Things have been a little slow lately news wise, so todays Maryland Minute is compiled from stories over the last several days. Enjoy.

Maryland makes plans for synthetic turf at Byrd Stadium - baltimoresun.com
We finally get some confirmation that they are indeed putting in the synthetic turf at Byrd. I hope they're also lowering the field so the first few rows of seats can actually see above the players on the sideline and thus actually let the school charge prime dollar for them. Seems like a rendering will be out in the coming weeks. Should be interesting to see that...

Edsall asks for patience from Terps fans, media
Maryland coach Randy Edsall has come under a wave of scrutiny but says his Terps are progressing. Someone did a fanpost about this that's gotten a lot of attention, so feel free to continue that discussion here.

Terps basketball team set to start practice Tuesday - baltimoresun.com
Apparently a new NCAA rule allows the basketball team to practice two hours per week over the eight-week summer period. Would love to get an update on how these go...

AN UNLIKELY JOURNEY - News - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Nice summary of the men's lax season.

Maryland looking to rebound from back-to-back title-game losses - baltimoresun.com

Terps disappointed, but not discouraged by setbacks to Virginia in 2011 and Loyola in 2012

Baseball continues to improve in Bakich’s third season - The Diamondback - University of Maryland

Nice wrap up on the baseball team. They've come a long way since Bakich took over 3 seasons ago. They just missed the NCAA Tournament this year (they were the highest ranked RPI team to not make it). If they can improve their ACC standing next season, they'll be in good shape to make the NCAA Tourney, which really is amazing.

Terps, Turgeon confirm incoming Albany transfer
The Logan Aronhalt transfer is now official. Read what Turgeon has to say about him. ""He's a coach's son and his game reflects that," the Terps men's basketball coach said of his newest player"Terps, Turgeon confirm incoming

Meet the Recruit: Maryland Terps basketball commitment Shaquille Cleare - baltimoresun.com
Awesome piece on Shaquille Cleare. Check it out.

#3 Terps Battle #2 Wildcats in NCAA Semifinals

The Lady Terps Lax team gets a shot at redemption against Northwestern, who beat them in the title game last season.

NCAA Lacrosse Final Four: History of the Matchups - In Lax We Trust

Nice little piece looking at the Lax Final Four teams and who they've faced this season.

Nebraska women draw Terps in Big Ten/ACC Challenge | mlive.com
The Lady Terps will be traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska and taking on the Cornhuskers on November 28th as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Clemson AD: '80 percent' of new ACC media rights contract generated by football - CBSSports.com

Why does this matter? Because if Clemson & F$U were to leave the ACC for the Big 12, that's a huge chunk of revenue lost. You'd think that ESPN would want a new deal, we'd get less money and it would be hard for the ACC to stand on it's feet in terms of football, especially if the next domino to fall would be Georgia Tech and Va. Tech leaving for the SEC, which has been rumored. I'm extremely worried that if Clemson and FSU bolt, the ACC is all but dead and Maryland is going to find it hard finding a home in one of the remaining conferences, especially after reading the next story below. I'll have more on this tonight.

What's Your College Football Program Worth? Introducing Realignment Value Rankings - SBNation.com

Lots of re-alignment talk at the Mothership recently, and here's a good piece from Jason Kirk attempting to rank the value of different schools. Maryland comes in at 47th, right above UConn and right below Rutgers. -Pete

My take - We did this big conference redraft a little while back. I thought Maryland was undervalued then and I think they're a little undervalued here.

Maryland lands much-needed transfer guard - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

ESPN's take on the Logan Aronhalt commit.

Mike Preston: Terps are most dangerous team heading into final four - Baltimore Sun

"Top-seeded Loyola is the most balanced team, but unseeded Maryland will be the toughest to push out of the Division I men's lacrosse final four." Sounds about right.

Terps Rally Over #19 Virginia in the 9th, 6-5
Maryland baseball pulled out a bottom of the 9th win over UVA on Saturday. Congrats on a great season, guys. This team is going to be fun to watch moving forward.

