Baltimoresun.com sports producer Sheil Kapadia will be posting his comments while watching tonight's matchup on ESPN2. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game, and refresh your browser for updates.

20:00 -- Since we last spoke, the Terps hit 5-of-14 three-pointers in a 72-51 win over Lehigh. Illinois comes into this game 4-1, its only loss coming against No. 10 Duke. As always, feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game.

19:36 -- Landon Milbourne turns it over on Maryland's first possession. Not a good start. Meanwhile, Mike Patrick is calling the game with Len Elmore on ESPN2. If Patrick starts talking about Britney Spears, this could be the greatest game-blog ever. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

19:00 -- James Gist misses from three-point range. Does anyone else think he should stop launching shots from beyond the arc? Gist is now 3-for-12 on the season from three-point range. He had only attempted 23 threes in his Maryland career before this season.

18:11 -- Greivis Vasquez misses a three. Maybe this game blog is bad luck?

17:36 -- Illinois gets on the board first with a put-back from Shaun Pruitt. Braxton Dupree is starting for Maryland because Bambale Osby is under the weather.

16:47 -- Tied at 2. Not exactly a barnburner here. The Terps' first basket is a dunk by Milbourne on a fast break.

15:27 -- Illinois is 2-for-10 from the field while Maryland is 2-for-7.

13:54 -- Eric Hayes nails a three-ball to tie the game at 10. Also, Osby has entered the game, but his minutes could be limited.

12:58 -- Another three-pointer from Hayes gives Maryland a 15-10 lead. This one was a full foot behind the line. A very good sign for the Terps. Meanwhile, freshman forward Jerome Burney has gotten the early call off the bench from Gary Williams.

10:31 -- Mike Davis has come off the bench to hit back-to-back shots for Illinois, tying the game at 17. Davis is a freshman from T.C. Williams High School. If you're not picturing Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans right now, there's something wrong with you. Illinois also has a Baltimore product in point guard Chester Frazier.

9:18 -- A major story line in this one will be rebounding. Illinois entered this game averaging a +9.8 advantage on the glass. The Illini are outrebounding the Terps by eight so far.

8:07 -- Nice put-back by Dupree. The 6-8 freshman has been Maryland's best player so far with six points on 3-for-4 shooting to go along with three rebounds. Calvin Brock leads Illinois with eight points.

6:51 -- Illinois is shooting just 34 percent from the field. Ladies and gentlemen, we may have found a team that shoots worse than the Terps.

6:01 -- Dupree again. Maryland takes a 23-21 lead.

3:30 -- Illinois has 11 offensive rebounds, which has allowed them to stay in the game despite serious struggles from the field.

3:17 -- Another three-ball for Hayes, his third of the game, ties the game at 26. It hasn't been pretty, but it's been entertaining with the two teams exchanging several leads in the first half.

3:00 -- Elmore and Patrick make some sort of painting analogy. I'll be honest. I'm confused. If anyone can explain, please do so.

2:14 -- Freshman Cliff Tucker scores for the Terps. Patrick comments, "Davis has been very effective off the bench." Both Tucker and Mike Davis wear the No. 24. I guess Patrick just mixed up his teams. It's OK Mike. No one said announcing games was easy. And I'm sure I'll make a mistake at some point during this blog.

0:34 -- James Gist is 2-for-7 and has struggled in the first half, but he just scored to tie the game at 32.

0:00 -- The score stays tied at 32 going into halftime. The Terps will need to do a better job on the glass in the second half, and Gist or Vasquez need to get going.

SECOND HALF

19:51 -- Dupree picks up right where he left off, scoring the first basket of the second half to put Maryland up, 34-32.

17:18 -- Illinois' Pruitt is now 1-for-7 from the field. He entered the game averaging 11.2 points per game and shooting 47 percent from the field.

16:26 -- A couple of bad plays by the Terps. Hayes was blocked by Frazier on a fast break. On Maryland's next possession, Vasquez threw an alley-oop to Gist that had about a three percent chance of working. Illinois broke up the play and scored on its next offensive possession to take a 37-36 lead.

16:00 -- Gist tries again from beyond the arc and connects this time. 39-37 Terps.

15:42 -- Vasquez is called for a lane violation. Don't you feel like they could call a lane violation on every free-throw attempt?

15:13 -- Maryland has held Illinois' leading scorer Brian Randle scoreless so far. He came into this game averaging 11.8 per game. Meanwhile, I wonder what former Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall is up to nowadays.

12:48 -- Hayes hits another three, his fourth of the game, to put the Terps up 44-42.

