SB Nation - Sean Mosley

ACC Power Rankings: 12.21

MRickman84 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:30:13 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

It's time for another exciting edition of ACC Power Rankings. We've had some teams really moving around, so let's see where everyone stacks up.

1.) Duke Blue Devils (9-1, W vs. Gardner-Webb, W vs. Gonzaga) - Duke is really playing well right now. Kyle Singler has picked his game up and Jon Scheyer has been almost mistake free. Duke needs to worry a little bit about their starters' minutes as Scheyer, Singler and Nolan Smith are all playing over 33 minutes a game, and that's with the blowouts included. That notwithstanding, Duke has this spot with a bullet.

2.) North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3, L vs. Texas) - I am almost tempted to drop UNC a little bit further, but there aren't any other teams that have really earned the #2 spot. Regardless, UNC has looked awful in a couple games this year and they definitely have some things to work on. The bigs--Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Deon "Miss It" Thompson--are playing well, but the Heels do not play good defense at all and there is literally no guard depth.

3.) Clemson Tigers (10-2, W vs. ECU, W vs. CofC) - Clemson has all the pieces. But they're Clemson. Trevor Booker is a very good player and the combination of Tanner Smith, Andre Young and Demontez Stitt aren't pretty, but they get the job done. Plus their defense can keep them in any game.

4.) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-2, W vs. Chattanooga, W vs. AR Pine Bluff, L vs. Florida State) - Despite the loss to FSU, Tech is up here because they have a lot of talent and everyone knew they'd have some bumps along the way. Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Zach Peacock bring it most of the time, but with Iman Shumpert out, GT has to rely on freshman Mfon Udofia at the point. He's a gifted player, but he's still a freshman. Tech will have big wins and dumb losses (a lot like a certain team from last year).

5.) Miami Hurricanes (10-2, W vs. Stetson, W vs. Florida Atlantic) - The next few teams are kind of a jumbled mess, but right now I feel like the 'Canes have the edge. Their only blemish was the extremely close loss to Boston College. In all their other games they have won by an average of 22.7 points. Dwayne Collins is averaging 13 and 9, and the James Dews, Malcolm Grand and Durand Scott combo of guards are chipping in 31.4 a game.

6.) Florida State Seminoles (10-2, W vs. Georgia State, W vs. Auburn, W vs. Georgia Tech) - FSU's win over GT was a bit of a statement. The 'Noles had a few decent wins but no real statement win to their credit. This win helps them out and solidifies them as a tough, physical basketball team. Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton are a real force and Derwin Kitchen is a well-rounded player. Ryan Reid is always capable of showing spurts as well.

7.) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-2, W vs. UNC-W, W vs. NC State) - Ok, I'll move the Deacs up. They are on a four game winning streak and the wins over Gonzaga, UNC-W and State are games they needed to win, but still look pretty good. If Al-Farouq Aminu can hold onto the basketball, he could average 20+ a game, but as it stands right now, he's still a beast. The key to Wake is whether or not they can get solid play out of their bigs at all--right now, they haven't.

8.) Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1, W vs. Charleston Southern) - VT's record is gaudy, but there aren't any wins that really stick out to me right now. But still, I love how Malcolm Delaney plays and Jeff Allen has done a good job so far. The problem is, there isn't a whole lot more there outside of Dorenzo Hudson and Victor Davila.

9.) Boston College Eagles (7-4, W vs. Bryant) - After back to back losses to Harvard and Rhode Island, where does BC stand? There's a good core there with Joe Trapani, Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson. Tyler Roche gives good minutes. Rakim Sanders is an explosive player. But BC needs to figure things out before ACC play before they can move up the list.

10.) Maryland Terrapins (6-3, DNP) - Remember when everyone was slobbering all over Maryland and Greivis Vasquez? Well, he is shooting 34.6% and 28.2% from deep. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are good players and we all know about Eric Hayes, but Maryland has no good wins and they've lost to the good teams they've played. They need to prove something.

11.) N.C. State Wolfpack (8-2, W vs. Elon, L vs. Wake Forest) - State is an ugly basketball team. They almost lost to Elon and then looked just downright bad against Wake. They have no identity and no real players outside of Javi Gonzalez and Tracy Smith. That win against Marquette is still strange, and the rest of their wins aren't anything to write home about. The Wolfpack have a long road ahead of them when conference play gets going.

