SB Nation - Cliff Tucker

James Padgett's Strange Disappearance: Cliff Tucker Part Deux In the Making?

Ben Broman — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:30:10 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

14 days ago: Indiana forward Derek Elston, right, is fouled by Maryland forward James Padgett as he goes up for a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Enter Dino Gregory. Exit James Padgett.

In Gregory's first game back after the eight game suspension, he ate up a rather outrageous 33 minutes. Jordan Williams saw his playing time shrink to just nine minutes as a result, but the real curiosity came in James Padgett's playing time; which is to say, the fact that he got none.

Yes, Padgett played a grand total of 0 minutes despite Gregory looking average at best and rather rusty. Gary likely wanted him out there because he's shorter and quicker, allowing him to better guard the players on the perimeter. But offensively he was average and he was a liablility on the boards - in 33 minutes, he had just 3 rebounds. Jordan had 5 in 9. Also, when Padgett was in, EKU switched up the offense and started attacking the middle, which was empty when Dino was present.

On the other side of that coin, when Williams was in they'd start attacking from outside, and he'd be a liability then.

So, the question is, why not use James Padgett? He's a good middle man between the size and strength of Williams and the speed of Gregory. He'd be able to stay with people on the perimeter and still provide a defensive presence on the inside if he needed to. He's a better rebounder than Gregory, and he hasn't looked lost at all.

Oh, and even Jin Soo Choi saw playing time. Yes, Choi was on the floor more than Padgett. I'll let that sink in.

Is Padgett slowly turning into Cliff Tucker? That's a snap judgement definitely - it was just one game. But it's something to keep track of as the season goes on. Maryland should use him and utilize their depth, not keep him on the bench.

Any thoughts on Padgett's lack of run yesterday?

The Curious Case of Cliff Tucker

Ben Broman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:41:07 -0000

Remember when Cliff Tucker was getting solid playing time last year, then inexplicably disappeared for about a month? At the time, it was asserted that he was in Gary Williams' metaphorical doghouse, for reasons unknown. It got so bad that he only got a minute of PT against Boston College.

Well, the same thing happened yesterday, albeit on a smaller scale. After receiving about 15 minutes a game in Maui (even more before then) he didn't see the floor yesterday. He was dressed and, presumably, healthy. He definitely wasn't suspended, at least not officially.

The verdict?

"Coach's decision," said Gary Williams.

Looks like the doghouse again for Cliff.

We'll know more if we see it turn into a pattern, but leaving Tucker on the bench was a quizzical decision. The three starting guards all topped 30 minutes, and Maryland had a total of 7 measly bench points, which is Tucker's specialty.

Actually, Tucker's entire stay in College Park has been a bit quizzical. He's inconsistent and runs hot and cold, but when he's hot, he's blazing (see UNC game last year). I have no idea if Gary takes issue with the way he practices or plays or his inconsistency, but you'd figure it would at least be worth a shot in a game when the offense was as stagnant as it got at times yesterday.

When Maryland toppled UNC last year, Tucker played a main role. When they beat Wake Forest and Michigan State, however, he was almost invisible. He won't be a necessity against Villanova, but it would be nice to have another five points off the bench. Here's hoping he gets it together.

Hayes of the Day: Nov. 25

MRickman84 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:00:19 -0000

Ok, so I figured this thing out. After talking it over and playing around, I've decided the Hayes of the Day wil be the ACC player who has the most Eric Hayes-like completely average ACC game from the night before. Vote away.

Poll

Who is today's Hayes of the Day?

Virginia- Sammy Zeglinski vs. Stanford: 2 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 TO

0 votes

Maryland- Cliff Tucker vs. Cincinnati: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO

6 votes

Florida State- Michael Snaer vs. Florida: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 TO

2 votes

LD Williams vs. Winston-Salem State: 9 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 TO

6 votes

Eric Hayes: 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 0 TO

1 votes

15 votes | Poll has closed

Basketball Scholarship Situation

Ben Broman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:01:49 -0000

I'm sure a few people are wondering how Maryland is recruiting Lance Stephenson (and Terrell Vinson, and some JUCOs) if there are no scholarships left (I addressed this a long time ago, but some of the newer readers haven't seen it). In case you don't know, here's the situation: Maryland currently has 13 players on scholarship. When Gilchrist transferred out, there were 12. The extra was given to Pearman for one year, with the understanding he'd give it up after this year. Pearman gives up his scholly to Williams, Neal gives up his to Padgett (or Pearman to Williams, Neal to Padgett). Here's a handy graphic, plus a few years:

Yes, Maryland appears to be out of scholarships for the 2009 season. Don't worry: it's a near guarantee that someone will transfer out, or in some other way vacate a scholarship. It seems that the coaches aren't just pursuing Stephenson - they've been on Vinson (though lightly) and some JUCOs, just in case Stephenson doesn't turn out. Generally, players will let coaches know very early in the process so they can grab a replacement. If they're still recruiting, that's a damn good indicator that someone is transferring.

The candidates:

Cliff Tucker: Cliff was stuck on the end of the bench earlier in the year, even getting shut out some games. A lot of people assumed he'd transfer for PT, and a lot of rumors were swirling on the same subject, but he started to get more burn in ACC games. After a great game against UNC, it seemed he'd stay. But before long, he ended up on the end of the bench again. If those few games were promising enough for him, he'll stay. If not, and it might not, I wouldn't be surprised to see him transfer.

Braxton Dupree: Probably the choice of most Terp fans (it's mine). Odds are, he won't get much PT at Maryland in the future unless he significantly improves. He could transfer to UMBC and be a starter right away. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he'll go anywhere. The hunger just isn't there, from what I've heard (well, at least not metaphorically). If it was, he might've lost some weight by now.

Jerome Burney: Jerome wouldn't transfer, but his scholly could still open up. He's had injury problems since he's been on campus, and even though he's showed promise, he hasn't been able to get on the floor consistently. He could get an early graduation if he wanted to, and he may: he could get his degree and move on with his life. I don't know if he'd want to do that, but staying with basketball could just mess up his legs more. I wouldn't blame him if he decided to.

Jin Soo Kim/Steve Goins: Kim showed some serious potential early in the year. He's got a lot of talent, but needs to get bigger and acclimated to the ACC game. He got minimal playing time, so he could look for a place where he could play more. Goins came in as a project, but he's still 6-9 on a team with a 6-6 center. I'm sure he expected more than a few minutes of playing time. I don't expect either to transfer, but they're possibilities.

There's a great chance at least one of those five will end up someone other than Maryland next year. We'll have to wait awhile for the transfer to be publicly announced, but the coaches probably already know. In the meantime, it is completely legal and possible for Maryland to recruit players for the 2009 season, and those players can verbally commit without a scholarship available.

Also, Gary could - in theory - kick someone out of a 'ship. He could just say to Brax "Sorry, no more scholarship for you" and kick him off the team, technically. Just know that very few coaches would do that. I'd consider it low for guys like Jim Calhoun, so don't expect Gary to do that.

In case you're wondering, Kansas is actually already two scholarships over for 2009, but that hasn't slowed them in recruiting Stevenson.

Terps' Run Ends With Duke

Ben Broman — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:52:07 -0000

This game should've hurt me more than it did. It was a close game that one could argue Maryland could've won had they played just a little better. But going into the game, I had the belief that Maryland did everything they needed to do to get in. I still believe that. As such, I can't be angry with a few guys running out of steam in their third game in three days.

However, when one guy doesn't get tired, he deserves recognition. Eric Hayes was simply amazing the last five minutes. He just took control of the game. There was confidence and almost a swagger that he knew what he was doing. I'm left wondering where this has been all year long. If he can do that consistently in the tourney, the Terps have a shot at the Sweet Sixteen.

Defensively, the zone did better than I expected it to against Duke. The shooters are there at Duke, but the zone still slowed them down a bit. It wasn't the be-all and end-all of defensive schemes, but it could've been much worse.

Outside of just the zone, Maryland still did a great job on defense. Kyle Singler was held scoreless for the first nineteen minutes of the second half, and Gerald Henderson had single digits. Neither of those are easy to do.

I don't know what it is, but everyone except one or two guys really picked up their play in the tourney. I would say it's because they were fighting for their tournament lives, but then why weren't they that good against Virginia? Regardless, Sean Mosley, Dino Gregory, and Eric Hayes all had coming out parties these past few days. Mosley proved that he can be a consistent 10 point scorer. Gregory, even though his statline wasn't always amazing, played very well the entire tournament, even on defense. Eric Hayes was probably the MVP for the Terps. He played so well in the NCSt game and this game, and was pretty good against Wake, too.

It was also good to see Adrian Bowie get back on track. He had ten points yesterday and didn't seem to be in a funk. It's clear just how good he is in the open floor - no one is as consistent with a difficult fast-break layup as he is.

On the other hand, Cliff Tucker was nonexistent yesterday. He played only four minutes, which brings back the nostalgia of earlier games in the year. I understand why he sat - in four minutes, he had two fouls, which isn't a formula to get playing time from Gary Williams. I'm starting to think that he may end up transferring again. He had a decent middle of the year, but if Lance Stephenson comes here, he may see the writing on the wall. I'm confident that one of the big guys will leave, opening up a spot for Lance, and the minutes at the 2/3 spots just won't be there. If he's getting 4 minutes now, imagine what he'll get when a top 5 player is in front of him. That raises the possibility of a Williams/Padgett/Lance/Vinson class, which would be a phenomenal coup.

It would've been nice to win, but I'm not at all broken up about it. In fact, it might be good to get an extra day of rest. I'm more concerned about the NCAAs than the ACC tournament. I said this in the game thread, but the committee won't look down at a six point loss when the team is as tired as they are. They'll see marked improvement - we started at 41 and ended at 6; this wasn't quite as good as a win, but it's not a normal loss.

Terps Keep Dream Alive, Beat Wolfpack

Ben Broman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:43:17 -0000

Maryland had to fight back tonight, but the Terps were able to grab the comeback win on the backs of Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez. Now they need to focus on Wake Forest tomorrow to clinch a bid.

First off, I don't know what it is with Hayes and the state of Georgia, but the last time he was in Georgia, he scored 15. When he played a team from Georgia before that (GT) he dropped 17. Tonight, he was instrumental in the win, with 21. Without a doubt in my mind, he was the MVP tonight (Vasquez was a close second). Without a couple of threes in a row in the middle of the first half, Maryland doesn't make a run to tie the lead at half and probably end up losing. His three point shooting was perfect tonight, he played solid defense, and made good decisions. If he can play similarly tomorrow night, I like Maryland's chances. For whatever reason, he gets a pretty big amount of open threes; if he starts to knock them down, Maryland is a much better team.

He wasn't alone, though - Greivis Vasquez had another big game, this time earning a double-double. He had trouble with outside shooting tonight (1-5 from three), but he was great when he drove the lane. Not only did he hit the runner in the lane consistently, he made great pass-outs from those situations to open guys (particularly Hayes). When Vaz and Hayes play the way the they did tonight, Maryland is a very difficult team to beat.

On Mr. Church League, Dave Neal is as clutch as clutch gets. He's not always the most consistent, but when he needs to make a big shot, he usually hits it. He made two really big threes tonight when Maryland needed them, which made up for a couple of poor defensive possessions.

I don't like comparing the two because they're different styles, but Dino Gregory outplayed Landon Milbourne at the four tonight. Gregory only had six points, but he took a charge, had a huge block on the fast break, grabbed seven boards, and didn't consistently get stuffed. Milbourne, meanwhile, had seven points and just three boards in 35 minutes, compared to Dino's 23. Oh, and he got rejected about three times. I'm not saying Milbourne should be benched, but why did he play 35 minutes tonight when Dino was clearly outplaying him? He's been coming up short recently - he's due for a big game against Wake Forest.

Credit where credit is due: the zone worked perfectly tonight. Costner only had four points (though much of that was due to foul trouble), and NCSt had to rely on a freshman bench player for offense. I'll take my chances on that every day of the week.

Looks like the FT problem was fixed tonight, as well. Maryland had 21 attempts, which was a nice return to getting points from the line.

Again, the minutes were a little funky tonight. Both Bowie and Tucker only had 13 minutes, which was a bit lower than I would've had. When they were really struggling offensively, Tucker should've been in the game. He's one of the bigger offensive weapons on the team, and Maryland needed all the help they could've gotten.

On the bubble front, Maryland got helped out; Miami is officially dead in the water, Virginia Tech, although they got a win, were hurt badly by Clemson's loss. Clemson has really been slumping lately, and that was VT's "marquee win". Providence was blown out, Arizona State beat Arizona, and Rhode Island lost to Duquense. A few bubblers got wins, but it was about as good as you could expect.

ACC Tourney Preview

Dave Tucker — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:12:09 -0000

Well folks, it all comes down to this for the Terps. Win and they're closer to being in. Lose, and we're done. I'll preview the first round match up between the Terps and NC State and maybe later today provide some other previews/reactions to the other games scheduled for today.

Check out the Terps-State preview after the jump.

NC State vs. Maryland

In their only meeting this season, Maryland pulled out a road win, 71-60 over the Wolfpack. The game was a little closer then the score indicates, since it was 68-60 until Vasquez took that last second 3-point shot and made it. Vasquez finished the game with 33 points and 5 assists. Dave Neal nearly had a double double, as the senior scored 11 and pulled down 8 rebounds. No other player for Maryland reached double figures.

NC State was led by 6'8" sophomore forward Tracy Smith, who kept State in the game with his 19 points and 9 rebounds. Three of State's other starters also reached double figures in the game: McCauley, Fells, and Gonzalez.

State was able to stay in the game through rebounding and second chance points. State out-rebounded the Terps by 8, 32-24 and was able to convert some of those rebounds into 7 second chance points (the Terps only had 2).

What the Terps must do to win

In the earlier match up this season, the Terps did a lot of things right - they shot well from the line (7/8), they scored in transition (13 fast break points to NC State's 6) which was helped by their 9 steals, they took care of the ball (8 TOs to State's 16) and they shot 47.6% from three point land. The are again going to have to replicate many of those feats if they hope to win tonight in Hotlanta; take care of the ball; score in transition; and get to the line and score.

The Terps must also get more production out of their starting 5. Although Vasquez is always capable of putting up 30+ points, Maryland shouldn't assume or rely on the junior to have John Gilchrist-type performance for the entire tournament. Landon Milbourne, who has struggled a lot lately, needs to again become productive and should try to rely more on his mid-range jump shot, which is a very high percentage shot for him. Adrien Bowie needs to drive more to the lane, slash through the defense and score. Bowie has struggled to score as of late, ever since he came down with the flu a few weeks ago. Sean Mosley, who does so many things that don't show up in the box score and who is also a fantastic rebounder, also needs to score more. This team can't rely on Vasquez to always carry them. Someone else needs to step up and that person might have to be Sean. Dave Neal needs to keep up his fantastic play as of late, especially his 3 point shooting, which has by far been the best on the team in the last few weeks.

Solve the 1-3-1 and 2-3 zone defenses. Maryland has struggled mightily against the zone D in the last few game, ever since Wake switched to a 1-3-1 zone in the second half of the Terps lose to Wake. UVA, after being down by as many as 13, switched to a zone D and the Terps went on one of the longest scoring droughts I've ever seen. Maryland needs to drive and dish out if they're going to solve these zone D's, and you know Sidney Lowe is going have this team playing some zone to try to slow down the Terps.

Get to the line. The Terps have shot a whopping 8 free throws in the last two games. Again, Maryland needs to drive to the basket more and pick up fouls so they can get to the line, where they're a great 3 point shooting team.

Bench play. If Milbourne, Bowie and Mosley continue to struggle on offense, someone on the bench is going to have to jump into the game game give the Terps a spark. Tucker, Hayes and Gregory as the likely candidates for that, especially Tucker and Hayes. Eric needs to find his scoring touch, and quickly, especially from outside the arc, where he's struggled the last few games.

Out coach. Although Sidney Lowe is a highly regarded coach, Gary Williams is a better one. Sidney is 0-4 against Garyland and having this game on a neutral court, in the same building where MD won their national title, favors the Terps.

What the Wolfpack must do to win

State has talent on their team and they have a great, balanced scoring attack. If they can take care of the ball, they'll have a much better chance of winning this game.

Play zone Defense. As was said previously, Maryland has struggled against zone defenses, so if State wants to win, they should play a lot of zone and hope that Maryland can't break the zone by drive-penetrating and by making 3's, where the Terps have struggled dearly for most of the season.

Keep fighting. The Terps have a tendency to jump out to leads and not be able to hold onto them and close out a game. As long as State is able to stay in the game, they have a chance to go on a run and capture some late-game momentum.

Control Greivis Vasquez. The junior guard had a monster game for the Terps in their earlier meeting, scoring 33 points and carrying the Terps to victory. State might want to consider double-teaming Vasquez and daring another shooting on Maryland to step up and beat them. Running a 2-3 zone that will keep Greivis from driving the lane will help State as well.

Prediction

If this game was in North Caroline, I'd be really worried. The fact that it's in Atlanta makes me a little less worried, but worried nonetheless. I think the Terps win a close one, 72-67. I think Vasquez again has a good game, puts up 20 points and Milbourne again finds his game and scores 15. After struggling early, Tucker comes of the bench and breaks up State's zone with some 3's and that gets the game going for the Terps.

Terps Can't Hang On, Fall to Wake

Ben Broman — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:45:32 -0000

This loss really was heartbreaking - Maryland was winning, then went on an almost 6 minute scoreless streak to lose the game. On senior night, and in a game that would've nearly clinched an NCAA bid, it's unacceptable.

It's obvious how much the Terps need Greivis Vazquez. He was playing poorly in the second half for whatever reason, and no one else was able to do anything. Outside of Dave Neal's senior night moment, Maryland scored just 22 points in the second half.

A lot of people will talk about the rebounding problem, and it did exist. Maryland was outrebounded by 18. Had it been more even, they almost certainly would've won. But everyone knew there was going to a huge rebounding advantage for Wake. We expected it. The bigger problem was the inability to score. If the offense doesn't grind to a stop (literally) Wake could've gotten all the rebounds they liked, and the Terps still would've won. Maryland lost by two points. I think they would've scored more than two points in that five minute scoreless stretch.

Another huge problem was free throws. There were some questionable calls throughout the game, and Maryland couldn't seem to get a call when they went inside. Despite the color guy consistently saying "Maryland needs to go inside and get fouled", I think it was the right decision not to try to go inside. When the refs aren't blowing the whistle, there's no reason to go get beaten up on the interior. Still, free throws were a big part of the loss. Only two free throws all game - the Terps normally gets 18. They win the game if the free throws are at a normal pace.

Of course, Dave Neal deserves to recognized for his performance. It was outstanding, and was a great senior night. I just wish they could've made it a perfect night.

On a less negative note, the minutes were interesting again. Again, Burney got zero minutes, but this time it makes sense - he was in street clothes and a walking boot. Brax ended up getting 4 minutes, and four points. It wasn't a great performance, but it wasn't a disaster. I wonder if Gary will up his minutes in the future. Cliff Tucker only played 12, which is a shame, because Maryland needed his offensive ability. I love Eric Hayes, but when he's not hitting wide open shots, Tucker needs to be in.

Maryland seems to be capable of playing well for about one game at a time. Beat Virginia Tech, lose to Clemson. Beat UNC, lose to Duke. Beat NCSt, lose to Wake. While this pattern bodes well Virginia, it's frustrating to see (nevermind about this being the exact reason we need Lance Stephenson). Still, Maryland's in great shape to make the NCAAs (or "the March Madness" as the color guy would say). Win the next two games - Maryland will be favored in both - and they're in. It's as simple as that.

Maryland 71, North Carolina State 60: Thoughts

Ben Broman — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:20:27 -0000

While this was never a must-win game for Maryland, it's obviously a big win. Now, the Terps have a little room for error; not a lot, mind you, but enough that if there's a close loss, they can still get into the tourney.

Gary and Greivis both talked about the "grittiness" and "toughness" of the team last night, and I think it was a big deal last night. NCSt never went away, and the entire second half I was expecting Maryland to deconstruct at some point. The teams the past few years would've done that. But they didn't. In fact, when I was sure it was going to happen, right after NCSt took the lead, Maryland went on a 9-0 run to take an 8 point lead.

Greivis had a huge game last night, again. If he plays like this the final two games, an All-ACC spot just may be in order. He had 33 points, including 21 in the second half, and completely carried the team through a few rough patches. He did get some help from Dave Neal and Cliff Tucker, but he was simply outstanding. Not only was his play great, but he played 38 of 40 minutes, quite an achievement in and of itself.

On a more negative note, Maryland lost the rebounding battle, and that was a big reason NCSt stayed in it as long as they did. It's evident how bad this needs a big man. Sure, the rebounding was better than it could've been, but it needs to improve.

I also found out that you can learn a lot about the team when you look at the minutes played. It's true, I suppose, that Gary sees the lineup not as who starts, but more of who finishes. Eric Hayes played 31 minutes off the bench. Dino Gregory played 22. Cliff Tucker played 20. Meanwhile, Adrian Bowie only played 19, Landon only played 19 (that was surprising, actually), and Sean Mosley played a measly 11. It's a bit shocking to see most of these numbers, and I'm left wondering why he doesn't just change the starting lineup to reflect these minutes (except for Landon; he's earned his spot). Also, Dave Neal played 37 minutes. I'm not sure he deserves 37, but if Maryland wins when does that, I'm okay with it.

Oh, one more thing: Greivis' final second three. It's sure to raise a lot of controversy, but Gary really didn't seem to mind too much. Greivis, for all his flamboyance and flair, isn't the kind of guy who would do something like that just to do it. He does respect his opponents, though at times you may forget that amid the jersey pops and chest bumps. He doesn't do that to show anyone up, though - he's simply showing his own passion. I'm going to assume the fans were giving him crap, and that was how he got back at them. I don't really have a problem with it, but I'll just pray we don't play NCSt in the first round of the tournament.

Duke 78, Maryland 67: More Thoughts

Ben Broman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:43:47 -0000

Yes, it was an eminently disappointing game, but it was disappointing for the right reasons: Maryland played extremely well, almost well enough to win. The last two games (plus the Clemson first half) have been very good against very good competition, even though Maryland only came out of it with one win.

Before anything else, I have a bit of a PSA: This was not a must-win game. A lot of people are saying that Maryland needs something huge to get in now, but nothing has changed. Go 2-1, get one in the ACCT, and we're in. That's not to say that we won't be sweating on Sunday, but all signs point to that being enough. But more on this later.

The game yesterday came down to very few factors. You could throw almost every stat, except these of course, out of the window. These four factors are the reasons Maryland ended up losing.

I wish the ACC kept stats on who wins lose balls. Duke got almost every free ball last night, which often led to easy baskets.
Maryland's strength all year long - indeed, it kept them in many games - has been free throw shooting. Maryland had an extremely disappointing performance here - 16-25. Nine misses. That's 67% on the night. If Maryland had made four more free throws at clutch moments (like the two Greivis missed) momentum could've switched and the game could've turned out different.
Rebounding was surprisingly poor last night. Duke doesn't have a huge size advantage, but ended up with 11 more boards, including 13 on offense.
No, I don't think you can completely put this on the refs, but there were a lot of very iffy calls. To say the least, it wasn't a game that was called evenly and consistently, especially when it came to Greivis Vasquez and Gerald Henderson.

Other thoughts:

Nice to see Landon Milbourne return. He had a monster game. Gary needs to realize that he's the Terps' best halfcourt weapon. That mid-range jumper is money.
Eric Hayes was great last night. I won't blame Greivis for his phantom fouls, but I will commend Hayes on a great performance. Very in control, very steady, and kept Maryland in the game until GV came in (and fouled out). After that, no one played well.
Sean Mosley was great until that injury. He was shutting down Gerald Henderson, but he clearly changed after the injury. He was hobbling around a little more, and seemed to have lost some mobility.
I could see Hayes going in for Bowie against NCSt. Not saying it's a probability, but Bowie's had a tough stretch and, despite some great plays last night, has been inconsistent. He also doesn't seem to be a true PG. He can play when needed, but I really think the team would benefit from having a calming presence at point.
Cliff Tucker was disappointing. His offense was really needed, and he just didn't have it.
Where was Jerome Burney? He would've be a good matchup against a less athletic Duke team, one would think.
As I mentioned earlier, win two of three plus one in the tourney and Maryland is in. I honestly think Maryland could win out and get two in the ACCT, which would be good enough for a 7 seed in the NCAAT, but it's unnecessary. Providence, Va Tech, and BC all had some big wins, but there were more than three open spots in the tourney. Plus, all three could lose a big game between now and March.