A distinct Terps flavor at Preakness 2012 - baltimoresun.com
Terps fans made their presence known at the Preakness.

Albany guard Logan Aronhalt, who was one of the leaders in the America East conference in a number of categories, will reportedly transfer to Maryland and be eligible to play immediately, according to InsideMDSports.com.

Aronhalt, who just received his bachelors degree from Albany, will be eligible to play immediately using the "Russell WIlson" rule, as he's pursuing a Masters degree from Maryland. This obviously helps give Maryland some additional guard depth and fill the void from the Terrell Stoglin departure and Mychal Parker departure, but Aronhalt isn't a Stoglin clone in terms of his shooting ability or style. Aronhalt, who's 6'3", was the second leading scorer for Albany last season, averaging 13.8 ppg to go along with 4.3 rpg and 1 apg. He shot just over 35% from beyond the arc and made 89% of his free throws. After watching some video of him, he actually has some impressive ups and does a good bit of work in the paint. I'm not sure he'll be able to do that in the ACC, where he'll likely be facing much taller and athletic competition verses what he faced in the America East, but it's good to know that he can do that. He can also create his own shot off the dribble, but I'd expect him to contribute mainly from beyond the arc for Maryland next year and gradually add in other scoring methods.

A highlight video is below. I'm actually pretty impressed. I think he'll contribute immediately next season and I'm glad we added some needed guard depth.

Also, another impressive get by Turgeon that, as far as I can tell was under the radar. It will be interesting to see how this impacts 2013 in terms of recruiting. We'll have more on that later. Until then, enjoy and ponder what next season will look like.

Logan Aronhalt Highlight Video (via whizstats1240)

After their win on Saturday, Maryland takes on Hopkins this coming Saturday in the locally loaded Annapolis region. Go check it out if you're around.

Mark Dixon: Where the Quarterfinal Matchups Will Be Won, Or Lost | InsideLacrosse.com
Inside Lacrosse previews this weekend's upcoming match-ups, including Maryland vs. Hopkins, part II.

Maryland lacrosse team does things the hard way - Washington Times
Patrick Stevens has a nice piece on the men's Lax team.

Cummings: Snider was Maryland's hero - baltimoresun.com
More on Saturday Lax win over Lehigh.

Is FSU Really The ACC's Most Valuable Team? - Tomahawk Nation
Tomahawk Nation looks at the values of ACC teams. My only comment is that for Maryland, you’re dealing with one of the worst years in football history and with transitioning from a future hall of fame coach, so I think the viewership numbers are going to be very much below average for 2011. Especially for basketball, I’d think that in a year or two, those numbers are going to be significantly higher, especially for basketball. I’d guess Maryland is closer to the upper third, on average, rather than where they ended up in this analysis.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups have been released; let's examine! - CBSSports.com
Here are all of the ACC/Big Ten challenge matchups, in case you didn't see them beyond Maryland's pairing with Northwestern.

Continue reading this post »

Sorry things have seemed a little slow around here as of late. It's not the busiest time of year in terms of Maryland sports and all of us have also been tied up with either school or work. So here is a wrap up of some of the Maryland news from the past several days. Ben B. will likely have another one of these on Sunday or Monday. Enjoy.

Lehigh University men's lacrosse team eager to face Maryland in NCAA postseason | lehighvalleylive.com
A nice background story on Lehigh, who the Men's Lax team faces on Sunday at 7:30 in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.

#3 Terps Begin NCAA Tournament Saturday
The Third-seeded Lady Terps Lax team takes on UMass at 2 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship.

Guest column: Thanks for 'Zaching,' Terp Nation - Opinion - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Zach Lederer thanks everyone in Terp Nation for their support. Thank you Zach for being an inspiration to us all.

Weekly Terps recruiting roundup - baltimoresun.com
Matt Bracken does his weekly Terps basketball recruiting roundup.

