Another game where Maryland hung with one of the big boys in the ACC.   Another game where they wilted down the stretch.  This game was there for the taking but a stretch of turnovers, questionable fouls, and some defensive laps set the scene for UNC to erase a 9 point second half deficit.  Though all those points helped lead to the loss, the bottom line was Maryland’s interior defense struggled against a deeper UNC front line.

Even with Alex Len playing his best ACC game, Maryland had a hard time keeping Carolina off the glass.  Despite picking up his 4th foul with about 12 minutes left in the game, Tyler Zeller was still able to score 22 points and John Henson added 17.  In his part  Len looked very comfortable out there today.  He finished with 12 points, 9 boards and 4 blocks.  There were several other balls he kept alive and altered several other shots on defense.  If he can build on this outing, he will be back in the starting lineup, or should be anyway.

I usually hate to point to the refs when Maryland loses, but that was probably the worst officiated Maryland game of the year so far. Not all of the calls when against Maryland, but it appeared when they did, they weren’t those ones where you say well you can see why he called.  The fourth foul on Alex Len was a block attempt where he made no contact with Henson.  Mosley was fighting for an offensive rebound, and clearly Barnes was over the back.  There were some questionable moving picks.  I really believe Nick Faust had that a clean steal late in the game when they were pressing.  One of Mosley’s fouls was on a block where the only contact was with the ball.  It was a very choppy game both ways.

For the most part Nick Faust played a really solid game.  He did pull up on a 1 on 4 early, but for the most part he was very effective driving the lane.  He did loose to in the paint late in the game, but overall he had a solid game.  He is slowly looking more comfortable out there.  He needs to really work on a pull up jumper in the paint though.

I think Terrell Stoglin played a more team oriented game until it was desperation time.  He seems to have lost his touch from behind the arc the last few games, but he did a great job getting to the basket against UNC’s huge front line and scoring or getting to the line.  He still gets beat on defense, but he is looking to get his teammates involved more.  It really seemed he lost a little bit of his confidence when he threw the ball away to James Padgett who was going to the scorers table to check in.  From that point on his jumpers were all short and I don’t believe he hit anything outside of the lane.

The only player who really struggled was PeShon Howard.  He didn’t seem comfortable running the team and was a bit of a liability defensively.  I was kind of hoping the half court offense would be running a little smoother with his return, but it hasn’t really happened yet.  They still wind up having to dump the ball off to Stoglin and hope he can create on his own a little too often.

If this was a season with high expectations it would be a maddening season.  However, I have done a pretty good job of keeping that in mind.  I am trying to focus on the big picture.   And you really can see things coming together.  They have just been running out of gas late in games, because it takes such an effort to stay in games.  They gave a tremendous effort today.  They hustled.  They dove for balls.  They didn’t get pushed around to often.  It was going to take a perfect game to win.  In the end they missed some shots, had some killer turnovers, and didn’t get a few rebounds that haunted them.  Still, I walk away and I am not overly disappointed.

I have so many mixed feelings about last nights game. Twice I had written the game off as loss. And yet there at the end of regulation and the first overtime Maryland had the basketball with the chance to win.

First let’s start with Mark Turgeon’s ejection. I think the second one came very quickly. He must have said the magic words to get the boot. So following the two techs, the Terps found them down 16. Yet they slapped on the press, hit some shots, and found themselves with a chance to win. I think they showed a lot on how much they were going to battle for their coach. I think they are growing up and maybe this could be turning point.

Now onto the game. Stoglin had trouble getting into the lane as he tired and fell in love with the three. In fact he shot 20 threes, hitting only 6 of them. I don’t like that. I know he was forced into taking some because they were behind, but in overtime he kind of forgot about getting inside the arc. Still he got 33 points and heated up when the team needed him.

I think you have to give a little credit to Mychal Parker. The Terps are starting to find a way to use his athleticism. In transition, he can be a force in the open floor. He still needs to get more involved I the half court offense, but he is becoming a useful piece of the puzzle.

My disappointment in the game was when Maryland had a tremendous size advantage and tried to force the ball into Alex Len a few times and made really bad passes. He was effective at times, but I don’t feel they really took advantage of Miami’s lack of size.