12.) Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, DNP) - The best thing to happen to UVA last week was that they got snowed in and didn't play. I wholeheartedly believe that UNC-W would have beaten them. This team is Sylven Landesberg and not much else--Mike Scott is ok, Mustapha Farrakhan shows promise and Sammy Zeglinski is Eric Hayes Part Deux, but the Cavs are not good. Their four wins are against Longwood, Rider, Oral Roberts and Cleveland State.

Friendly Reminder: Maryland Basketball Plays Again Tomorrow

Ben Broman — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:48:21 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

11 days ago: Maryland's Adrian Bowie (22) loses control of the ball while being guarded by Eastern Kentucky's Joshua Jones, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Browse more photos »

Shaken off the snow? Fully recovered from a great weekend of basketball and snow fights? Forget Maryland basketball existed? That's understandable, considering the Terps haven't played in ten days. They'll be back on the court tomorrow, though, taking on the 2-6 Winston-Salem State Rams. That means its time to get back in basketball-watching mode.

My original write-up on the Rams wasn't exactly complimentary, and nothing has changed since. This team is not a good one, and Maryland should win with ease. In the WaPo, WSS's coach described them as "opportunistic", and Maryland will have to provide plenty of opportunities for them to have any shot.

As a quick reminder, WSS's best player is senior guard Brian Fisher, their leader in scoring and assists. The other player to watch out for is Shelton Carter, a junior 6-5 forward who will probably match up with Sean Mosley. He has the ability to score more than Fisher, but is generally more inconsistent.

I'm fully expecting an easy win, though the score might not get too out of hand until late. Don't be surprised if David Pearman and Ersin Levent crack five or ten minutes of PT, and Steve Goins might be right there with them.

As for a random prediction, I'm feeling Jin Soo Choi tomorrow. I'm calling a made three and a block, for no other reason than he'll be seeing lots of playing time and has to score eventually.

Final prediction: Maryland 78, WSS 59. Couldn't break 20.

Maryland Rides Vasquez and Milbourne to 83-72 Win Over Eastern Kentucky

Ben Broman — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:36:49 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

11 days ago: Marylan's Greivis Vasquez reacts after scoring and getting fouled during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Browse more photos »

When Maryland needed him, Greivis Vasquez delivered.

He didn't start the game after showing up late to a shootaround and had some rough times, as he had all this year, but as the Eastern Kentucky Colonels sat down two, on a run, with Maryland unable to make a shot, Vasquez did what he had to do: make big shots. He ended up with two threes in as many possessions, and sparked Maryland's offense that, at the time, was completely out of sync.

Maryland rode the momentum and ended up with an 83-72 win over EKU, putting them at 6-3 on the year.

Despite a fast start for Maryland with Vasquez on the bench (13-5 when he entered the game, up 17 shortly after), Eastern Kentucky steadily fought back and eventually tied the game in the second half on the strength of ridiculously good three point shooting and solid defense. Shortly after, Maryland's offense caught fire, spurred on by two big threes by Vasquez, who had struggled somewhat up to that point.

Sean Mosley was quiet after a breakout week that included solid games against Villanova and Indiana. Part of that might have been due to Vasquez's offensive reemergence; he led all scorers with 20 and paired that with 5 assists.

Props go out to Eric Hayes for a great performance today; he's been extremely consistent all year and had an important 14 points with 4 made threes. Landon Milbourne also quietly went about his business, returning to form with 19 points and 9 rebounds. He made big plays and didn't have too many lapses. This is the Milbourne you remember from last year.

As for Dino Gregory in his first game: he was okay, but definitely rusty. Some of his passes were iffy and his defense was inconsistent, but his jumper was absolutely money and he showed some very encouraging flashes. He probably got the start thanks to the need for perimeter defense.

EKU's shooting ability and lack of size meant that Jordan Williams wasn't very well fitted for this game: he isn't great guarding 6-6 people on the perimeter. Still, in limited time, he had 4 points and 5 rebounds, which was pretty good. He had some problems and looked very much like a freshman, but I'm still encouraged.

The strange thing was James Padgett's lack of playing time. He didn't see the floor, despite Jin Soo Choi inexplicably getting PT in a close game. I'm sure the lack of size for EKU and their perimeter shooting had plenty to do with it, but I've never been all that impressed with Choi's defense at any level. Puzzling indeed.