11:46 -- This game has seen 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Hayes just tried for the heat check and came up a little short on a three-point attempt.

10:27 -- Tucker with a couple big-time buckets for Maryland to give the Terps a 49-44 lead. Nice energy from the freshman.

9:47 -- 13 offensive boards for Illinois. That's keeping them in the game.

8:54 -- Nice finish with the left hand by Hayes. He's having an outstanding game. That was his first non-three. He has 14 points. Meanwhile, Gist just went out of the game with his third foul and was replaced by Osby.

8:22 -- It's Cliff Tucker's world. The freshman from El Paso, Texas has nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. Maryland has opened a 53-46 lead.

7:02 -- Gist picks up his fourth foul while trying to take a charge.

6:04 -- A blocked shot by Burney leads to a Vasquez fast-break dunk, giving Maryland a 55-49 lead. Nice effort from the Terps' freshmen tonight.

5:30 -- Burney with a follow-up dunk gives the Terps a 57-49 advantage.

3:54-- Nice hustle play by Hayes leads to a jump ball, giving Maryland possession. Gist scores to put the Terps up, 61-55.

1:57 -- Maryland has only turned it over 11 times tonight.

1:15 -- Shouldn't have said that. Hayes just threw the ball away, and Pruitt scored for Illinois to cut Maryland's lead to 62-60.

0:14 -- Hayes and Milbourne hit their free throws down the stretch as the crowd breaks out in an "A-C-C" chant. That's right. This was part of the ACC/Big 10 challenge. Maybe I should have mentioned that earlier.

0:00 -- The Terps hold on for the 69-61 victory.

A lot of things to like about this game, particularly the play from the freshmen. Dupree did a nice job, especially in the first half as a starter. Burney and Tucker gave Maryland some nice energy off the bench. And Milbourne hit a couple big free throws down the stretch. Meanwhile, Hayes was hot from beyond the arc, scoring a career-high 18 points, and he and Vasquez took care of the ball while dishing out a combined 14 assists. Gist added 12 points and nine boards with a strong second half.

Maryland held a big advantage in points in the paint all game. Did it help that Illinois missed about 15 lay-ups? Sure. But that happens. What did you make of Maryland's performance?

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Virginia's Al Groh was named ACC coach of the year, and Wake Forest running back Josh Adams was named the conference's rookie of the year today. No Terps received votes for offensive or defensive rookie of the year. Here's how the voting played out by 71 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. What do you think?

COACH OF THE YEAR

Al Groh, Virginia (38)

Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College (22)

Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech (10)

Tommy Bowden, Clemson (1)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Josh Adams, RB, Wake Forest (51)

T.J. Yates, QB, North Carolina (12)

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Virginia Tech (5)

Marvin Austin, DE, North Carolina (1)

Graig Cooper, RB, Miami (1)

Deunta Williams, S, North Carolina (1)

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Josh Adams, RB, Wake Forest (52)

T.J. Yates, QB, North Carolina (12)

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Virginia Tech (5)

Graig Cooper, RB, Miami (2)

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Deunta Williams, S, North Carolina (48)

Charles Brown, CB, North Carolina (9)

Ras-I Dowling, DB, Virginia (5)

Morgan Burnett, DB, Georgia Tech (3)

Marvin Austin, DE, North Carolina (2)

Markus Kuhn, DE, N.C. State (2)

DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson (1)

Quan Sturdivant, LB, North Carolina (1)

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Terps football
        

The Associated Press named its 2007 All-ACC football team today.

Maryland defensive tackle Dre Moore and linebacker Erin Henderson were first-team selections. Offensive lineman Andrew Crummey made the second team.

Running back Keon Lattimore was an honorable mention.

I've pasted the complete list of selections below, as voted on by 73 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. A first-team vote was worth two points and second team vote one. Do you agree with the selections? Are there any Terps that deserved recognition that didn't make the list?