This game was truly one that could have been a win. However, my expectations were low this year, and it allowed me to look at the big picture. I think some players are starting to fit into their roles nicely. I hope we saw Len begin to get back on track. I think there is a really good foundation being built for the future. I hope it all comes together Saturday against Carolina! It has to happen soon right?

The Terps are taking their talents to South Beach tonight.  Man that will never get old.  Technically they are going to Coral Gables, but any chance to use LeBron’s line I want to take advantage.  Tonight at 8:00 the Mark Turgeon led Terps will attempt to do something a Gary Williams led Terp team never did.  Win in Miami.  That’s right, Maryland was 0-5 in Miami against the Canes.  It would also be Turgeon’s first win on the road at Maryland.  Could be a historic night!

The Canes are led by guards Malcom Scott (13.2) and Durand Scott (12.6). However their front court is a load.  Reggie Johnson is listed at 6’10″ and 284 pounds, while Kenny Kadji is listed at 6’11″ and 251.   They are big and are capable of blocking a lot of shots.  The way our bigs tend to play a little below the rim I suspect to they will have their share tonight.  Johnson worries me a bit.  He is much stronger, but not as skilled as Plumlee and could cause a problem for the duo of Ashton Pankey and Alex Len.

I certainly think this game is winnable.  I also think Miami has a nice mix of inside and outside players.  None are stars, but all of them are solid, and on a given night can get hot and carry the team.  I would like the to think the Terps are still improving and are ready to take the next step and win one of these close games that seem to slip away late.  Turgeon has said how far they come, and how much he truly enjoys coaching the team.   They are starting to do what he asks on a more consistent basis, and I think anyone that watches can see that.  So hopefully tonight, they can pull off a win and get back over .500 in the conference.

Check back in the afternoon today.  I will try and update the football signing day news if I have a chance.

There for awhile it looked like we might finally get the blow out win we have been waiting for all season.  However, this is the “M.O.” of this years team.  Maryland simply has trouble in late game situations.  Everything from allowing easy layups when trying not to foul to missing free throws.  If you can think of a way for one team to let another team back into a game, the Terps are capable of doing it.

By now, I am sure you have read the mainstream media recaps.  I wanted to throw out some mental notes I took during the game.

• Ashton Pankey can take advantage of smaller defenders.  We saw against Duke he needs to get stronger, but against VT he was able to do as Plumlee did to him.  Get in the lane and make some decent post moves.  I don’t know that Pankey will ever be an All-ACC level player, but if he continues to improve year in and year out, he could very well sneak onto a second or third team honor by the time he is a senior.  You have to remember he hasn’t really played for two straight years.  He shows flashes of what he can do, and he could very well be a major contributor by his senior year.  I have visions of a Rodney Elliot like career curve. Of course I still have nightmares of nearly running Elliot over in the crosswalk by PG2.  So maybe that isn’t a fair comparison, but if that is what we get out of his career, I think we all will be happy with that.
• There is a lot to like about Nick Faust.  There is also a lot he needs to work on.  He has good court vision.  He rebounds well out of the guard spot.  He can defend pretty well.  He can get into the lane and to the rim to draw fouls.  However, his free throw shooting (or lack there off) at crunch time forces Turgeon to get one of his better wing defenders off the court because the free throw misses (especially the front end of 1 and 1′s) are killing the Terps.  I expect him to really work hard on his shot this off season and be a different player next year.  Even if he isn’t the scorer we all want him to be, he is going to be an important part of this team in the future.
• Terrell Stoglin needs to get out of his free throw shooting funk ASAP.  I don’t know if it is a lack of concentration or what.  He started the season hitting 23 of 25 shots until a 12 of 21 shooting night against Florida Gulf Coast way back in December.  He too has missed the front end of a couple of 1 and 1′s and it is going to cost the Terps a game soon.  I think he is doing a better job getting everyone involved.  Though he recorded 0 official assists, he had some nice passes that led to players getting to the foul line.  He is still out of control at times, but we have to live with it.  He is a scorer.  At times he is going to drive you mad, but others he is going to put the team on his back.  If he ever hits that perfect balance of being a playmaker and a scorer, other teams had better watch out.  If you play off him, he can knock down a shot.  He just needs to stay in that team offense mode a little more.  That being said you can see some progress.  As long as the team is in striking distance he does ok.  Once they get down by ten points late in a game you might as well forget about it.  It is one on one time.
• I am really starting to like Mark Turgeon.  Sure sometimes he is blunt about his players, and someday that may bite him.  However, anytime he has said something in the media, the next game, you can see an improvement by that player on whatever his issue was.  Be it defense with Stoglin, shot selection by Faust, or effort by Pankey.  He drops subtle digs in the media, and the players respond.  I wasn’t expecting a miracle season this year.  I said to myself I would be fine if this young team develops and improves and builds a foundation for next season.  To this point I think you can say that is exactly what is happening so far.  This team would destroy the early season version.  I like the fire Turgeon shows on the sideline.  He is not the raving lunatic Gary was, but he has a fire that I like to see.
• We are going to miss Sean Mosley next year.  Sure he is starting to score a little more and knock down some three’s, but we are going to miss some of the other things he does.  He defends, scraps, and right now is making free throws.  He truly is a calming force out there on the court, and right now, I don’t know who fills that void next season.  He is one of those players that you really wish you had for just one more year.

