A-Maze-ing Grace

Lose one, gain one: That seems to be Maryland recruiting nowadays.

Some of you may have heard if you check Recruiting Report: Heralded recruit Gus Gilchrist may have to wait another year to play for Maryland due to ACC rules. That hurts the Terp rotation next year: The big man rotation will be some combination of Braxton Dupree, Jerome Burney and Dino Gregory with an extra helping of Shane Walker and the People's Champ Dave Neal. It doesn't really shake the world, does it?

Luckily, we have some late-breaking news that the Terps have a new prospect in the pipe. I was trying to publish this late last night when I got an e-mail from Scout.com, but my computer wouldn't stop freezing and, sure enough, Matt Bracken got to the story when I woke up this morning.

Bobby Maze, a 6-2 guard from D.C., has said he will join the Terps next year as a transfer. He isn't a spring chicken: He left the Oklahoma Sooners after his freshman season.

Now, there are some issues with Maze. No, he's not a big guy and we are in dire need of a solid frontcourt player. Yes, he's had some character issues in the past. Bracken explains at Oklahoma that Maze left due to some "differences" with people in the program. Ok, that doesn't sound good.

But what does sound good is this: Next season, Grievis Vasquez and Eric Hayes won't have to play 35 minutes each. There should be a solid rotation of those two, Sweet Sugar Sean Mosley, Cliff Tucker, Landon Milbourne, Maze and Adrian Bowie. That is one of the deepest guard rotations in the ACC, in my opinion, averaging over 3.5 stars.

I mean, it sounds weird because I'm positive no one heard any buzz about this, almost like an O.J. Mayo type of recruiting (Call the coach out of the blue and tell him you're coming). But hey, get them any way you can. He represents depth that we actually need.

Here's hoping this turns out well. Go Terps!

THE Emerald Bowl Preview

Hey Terp fans, it's time to end the sabbatical. I'm back and ready for a countdown to this San Francisco showdown downtown.

Yeah, you liked that.

For those of you still comatose from finals, wake up! It's the last hurrah for football season! I know about 95% of you dear readers didn't think we would even get to play a game in December but we are. I also know that 99% of you aren't going to San Francisco, but it's OK, sometimes you get a better view on TV. At least that's what I'm hoping.

On to the matchup: It's the Maryland Terrapins (6-6) vs. the Oregon State Beavers (8-4) in The House that Barry Built on Dec. 28 at 8:30.

The bottom line is these teams do not know each other at all. It's demonstrated particularly in this quote from an Oregon newspaper, which may or may not be true depending on Oregon State academics:

"I'm really looking forward to playing Maryland," senior center Kyle DeVan told a media gathering. "I don't even know where that is. Do you want to point that out on the map for me?"

Yes, Kyle, I can. Maryland is the machine-gun looking state on the Eastern Seaboard squashed between Virginia and Pennsylvania. Crabcakes and football: That's what Maryland does. Tell me about Oregon - I always thought it was a mythical land at the end of a trail in some computer game.

But no matter where Oregon is or if anyone actually lives there, we are playing the Oregon State football team next week and Fridge will have to have his boys prepared. I was doing some reading on OSU (you can look up some of this info here and here) and this is the No. 3 team in the Pac-10 conference, which is really saying something. On the other hand, Maryland is the No. 6 team in the ACC, which is really saying nothing.

A few things that stick out about OSU:

- They have the No. 2 run defense. Yes, that is in the country. The good news: We already played the No. 1 run defense (Boston College) and ran on them. But Oregon State is also the No. 12 defense overall. The Oregonian's Paul Buker says, "The overriding attribute of this group is speed," and goes on to compare them to the mighty Pete Carroll defense. High praise indeed.

- The Beavers have won 6 of their last 7 games. The one loss? To No. 13 USC. They're pretty hot right now.

- The Beavers are No. 3 in sacks. Aren't you praying All-American Andrew Crummey and Jaimie Thomas can play? Me too.

- They have a completely underrated back in Yvenson Bernard, who has over 1,000 rush yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games. I'm hoping the Terps respond to this more like they did against Ray Rice (97 yds, 1 TD) than Steve Slaton (137 yds, 3 TDs). Some running backs you can only hope to contain.