Our Take: The week in Maryland sports - baltimoresun.com
Jeff Barker, Don Markus and Matt Bracken have a little mini roundtable discussion about Maryland basketball.

Continue reading this post »

Terps Battle By #1 Florida State, 8-5
Awesome win by the baseball team, which defeated #1 FSU 8-5 on Monday, giving them 30 wins for just the 3rd time in program history.

2012 Off-Season Report: Maryland Terrapins - Busting Brackets - A College Basketball Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion, and More
I did a Q&A session with Blake Lovell at Busting Brackets for an offseason report on Maryland's basketball team. He does a great job over there, check it out. - Pete

Terps' Vellano named to IMPACT watch list
Terps' defensive lineman Joe Vellano was named to the IMPACT watch list, an award given to the best college football defensive player.

For men's lacrosse, tough road back to title game - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
The Diamondback previews the brutal road Maryland must face to get to the title game this season.

The good, the bad and the ugly in offseason coaching carousel - Andy Glockner - SI.com
Andy Glockner takes a look at the college basketball coaching carousel.

Virginia Football Recruiting Interview: Mike London Steadily Improving - SBNation.com
Bud Elliott talk with Justin Ferber of SB Nation's Virginia site Streaking The Lawn to talk UVA football recruiting. Bad news: Mike London is a good recruiter.

John Marinatto Resigns as Big East Commissioner - NYTimes.com

The Big East is in shambles.

Stoglin mess a major blow to Terps - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

Eamonn Brennan evaluates what the loss of Stoglin means for Maryland. Making the NCAA Tourney next year is going to be a challenge, to say the least...

Stoglin, Parker leaving stunts Maryland's growth - Searching for Billy Edelin
Searching for Billy Edelin's take on the suspension-and-leaving situation. -Ben B.

Most Important Player: Maryland - ACC Blog - ESPN
Matt Fortuna says Kenny Tate is Maryland's most important player. I think I disagree. I think CJ Brown is arguably the most important next season, even though having Kenny back running the defense is also vital.

Terps raise more than $14K for Lift for Life - ACC Blog - ESPN
Maryland's football team raised more than $14,000 this year in an effort to fight cystic fibrosis. Cool story.

Tournament field opening up for men's lacrosse - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Nice overview of the men's lacrosse scene this season and where Maryland stands as they announce the NCAA Tournament field.

Terps Blank Norfolk State, 1-0
Maryland pitching this year has been dominant. This is their ACC-leading 10th shutout of the year.

Bernard Pierce: Baltimore Ravens 2012 draft pick Pierce scored five touchdowns against the Maryland Terrapins - baltimoresun.com
Former Temple running back Bernard Pierce was picked by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Anyone else remember him? He had 5 TDs against Maryland...

Wow, this was, uh, unexpected:

Jeff Ermann

Stoglin, the ACC's leading scorer, declared for the draft yesterday, the final day for underclassmen to enter, ending his #Terps career.

After getting feedback from NBA scouts via Turgeon, Stoglin had said he was returning for his junior season, something that had many listing Maryland as a potential top 25 team next season. But with this decision yesterday, the ACC's leading scorer is gone and Maryland needs to find someone to replace a lot of offense from last season.

Looking back at Twitter last night, Ashton Pankey was tweeting something that were potential red flags about this:

RT @KillahBon3s: #terpnation boutta be pissed in a few hours lol--" u aint lying lol

This decision seems rather abrupt, so I wonder if something more is involved that we don't know about. But rather then speculating, we're faced with the reality that Maryland will be Stoglin-less in 2012-2013, which means, in my opinion, this is now Nick Faust's team.