Well that pretty much wraps up my thoughts after the Virginia Tech game.  Tech was dreadful in the first half, and I think we are lucky they got off to such a slow start.  Some of that was the Maryland defense, but I think more of it was Tech just playing so poorly.

Next up is a trip to Miami.  Turgeon will try and do something Gary never did, and that is win in Coral Gables.  Maryland is 0-2 on the road in the ACC and Miami is one of those toss up games.  You would like to think the Terps can pull it out, but far more talented and composed teams have gone down there and come up short.  I think you can argue Miami and Virginia Tech have been a thorn in the side of the Terps since they have joined the ACC.  They are games you expect Maryland to win, and they have struggled.  Miami is young and also playing their first season under new coach Jim Larranaga.  The school obviously likes what they have seen in Coach L as they recently gave him a three year extension.  Look for more on the Canes as we get closer to game day.

There is no denying it.  Maryland needs to win this game against Virginia Tech today.  It will be very interesting to see the atmosphere today.  THE event of the year was Wednesday night.  Duke, Gary floor ceremony, Gymkana.  That is the perfect storm of getting Comcast rocking.  Today is an afternoon game for the Terps, against a team on the lower half of the ACC standings.  For those students that read, take some advice from some guys who still want to pretend they can simply walk across campus to go to a game.  Go.  Enjoy them all.  There are only so many you are going to get to see.  Oh and another plug.  These guys get it.  Be sure to pass this along.

Quickly on to Virginia Tech.  They are 1-4 in the ACC and 12-8 overall.  They had a surprising road win at UVA Sunday night.  Erick Green and Dorenzo Hudson are the players you should know.  Green is averaging 15.8 points and 3.1 assists per game.  Hudson is averaging 11.8 points per game.

There is no beating around the bush.  Maryland should win this game.  It is at home.  Even though they have lost the last couple of games, you can see some improvement.  They really just need to play a solid 40 minute game and they should be able to win this game.  Of course if Terrell Stoglin is going to go 2 of 7 from the line, than maybe this game isn’t going to end up in the ‘W’ column.  Tech’s best win is UVA (which is better than any win Maryland can talk about), but they have also defeated Oklahoma State twice, and they just knocked off second ranked Missouri.  Still, I think this is a game Maryland can win.  I only caught a few minutes of the UVA game, but I think this is a game where the Terps have some advantages.  I think Erick Green is a solid player, but if you can contain him, they don’t have another player that can consistently beat you.

Be sure to tune in today at 2:30 to see how the Terps come out.  I really expect them to be ready to go.  I see improvement, even in losses.  This is a game they can and should get, if they continue that improvement trend.

Currently I’m trapped up here in Philadelphia going on week 3.  My son is in the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital going through some lung treatments that are supposed to help his left lung open back up.  It was a planned admission and nothing is wrong with him, but as our 1 to 2 week stay  moves into week 3, I can only think of the theme song from Gilligans Island.

Though Philly is only about 50 miles from the Mason Dixon line, I can’t help but feel a million miles away from anything going on in the Land of Terps (I feel even further from home whenever someone says the word “Use”, as in use guys need anything?  But last night I finally got to see the Terps play basketball, albeit from a TV that I could on tell if a ball went in based on the crowd noise or whether or not the player who came up with it ran up the court, or walked over to inbound.