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB—Matt Ryan, Boston College (143)

RB—Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech (143)

RB—James Davis, Clemson (131)

WR—Aaron Kelly, Clemson (128)

WR—Kenneth Moore, Wake Forest (117)

TE—Ryan Purvis, Boston College (109)

OT—Barry Richardson, Clemson (120)

OT—Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech (85)

OG—Branden Albert, Virginia (105)

OG—Chris McDuffie, Clemson (100)

C—Steve Justice, Wake Forest (122)

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB—Cullen Harper, Clemson (70)

RB—Andre Callender, Boston College (72)

RB—Josh Adams, Wake Forest (51)

WR—Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina (75)

WR—Eron Riley, Duke (38)

TE—Tom Santi, Virginia (60)

OT—Duane Brown, Virginia Tech (79(

OT—Gosder Cherilus, Boston College (64)

OG—Andrew Crummey, Maryland (86)

OG—Rodney Hudson, Florida State and Derrick Morse, Miami (51)

C—Kevin Tuminello, Georgia Tech (65)

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DE—Chris Long, Virginia, Sr. (146)

DE—Chris Ellis, Virginia Tech (70)

DT—Vance Walker, Georgia Tech (93)

DT—Dre Moore, Maryland (51)

LB—Erin Henderson, Maryland (111)

LB—Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech (104)

LB—Geno Hayes, Florida State (69)

CB—Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest (127)

CB—Victor Harris, Virginia Tech (81)

S—Jamie Silva, Boston College (130)

S—Kenny Phillips, Miami (85)

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DE—Hilee Taylor, North Carolina (66)

DE—Darrell Robertson, Georgia Tech (36)

DT—Barry Booker, Virginia Tech (50)

DT—Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina (42)

LB—Durell Mapp, North Carolina (64)

LB—Aaron Curry, Wake Forest (54)

LB—Jolonn Dunbar, Boston College, and Phillip Weaver, Georgia Tech (48)

CB—DeJuan Tribble, Boston College (77)

CB—Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech (73)

S—Michael Hamlin, Clemson (49)

S—DaJuan Morgan, N.C. State (48)

FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

K—Travis Bell, Georgia Tech (64)

P—Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech (126)

KR-PR—Eddie Royal, Virginia Tech (74)

SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

K—Gary Cismesia, Florida State (40)

P—Ryan Weigand, Virginia (32)

KR-PR—Darrell Blackman, N.C. State (44)

HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE

Keon Lattimore, RB, Maryland, (25); Brandon Robinson, WR, Boston College, (30); Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia, (46); Kalani Heppe, OG, N.C. State, (21).

HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE

Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson, (32); Calais Campbell, DE, Miami, (29); Alex Albright, DE, Boston College, (22); Ron Brace, DT, Boston College, (39); DeMario Pressley, DT, N.C. State, (38); Carlton Powell, DT, Virginia Tech, (25); Dorell Scott, DT, Clemson, (25); Vince Hall, LB, Virginia Tech, (38); Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State, (47); Chip Vaughn, S, Wake Forest, (45); Jamal Lewis, S, Georgia Tech, (25); D.J. Parker, S, Virginia Tech, (23).

HONORABLE MENTION SPECIAL TEAMS

Connor Barth, K, North Carolina, (35); Sam Swank, K, Wake Forest, (29); Graham Gano, P, Florida State, (24); Kevin Marion, KR-PR, Wake Forest, (32); C.J. Spiller, KR-PR, Clemson, (27); Brandon Tate, KR-PR, North Carolina, (25).

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Terps football
        

Baltimoresun.com sports producer Sheil Kapadia will be posting his comments while watching tonight's matchup on ESPNU. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game, and refresh your browser for updates.

20:00 -- I'm back again. Not sure how many Terps fans get ESPNU, but luckily, we have it in the office. I'll be blogging during Maryland's matchup with Missouri. I'm looking for better success offensively and on the glass for Maryland. The Terps scored 18 points in the first half yesterday against UCLA. Missouri allowed 51 points in the first half yesterday against Michigan State. The Tigers fought hard before falling to the Spartans, 86-83.

19:45 -- The announcers are the same as last night -- Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman. They appear to be wearing the same black suit and same blue shirt but different ties. I wonder if they share outfits? Anyway, it's mostly a Mizzou crowd since the game's being played in Kansas City.

19:21 -- Maryland picked up where it left off yesterday in terms of allowing offensive rebounds. The Tigers just got three shots up on their first possession before eventually scoring.

17:45 -- I think the Terps have found their post presence. Greivis Vasquez just made a nice move down low to tie the game at 6. Landon Milbourne had a nice runner earlier.

17:11 -- Ouch. I love Bambale Osby's effort and his decision to challenge shots, but he just got dunked on by Keon Lawrence. The pace is frantic early on. Both teams seem to think there's a rule that you have to shoot with at least 20 seconds still remaining on the shot clock.

16:20 -- Vitale mentions for the 30th time in two nights that he believes Gary Williams will one day be a Hall of Famer. Meanwhile, all five Missouri starters have scored. The Tigers lead 13-6.

14:27 -- Braxton Dupree's bucket down low cuts Missouri's lead to 15-10.

