Sun reporter Don Markus answers your questions from submissions after Maryland's 84-70 win over N.C. State on Saturday. Readers can submit questions to Markus by posting comments on this blog during and after Maryland basketball games. The Terps' next game is at Duke Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Jay: On both teams' best days, who do you think is better -- Maryland or Clemson? What are the chances of Maryland making it to the Big Dance if it finishes in fifth place in the ACC (and does not win the conference tournament)?

Don Markus: I think Clemson probably has more experience, depth, size and athleticism than Maryland, but the Tigers haven't played as well as the Terps lately. Clemson's free throw shooting cost the Tigers a chance of beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Sunday night. As for Maryland making it as the ACC's fifth-place team, that would mean the Terps were on a late-season slide, had double-digit losses and were going to make a trip to the NIT.

Tripp: Aren't the Terps supposed to be one of the better defenses in the nation? Particularly against the three-pointer? Am I wrong to be a little alarmed by the number of three-pointers they seem to be allowing lately? Won't that affect the Duke game?

Don Markus: They are among the nation's top teams in terms of field goal defense and three-point field goal defense, but it nearly cost them at Boston College (one by Rakim Sanders that would have pulled the Eagles to within one was nullified because Al Skinner called timeout) and could hurt them against Duke if they don't get out on Duke's shooters.

Tony: Hi Don, I've had great luck seeing the Terps here in upstate New York this season. It seems they have matured immensely in the past six to eight games and they seem to have realized their roles and what it takes to win. What do they need to do the rest of the way to convince the selection committee to overlook the American and Ohio losses earlier in the season?

Don Markus: Based on the latest brackets, Maryland has done enough to convince the bracketologists, if not the selection committee, that the Terps belong in the field of 65. While another loss or two the rest of the way shouldn't hurt them, the Terps will need to keep winning and not make an early exit from the ACC tournament in Charlotte.

Wesley: Why isn't James Gist being talked up in the national media? It seems that all I hear about are players from other teams who I feel aren't as good as Gist. What does he need to do to get the attention?

Don Markus: Part of the problem is that Gist played the first half of the season as if he were auditioning for the NBA, not trying to be the leader he has become during the second half. Gist was The Sporting News player of the week last week and will certainly get national attention if he continues to play as he has in recent weeks, especially if Maryland continues to win. I talked with an NBA scout weeks ago who said he thought Gist wasn't a lock to get drafted, but I think that has changed over the past couple of weeks.

Steven: Don, Why doesn't Gary Williams get more credit nationally? He needs to be in the Hall of Fame. When do you think he will get in?

Don Markus: There's a lot of politics involved in getting into the Hall of Fame, and Williams is not the kind of guy who will play the game. I think it's going to be a matter of time, and continuing to win, but he might have to get to 700 wins or win another national championship to get the kind of support he needs.

Jacob: Generally speaking, I think players who improve in a basketball system are praised for their hard work and effort, whereas football players' improvement is often attributed to knowledgeable trainers and coaches. How does Maryland basketball's training and conditioning program compare to the one used by the football team?

Don Markus: I'll have to take a pass on this one, since the training and conditioning programs have changed since I last covered the basketball team in the mid-1990s, and I haven't covered the football program since Bobby Ross was the coach.