Unfortunately it was another Terp lose to Duke on the night Gary Williams court was unveiled.  And this one played out exactly how it should have….in hindsight.  I of course was optimistic the entire time, but looking back at this game and how it unfolded makes perfect sense, especially for this undermanned and limited experienced Terps team.  But still I was holding out hope and at least for 3/4 of the night, we looked like we could hang with anyone.

Except maybe at the Free Throw line.  Oh and inside.  But other than that.  We were fortunately blessed by some lack luster outside shooting from the Dukies, which is rare for any opponent against the Terps.  Which allowed us to hang around as long as we did, but ultimately, and predictably now, the inside game was just too much.  Alex Len looked like a project at times (especially the first quarter) and picked up 2 quick fouls which would limit his minutes the rest of the way.  Actually I probably need to replace the word “quick” with a description that is…well ah quicker (There is no Thesaurus in the Hospital however).  But you get the point.

There were a lot of positives to take from this one, though I know most Terp fans aren’t interested in taking positives from a Duke loss, but the crowd was great.  Of course this is a double edged sword.  If we can get up for Duke, why can’t we get up for the other ACC games, why isn’t Comcast rocking every game like Cole used to do?  Why are there empty seats in…..gasp the STUDENT section on non Duke/Carolina nights?

Anyway, a student at the University has created a website, which we here at Turtledroppings wholeheartedly support.  It is called betterterps.com (Here is the link).  He also has a Twitter account by the same name.  We encourage everyone to check it out.  The first step in fixing a problem is admitting there is one, so I’m glad to see some student has taken the initiative.

I have no doubt that if Comcast is that loud each and every ACC game night, College Park would be a much tougher place for our opponents to play, and in the new ACC wins aren’t going to be had easily, every advantage we can gain we will need.  Hopefully this movement can gain some traction, because this team is on the rise, but they could still all the encouragement we can give them.

The team everyone at Maryland love’s to hate is in town tonight for the big game with Duke.  If that isn’t enough to get you going, it is also the night Maryland will honor Gary Williams by naming the court after him.  Before I go to far about Duke, let me get this off my chest.  I get it.  I know why we hate them. I know why we want to beat them.  But can’t every ACC game carry the same weight?  Sure quality wins, blah blah blah.  However, Comcast needs to be a home court advantage, and so far this season, it hasn’t.  In the grand scheme of things every win is a win.  There are just as many reasons to hate other schools.  Maybe this summer we will do a breakdown of why we should get up for every opponent.

Anyway, after the court Ceremony tonight (which begins at 8:40 for those going) Maryland does have to get itself together and take on a tough Duke team.   The crowd tonight will look much like a WWE event with signs, costumes, and other things that don’t show up for the Virginia Tech’s of the world.

Duke is coming off a heartbreaking home loss to Florida State that saw Duke tie the game in the closing seconds, only have FSU drain the three at the buzzer.  It made my day.  Freshman Austin Rivers is leading the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game (40% from three), Seth Curry 12.6 ppg (38% from three, potential mismatch material Ryan Kelly 12.4 (46 % from three), Mason Plumlee 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, and Andre Dawkins 10.4 ppg (41.3 % from three and 54% (15 of 28) over his last three games.  Do you get a common theme?  Duke can shoot the three.  Four players shoot over 38%.  I am not a rocket scientist, and I can tell you if the Terps want any chance at winning this game tonight, they have got to defend the three.

I am not sure what to expect out of Alex Len tonight, but his size is going to be important against the Plumlee’s and Kelly.  Whoever is guarding Kelly has to be able to step outside and guard him a few feet beyond the three point line.  He is a very capable outside shooter.  Nothing against Berend Weis, but he will get pushed around inside against Duke’s stronger front line.  If the Terps can get 20 minutes out of Len, it will be a huge help defensively and maybe he can draw a few fouls.

The Terps can also not afford to turn the ball over.  Against Duke turnovers can be a five or 6 point swing that can quickly turn into double digit runs.  Poise with the ball is a must.