- Their coach, Mike Riley, has posted a 3-0 record in bowl games.

This is a really good team that somehow got matched up with the battered and embattled Terrapins. Our best hope is that they somehow underestimate us, and I get the feeling they won't. This is not a big-name program and they play every game hard because they have to.

That doesn't mean there aren't a couple positives:

- Bernard is injured and might not be 100% for the game. Plus, Lance Ball has as many rushing touchdowns as Bernard. Keon Lattimore has one more.

- Our coach, Ralph Friedgen, is 3-1 in bowl games and, as we saw last December, the team is usually very prepared.

- We will be facing another sophomore quarterback in Lyle Moevao. He's actually more similar to Chris Turner than you might think - he replaced an injured starter, gained the trust of the team, didn't put up huge numbers (556 yds and 2 TDs), and reeled of three wins. Now he's the legit starter. But I'm not sure if Riley will make him do anything more. I think you need to be able to throw on us to beat us. Will he?

- We aren't terrible at defense as we rank 28th in scoring D nationally. Oregon State is No. 35 in that particular category.

- The Terps are ranked No. 26 in strength of schedule and Oregon State is No. 30. Maybe that's relevant?

- We'll have time to recover from the ridiculous amount of injuries we sustained this season.

- We have giant-killer potential, as we beat then-No. 10 Rutgers and then-No. 8 Boston College during the regular season. If we come out swinging with an open playbook, there's no telling what we could do. The Beaver's biggest win is against then-No. 18 Oregon in OT, sans Dennis Dixon.

I think that the best thing that can happen for Maryland is to be counted out as the underdog in this matchup. We've seen again and again that this team feels that they are better than their record and they win games when they absolutely have to. They can knock off big teams, and they will have to bring that ability to the game to be able to win.

I see they stack up a little unevenly, but given the X-factor type nature of the Terps and reserving my right to be optimistic, I'll give the Terps a narrow win.

PREDICTION: Maryland wins it, 30-28.

I've been waiting for a golden opportunity to post this video. Since this is the biggest game of the year and since it appears that basketball might not get a postseason this year, now seems to be the time.



I hope that pumps you guys up! Go Terps!

And Billick is still coach ... why?

Well, in absentia of college sports (thank you, finals), today we gaze in on professional sports and, unfortunately, my favorite franchise.

The Ravens were the first team in the entire season to fall to the Miami Dolphins, 22 -16.

Here's the thing: I turned the game off when the score was 13-10 to work on an essay for finals. I already knew they were going to lose. I knew it: My Raven's sense was going off.

One thing about a team without a clutch offense is you can always tell that they'll lose the game after the momentum shift. They can't reclaim it.

Sure, you can blame injuries if you want. Sure, you can throw stones at Kyle Boller - he's been very bad behind center and he can't seem to stop his dancing or get rid of the ball properly. Blame a season of divas on defense who can't play as a team and who have ripped this locker room apart.

But one man, the man calling the plays and presiding over the locker room, has already somehow evaded responsibility.

This past week, Steve Bisciotti told Brian Billick, head coach of the Ravens, that his job was safe.

And, uh ... why?

I'm sure that many of you have heard that Billick came over from the Vikings as a heralded offensive coordinator and the Raven's offense has not good pretty much at all during his tenure. Their best ranking was 14th in 2001 ... you know, when Jamal Lewis almost broke the single-season rushing record. Even last year when the Ravens won a franchise-high 13 games, they only finished 17th in offense, and Billick was calling the plays after throwing best friend Jim Fassel under the bus. This season again, Billick was calling plays and we're currently ranked 24th in offense. Uh, aren't you supposed to be the genius?

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!! Two seasons ago, after a 6-10 season, Brian Billick evaded the noose before - after a 6-10 season and a second consecutive missed playoff. Two years later, here we are again. Since then we've had one spectacular regular season - again resting heavily on defense - and a horribly botched playoff game, due much in part to bad coaching. And now? A franchise-worst 8 game losing streak. And he's not fired?

Plus, who can forget this great one-liner we heard time and time again: "Kyle Boller is our quarterback." Oh yeah? Well now Billick is using Boller as a shield, saying that the team hasn't been successful because of bad quarterback play.