I'll try to go for some more analysis tomorrow, but for now, I'm okay with this result. It was closer than it should've been, that's for sure, but Vasquez looked like he was getting out of his funk and EKU is a tough team to beat when they're hot, as they were. Maryland has plenty to work on - defense especially among them - but it could've been worse.

ACC Power Rankings: 12.8

MRickman84 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:30:14 -0000

So this probably should have been done yesterday, but I really want to get in the habit of doing power rankings throughout the season. UNC occupies the top spot this week, with Duke coming in second, as both are coming off tough losses last week to strong opponents.

Let's take a look at who is where after the jump...

1.) UNC-- [W vs. Michigan State, L vs. Kentucky] UNC is getting better as was expected. The young guys are playing well and Larry Drew II looks a lot more comfortable. I'm still concerned about the Heels' bench, as Strickland looks a little lost out there and Henson just does not know what to do with his body. The Wear twins are eating up a ton of minutes without a lot of productivity. Tyler Zeller is a great player for them though and really makes the perfect sixth man. UNC gets another tough test when they head to Dallas to play Texas at the Cowboys stadium next week.

2.) Duke -- [L vs. Wisconsin, W vs. St. John's] I thought this Duke team was supposed to be able to shoot? Kyle Singler is looking average at best so far this year and is taking a LOT of shots. You know what you're getting out of Jon Scheyer week in and week out and that is a great stabilizer. Andre Dawkins has been spectacular so far and we are going to be seeing a lot more of him as Duke enters ACC play. Duke's big weakness is still down low--Zoubek and Thomas are just bad, but the Plumlees work hard and are good players.

3.) GT [W vs. Siena, W vs. USC] The Jackets were left out of the Challenge this year because of their finish last season, and that really is a shame as I believe they would have won their matchup and turned the tide for the ACC. Instead, Tech put a whooping on Siena and USC last week. GT is stellar in the frontcourt with Lawal, Peacock and Favors, but losing Iman Shumpert is going to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.

4.) Clemson [L vs. Illinois, W vs. South Carolina] Clemson is looking like bi-polar Clemson again, surprise! This is a good, solid basketball team. They have 5 players averaging at least 9 points per game and Trevor Booker is almost averaging a double-double (13 and 9). Their problem is that they just lose focus (as seen by the terrible collapse against Illinois). I think they are a better team than Georgia Tech, but they just can't pass them until they show some consistency.

5.) Miami [W vs. Minnesota, L vs. BC] Yes, I know they lost their first conference game. But it was very close and came down to the buzzer. They picked up a great non-con win over Minnesota, but still have not really been challenged other than their last two contests. Dwayne Collins is very good, but there's a lot of pressure on him coming into conference play since two of Miami's three strong guards are newcomers (Malcolm Grant from Villinova and freshman Durand Scott.) James Dews can get it done too, but we will see just how much the 'Canes miss Jack McClinton after the 1st of the year.

6.) Wake Forest [L vs. Purdue, W vs. Gonzaga] After a disappointing loss at home to William & Mary, the Deacs took to the road for two very tough tests. After a hard-fought loss to Purdue, the Deacs looked like they finally clicked in a win over Gonzaga at the Kennel. If the Demon Deacons can use this as a momentum builder, they could enter the new year at 10-2. They will be tested by UNC-W, who has played some good teams tough, as well as Richmond, which received votes in the polls this week. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are looking like the real deal, but the Deacs absolutely need to get consistency from their bigs and from Al-Farouq Aminu.

7.) Virginia Tech [W vs. Iowa, W vs. Georgia] I like VT. They're better than they look on paper, and their loss to Temple is not a bad one--the Owls almost pulled off the upset against Georgetown a few games ago. They easily could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th, but the combo of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen should be good for at least 6 conference wins.

8.) Maryland [W vs. Indiana, L vs. Villanova] I've seen Maryland play 4 times now this year and I'm sorry, I just don't think they are very good. Greivis Vasquez takes way too many ill-advised shots and he is shooting 32%. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are the strong points to this team and Eric Hayes keeps them calm sometimes, but they aren't deep and I'm not sold on their front court. The Terps were a hot pick to start the season, but they have to prove something to me before they can move up the board.

9.) Boston College [W vs. Michigan, W vs. Miami] Here we go again. It's the same old story every year. BC looks sparse on paper and then Al Skinner does a great job coaching his team to overachieve. It'll probably happen again this year and their last two wins are a big indicator of this. Reggie Jackson could be a great player, and BC gets bumped up a spot just from his nasty dunk against the 'Canes (on a terrible offensive foul call in the last 30 seconds) and his clutch FTs to seal the win. Raji, Jackson, Trapani is a great combo and they get a good effort out of Josh Southern too.