11:25 -- Maryland just looks a step slower than Missouri. Both teams have been able to get to the basket at will, and neither coach can be happy about his team's defensive performance. The Tigers have opened up a 25-16 lead.

9:58 -- Turnovers are killing the Terps once again. They have seven tonight that have led to 11 Missouri points.

9:14 -- Osby's and-one cuts Missouri's lead to 27-21.

9:02 -- Maryland's trap forces a Missouri turnover. It's been clear during this tournament that the Terps can have success trapping their opponents. But like I said yesterday, you have to make baskets to set up the trap. That's what the challenge will be for Maryland. Disturbing stat: The Tigers have 15 points off turnovers; Maryland has zero.

7:26 -- At least the Terps are shooting better tonight. They're 10-for-21 from the floor. Unfortunately, Missouri is 13-for-25. The defense has been far from stellar. That won't be the case in the second game between Michigan State and UCLA. Missouri leads, 29-23.

5:33 -- Osby scored on back-to-back Maryland possessions to cut Missouri's lead to 29-25. But the Tigers responded with seven unanswered points to increase their lead to 36-25. Missouri's frontcourt has been given way too many easy baskets so far.

4:57 -- The Tigers have 17 points off 10 Maryland turnovers. The Terps have two points off five Missouri turnovers. That's the story in the game so far.

3:13 -- Eric Hayes hits a jumper. They need to get him more looks. He's clearly the best pure shooter on the team.

2:46 -- Is it too late to take that back? Kidding. But Hayes just missed badly on a 3-point attempt.

2:22 -- As an aside, Dickie V thinks Duke has a chance to be special this season. Yes, he's been quoted as saying that every season since 1987.

2:03 -- Tigers forward Leo Lyons scores his 13th point. He was averaging less than 11 per game coming in.

0:35 -- Adrian Bowie picks up offensive fouls on consecutive possessions. The camera pans to Gary Williams. I'm not a professional lip-reader, but I think I have a pretty good idea as to what he said. The PG version: "What the heck was that?"

0:00 -- The Terps trail 43-37 at the half, not bad considering they didn't play any defense for much of the first 30 minutes. Williams is interviewed before heading to the locker room and says he's happy with the team's aggressiveness, but the defense was awful for the first 10 minutes of the game. He also says the Terps were too careless with the ball.

SECOND HALF

19:20 -- Osby had nine points and four boards in the first half. Both teams had success getting to the basket. Maryland had 26 points in the paint; Missouri 28. Dickie V tells us he's worn out from doing eight games in four days. The excitement is still there in his delivery, but he's very hoarse. It almost sounds like he's trying to dislodge a piece of food stuck in his throat when he pronounces certain words.

18:28 -- Osby picks up his third foul with the Terps down 45-41. They'll need freshman Braxton Dupree to give them quality minutes here. Maryland is outrebounding Missouri 23-20.

16:27 -- Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, one of its best players, is on the bench with four fouls. A huge break for the Terps. Maryland trails, 48-45.

14:30 -- Reader Doug asked about Maryland's freshmen. Well, I think the Terps' first-year players have combined for about four offensive fouls. Not exactly sure if that's what you were looking for. Dupree did have a couple nice put-backs earlier.

13:03 -- James Gist has had a solid night with 10 points and seven boards. The Terps trail 54-50.

12:16 -- More careless turnovers from Maryland. This is less acceptable tonight. At least yesterday they were playing against a superior defensive team in UCLA. Tonight, they're just giving away valuable offensive possessions. Williams calls timeout with the Terps down, 58-50.

11:16 -- Not sure anything drives coaches crazier than turning the ball over after a timeout. That's what Maryland just did. The Terps trail 60-50.

10:34 -- 18 turnovers for Maryland; eight for Missouri.

9:25 -- Love Vasquez's enthusiasm. During a break in the action, he's clapping his hands trying to remind the Terps they're still in it, down 60-56. Maryland has outrebounded Missouri 35-23.

8:52 -- Missed opportunity. Hayes just missed a wide-open 3-ball that would have cut Missouri's lead to one.

4:55 -- The Terps have missed three good looks from beyond the arc in the last four minutes. The last two were by Vasquez. On the night, Maryland is 0-for-9 from 3-point range. Is that the team's biggest weakness?

4:11 -- Bowie gathers a loose ball and scores to cut Missouri's lead to 68-62.

1:17 -- Down 74-67, Maryland fails to have a quality possession on offense, and Vasquez misses a difficult 3-pointer.