Continue reading this post »

When Mark Turgeon was hired to replace retiring coaching legend Gary Williams, one of his first tasks was convincing then recruit Nick Faust to stay committed to the Terps. After Sterling Gibbs and Martin Breunig asked to be released from their LOI to Maryland, Turgeon immediately had to convince Faust that he should remain a Terrapin. Shortly after being hired, Terps fans let out a collective sigh of relief when Faust, the crown jewel of Maryland's 2012 recruiting class, decided to remain committed to the Terps

I've often thought about what would have happened had Faust asked for his release from Maryland and played elsewhere in 2011-2012. Faust was arguably one of the most talented players in the state of Maryland in 2012 and had Mark Turgeon failed to convince him to stay, his credibility with the fan base would be off to a rocky start.

After Turgeon was hired, virtually everyone said that Maryland was getting a great x's and o's coach who they would thrive at a basketball school like Maryland. But the one area that was still a slight question for Turgeon was recruiting. Had he failed to keep Faust in a Maryland uniform, some might have quickly wondered whether he'd be able to recruit the top-end talent that had been bypassing College Park for the last seven to eight years.

Fortunately for Maryland, Turgeon convinced Faust to stay committed and since then Turgeon has been on a quest to restock the cupboards in College Park as he assembles his first recruiting class at Maryland. How's he doing? Pretty good so far.

Continue reading this post »

Defense the star for football in spring game - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland

Nice summary of the Spring Game, where the defense dominated. Am I remembering incorrectly or was the Red & White game normally held on Maryland day and if so, why did they hold the game last weekend rather than this weekend? Is it because of the LAX game this weekend? Oh, and speaking of the defense...

A.J. Francis plugs big hole in Terps' 3-4 alignment - Washington Times

Nice piece by Patrick Stevens on A.J. Francis and how he will likely benefit from the defense switching over to a 3-4 under Brian Stewart.

Seth Greenberg's Legacy at Virginia Tech - Gobbler Country

Nice piece by Josh Parcell at Gobbler Country (SB Nation's Va. Tech blog) on the legacy of Greenberg.

Seth Greenberg era ends at Virginia Tech - The Washington Post
Initially, I thought Greenberg underperformed at Virginia Tech but after talking with Patrick Stevens, I actually think he did all that he could, for the most part. When you look at the success he had at Tech, especially after joining the ACC, he did a pretty good job. His biggest downfall seemed to be his leadership/inability to keep assistants. But he reminded me a little of Gary in that he had a chip on his shoulder and got the most out of kids that others often undervalued.

Baltimore’s Sam Cassell Jr. signs with Maryland - Terrapins Insider - The Washington Post
In case you missed it, Sam Cassell Jr. is signed, sealed and delivered. In my opinion, after his initial commitment, I think Dad was a little mad he didn't go check out some other schools, so he went on a few more visits before making it official. I'm just glad we've got him.

#3 Terps Capture Fourth Straight ACC Crown
The women's lacrosse team captured their fourth straight ACC title yesterday and ninth overall. Yeah, they're pretty good. Hopefully they can bring a Natty back to College Park this year too.

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Not too much going on yesterday. This is a very slow time of the year for college athletics. But there were some things worth clipping and sharing with you all, so I hope you enjoy them.

Terps Shut Out James Madison, 3-0
A lot has been said about how well Maryland baseball has improved this year and one of the main reasons for that has been their pitching. The team's ERA is now down to 2.64 and since April 4th, it's 1.93. You're going to win a lot of game doing that.

Devonte Campbell no longer Terps' forgotten man - Washington Times
Nice piece on TE Devonte Campbell and how Locks' pro-style offense will hopefully benefit him.

2013 football ESPNU150 released, few notables for Maryland
"Few" meaning, basically, one: Kendall Fuller at 27. No Michael Parker. And most of the other locals good enough to be on the list have committed elsewhere. -Ben B.

Best and worst of the Maryland Terps beat - baltimoresun.com
Cool piece by Jeff Barker summarizing the highs and lows of covering Maryland athletics. It's a nice (and sometimes painful) trip down memory lane.