10.) Florida State [L vs. Ohio State, W vs. FIU] Florida State looked downright ugly against Ohio State. And downright ugly against Florida. But that win against Marquette was big, so they have that in them. Alabi, Singleton and Kitchen are a nice 1-2-3, but the 'Noles need to be getting more out of Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid.

11.) NC State [L vs. Northwestern, W. vs Marquette] After their loss to Northwestern, I didn't think at all that the Wolfpack would beat Marquette. It was the furthest thing from my mind. State is 6-1, but they are a mess and there is just not much there.

12.) Virginia [L vs. Penn State, L vs. Auburn] Hey, at least Virginia has beaten Cleveland State, something Wake wasn't able to do last year. Sylven Landesberg is a heck of a player, but when your next two leading scorers are Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski, there's a problem there. Virginia is not very good.

Maryland Falls to Hot-Shooting Villanova in BB&T Classic, 95-86

Ben Broman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:57:14 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

I'd like to introduce to Maryland's new superstar.

Browse more photos »

Maryland won't have a signature out-of-conference win this year. Villanova got one of their first convincing wins of the year over the Terps, doing it with a lights-out first half performance.

Villanova made their killing in the first half, shooting an ungodly 50% from 3 and taking 22 of them - for those bad at math, that's 11 made threes in just one half. They paired that with a 10 board rebounding advantage - 26 to 16 - with 13 offensive rebounds.

Give Maryland credit, though: they fought back hard, and cut the 11-point halftime-deficit down to 3 eventually. They couldn't get over the hump, but both defense and rebounding improved in the second half.

Make no mistake, they actually played pretty well. They were, for the most part, effective and relatively efficient. They shot exactly 50% for the game, and many of Villanova's threes were difficult to cover, as they were from NBA range. I'm not saying Maryland looked great, but they weren't as bad as the score might've indicated, and that didn't even look all that bad. Too bad no one on the selection committee will know that.

Of course, there were major problems to look at. Villanova had more than 20 offensive rebounds and took an extra 24 shots - 24! That's pretty terrible even for zone defense, which is naturally conducive to offensive rebounds. It needs to be worked on.

Greivis Vasquez is still troublesome with his inconsistent performance. Gone, at least for the moment, is the Vasquez from last year. He's been replaced by someone whose shooting - and, actually, entire game - is decidedly average. He is much more reminiscent of sophomore and even freshman Vaz than junior Vaz. Maryland needs him to be sensational as he was last year, and he just hasn't brought it. He fouled out today, and you could see how much it hurt him. He needs to turn it around some time soon.

Luckily for Maryland, they have found a replacement, and his name is Sean Mosley. He had 24 points to lead all players in scoring and showcased a complete game - his jumper was good, he hit his layups, played outstanding defense, and was heady and smart. He should challenge for postseason ACC accolades if he plays like this the rest of the year, which is pretty similar to how's he played all of this year so far. Sugar Sean was simply amazing tonight.

Jordan Williams was just as encouraging. He needs to work on plenty - conditioning, some tighter technique, more aggression (that is, dunking) - but he looked surprisingly good against a solid big man in Antonio Pena. He put up his first double double in the best competition he's seen all year, and had a surprising 19 points and 12 rebounds. He's officially earned a starting spot - Dino's status should be irrelevant. I'm relatively confident that he wouldn't put up a double-double against the #3 team in the nation (though I could be wrong). Regardless, you can't take Williams out now.

It was a loss, but a promising one. Maryland never gave up, kept pressing, and almost pulled off a win over one of the best teams in the country. They won't get all the advantages from it, but they can rest easy knowing they played well against a very good team. You always want a win, but this was a loss I can swallow.

The negative, of course, is that there's no more big time OOC win for Maryland. First off, they can't have any more bad OOC losses - no Morgan State this year. They'll also have to have a better ACC year than last year. They're capable of both, but there's not a lot of room for error.

Maryland Rebounds From Maui With a Win Over Indiana

Ben Broman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:40:07 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

22 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)

Browse more photos »

After two tough losses that brought Maryland and their fans back down to earth, the Terps needed a rebound win. They got one over Indiana tonight, 80-68. It's not the most impressive win, as the Hoosiers are looking to be bottom half of the Big Ten, but Assembly Hall is always tough and it's better than a low-level DI opponent. Maryland also got the ACC on the board in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and reasserted their dominance over Indiana in basketball (2002, anyone?).