0:22 -- Milbourne gets the bounce on a 3-pointer with the game out of hand. That makes it 291 straight games with a 3-pointer for the Terps, but they came awfully close to ending that streak in each of the last two games. Maryland was 2-for-26 from beyond the arc against UCLA and Missouri.

0:00 -- Maryland falls 84-70 to the Tigers. The game was closer than the final score indicates. The Terps were within six or seven points for much of the game but could never get over the hump. Maryland shot 1-for-15 from beyond the arc after a 1-for-11 performance against UCLA. They were careless with the ball once again, turning it over 22 times. Turnovers and poor shooting -- not tough to see what did them in the past two nights. What do you think?

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Baltimoresun.com sports producer Sheil Kapadia will be posting his comments while watching tonight's matchup on ESPN2. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game, and refresh your browser for updates.

20:00 -- The game may have already started. Tipoff was apparently set for 7:07, but ESPN2 is still showing Oklahoma State's game against LSU. Wonderful. Anyway, this should be a good chance to see how the Terps stack up against one of the best teams in the country. Granted, UCLA is without all-everything guard Darren Collison, who will miss tonight's game with an injury, but the Bruins have plenty of talent, including widely hyped freshman Kevin Love.

12:30 -- ESPN2 finally switches over to the Terps game. UCLA got off to a 9-2 start.

12:25 -- UCLA's Josh Shipp just went over Bambale Osby for a thunderous jam. He got a little too excited, though, showboating his way to a technical foul. Don't we watch college sports so we don't have to put up with this kind of stuff? I'm all for showing emotion, but "time and place" as they say.

11:08 -- The Terps come up with back-to-back steals and cut UCLA's lead to 15-9. By the way, Dickie V is the color man for this one. He sounds a little hoarse, though. Maybe too much screaming during NFL Sunday.

10:48 -- James Gist makes a nice move in the post to score. Looks like the Terps have awakened offensively after Shipp's technical.

10:00 -- Love has seven rebounds already. By the way, does "Kevin Love" really sound like a basketball player's name? Sounds more like a Freddy Prinze Jr. character in a teenage comedy.

9:41 -- Greivis Vasquez dunks on a fastbreak as Maryland goes on an 11-4 run. The Terps are really giving UCLA problems with their press. The Bruins have eight turnovers already.

7:31 -- Braxton Dupree's not off to a great start. He was just whistled for an offensive foul and had his shot blocked on an earlier possession.

7:09 -- Shipp just picked up his second foul.

6:39 -- There it is. The announcers just informed us that Love's uncle, Mike, is a singer for the Beach Boys. Mark my words. By the time March Madness rolls around, you will have heard that nugget at least 10,000 times. I wonder if Uncle Mike knows Jesse Consopolis?

5:59 -- UCLA is killing the Terps with offensive rebounds, getting two or three shots up on several offensive possessions.

4:55 -- Maryland is struggling offensively, without a field goal in the last four minutes. The Terps are 6-for-20 overall. Things could be much worse on the scoreboard.

3:53 -- Vasquez's nice drive and score cuts UCLA's lead to 22-15.

3:01 -- Consecutive turnovers from Osby.

1:55 -- The Terps have turned it over 14 times in the first half. UCLA has 12. Pretty sloppy basketball, but remember, it's still November.

1:17 -- Nice offensive rebound and putback from Dupree cuts UCLA's lead to 25-18

0:54 -- UCLA guard Russell Westbrook just went flying to the rim and was fouled. The announcers explain that he is sporting what is called a "flaming mohawk." Must be nice to be a college athlete. I'm pretty sure if I walked around campus with a flaming mohawk, I would have had fruit thrown at me.

0:03 -- While illustrating how Love is always in a good position to rebound, Dick Vitale says "Guys don't black out anymore." I'm pretty sure he meant "block out."

0:00 -- Speaking of Love, his putback as time runs out in the first half gives the Bruins a 28-18 lead. Maryland has struggled mightily on offense. Defensively, they had some success forcing turnovers with their press, but they simply didn't make enough shots to set up the press more.

SECOND HALF

19:13 -- Not a good start to the second half for Maryland. Eric Hayes missed a 3-pointer on the Terps' first possession. They are now 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Maryland was also outrebounded 28-18 in the first half.

17:49 -- Love his effort, but Osby has had better nights. UCLA's Alfred Aboya just dunked on him. The Bruins are up 36-22.

16:26 -- UCLA is doing a much better job against the press in the second half. Westbrook's dunk just gave the Bruins a 43-23 lead.

13:54 -- James Gist fouls Love hard. The Terps have been aggressive in not giving the highly touted freshman any easy baskets.