Terps Battle Tech in ACC Quarters Friday
In women's lacrosse, third-seeded Maryland will take on Va. Tech in the ACC Tourney quarter finals on Friday.

#10 Terps Storm Past #3 Johns Hopkins, 9-6
Men's Lacrosse had an awesome 2nd half to beat Hopkins at Homewood Field, where they haven't won since 2006. And check out their new, awesome, pride uniforms.

In Year 2 of Turgeon era, will Terps be a tourney team? - baltimoresun.com
A nice look at what the national media thinks of the 2012-2013 Terps basketball team.

Maryland’s frontcourt stands to benefit from addition of Michigan’s 6-9 Evan Smotrycz [updated] - Terrapins Insider - The Washington Post
More on Smotrycz and what he'll bring to the Terps in 2013.

Maryland football recruit Abner Logan recalls playing hoops with Evan Smotrycz - baltimoresun.com
Maryland football recruit Abner Logan recalls playing hoops with Evan Smotrycz. Cool story.

Ex-Terp LT Garcia visits Wisconsin, transfer decision near - NCAA Football - Sporting News
Looks like Max Garcia might follow DOB to Wisconsin.

Barrett, Kizer Selected in WNBA Draft

Anjale Barrett and Lynetta Kizer were selected in the 3rd round of the WNBA Draft Monday. Barrett was selected 26th overall and went to the Washington Mystics. Kizer went to the Tulsa Shock two picks later.

I'm surprised Kizer didn't go a little earlier.

Hornets at Bobcats - NBA.com
Great game for Greivis Vasquez, who scored 20 points and dished out 6 assists.

Pickett, Ross in backfield battle for football - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
A look at the backfield battle going on in spring practice.

Jeremiah Johnson's role expands in Terps' secondary - Washington Times
Nice piece on Jeremiah Johnson.

ACC Quarterback Rankings for 2012 | AthlonSports.com
And CJ Brown checks in at...dead last. Don't know if I agree with that, considering the disaster that was the Gary Crowton Era, but I do think Brown is mostly unproven thus far. Speaking of the offense...

Offense Impresses as Terps Open Week Four
More on football's spring practices. Only 5 more left.

It's Hopkins Week for MLax
Quick preview of men's lacrosse taking on the most hated school this side of Durham. -Ben B.

Redskins sign Madieu Williams
Great to see. Huge Madieu fan and I'm glad I get to root for him again. - Ben B.

My take - Good for Madieu, but boo Redskins.

Meet the Recruit: Terps women's center commitment Malina Howard - baltimoresun.com
Meet the Recruit: Terps women's center commitment Malina Howard. Brenda reloads every year.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter or Passover or just a nice weekend. Onto the Maryland Minute...

Weekend Wrap: Terps target Rysheed Jordan stars at Grind Sessions - Baltimore Sun
Nice piece on Maryland target Rysheed Jordan and his recent performance in D.C. this weekend. I really want him in a Terps uni.

Parker's departure thins Terps' crowded backcourt - Washington Times
A little more on Parker's transfer.

Lakers vs. Hornets = Vasquez vs. Blake
Vasquez had a great game against the Lakers Monday night, dropping 18 points while dishing out 11 assists. Oh, and he was playing against Steve Blake too, who finished with 8 points and four assists. Check out the highlights.

Terps' title meant more - Carroll County Times: News Web Site
Nice piece on the 10 year anniversary of Maryland's National Title and comparing that team to the Kentucky team that just won.

NJ Playaz Spring Fling Recap
Standout performer was Marcus Derrickson of Team Takeover, a 2015 kid who plays for Paul VI. He "looks safely like a top 25 guy." -Ben B.

Reed’s win Friday could have lasting impact on baseball's staff - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Closer Jimmy Reed moved into the starting rotation and dominated for Maryland. Smart move by Erik Bakich.

Terps Hold First Scrimmage Saturday - Maryland Terps
The football team had their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday.