Greivis Vasquez is slowly breaking out of his shell (get it?) with occasional moments of brilliance, but he's still not close to last year. The stars of the game were Landon Milbourne, Sean Mosley, and Eric Hayes (as usual). Milbourne was second on the team with 19 points and Mosley looked a consistent layup away from being a star - he definitely has every other aspect of the game down. He was actually just a rebound away from a double-double. Hayes was his usual, consistent, calm self, and that's invaluable for this up-and-down team.

Turnovers were a real problem, especially early on, and Maryland turned it over 19 times. Coupled with average, though better than expected rebounding, it allowed Indiana to stay close for longer than they should've - that is, most of the game.

I think most people expected a slightly easier win (score wise, it got out of hand in the final five minutes or so), but I'm content with it. It's a win and my expectations for this team have dropped compared to pre-Maui. Villanova will be an uphill battle to the fullest.

As for the biweekly freshmen update, Jordan Williams is getting closer. He still has some problems - today, it was with traveling and finishing - but he's becoming more aggressive and is still a pretty good rebounder right now. By ACC play, he'll be pretty good. James Padgett's performance was more forgettable tonight.

A few days of rest before the biggie of the OOC slate - Nova - and then Dino Gregory returns. Let's hope he sparks a fire for the Terps. The question for me is whether or not he takes Jordan Williams' starting spot.

ACC-Big Ten Challenge: Indiana Hoosiers v. Maryland Terrapins (preview).

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:17:59 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Big point guard Greivis Vasquez presents a challenge for Indiana.

Browse more photos »

Maryland Terrapins
Current record: 4-2
Current RPI: 70
Current Sagarin: 57
Current Pomeroy: 57
2008-09 record: 18-12 (7-9 ACC, lost to Memphis in second round of NCAA Tournament)
2008-09 RPI: 55
2008-09 Sagarin: 46
2008-09 Pomeroy: 54
Pomeroy scouting report
Series: IU leads 5-1
TV:7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Blog: Testudo Times

The Terrapins and the Hoosiers met on April 1, 2002 at the Georgia Dome to decide the NCAA Championship and while some programs have fallen further than others since then(ahem), both programs still are trying to recapture the magic. As I mentioned yesterday, Indiana and Maryland met in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in 2002-03 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and IU won in overtime in a game most remembered for Steve Blake's potential game-winning shot that went in but was ruled, after replay review, to have been released just after the buzzer at the end of regulation.

Maryland was ranked in the top 25 before a rough trip to Maui. Much like the Hoosiers last season, Maryland beat Chaminade but lost to two major programs: 69-57 to Cincinnati and 78-69 to Wisconsin. As Testudo Times (see link above) notes, IU is better than any team that Maryland has defeated and is worse than any team that has defeated Maryland, so the Terps will know more about where they stand after tomorrow.

As is typical, Maryland has played very well defensively this season. Its adjusted defensive efficiency of .86 points per possession is good enough for #21 in the nation, and for as far back as Ken Pomeroy keeps track, sound defense has been a constant for Maryland, with offensive production the variable that determines whether the Terps will have a good season or an ordinary one. Particularly chilling are Maryland's turnover percentage (28.2%, #8) and steal percentage (16.4, #7). Of course, those numbers were higher against the dregs of the Maryland schedule, but given IU's struggles with turnovers, this is a concern. On the other hand, Maryland's overall offensive efficiency ranks them below the median, #182 in Division I. Still, Maryland's offense has been much more productive than IU's.