12:54 -- I think Dick Vitale has been talking about college football for five straight minutes. I'm not kidding.

12:03 -- The Terps are now 0-for-8 from beyond the arc and trail 46-29. They've also turned it over 17 times.

11:08 -- Maryland goes small with Vasquez, Hayes, Adrian Bowie, Gist and Osby.

10:19 -- Great pass from Bowie to Vasquez on a delayed fastbreak. Maybe they have something here with the small lineup. The Terps cut the lead to 46-35.

9:07 -- Take back what I said earlier about Osby. He just had a tremendous block on UCLA's Aboya.

7:49 -- Landon Milbourne scores on back-to-back possessions, but Osby picks up his fourth foul with the Terps trailing, 50-39.

3:59 -- Osby, who was on the bench for less than a minute after picking up his fourth foul, picks up No. 5 going for a steal out on the perimeter. He had a solid second half, finishing with 13 points and a few blocks. The Terps trail 57-46.

2:52 -- Bowie's layup cuts UCLA's lead to 57-48. He's made a couple nice plays off the bench tonight.

1:42 -- UCLA freshman Love has 15 points. He's been a monster on the glass, tallying 16 rebounds.

0:00 -- Hayes finally hits Maryland's first 3-pointer with 26 seconds left. The last time the Terps went an entire game without scoring from beyond the arc was eight years ago. The final score was UCLA 71, Maryland 59. The Terps struggled offensively for much of the game, failing to get into a rhythm and turning the ball over 21 times. Maryland also got hammered on the boards and finished 1-for-11 from 3-point range. Anyway, like I said, feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the game.

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Gary Williams made one of those back-to-the-future moves today in replacing assistant coach Michael Adams, who resigned earlier this week for personal reasons.

Williams announced that Joe Harrington, a former teammate of his in College Park and a former assistant to Lefty Driesell, will be joining the staff for the remainder of the season.

Harrington left College Park to become a head coach at four different schools – Hofstra, George Mason, Long Beach State and Colorado – and had been out of the business since working for the Toronto Raptors from 1999 through 2001.

“Joe has a tremendous basketball mind developed by his experience at the college and professional level," Williams said in a statement. "He will be a valuable asset to our program."

If this is being considered a potentially long-term relationship, Harrington gives the Terps another recruiter to join Chuck Driesell and Keith Booth. Harrington’s biggest recruiting coup was keeping Chauncey Billups home to play for the Buffaloes.

The only question is whether Harrington has been out of the college game so long that the landscape has changed dramatically since he left. Based on Harrington’s own hyperactive sideline routine, he won’t exactly be a calming influence.

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Gary Williams and return to my alma mater," said Harrington, who last sat on the same bench as Williams when they were both graduate assistants to Maryland JV coach Tom Davis back in the late 1960s.  "We started our coaching careers together and it's great to see it come full circle."

Who knows, maybe Lefty’s next.

- Don Markus

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

UCLA is plenty scary no matter who it has on the floor. But Maryland learned today that it won’t be facing the full contingent of Bruins in the opening semifinal of the CBE Classic on Monday night in Kansas City.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said junior guard Darren Collison, the team’s best player, won’t play in the tournament because of continued soreness in his left knee. His status had been uncertain.

"We’re not going to rush him back. We have a long season ahead of us," Howland told reporters today in a conference call.

Also out, Howland said, is junior guard/forward Michael Roll, who ruptured his plantar fascia earlier this month.

UCLA has been to two consecutive Final Fours and Howland says, "If we can get healthy and get playing on all cylinders I’ll be excited."

Monday’s winner will advance to play either Michigan State or Missouri on Tuesday night.

The tournament coincides with the induction on Sunday of former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell and 11 other former coaches and players into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Maryland coach Gary Williams credited Driesell today with making basketball "exciting" at College Park.

"Lefty moved seats down on the floor, which made Cole (Field House) a tough place to play. He started Midnight Madness."

A few minutes after the NCAA allowed practice to begin for the 1971-72 season, Driesell trotted the Terps out for a run at a dark Byrd Stadium track. And so began an early version of Midnight Madness in College Park.

- Jeff Barker

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Perhaps you noticed, assuming you have ESPNU, that the men's basketball team looks a little different this year (that is, beyond the myriad freshmen on the roster).

That's because, for the first time in 11 seasons, the Terps are sporting new uniforms, courtesy of Nike, as a part of its ELITE program and its System of Dress campaign.