Hat tip to Ben B. and Pete for a lot of these links. Enjoy.

Maryland Football Spring Practice Notes: Kenny Tate Remains At LB, But Position Switches Abound
I'm not surprised, but I still would have liked to see him back at safety.

Next challenge for the Kentucky Wildcats? The new-look Maryland Terrapins
So that Maryland-Kentucky game just got a lot more appealing. Starting off the season against the defending national champs is going to be sweet.

Five intriguing teams to watch next college basketball season - Searching for Billy Edelin
Nick Fasulo of SB Nation's Searching for Billy Edelin listed the Terps as one of the five hand-picked "intriguing" teams in college basketball next year. NC State and Sean Miller's Arizona are also among the picks. - Pete

The Big Lead's early Top 25 for '12-'13 has Maryland ... at #13
Whoa.

This is extremely optimistic, but the Terps return a ton, and I’m expecting big leaps for Len and Howard.

I don't think TBL is particularly knowledgeable about CBB (or anything, in truth; I've never understood the point of a big-picture sports blog doing nitty-gritty analytical stuff like this) but hey, it's a big national media type saying Maryland is going to be good, so we'll talk about it. While I'm all for optimism, I pray fans don't get too attached to this type of thinking. Maryland has the chance to be very good next year, but a lot of stuff has to go right, and almost everything has to go right to be top-15 good. It's much more likely that this team is NCAA Tournament-good but not particularly close to top-25 good. -Ben B.

My take - Couldn't agree more with what Ben said. I think people really want Maryland to be good again, so I too fear that when people hear this, they'll want to run with it and hold next year's team to a standard that isn't really fair. But I do think they have the potential to be good. Top 15 good? That I'm not sure about.

Continue reading this post »

Quick note - if you want to talk about tonight's title game between Kentucky and Kansas, you can use this as the pseudo game thread.

It's probably my favorite memory during my four years in College Park; playing the Maryland Victory song and then Queen's "We Are the Champions" inside the Georgia Dome, as confetti and balloons dropped from the ceiling. Johnny Holiday had just screamed out "The kids have done it!" as Juan Dixon tossed the basketball high into the air before falling to the ground as he hugged fellow senior Lonny Baxter. Gary Williams had finally reached the top of college basketball's mountain, resurrecting what was once a great program from the ashes of the Len Bias tragedy and Bob Wade era, and taken them to the top. The Maryland Terrapins were king of the college basketball universe.

Thinking back to that game, I can't believe it was ten years ago (and yes, I know the anniversary was technically yesterday). I was just a freshman at Maryland. My cousin, who graduated the year prior, already hated me because the football team had just won the ACC Title and gone to the Orange Bowl a few months earlier. After the natty game, he really hated me. The reason my cousin was so jealous that he wasn't there to experience Maryland finally winning it all was because that victory over Indiana represented so much more than a National Title. It represented Maryland finally achieving that ultimate goal, one which had slipped by so many times before, in not only the Gary Williams era, but back to the days of Lefty and when only one team from each conference was invited to the Big Dance. It helped ease the pain of the previous year's loss to Duke in the Final Four, after blowing that lead in the second half. It represented vindication for Gary Williams, who many thought would never win "the big one", and who did so with a scrawny kid from Calvert Hall and an overweight big man, both of which no one thought had the talent to play in the ACC. It was also the final season at legendary Cole Field House and closing out that building by raising that championship banner into the rafters was a fairy tale ending that everyone enjoyed.

The game itself was rather ugly. Both teams didn't shoot particularly well from the floor that night. But I'll never forget when Indiana took the lead in the second half, Juan Dixon answered right away and hit a three pointer with just over nine minutes to play, and Maryland never looked back. I had no finger nails left by halftime of that game. I couldn't stand the thought of Maryland losing after getting so close. I wouldn't let myself think about the fact that this was Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter's last game in a Terp uniform. And even as Maryland started pulling away toward the end of the second half, I still thought about things like "gone in 60 seconds" and wondered if we'd actually win this game. Would this finally be it? When the clock hit double zeros, it was so surreal. I thought I was dreaming. But then it hits you - your school just achieved what many believe is the hardest thing to accomplish in sports - winning the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

While that game was amazing, many people forget the great teams that the Terps had to defeat in order to get to that title game.