What's more, Bisciotti does not blame Billick for the team's poor play, according to the report.

"The Ravens are not naive," the source said, according to The Sun. "Everyone has seen the injuries and the quarterback play.

No, I think the Ravens are naive for supporting a coach that supported a bad quarterback. Throwing a friend under the bus again, aren't we, Billick?

This man has evaded responsibility for too long and rested on the work of a slew of great defensive coordinators, two of whom are now head coaches and one who will be soon. Actually, why not make Rex Ryan coach of this Ravens team? He's got the respect of the players, is familiar with the system and personnel and we know he can coach at least one side of the ball, right?

Let's face it: The Ravens will always be a defensive team. You might as well get a defensive head coach and a really good offensive coordinator. It worked at USC with Pete Carroll and Norm Chow, right? With Rex Ryan and, say, Cam Cameron (maybe the single win saves his job, however) you could even have a USC-type situation with Ryan actually calling the defensive assignments and the O-coordinator pretty much covering the whole offense. Why not?

And as for the quarterback situation, ladies and gentlemen: Troy "The Answer" Smith.

The sad thing is I'm so serious right now.

"Africa" deserves a better music video

I was just kind of doing whatever in my late-night surfing and thinking of one of my favorite songs in the whole world, "Africa" by Toto. Since downloading is illegal again in College Park (thanks RIAA; this is really going to make me buy CDs), I hopped on YouTube and did a quick search. Unfortunately, this is what I found:



Yes, that is the actual music video. I'm pretty sure that this is the biggest music-to-video quality discrepancy I've ever seen, and the band is lucky that music videos didn't make or break you in 1982. Honestly, is that the best they could do?

I mean, even this "Hold the Line" music video is decent enough:



Couldn't they at least get to that level?

This is an appeal to the world. I want a better music video for that song. If one of you readers has the means or resources or time to make one, please do. I have several ideas for a new video, including but by no means limited to:

- An air-instrument band rendition

- Anything involving Derrick Comedy

- Some kind of tribute to Jack Bauer

- The OutKast version

- Splicing the music with a krump video

I hope some kind-hearted soul out there has the technology and the willpower. C'mon, I have finals.

Shame, Shame

I think I'm a reasonable person. I don' t think I praise or condemn rashly. So trust me: I have sufficient reason to be ashamed of the men's basketball team today.

In case you haven't heard, the Terps lost 61-55 last night to the Ohio University Bobcats.

See, some of you may think that I meant to say Ohio State, but no, I didn't. I'm talking about THE Ohio University, one of the more competitive teams in the MAC conference. They went 19-13 last year. They've already lost to Holy Cross, one of our future opponents.

That should give you a little perspective on how bad this loss really is.

A lot of Maryland students were studying for finals, but I attended the game and watched it in its entirety. It was awful. I can't remember seeing so many dropped passes, mishandled rebounds and bounce-out shots. It was a horrible game ... and it wasn't even close. Ohio, at its greatest margin, led by 17 points.

First of all, what a poorly scheduled game! The athletics department actually thought it was a good idea to schedule a late game on the day before finals began? Way to go: The players had finals on their minds and the students scanned and left. And guess what? I can't blame them.

However, that was no excuse for the crummy game I watched last night. Maryland was outrebounded by 10 and allowed opposing player, Leon Williams, to grab 15 boards. Yikes.

But Maryland's biggest problem is we can't shoot. That's a problem that's hard to fix. Ohio crowded the middle and left some room for outside shots, and Maryland only hit 7 out of 23 attempts from 3-point range. Yes, you read that correctly. We took 23 shots from beyond the arc.

I'm not going to call out individual players because:

a) You guys can check out the stats for yourself

b) Everyone made some bad mistakes

c) All of them are at this point sufficiently humiliated

I did hear crowd members booing the Maryland players and heckling them at the end of the game and I didn't really think that was necessary. The way I see it, if you want to act like you're a loyal fan, you have to sit through the bad times. It's hard to watch, especially when the Terps lose like that, but you can't talk trash about the players one game and act like their the greatest thing that ever happened the next. Plus, as I mentioned before, the players are their own harshest critics. Why pile on?