Sean Mosley also appeared to be hampered by his ankle injury against Temple a bit.  I am not sure we will see him at full strength again.  That ankle injury has been nagging him on and off his entire career.  His defense against any of Dukes guard trio is extremely important tonight.

Do the Terps have a chance?  I think they could be very competitive if Len is able to contribute.  I don’t know that they have the horses to hang with Duke all night, but anything is possible.  I am not expecting an upset, but I can also say I wouldn’t be surprised if for one night the Terps are able to put together an entire 40 minute effort.  And that is exactly what it will take.

Make sure you take a close look at the two styles of shoes the Terps will be wearing tonight.  They are paying tribute to Gary Williams.  I know they have incorporated the pride theme and his signature on them.  I posted a pic on our twitter account last night.  I wonder if they are going to come out in some sort of pride uniform as well.  You never know anymore.

In his weekly teleconference, Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon said he expects Alex Len to play in Wednesday’s night game against Duke.  The question is how much.  Apparently he had treatment yesterday, and will need to improve each day between now and Wednesday to get a lot of burn in my mind.  There is no doubt Maryland needs him against Duke’s frontline of the Brothers Plumlee and Ryan Kelly.  I can’t stand to think what Berend Weis will be like if he has to log major minutes.  He has a little skill, but his lack of strength will be a serious problem against Duke.

Also, don’t forget Wednesday night is the ceremony for naming Gary Williams court at the Comcast Center.  According to a Maryland release, the ceremony will begin at 8:40.  Look for a breakdown of Duke Wednesday morning, though I can already tell you this.  They need to keep Dawkins and Curry from lighting it from three.  I just don’t know.  I have a bad feeling.  Duke lost to FSU, so I am sure Coach K will have his teams full attention heading into this one.  I also, think we may be ripe for a stinker.  However, this team has shown the ability to hang with some better teams recently.  If they stay composed and play the way they are capable for 40 minutes, they could be in it late.  Just remains to be seen if they can put it together for an entire game.

Another second half comeback for Maryland fell short for the Terps at the Pallestra against Temple today.  It was an extremely sloppy game for Maryland and more importantly Alex Len left the game early in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return for the second half.

Terrell Stoglin was able to cut the lead to four, before Temple did what most teams do against Maryland.  You guessed it, got hot from three.  Temple connected on three threes to extend the lead back into double digits and all but finished off the game.

The problem of the game for the Terps was turnovers.  It was an extremely sloppy game that saw Maryland commit 16 turnovers.  Some of the killers where from James Padgett down low including one where he attempted to throw a no look over his head pass in the lane and one where he tried to throw it across the lane.  He had 4 on the game, Pe’Shon Howard had only had 2, but he also only had one assist.  In fact the team had only 8 (Faust led the way with 4).

If you want to put a recipe of success together for Maryland I think you would say defend the three, make free throws, and not turn the ball over.  Well we already discussed the turnover issues.  Temple hit 9 three’s (40%) and Maryland hit only 12 of 21 free throws.  If you put those stats in front of me before the game, I think I would have called it a loss, and sure enough that was what we got today.

Up next is a visit from Duke on Wednesday at 9:00.  You have to think that Alex Len’s ankle is going to have to heal very quickly if the Terps are going to have any chance of hanging with the Plumlee brothers at Comcast Center.

Overall, I think you have to like the way the team fights to get back into these games, but if they can cut down on mistakes they might not get themselves into such a desperation mode.  If they have that many turnovers Wednesday, Duke will light up the scoreboard.  However, it is Duke, and for the first and possibly only time this season Comcast should be packed.  Let’s hope people remember how fun it is to go to a game and decide to comeback for some other games this season.  That goes for you students as well!

I got nothing for those other names but the dreaded DUI has raised his head in College Park. Assistant Basketball Coach Dalonte Hill was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

For this still alleged discretion, Hill will be suspended for at least the Temple and Duke games.

Obviously drinking and driving is a serious issue and especially embarrassing for a public figure that represents a major university, but whatever problem Coach Hill has I am hoping he can work through it and do so while still a member of the Maryland coaching staff.

After all he is a big reason I have been so optimistic about the direction of the program. So here’s to hoping punishment is served, lessons are learned, and we can all move forward from this. Of course that is what I want, but the court of public opinion can often be more harsh in cases like this.