Continue reading this post »

Happy Tuesday. Hopefully we'll all by happy and celebrating a trip to the Final Four by 11:00 tonight. Just a programming note - this preview is again going to double as a game thread, so get the conversation rolling here.

After pulling out the win against Texas A&M, in what ended up being a very exciting and stressful game, Maryland now turns their focus to the #1 seed in the Raleigh Region as they take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame today, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The last time the Terps advanced to the Final Four was in 2006, when they eventually went on to beat Duke and capture the National Title.

While Maryland ended up prevailing in the end, Texas A&M seemed as if they’d pull off the upset throughout most of the game, as the 2011 National Champions fought hard and led throughout. Fatigue finally seemed to catch up to A&M as the Aggies failed to score in the last 3:50 of the game, allowing Maryland to go on what ended up being a decisive 8-0 run during that same span. While Maryland had an advantage in almost every statistical over the Aggies, the one area where A&M was seemingly better than Maryland was in the turnover department and they used that to their advantage, especially during the early portion of the game. A&M came out with guns blazing, at one point scoring on seven straight possessions, all while stifling Maryland’s offense. The Aggies at one point held an 18 point lead in the first half and seemed as if they were going to run Maryland right out of the gym.

But the Terps, as they’ve done all season, didn’t panic nor did they back down.

Continue reading this post »

On Sunday, Maryland's Women's basketball team will try to continue their excellent season and secure a spot in the Elite Eight as they take on the Aggies of Texas A&M at 12:04 PM. If you want to talk about the game, this post will also double as a game-thread, so feel free to chat away as the game plays out on ESPN.

Maryland, the #2 seed in the Raleigh Region, beat Louisville on Monday, 72-68. In that game, ACC player of the year Alyssa Thomas scored just six points after getting in foul trouble. Fortunately for the Terps, sophomore guard Laurin Mincy (24 pts, 7 rebs) and junior forward Tianna Hawkins (15 pts, 14 rebs) stepped up big time to help propel Maryland to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2009, when they ironically lost to Louisville in the Elite Eight.

The game was much closer than most expected, with eleven lead changes and seven ties throughout the game. Maryland was up by just two with 1:37 left to play and after a somewhat chaotic final minute, pulled out the victory by four.

Maryland will now face the #3 seed Texas A&M Aggies, the defending national champs, who defeated Arkansas, the #6 seed, 61-59 on Monday. A&M also struggled with putting away their opponent. The Aggies led by as many as 14 before Arkansas came fighting back and even took the lead towards the end of the game. But A&M was able to escape and advance and now faces a Maryland team who's won nine in a row and hasn't lost since February 12th.

The Aggies have several players who can score effectively, led by senior guard Tyra White. White, who's been dealing with a foot injury that limited her play in the Big 12 Tournament, averages 13.5 points per game this season. But in their opening round game, she led A&M with 18 points and seven rebounds in their win over Albany. Against Arkansas, White only attempted two shoots and finished with just three points. But fellow senior Adaora Elonu picked up the scoring slack, as the 6'1" forward finished with a game-high 23 points. On the rebounding side, Maryland will have to contend with 6'4" junior center Kelsey Bone, who pulled down a game-high 10 boards in the win over Arkansas.

So how does Maryland match up with Texas A&M?

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Over the next several weeks, we'll be reviewing the season that was for Maryland basketball. Included in this review is, of course, player recaps, looking back at what they did and ahead at what the future holds. Today, we continue with the 2011-2012 freshman class and discuss redshirt freshman center Alex Len.