According to the school, the tops are lighter and form-fitting, while the shorts are longer and loose fitting. There's a red piping stripe down the sides and the tops more closely resemble muscle shirts than the usual athletic tops that the Terps wore last year. Also, the Maryland logo and state flag have been moved from the left hip to the right, and appears in a red panel.

Perhaps the newness of the uniforms explains why Bambale Osby couldn't make a free throw down the stretch against Hampton Monday night. Who knows?

-Milton Kent

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez was a high school teammate of Seattle SuperSonics rookie Kevin Durant when the two attended Montrose Christian in the Washington area, and they remain friends even as Durant, who went to Texas for a year, has gone on to, shall we say, bigger and better things.

"I talked to Kevin last week," said Vasquez recently. "It's unbelievable. In high school, I remember when we used to go out and eat after the game and talk about the game. We were ranked No.1 in the nation at the time, so we were talking about winning a national championship and girls and whatever.

"But now, suddenly he's got $60 million and [he's a] second [overall] draft pick and he has fine cars. I told my father and my mother, I can't believe it. That's how life is. Life can change so quickly. Maybe I'll be in that position some time. Who knows? But it's crazy."

- Milton Kent

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

One more ...

I can't go without thanking Debbie Yow for her patience with me. She's a sharp lady who never backed down from any of my questions and truly cares about Maryland athletics.

And I must thank those within the sports information department, particularly Jason Yaman with men's basketball and Shawn Nestor in football. Also the gone-but-not-forgotten Greg Creese in football. I couldn't do my job without you guys.

OK, that's it. I'm out.

hd

Posted by Heather Dinich at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Terps football
        

Please. Don't cry.

There's no crying in sports writing.

OK, OK, seriously.

A few final thoughts on the Terps -- both hoops and football -- for you, as this will be my last blog for The Sun.

First, football, since they play first this weekend.

Ralph Friedgen has been too mopey this week to lead me to believe anything is going change anytime soon. As he likes to say (over and over and over), "It is what it is."

And so that's how it shall remain for the final three games.

For all of the extremists on the Maryland message boards who have been pondering Ralph's firing -- get real. It ain't gonna happen, at least not after this season. Maryland can't afford it. Could there be staff changes? Definitely. Should there be? Absolutely. Remember, though, in order to hire somebody (like, say, an offensive coordinator), they have to fire somebody. It's not my place to say who that should be.

I'm not convinced Ralph ISN'T the best choice for offensive coordinator. He's just too bogged down with the other day-to-day responsibilities of being a head coach. But what about the miscommunication of calling in plays, you ask?

Jordan Steffy wouldn't talk to me about it this week, other than to say that he's not always the one calling them in. And Ralph has to rely on his assistants in the box to help him see the field and make the right call.

The best part about covering Maryland football the past few years? The players. They're good kids who have stayed out of trouble, and their personalities have always made the late-night waits for their interviews worth it.

The worst part? Standing at practice in the freezing cold. Standing at practice when it's 115 degrees. Standing at practice.

Friday prediction: Boston College 31, Maryland 10.

Final prediction: Maryland 5-7 overall, 2-6 ACC (With Andrew Crummey, Dan Gronkowski and maybe a few others back, they've got a chance to win the last one at N.C. State). 

Thanks to the players and coaches in the program for your patience, access and time.

Now, for hoops.

Maryland basketball will be good this season, it's just a matter of when. After watching the exhibition game against Concordia, it seems as if Adrian Bowie, Braxton Dupree and Cliff Tucker are the front-runners to work their way into Gary Williams' rotation.

Dupree is huge. Bowie can shoot. Tucker can play just about anywhere.

The best part about covering Maryland basketball? Gary Williams. A reporter's dream. You never know what you're gonna get, and his sideline demeanor is sometimes more entertaining than the game itself. (Message to Maryland assistants: Good luck trying to keep GW in his box this season.) Have we had our moments? Sure. But when it comes to basketball -- just the game in its purity -- he's a good coach with a national championship to prove it.

The worst part about covering Maryland basketball? Gary Williams. Player interviews the day before a game can sometimes depend on what Gary had for breakfast and who they lost to the night before. Practices are closed. No peeking.

Final prediction: The Terps win at least 20 games and are back in the NCAA tournament. Eric Hayes will eventually shoot the lights out. The students and Testudo will miss me. :)

Thanks to Gary, his assistants and the players for your patience, time and access.

Thanks to Maryland fans for reading my stuff and for all of your kind words and e-mails this past week.

You know where to find me. See you there.

Posted by Heather Dinich at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Terps football
        

There just isn't any more to say.

