It helps Gary Williams that Maryland only beat Charlotte 76-72 last season (in Charlotte). The closeness of that score will help motivate the Terps for today's game. Charlotte has four starters back. The 49ers came within one point (71-70) of beating Clemson on Nov. 22.

Of course, this year's Terps seem far less susceptible than last season's to the sorts of letdowns that can cost games. This year's team senses that it's not good enough to win without playing hard.

The evidence of Maryland's improved attitude is defense. Defense is more about effort than anything else, and Maryland has held its last five opponents under 60 points.

There's more on defense -- and how it's tied to conditioning -- in today's story previewing the game.

Here's my favorite Gary Williams quote from the story. "Conditioning always shows up on the defensive end,” Williams said. “Somehow players seem to find energy to shoot the ball.”