It's a bad spot to be in. The rest of the conference is already moving ahead and the Terps are getting left behind. Realistically, they must win most of their conference games to get out of this hole. I don't want to look too far ahead, but it's sad to see that the NCAA tournament hopes are already fading away.

The ACC Schedule Preview, Pt. 3

Finally, we come to our thrilling conclusion. Thanks for hanging in there with me, guys.

PART III

NORTH CAROLINA (8-0)

KEY STATS: Roy Williams has the Heels running the top scoring offense in the ACC and No. 3 in the country. They play fast ball. They also grab 10 more boards per game than their opponents.
GO-TO GUY: Tyler Hansbrough is always a candidate for College Player of the Year because he's great at two things: finishing close to the basket and rebounding. A lot of people think he's overrated and I agree that his game might not translate to the pros, but he's No. 1 in scoring and No. 2 in rebounding in the conference; that's not too bad.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A 86-77 win over Kentucky at Lexington. The team swarmed Hansbrough, but he made a bunch of foul shots. Junior Danny Green also had 20 points.
AGAINST MARYLAND: They'll beat us. Our defense is just not good enough this year. I don't think we can contain Hansbrough and simultaneously stop Lawson's quick cutting ability and Ellington's threes.

VIRGINIA (7-2)

KEY STATS: Virginia last year was known for their spectacular guard play. So it may be surprising to some people to see that Virginia is No. 1 in rebounding margin ... in the country. Impressive considering that only one guy averages over 6.5 rpg.
GO-TO GUY: It has to be Sean Singletary: He's good for over 19 ppg, 7.2 apg (tops in the ACC) and grabs at least 4 boards per night. The senior is the heart of this team.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A close win over the Wildcats in Arizona, 75-72. Singletary stepped up his game, scoring 24 points and hitting free throws and clutch shots down the stretch.
AGAINST MARYLAND: The rebounding margin and outstanding play of Singletary probably will overwhelm the young team. The Terps have been unable to stop good guards so far this season, and their perimeter defense is as poor as I've seen it.

VIRGINIA TECH (5-3)

KEY STATS: This is a hard team to read statistically. They pass well and have the No. 2 ATR in the conference. They also play decent defense, but have the second-lowest scoring offense in the ACC.
GO-TO GUY: A.D. Vassallo is leading the team with 15.3 ppg and shooting a pretty hot 43.8% from beyond the arc. But a freshman is looming: Jeff Allen is averaging 13 and 8 per game, and he's 5th in FG% in the ACC.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: An 82-64 massacre at the hands of Gonzaga. The Hokies had four double-digit scorers, but the Bulldogs sealed it with a 14-6 run at the start of the second half.
AGAINST MARYLAND: It's difficult to say for sure. I think that Maryland definitely could win and that they have the talent. However, VTech is the first ACC game after the winter break and the Terps are going to Blacksburg. Think the fans are still upset about Augustus Gilchrist? But the home game is definitely winnable.

WAKE FOREST (5-3)

KEY STATS: Wake Forest can't make shots: They're the pits in FG% and 3FG%. They're also last in assists, but surprisingly No. 1 in turnover ratio. Maybe they just aren't passing at all.
GO-TO GUY: James Johnson is 5 rebounds off of averaging a double-double for the season. Talk about the year of the impact freshman.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A 83-80 loss to Vanderbilt. Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy took on the Deacon defense and lit them up for a combined 49 points.
AGAINST MARYLAND: As of right now, I'm pretty sure Maryland would win this matchup. Last year, the game was close on the road, but the Demon Deacons really are missing Kyle Visser this year. They can't score, straight-up. That means they can't win.

*Extra Note: Don't forget that Wake Forest suffered the loss of a much-beloved coach before the season. I think that hurt badly before anyone even got on court. I'd give them a "gimme" year in terms of judging their program. They're also bringing in some great recruits, so they definitely have a bright future..