Ralph Friedgen's 10-minute segment on this week's ACC teleconference was much of what we've already heard repeatedly for the past few weeks -- injuries and how they have affected everything.

He also talked about linebackers Erin Henderson and Dave Philistin, who deserve all the credit in the world for what they've done this season, considering how they've been hurting. They're first and third, respectively, in the ACC in tackles per game and have been relentless and mature about the entire situation.

Ralph has just sounded so tired recently. He has insisted neither he nor his team is giving up, but there has been no toughness or edge to those words, only his soft-spoken emotion.

Yesterday, in his weekly Tuesday press conference, Ralph talked about how he has "great affection for this team," and said they haven't gotten any breaks.

"Maybe that's time to change," he said, "maybe the ball is going to bounce our way a little bit right now. We're certainly due for that."

He said it again later.

"We're going to keep working. We're going to keep plugging away. All we need is a couple of breaks and we'll see what happens."

And again ...

"I do think we've got some bad luck right now. Our first year here we had a lot of good luck. But I'm also a guy that believes you make your own luck."

It wasn't until the end of his 20-minute press conference that he talked about actually winning football games. It was the last thing he said.

Maryland gets a pass this season for the sheer absurdity of how many injuries it has had. Ralph is right about one thing -- this team, literally, has had some bad breaks. But there are still things within his control that have gone wrong.

Why are the players losing focus from one series to the next?

"That's the thing that's frustrated me," Friedgen said, "that I can't get that total concentration on every play. Whether that's coaching, I don't know. If we could conquer that and get people back, I think we would be one of the better teams in the conference."

Unfortunately for the Terps, we'll never know.

Posted by Heather Dinich at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Terps football
        

Maryland quarterback Chris Turner yesterday repeated what coach Ralph Friedgen has already said about the UNC game -- there was miscommunication.

Turner said a lot of it had to do with crowd noise at Kenan Stadium (aka not the Big House).

But the wrong plays being called in?

"It's a combination of things," Turner said. "Coach Friedgen calls a play over the headphones and then we signal it in. I don't know. I just call the play that's signaled to me. I don't know if it's him saying one thing wrong, or the signaler saying one thing wrong ... a lot can go wrong."

Apparently, a lot has.

Posted by Heather Dinich at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Terps football
        

Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson yesterday downplayed the success of Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, and said it's the players around Ryan who have helped his numbers.

"As great as they try to make Matt Ryan out to be, he's a good quarterback with a lot of good people around him," Henderson said. "That's what really is a sign of a good team. They don't have anybody that does anything great, they just have a lot of people who do a lot of things good, a lot of things well."

That makes some sense. You can't throw the ball without somebody to catch it. Ryan has four players averaging more than 40 receiving yards per game.

Ryan has completed 243 of 409 passes for 2,848 yards and 21 touchdowns. He's averaging 316.4  yards passing per game.

If those are the marks of a "good" quarterback, I wonder what Henderson thinks of his own quarterbacks, who have combined to throw three touchdown passes.

Well, that's not fair. Maryland is was a running team.

Posted by Heather Dinich at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Terps football
        

Things remain status quo here in College Park:

Once again, Ralph Friedgen is toying with the idea of playing Jordan Steffy.

For the third straight week, the left tackle position could be in the hands of walk-on Paul Pinegar -- a scenario that's obviously not ideal, but Ralph did give Pinegar his vote of confidence today.

Here's something interesting about the whole left tackle situation (starter Scott Burley and his backup, freshman Bruce Campbell, are both dealing with high ankle sprains). Ralph said today that Campbell was NOT supposed to play at North Carolina. But he did.

"They (the doctors) told me there was no way he could play," Friedgen said. "And then when Burley went down, next thing I know I see Campbell in the game." 

First of all, what did they give that kid that all of a sudden he was able to go in there? I want what he's having to get through Saturday's game.

The good news for the Woe-line is that Andrew Crummey might be back next weekend. He's out of the boot and off the crutches.

Dr. Friedgen also said linebacker Dave Philistin is playing with a shoulder "that comes out." And Erin Henderson is still having trouble walking after his gruesome back injury (see tomorrow's paper for more on that).

Travis Ivey and Dan Gronkowski still don't seem ready to return.

Other than that, Ralph's press conference was an extended version of the following:

"I'm not backing down," he said. "I'm not going to stop working. That's just the way I am. I'm not down. I'm motivated. I'm going to get this thing right and we're going to win football games here at Maryland." 

Just not this weekend.

Posted by Heather Dinich at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Terps football