Here are the Terps' stats:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Landon Milbourne	6	29.0	5.7	10.2	55.7	0.5	0.8	60.0	1.8	2.3	78.6	1.5	2.3	3.8	0.3	1.5	0.8	1.0	2.5	13.7
Sean Mosley	6	29.8	4.8	7.8	61.7	0.5	1.0	50.0	3.0	4.0	75.0	1.2	3.5	4.7	3.8	1.3	1.8	0.3	1.7	13.2
Eric Hayes	6	29.2	4.0	7.5	53.3	2.2	4.5	48.1	1.3	1.5	88.9	0.0	3.0	3.0	2.7	1.3	1.5	0.8	1.7	11.5
Greivis Vasquez	6	30.5	3.8	11.7	32.9	1.0	3.8	26.1	2.5	3.0	83.3	0.7	3.5	4.2	5.3	3.2	2.0	0.5	2.0	11.2
James Padgett	6	18.5	3.5	6.8	51.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.0	25.0	2.7	2.8	5.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.7	1.7	7.5
Jordan Williams	6	22.5	2.8	6.3	44.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	3.3	45.0	2.5	5.2	7.7	0.0	0.5	0.8	0.8	2.8	7.2
Cliff Tucker	6	17.2	2.3	4.3	53.8	0.3	1.5	22.2	0.7	1.0	66.7	0.5	1.5	2.0	1.0	1.0	0.8	0.3	1.3	5.7
Adrian Bowie	6	15.3	1.3	4.3	30.8	0.2	2.0	8.3	0.3	0.8	40.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	2.5	1.0	1.5	0.2	1.2	3.2
David Pearman	4	2.5	0.5	1.3	40.0	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	1.0
Steve Goins	2	2.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.0
Jin Soo Choi	4	6.8	0.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.5	1.3	1.8	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.3	1.0	0.5
Ersin Levent	4	1.8	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.5	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3

As you can see, the Terps present a faily balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging between 11-14 points per game. Senior Landon Milbourne, a 6-7 forward, leads the way with 13.7 points per game and he shoots 55 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Sean Mosley, in a significantly increased role compared to last season, is averaging 13.2 points per game and shooting a remarkable 61 percent from the field and 50 percent from three point range (the latter on only 6 attempts, however). Eric Hayes, a 6-4 senior guard, averages 11.5 points per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field and 48 percent from three point range. Grevis Vasquez, a 6-6 senior guard, is the fourth of Maryland's double figure scorers, plus leads the team with 5.3 assists per game. With his size, Vasquez will present an interesting matchup for Jeremiah Rivers on both ends of the court. Finally, note that the three Maryland guards who play the most all are comfortably in the black on assist-turnover ratio.

Looking at individual scoring stats, plus the Terps' excellent offensive and defensive turnover numberrs, it's difficult to imagine how Maryland's offense could have such middling overall efficiency. As the Pomeroy scouting report reveals, the Terps do not rebound particularly well, particularly on the offensive end, don't get to the line very often, and shoot free throws nearly as poorly as IU does.

Unquestionably, IU must play its best game of the season to have any chance for victory. While Maryland, per the early season computer ratings, is not as good as Mississippi, the Terps are far better than any other team IU has played, including Boston U. and George Mason, teams that defeated IU in Puerto Rico. It seems inevitable that IU will turn the ball over against Maryland. Even normally sure-handed Wisconsin turned the ball over on 23 percent of its possession in a win against the Terps. It seems to me that IU's best chance depends upon exploiting Maryland's rebounding weakness, continiuing to shoot well from three point range, and trying to force the Terps into enough turnovers to balance out that factor. Really, nothing that IU has done this year provides much hope for victory, other than the belief that this team has enough talent to improve as the season progresses. Tonight would be a good night to show such improvement.

Hayes of the Day: Nov. 26

MRickman84 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

Only four games yesterday, so only a few contenders for the vaunted Hayes of the Day. Mull it over with some cranberry sauce and give thanks for the Eric Hayes in your family.

Poll

Who was yesterday's Hayes of the Day?

Virginia- Sammy Zeglinski vs. Cleveland State: 10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 TO

0 votes

Duke- Lance Thomas vs. Arizona State: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TO, 1-2 FG in 23 minutes

2 votes

Maryland- Sean Mosley vs. Wisconsin: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 TO, 5 PF

0 votes

Miami- Durand Scott vs. Florida Gulf Coast: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 0 TO

4 votes

Eric Hayes: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 TO

2 votes

8 votes | Poll has closed

Around the ACC: 11.24.09

MRickman84 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:49:13 -0000

by Brennan Linsley - AP

View full size photo »

How about that Purdue-Tennessee game? Those two teams looked like top ten teams, and it was definitely a physical game to say the least. I'm excited to go more into Purdue's team as we look forward to next week's showdown in West Lafayette. As to the ACC, teams went 4-1 with the only loss being BC at the hands of Northern Iowa.

Boston College 69, Northern Iowa 81
UNI got a spectacular game from Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who was 14-17 from the floor, scoring 32 and adding 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Any time a guy goes 14-17 it's usually a combination of poor defense and the player just straight balling. UNI shot 65% as a team and 5-9 from deep. They also had just 5 turnovers on the day. That's usually a recipe for success. Corey Raji led BC with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Josh Southern and Joe Trapani added a combined 23 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Virginia Tech 71, Campbell 60
The Fighting Camels sure lived up to their name yesterday. Virginia Tech usually has a couple games like this (3 point win over Gardner-Webb last year, loss to Seton Hall), so it was good to see them get back under control and finish the game. J.T. Thompson set a career high with 17 points, while Malcolm Delaney added 15 on just 3-13 shooting.

UNC 93, Gardner-Webb 72
This game was a lot closer than the final score indicated. Gardner-Webb really hung in there. And once again, it was a combination of poor defense and turnovers that were stinging the Heels. Gardner-Webb hit 15 of 36 threes on the day, but a lot of those misses came near the end of the game when they were in desperation mode.

Deon Thompson is quickly becoming an All-ACC candidate and had another big night--22 and 10 on 9-10 shooting. Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis combined for 31 points and 18 rebounds, while highly-touted freshman John Henson continued to struggle with his production (Just 2 points on 1-3 shooting in 13 minutes).

Clemson 102, Winthrop 66
Now Clemson is doing it right so far. They are winning by an average of 35 points in their 4 wins. They're playing cupcakes like a lot of other teams, but they are just straight dusting people. Clemson had 6 players in double figures--Jerai Grant, David Potter, Tanner Smith, Andre Young, Noel Johnson and Trevor Booker--and 10 players played double-digit minutes. This is the way to see what you have on your bench and keep your starters fresh.

Maryland 79, Chaminade 51
Maryland looked shaky early on and it could be a combination of the trip to Hawaii or the fact that Chaminade really tries to get up for these games, but the Terrapins were able to take the lead with 7 minutes left in the first half and run with it. Sean Mosley led all scorers with 19 points and had 8 rebounds. Greivis Vasquez continues to struggle with his shot (2-7), as he is just 28.6% in the early goings.

Maryland Overcomes Another Slow Start, Beats Chaminade in Maui, 79-51

Ben Broman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:31:24 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

Browse more photos »

Maryland saw yet another slow start against an inferior opponent, but yet again overcame it with a strong finish to defeat Chaminade in the first round of the Maui Invitational and move to 4-0 on the year, 79-51. Maryland will move on to play Cincinnati and former recruiting fling Lance Stephenson tomorrow in the second round.

Greivis Vasquez matched his team's slow start, and continued his general poor play to start the year. Vasquez, who put up 9, is yet to score 10 in a game. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne took advantage of his absence, scoring 19 and 10, respectively. Cliff Tucker had a solid contribution off the bench with 7 points, and Eric Hayes was his usual steady rock of a guard - he won't get as much credit as he deserves for this game.

As ESPNU's commentators never let you forget, this was Chaminade's Final Four, so Maryland was guaranteed to get their best shot. It was definitely a closer call than it should've been, and Maryland's insistence on playing half-hearted defense and gravity's insistence on making shots rim out didn't help. Chaminade had a two point lead as late as 7:44 in the first half; that's obviously not acceptable. Still, Maryland soon outclassed the Silverswords; the talent difference was obvious in the second half.

The problem was the start. Maryland can make up a terrible shooting percentage pretty quickly against Chaminade; they won't be able to against Cincinnati, and especially not against Gonzaga. They need heavier doses of Greivis Vasquez, driving the lane, and fewer lower percentage shots - most of Maryland's misses early on were jumpers. Those should come later, once players are in the flow of the game. Hopefully this gave them enough of a scare to realize that.

As for the the daily report on the freshman bigs, well, Jordan Williams looked better than James Padgett again, except for one big problem: he refuses to dunk. The dude broke a backboard, so you know he can do, but he needs to start. He's missing out on and-ones, and missing a lot of chances inside. It's time to start slamming those home.

Otherwise, he looked good - he's getting more in shape by the day, and is inching ever closer to his first double-double (was just one point away). Padgett's coming along a bit more slowly. He still has work to do, but he also flashed some signs of brilliance, like a beautiful layup from Jin Soo Choi in garbage time. In fact, the later in the game it got, the better his play became.

We'll have a writeup on Cincy sometime tomorrow - they play tomorrow at 7 on ESPN.