Projected finishes:

1) North Carolina
2) Clemson
3) Duke
4) Virginia
5) Miami
6) Boston College
7) Maryland
8) Florida State
9) Virginia Tech
10) N.C. State
11) Wake Forest
12) Georgia Tech

It's sad to say, but I can't honestly expect much more than a middle-of-the-pack finish this year. This team, playing at its best (like the end of last year) can compete with some of the better teams in the conference. If the Terps play their age, they'll lean toward the bottom of the heap.

The goals this year: gain some character, beat the teams we're supposed to, play the top teams tight and try and make the NCAA tournament. I don't know if we can still salvage a 20-win season, but we'll definitely need one to make the cut.

The ACC Schedule Preview, Pt. 2

I'm letting you guys know that my finals are definitely holding back some of my blogging activity, but it's not like finals are important or anything, so I'm sticking to my word and bringing you Part II today, just like I promised.

First of all, I just want to say that the review of the BC game was written in a very angry state of mind. In the second half, the Terps definitely played their best basketball of which they are capable. Eric Hayes, James Gist, Landon Milbourne and Cliff Tucker are all guys that made me look like a fool and outperformed my expectations. Even though Maryland racks up a loss (which is still very hard on my heart), those guys definitely deserve a little bit of respect. That's why it's such a shame that the refs had to give that game away ( 35 foul shots in the 2nd half? Really?)

Anyway, the show must go on:

PART II

GEORGIA TECH (4-4)

KEY STATS: The absolute dead last in scoring defense, with 10 ppg more than anyone else. They score, but they're pretty much the pits in rebounding and any kind of defense.
GO-TO GUY: This team was emaciated by the loss of Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittendon. The only guy left is Anthony Morrow, who averages 16.4 ppg, 6 rpg and not much else.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: A close loss to Indiana, 83-79. They were close, but got rained on by Eric Gordon. While we're digging back, let's not forget their loss in GT home opener to the mighty UNC-Greensboro.
AGAINST MARYLAND: I assume by now that all of you readers know we should win this game. While Maryland's sitting at 6-4, the Yellow Jackets are sitting at a lowly 4-4. Isn't it fun to pick on the kids that are smaller than you. The Terps should rack up a win, even on the road.

MIAMI (8-0)

KEY STATS: I know these guys can shoot 3-pointers, so I wasn't surprised to see them at the top of 3FG%. But I am absolutely shocked to see that Miami is now the top scoring and field-goal defense in the ACC. Yes, it is true.
GO-TO GUY: I'm gonna have to go with Jack McClinton (straight out of B-More, by the way) who is leading the team in points and is one of the elite 3-point shooters in all of college basketball. He was out for a bit, but Miami didn't sweat it. I would also definitely watch Dwayne Collins, as he scored a combined 26 points and 24 rebounds in the two Maryland losses last year.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: Two games tie - a win over VCU (a team we lost to) and a win over Providence (a team that beat BC) to give them the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Title.
AGAINST MARYLAND: Miami beat Maryland twice last year, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but look for the Terps to struggle in a tough road game at "the U" again this season. The Hurricanes are really starting to become a force of nature in the ACC (har har).

N.C. STATE (4-3)

KEY STATS: If there's a team that I don't understand, it's this one. They are dead last in rebounding and scoring. Their scoring margin is 0, they're the only ACC team with a negative rebounding margin, and they have the worst turnover margin in the league.
GO-TO GUY: Here's where I start to scratch my head: Last year, the team had three guys (Ben McCauley, Brandon Costner and Gavin Grant) who all averaged over 14 ppg and 5 rpg. Now the scoring and rebounding leader is uber-frosh J.J. Hickson, but all of last years starters have regressed a lot. McCauley is only good for 4.3 ppg and 2.9 rpg now in 20 minutes per game. No real go-to guys on this team, save maybe Hickson - but he hasn't created success for the team.
BIGGEST GAME SO FAR: An 81-58 drubbing at the hands of Michigan State. The Spartans were hot-handed with the ball and the Wolfpack put up brick after brick.
AGAINST MARYLAND: This team, a trendy ACC pick at the beginning of the season, has really shown itself to be a poor rebounding and scoring team. If the Terps even show up for this one at home, it should be a blowout.

Alright, that's all I have time for today. Look out tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday) for the final installment of the Terps' ACC schedule preview!

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.