, but you might be surprised to learn that it's been a full decade since the Lady Terps won one in front of their own fans. That's before Comcast was even built!

Don't be fooled by the score; it was an extremely tight game that I hope a few of you watched on ESPN2 (at the very least). Definitely one of the more spirited games I've attended, as well. The crowd of 15,531 was armed with glowsticks and standing up and screaming an awful lot. Even though the game didn't sell out, Brenda Frese should have been pleased with the turnout. I was surprised as well by the number of elementary-aged young ladies that seemed to pack the stands - in some sections, it looked more like a Girl Scout Convention than a basketball game. I toned down my profanity a bit.

In terms of gameplay, it was everything it was billed to be. I thought Maryland was going to run away with it, and at first they did, outscoring the Blue Devils 17-4 in the opening minutes. But Duke's tough defense really kept them in the game. They held Crystal Langhorne, the woman I proclaimed to be the greatest Terp ever (and I still think it's worth arguing), to a relatively quiet night of 16 points and 7 boards (8 points were off of free throws). Props to Chante Black, who covered No. 1 for most of the night. It was obvious, as Maryland's lead fluctuated and even disappeared temporarily, that good interior defense can beat the Terps (think back to Rutgers). Very physical, as well, with 28 personal fouls on Duke and 19 on Maryland. Lots of frustration and emotion on both sides.

But the difference-maker was Marissa Coleman. Duke had absolutely no answer for her, and she went off - 30 pts, 6 rbs, 3 blocks and 4 steals. 4-for-5 from three-point range. Only one turnover. She alone compensated for the foul trouble on Laura Harper and stretches when Kristi Toliver and Langhorne were stifled by the Duke defenders. Next year, when she's out of Langhorne's shadow, she'll be mentioned in the same breath as Candice Parker when women's bball analysts (like Bill Cowher) are talking about the most versatile players in the country. In my mind, she's in that class.

Candace Parker: 20.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 40.0% 3FG

Marissa Coleman: 15.4 ppg, 8.1 rbg, 3.1 apg, 39.7% 3FG (Before Duke game stats)

Now let's remember that Coleman plays for a team with 3 other scorers who average over 14ppg, while Parker is the unquestioned leader and scores almost 10 ppg more than her other teamates because she has to. Parker has a clear advantage in the post (33 blocks) but Coleman is usually asked to defend the perimeter anyway - next season she'll probably play the post more often. Next year, whether or not Toliver or Coleman is the alpha dog, I think you will see many of Coleman's stats go up. Then she and Parker probably won't look so different after all.

Good win for the ladies. A statement has been made. Maybe Abby Waner would like to write about it in her ESPN diary. Serves you right, Dookie.

Go Terps!

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun