SB Nation - Dave Neal

Deacon Dump 11/16: Can't complain about a 2-0 start

MRickman84 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:47:21 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

I am tired. Work for four hours Friday, then I turned around and drove to W-S for the ORU game, went to the football game, drove to Chapel Hill on Sunday for the UNC-Valpo game and turned right around again to drive back to Cle-town so that I could work after three hours of sleep. The things I do for the ACC. But it is always worth it, and now I'm officially in college basketball mode.

A lot of random links today, so excuse me for the scatteredness. Today might be a bit slow, so again, I'll apologize in advance. Merci.

Orlando Sentinel - Bianchi: UCF's Brett Hodges is Stud of the Week, braggart FSU fan is Dud by
My early favorite for Stud of the Week is Brett Hodges and the UCF Knights, who defeated No. 13 Houston for the first victory over a ranked team in school history. Who would have ever thought that high-flying, Heisman-contending Houston QB Case Keenum would be outduelled by the low-key, unflappable Hodges?

Deacons win big
"We've got to be thankful and blessed for the way we did play, but we've still got to continue to work and push to get to the elite level," Smith said. "As well as we played, we've still got a long ways to go defensively. We didn't shoot free throws well or shoot the ball well.... We still can clean all that up, and we will. We've just got to keep working."

ACC Week in Review: Wake Forest starts strong behind Aminu | BaselineStats.com: College Basketball Stats and Analysis
Team of the week: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had a pair of impressive wins this weekend, starting Friday night with a 76-56 victory over Oral Roberts, a traditional power in the Summit League, and the coaches’ pick to finish second this year. On Sunday, Wake throttled East Carolina on the road, 89-58. Al-Farouq Aminu has emerged with the departures of James Johnson and Jeff Teague. After scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 boards against ORU, he had 23 points and nine boards against ECU.

FayObserver.com - 5 things to watch from college basketball referees
Still, many players are worried. Wake Forest's Ish Smith, for example, fears the energy and momentum generated from big plays may now be quickly negated by overly strict referees too eager to penalize unsportsmanlike behavior with technical fouls. Smith pointed specifically to a monster dunk Jeff Teague had over Maryland's Dave Neal last season during a game-changing Demon Deacons' run. "Jeff did what he's supposed to do: he pounded his chest and yelled to the crowd," Smith said. "He never disrespected Dave. He just let loose with his emotion. That got the rest of the team fired up, the crowd fired up. If the refs get too crazy with this new rule, it's going to be hard for guys everywhere to hold back that emotion."

MSNsportsNET.Com -- West Virginia University Mountaineers
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Three first half goals from 14th-ranked Wake Forest was all the Demon Deacons needed to finish off West Virginia, 3-0, Sunday afternoon in NCAA second-round action at W. Dennie Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. "My hat goes off to Wake Forest," said WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, whose team played its eighth-straight contest away from Morgantown – a program record. "They were clearly the better team today and found a way to put three goals in the back of the net." Wake Forest improves to 15-5-2 to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 to face South Carolina, the No. 2 seed in the North Carolina region.

FIFTH QUARTER: One division down, one to go – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive
4. Senior Day disappointment: Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner broke down and cried in the interview room after his two interceptions led to a lop-sided loss to Florida State that didn’t just ruin his Senior Day celebration, but eliminated the slumping Deacons from bowl consideration.

Tar Heels beat Deacons
Wake Forest had a 13-8 advantage in shots and a 7-3 advantage in penalty corners, but No. 3 UNC won yesterday's NCAA quarterfinal game 4-1 at sun-drenched Kentner Stadium. "I thought my kids played a brilliant game plan. We had a game plan and they stuck to it from the first minute. I thought we executed it to a T," Coach Jennifer Averill of Wake Forest said. "If you look at the statistics it's frustrating, it's disappointing walking away outplaying, outshooting them."

Colts' Dwight Freeney could've been a two-sided hit -- latimes.com
Back when he was a college coach, Caldwell recruited Freeney to Wake Forest, floating the offer he could play both on the defensive line and in the offensive backfield. "That was the only way I could entice him, but obviously he didn't bite," said Caldwell, who wound up losing Freeney to Syracuse. "I don't think you could envision the great career that he's had to this point. But you knew he was special, there's no doubt about that. "He could run and catch, and he's powerful. We could put him to work back in those days. I made the promise to him, and if he had showed up we certainly would have done it, due to the fact that he's a little unusual in terms of his speed. . . . I don't know why that pitch didn't work. "But usually once a year he's in a conversation with one of his teammates, and he'll bring me over and say, 'Hey, Caldwell, tell 'em: Didn't you try to recruit me to play running back?' It always happens at least once a year."

ACC bowl predictions: Week 11 - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
With each of their respective losses this past weekend, Wake Forest, NC State, Maryland and Virginia all lost their chances at a possible bowl bid. Florida State kept its hopes alive with a win over Wake Forest, and the Seminoles only need to beat Maryland at home this weekend to reach the postseason. Despite Duke’s loss to Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils could still reach bowl eligibility with a win at Miami on Saturday and at home during the regular season finale against Wake Forest.

Top Ten Wake Forest basketball moments in the last four years

MRickman84 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:36:39 -0000

As promised, we've complied a top ten basketball moments in our four years at Wake Forest. Although the team only made one NCAA Tournament (and I'd love to forget that game), there were still some pretty spectacular plays and games over the last few years. As always, feel free to post your favorite moments in the comments or if you disagree, let me know.

10.) Wisconsin, 2005. This game was memorable for a couple of reasons. It was the first big-time game I attended at Wake. One of the ESPN Big Ten/ACC Challenge games, Wisconsin came in ranked and it is always good to see Bo Ryan's club in person. Wisconsin kept it close behind a great performance from Alando Tucker, but Justin Gray scored 37 in route to a 91-88 win. Just a great game and a fun time in the Screaming Demons student section.

9.) BYU, 2009. Just a straight up shootout, this game moved the Deacs to 13-0 and showed that, at the time, they were in the upper echelon of college basketball. A real heavyweight bout, BYU kept punching and Wake kept absorbing and punching back. Despite the game being on a network I didn't get at home, I found the game and really enjoyed watching it at the bar.

8.) Virginia, 2007. There wasn't a whole lot of wonderful wins in the 06-07 season. A true definition of a rebuilding year, Kyle Visser led a pack of youngsters with 17 points to give the Deacs just their 14th win of the season over the 25th ranked Cavaliers. This was a real feel-good win and led to a court storming, something that happens a few times on this list...

7&6.) Miami, 2008; Virginia Tech 2006. Two words: Ish Smith. The kid showed his testicular fortitude with a pair of game-winners from the exact same spot on the floor. I think I may have pulled my back jumping up the VT shot on what was a terrible day in New York after I drove to JFK and found out my flight was cancelled and had to drive back--but I'll never forget that shot. It's funny how on great sports moments a person can remember where they were and what they were doing perfectly.

5.) Maryland, 2009. This win sure felt good. Going into College Park and beating the Terps in a two point thriller. Who can forget how ridiculous Dave Neal's senior night 19 points were, and do I really have to mention this?:

4.) Duke, 2008. Suck it Duke. This game just felt good. Duke came in ranked number two in the country and got whooped by a possessed Wake team that entered the bubble discussion before collapsing at the end of the season. But that doesn't take away from this win, which saw a real emergence from freshman James Johnson, who put up 24 points and 16 rebounds. Jeff Teague added 26 of his own.

3.) Duke, 2009. But this one was even better. Let's just go to the tape:

2.) UNC, 2009. In a season filled with great wins, this one felt the best. Nothing can compare to the feeling of beating the Tar Heels. That's what is so sad about the end of this year; this team really showed they could beat anybody and on this night, they beat the future NCAA Champions. Why not show one more video?

1.) GT, 2006. The most exciting game in my four years, hands down. Harvey Hale was a man possessed. I got in a little trouble during this game, as I was supposed to watch a movie with the girlfriend and kept pushing it back. "Well, it's overtime..." "Well, you're not going to believe this, but it's double overtime..." But it was worth it. These are the moments you live for as a college basketball fan.

WakeJake here, checking in with my own top ten:

10) Clemson, 2009 - After beating BC and UNC, many people expected the Deacs to be out of gas when they traveled to LittleJohn to face the Tigers. However, Wake Forest put on a show and played one of their best games of the season. Al-Farouq Aminu and James Johnson had several nasty dunks and Wake seemed to be on top of the world. This is a good place to stop the story.

9) Virginia, 2007 - It always feels good to send the seniors out on a high note. In this case Kyle Visser led the Deacs to a big upset victory over the Wahoos. Virginia would have been the top seed in the ACC tourney and regular season champs with a win, but LD Williams locked down both Sean Singletary and JR Reynolds at times and lifted the Deacs to a nice win.

8) Wisconsin, 2005 - Refer to what Rickman said above. My first big-game experience at Wake. I was immediately hooked and will be for the rest of my life.

7) NSCU/FSU, 2006 - After a terribly frustrating season, getting to Semifinal Saturday in the ACC Tournament as a 12 seed was fulfilling. I will never forget Justin Gray pulling his jersey over to reveal his heart after making some big shots. We gave Duke a scare as well, but ran out of gas in the second half.

6 & 5) VT and Miami - Ish. My favorite Wake player of all time delivers. On a fun note, after the shot against VT I got taken out by a LJVM security guard. Good times. The banked three by Gary Clark and the bad decisions by AD Vassallo to get us there were pretty miraculous as well.

4) Duke, 2009 - The hype leading up to this game was phenomenal. ESPN even played the entire pre-game ritual on national TV, including the Screamin' Demons swaying, the video, and the players' circle. I still get chills watching it every time. Although James' last second shot is easily the most memorable moment here (wonderfully drawn up, DIno) Ish's between the legs drop off for Aminu was just ridiculous. The Joel was rockin' that night too and was one of my favorite atmospheres as a student.

3) GT, 2006 - So many back and forth shots in this late-night ACC Tourney game. Every time Harvey Hale, Mike Drum, or Ish Smith made a big bucket, Anthony Morrow or Thad Young answered back. This game was really hard on my nerves, but seeing Harvey deliver in double OT after a tough year was special.

2) Duke, 2008 - I picked this one over the game from this past season because I really enjoy winning as an underdog. This game put Wake back in the national discussion and gave fans an idea of how good the team could be over the next year and a half.

1) UNC, 2009 - Not surprising coming from me, but after hearing all the smack talk throughout the summer, fall and part of the winter it felt great to see my Deacs take care of the Heels. Ty Lawson was completely dominated the entire game by Al-Farouq Aminu and Teague. The one moment from this game that sticks out in my head the most is Chas McFarland's half court dash to a fast break layup in the second half. It never seemed like he was going to make it there, but the big fella collected the long rebound and layed it in "gracefully."

I'll leave you with one of my favorite individual moments as well:

Vasquez and Neal Named Co-MVPs

Ben Broman — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:57:19 -0000

Via Maryland's official athletic site:

The University of Maryland men's basketball team was honored Thursday night at the annual honors banquet, held on the arena floor at Comcast Center. More than 300 family members, boosters and Terrapin supporters attended the event, which featured presentation of awards and a highlight video.

Junior Greivis Vasquez and senior Dave Neal shared the Ameritel Most Valuable Player honors, given by head coach Gary Williams. Vasquez was a second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection for the second straight year. Neal was the lone senior on the team and was an inspirational leader throughout the season, which finished with the Terps earning an NCAA Tournament invitation and a 21-14 overall record.

A lot of people really liked Dave Neal. I know I did. All the lovable YMCA comparisons, the "church league" style, the trucking of Nolan Smith. He provided team leadership and was the lone senior, which I respect. He completely overachieved and was a key part of the team. But he wasn't close to being MVP worthy.

That honor should go to Greivis Vasquez and Greivis Vasquez alone. No one else should really even be considered. He carried the team through stretches of the season. He had one of the greatest performances in Terp history against UNC. He said some stupid stuff, but he was the team leader and by far the best player on it. I understand giving the "co" to DN (the lone senior and all), but I wouldn't have done it.

Unfortunately, I think Greivis would've taken home most of the awards they gave out if everything was done honestly. He received the Most Assists award along with the MVP, and he probably should've gotten the most outstanding FT shooter award (Hayes received it). Landon Milbourne received the best rebounder award, but he was second on the team in rebounds. Vaz, unsurprisingly, was number one. The only ones that wouldn't have gone to him were academic (David Pearman) and most improved (Dino Gregory). I definitely agree on Dino's award; he really blossomed in ACC play.

As for GV and the NBA, he's going to pre-draft camps but hasn't signed an agent, so he can come back if he so chooses. I believe the deadline to withdraw is June 15, exactly 10 days before the draft. I think the scouts will tell him to head back to school for a year and work on his shot, but that's just me. Something tells me scouts might have trouble accepting him - they might see him as a bit of a tweener, because he doesn't have the quickness usually associated with point guards, even though he's a PG at heart. In the end, none of this may matter - there are medical problems in his family and he may go pro regardless of what scouts tell him. We'll find out soon enough.

Dave Neal Appreciation

Ben Broman — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:00:29 -0000

I was one of the Dave Neal haters at the beginning of the year, you could say. Anytime he did anything, I would just be forced to sigh and say "Dave Neal." After all, he's 6-6ish, 263, has T-Rex arms, and looks pretty stupid when he runs. He'd seen minimal playing time before this season, and when he played, he looked horrible.

But somehow, he ended up as the glue that kept the team together. It started in the Michigan State game, where he hit a couple of big threes. He became the team's three point specialist from that point on (kinda sad, kinda awesome). Despite massive size disadvantages, he held his own against other teams' centers (many of whom had 3 to 4 inches on him). He knows the game better than anyone else on the team, by far. He hustled and exerted more effort than any Terp I remember since 2002. He never should've seen the court, but ended up as a solid player. Who could forget his remarkable senior night against Wake, or his badass screen on Nolan Smith? Since that screen, I've loved watching guards skitter around him nervously. No, he wasn't super-star material, but he was a solid glue guy.

Even more than play, he provided senior leadership. He wasn't quite the Greivis Vasquez style leader, but he was the lone senior and it was obvious they relied on him for guidance. Without the future YMCA/Church League superstar (hate to break up the flow here, but I always thought these comparisons were stupid - he's 6-6 and can shoot; there's no way he's not getting picked first in a pickup game), I'm not sure the Terps make the tourney. For that reason, I would like to extend my appreciation to Neal, especially with all the hate I heaped on him at the very beginning of the year: Thanks, Dave.

Terps Beat Cal, Move On to Memphis

Ben Broman — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:47:09 -0000

I was one of the many who predicted a win over Cal, but I didn't expect it to be nearly this easy. Maryland had the five minute scoreless streak that one comes to expect after rooting for the Terps, but other than that, it was a wonderfully played game. If not for that five minute stretch, this could've been a 20 point win, instead of 13.

The biggest, most obvious plus was how they defended the 3pt line. Cal normally shoots in the 40% area, but today they shot a lowly 29%, some of which was made up near the end of the game. The supposedly unstoppable Jerome Randle had only 14 points; he made a few amazing plays, but was shut down for the most part by some great defense from Adrian Bowie. Then there's Patrick Christopher, the SG for Cal, who, normally 49% from 3, went 0-7 from distance. Cal truly died with the jumper today. More impressive, Maryland wasn't torched on the boards. They lost by four rebounds, but they consistently got out on shooters. Cal should've dominated the battle on the boards, but they didn't. The great defense opened up some easy offensive opportunities, which gave the Terps confidence in their offensive game. The confidence made it easier to work in the half court, and Maryland just executed perfectly in both the halfcourt and in transition.

The first and second halves really were two different games. In the first half, Cal was finding options outside of 3pt shooting, and Maryland couldn't distance themselves. It really was a close game that made you worried. The first eight minutes in the second half were similarly close. Cal battled back to take a lead, and everyone rooting for Maryland started to feel a bit antsy.

But much like the NCSt game, they responded perfectly to losing the lead at about the 12 minute mark. After that point, everything went right for Maryland. Hayes, Vasquez, and Milbourne hit open jumpers. Dino Gregory was extremely active once again (loved the put back dunk). Adrian Bowie made his return to the offense. Dave Neal was grabbing rebounds and making shots. Charges were called on Cal instead of blocks on Maryland. Everything was working. I can't remember the last time that happened. Generally, we're on the other side of that.

This was the type of performance Maryland needs against Memphis to compete. Vasquez put up 27, but he had help. Neal had 15, Bowie had 12, Hayes had 14, and Milbourne had 9. You can't complain about those totals. The way all the pieces are starting to come together and find their place is pretty special.

In case you missed it, Memphis nearly lost to Cal St. Northridge earlier in the day. CS-Northridge had as much as a 6 point lead in the second half, and a 3 point lead with just 9 minutes left. In fact, if it weren't for Roburt Sallie's incredible, unexpected performance (he put up 35, and he averaged 4.5 this year), Memphis probably loses that game. The zone really hurt them, which is great news for Maryland. Memphis' offense is pretty much passing the ball around looking for a mismatch or good look. The zone can have a lot of success against that kind of play. If they shoot as poorly as they did today (minus Sallie), the 3-2 zone that worked so well in the ACCT could very well kill their offense.

I think Maryland proved today that they were the team that finished out the season with two ACCT wins. Memphis, however, proved they weren't the team that looked so dominant in the C-USA. Memphis is very beatable, and I don't think I'd want any coach other than Gary Williams to coach this game. I wouldn't go so far as to predict a victory, but Memphis isn't unbeatable.

A Maryland Terrapins Preview

ragnarok — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:00:11 -0000

Hey, looks like Cal fans no longer have to wait until September to get their revenge on the University of Maryland -- Cal Basketball has just won a Thursday date with the Terrapins in Kansas City for the first round of the NCAA Tournament!

vs.

Now, I've been on vacation for the past few days, and won't actually get home until Thursday, but when TwistNHook calls you up and tells you he just has to have a preview of the Maryland basketball team for Monday morning, well, it's pretty obvious what I have do: I tell him to kiss off. However, then Avinash emails me, pleading for mercy, telling me that since joining CGB, Twist has had him chained to his laptop night and day, and could I please help with the workload? With CBKWit feverishly toiling away at his Recruiting Event post, there simply isn't anyone else to handle this, so I graciously acquiesce. You're welcome.

Maryland has been considered an NCAA bubble team for quite some time, limping to just a 7-9 record in a tough ACC. They haven't lost more than 2 games in a row all season, yet until the ACC tournament, they'd only won 2 games in a row once since running off 7 in a row against a significantly easier non-conference slate back in December (Michigan and then a bunch of nobodies). They do have some nice wins this year, including an 88-85 overtime victory over North Carolina and an 80-62 handling of Michigan State in the Old Spice Classic, but a couple of bad losses to Morgan State (can Todd Bozeman give us some pointers?) and Virginia (to close the regular season with a dud), plus some embarassing blowouts to Gonzaga, Georgetown, Clemson and Duke (85-44? Ouch!) certainly left the Terrapins' post-season fate in doubt. Really, it probably took a pair of wins in the ACC tournament to secure their place in the field of 65, the second an impressive 75-64 win over Wake Forest. However, they got here, any team that can beat both North Carolina and Wake Forest should be one to take seriously.

And if we're taking Maryland seriously, that should start (and maybe end) with taking point guard Greivis Vasquez seriously. The Venezuelan is pretty much their team; he leads Maryland in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He plays by far the most minutes, and takes by far the most shots. If the game is on the line, the ball will be in his hands, and if he gets to the line, he's an 88% free throw shooter. He's been held below 10 points just 3 times this year (by Duke, Georgetown, and Florida State), and in the upset win over North Carolina, he recorded the Terrapins' first triple-double in 22 years. Perhaps Randle or Gutierrez will be quick enough to help contain Vasquez before he penetrates the lane, forcing him to pass it on, or hopefully take less-than-ideal shots (he can be a ball-hog at times, and though he takes by far the most threes on the team, he makes less than a third of them), though at 6' 6", Vasquez should be a height mismatch for either of Cal's point guards, and possibly too quick for Christopher or Robertson. The Bears should hold out scant hope of shutting Greivis down, instead merely trying to limit the damage.

Vasquez will be Maryland's first option on offense. Maybe their second and third options, too. - Image via sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Beyond Vasquez, however, Maryland will present little in the way of height. No one on their roster is taller than 6' 10", and much of that height goes unused on the bench; the tallest players who make significant contributions are 6' 7" forwards Landon Milbourne and Dave Neal (the squad's only senior). Without much size inside, the Terrapins give up a lot of offensive boards (when your point guard is your leading rebounder, you're probably in trouble), and while they are in the top 10 in the country in free throw percentage, that skill doesn't help them much, since they are absolutely awful at getting to the free throw line (in terms of the number of free throw attempts as compared to their total field goal attempts, they're in the bottom 15 in the country). Milbourne is Maryland's real inside presence, and a good shooter to boot (85% from the line, and can step out and hit some jump shots, too), but I feel pretty confident about Boykin and Kamp's ability to match up with him.

On the perimeter, Maryland has a number of players who can knock down an open shot, including Neal, 6' 4" guard Eric Hayes, and 6' 2" guard Adrian Bowie. However, as long as the Bears don't leave these guys open, I think they should be fine; none of these guys shoot even 40% from three (the best, Neal, is about as good as Christopher, though with far fewer attempts), and Maryland is overall pretty mediocre from three. In fact, their shooting percentage is overall pretty tepid (46%, 33% from three, both in the bottom half of the NCAA), and the main way they stay in games in by maximizing their opportunities; they don't turn the ball over much (top 30 in the country) and they grab a bunch of offensive boards (fantastic given their lack of size).

Defensively, Maryland likes to mix and match between straight up man defense and a zone. They can both block and steal the ball; if they have a weakness on defense, it's that they don't rebound particularly well, which is not good news for them; give the Bears two or three chances to knock down and open shot, and they almost certainly will. Neither team will physically overpower the other, so I have a feeling that a lot of this game is going to be determined by which team exudes more hustle, especailly on the boards.

In the Asian guy on the bench category, Maryland counters Cal's Max Zhang with one of their own, 6' 8" freshman Jin Soo Kim. Like Max, he's a bit of a fan favorite, and also like Max, he probably won't play outside of garbage time. Interesting fun fact, though.

On paper, I think Cal should win this game. Vasquez is a stellar talent (All-ACC second team), but he does need help, and I think the Bears match up well enough with everyone else to be able to deny Vasquez the help he needs. If there's one thing that worries me, it'll be how much the Bears want this game; they can survive a cold shooting stretch with good defense, but not if they aren't willing to put in the work. Traveling to Missouri and starting an early game didn't work too well back in December, and it could be a worry again, as the Bears have looked the worst this year when they didn't have 5 guys on the floor with their heads in the game, willing to play tough D.

My early homer prediction: Cal 75, Maryland 68, with Jerome Randle thriving in his first taste of the NCAA tournament.

Poll

Who will win the Cal vs. Maryland re-match? And how much of a margin will they win by?

Cal wins big.

67 votes

Cal barely wins

126 votes

Maryland barely wins

20 votes

Maryland wins big

21 votes

234 votes | Poll has closed

VICTORY

Dave Tucker — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:10:31 -0000

I used the title of victory because I feel like that was the best word to sum up this season and being able to prove everyone wrong and make it to the NCAAs. As a team that was picked to finish 11th or 12th by most ACC writers (note, most of those writers come from the great state of North Carolina and are the same ones who have the lover affair with North Carolina players when All-ACC selection time comes around), this team has over come a lot.

1. They've overcome being undersized. When your biggest guy on the court most nights is 6'7"-6'8", it's not always easy to win. But Maryland was able to some how overcome this weakness this year, for the most part, and able to get enough key wins to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Credit Gary a lot for this. When people told him he couldn't do it, I think he took it personally and showed that yes you can.

2. Gary-gate. After a 3 part series on Gary and the state of the basketball program by the Washington Post in which the paper printed the most words about a person since Richard Nixon and Watergate, Gary and his team rebounded to criticism about this year's team and the program in general to make a final push at the end of the season and in the ACC tourney to capture an at-large bid. They also did so amid a scuffle between Gary and the Athletic Department (the result of bad reporting by the Sun and the Athletic Department making assumptions) and repeated criticism by people.

3. Pressure to prove everyone wrong. This team had to come out and give 120% on most nights, just to prove their critics wrong, and was constantly under the microscope from not only local media, but national media, and that can wear on a team. I think this team could be one of Gary's best coaching performances. His coaching has made players on this team, often under-sized and not as athletic, perform better then anyone ever expected them to. He's gotten the best out of Neal, Hayes and others all year. If you really think Gary needs to step down, I hope you realize that there are about 5 other coaches in the nation that could have done what Gary did this year. Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone, but I sure as hell know we have one of the best X's and O's coaches in America.

4. Never panicking. After loses to Morgan State (not as bad now since the Bears are also dancing) and to UVA, this team never panicked and often used a tough loss to fuel a good, big win (see UNC and NC State/Wake).

We'll get a preview of Cal up here ASAP.

WE'RE DANCING BABY!!!

What are your thoughts about this season? Is this one of Gary's best coaching jobs ever?

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 Tournament: NC State vs. Maryland Recap

MRickman84 — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:23:54 -0000

Obviously this game had a lot of weight seeing as the winner plays the Deacs tomorrow and that put more emphasis on the outcome. That doesn't mean that it was the best ACC Tournament game I've ever seen...

This was an ugly game all around. Both teams plodded and made poor decisions and shot selections. At the end though, Eric Hayes' 21 points on 5-6 three-pointers and 6-8 free throws and Greivis Vasquez's 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds were too much for the Wolfpack.

The Pack got a combined 2-15 performance good for 9 total points from Brandon Costner and Courtney Fells. Not exactly what you would be hoping for from two of your court leaders. State was paced by a great effort from Ben McCauley (7-10 shooting, 14 points and seven rebounds) and a career game from Julius Mays--18 points.

NC State was able to stay in it midway through the second half, even leading 62-61 at one point. They were unable to get any offense going after that though, allowing Maryland to go on an extended run that basically put the game away.

Vasquez, who announced today that he was going to declare for the NBA draft, tied his career high in assists and only had two turnovers. He looked poised and focused, but his words about the Demon Deacon defense after their loss in College Park makes for good bulletin board material.

The Deacs know what is at stake, especially with Pitt, Kansas and Oklahoma going down today. Not only is the battle for Greensboro still up for grabs, but there is a potential number one seed on the line if Wake could pull out a miracle ACC Tournament Championship. To get there though, they have to go through the Terrapins who gave the Deacs a run for their money just recently.

Wake will need to play solid defense and get the ball inside early and often. They absolutely must seal off Dave Neal and Eric Hayes from getting open opportunities and just make Greivis beat them--play him like everyone else and shut down the rest of the Terps and beat up on Maryland inside. This is a game Wake should win. Now they need to go out and do it.

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.