How we got here: The Alex Len story was certainly one of the most compelling and interesting subplots of the 2011-2012 basketball season. After Jordan Williams announced his decision to turn pro in May of 2011, Maryland fans were left wondering who would fill the front court void left by the sophomore center who averaged a double-double with 16.9 ppg and 11.8 rpg in his last season in College Park. Then, the next day, Terps fans learned that coaching legend Gary Williams had made the decision to retire. That sent the Maryland fan base into a whirlwind of emotion as people tried to process what Maryland basketball would look like without Gary Williams and who was going to replace him. It also meant that Maryland’s 2012 signees, Sterling Gibbs, Martin Breunig, and Nick Faust, all asked for a release from their LOI to play for Maryland. As Ben B. mentions in our season review of Nick Faust, once Mark Turgeon was hired to replace Gary, his first job was getting Nick Faust to recommit to Maryland, which he was thankfully able to accomplish. Unfortunately, Sterling Gibbs and Martin Breunig decided to play college basketball elsewhere as Gibbs went on to sign with Texas and Breunig with Washington. Later in the summer of 2011, Haukur "Hawk" Pallson decided to leave Maryland and head back to Europe to pursue his pro career. Maryland’s already depleted roster had taken yet another hit.

Later that summer, Terps fans began to hear rumblings about a Ukrainian player who might soon be signing with Maryland. We were told he was an "under the radar" type player who had a great all-around Euro-style game, as well as size. Then, in late August, Maryland announced the signing of Olexiy Len, a 7’+ center from Antratsit, Ukraine.

Continue reading this post »

And there was much rejoicing! Looks like Terrell is back for his junior season. NCAA Tourney, here we come! More on this later.

Hope you all enjoyed the madness this weekend. There were some great games going on. I can't wait until Maryland is back there next year...

NCAA women’s tournament: Alyssa Thomas leads No. 5 Maryland past Navy - The Washington Post
ACC Player of the year Alyssa Thomas had a double-double (17 points,10 rebounds) and helped Maryland sink Navy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Comcast on Saturday. Maryland takes on Louisville tonight at 7:10 at Comcast.

All the president's picks don't dazzle Terps women - Washington Times

Come on, Obama. You're really picked Maryland to get upset? That's going to be awkward when you host them at the White House in a few weeks.

Baseball: Terps shut down Tar Heels, 1-0, avoid sweep " Terrapin Trail

The baseball team avoided a sweep against UNC and finally won their first ACC game of the season.

Terps one of two teams with pair of African-American coordinators | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com

Wow, there are only two schools? For some reason this seems shocking to me.

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Maryland women seeded No. 2 and will host Navy in NCAA tournament's first round - baltimoresun.com

Maryland women earned a 2 seed and will face Navy in the opening round at Comcast Center. Congrats to Brenda and the Women's team.

No postseason tourney for Maryland - baltimoresun.com

More on Maryland missing the NIT, declining the other post season tournaments, and building towards next season.

Notes on the Harrison twins, Perry Hills and more - baltimoresun.com
Matt Bracken gives us updates on the Harrison twins and some other Maryland recruits.

At start of spring practice, football looks ahead - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Don't forget, football practice started.

Biggest shoes to fill: Maryland - ACC Blog - ESPN
Matt Fortuna looks at the biggest holes Maryland has to fill in football heading into 2012. You can probably guess who he focuses on.

Where Are They Now? Former Maryland guard/forward Byron Mouton - baltimoresun.com

"10 years after helping Maryland to the national championship, former Terps guard/forward Byron Mouton runs his own youth basketball organization."

Nice piece on Mooooooo.

Rick Snider: Maryland's Turgeon is recharged for tournament time | Washington Examiner
Turgeon is fired up and ready to go. Am I the only one holding out hope for a 2004-esc ACC Tourney? Time to go Gilchrist, Stoglin.

Terps’ Stoglin says second-team all-conference selection ‘very disappointing’ - Terrapins Insider - The Washington Post
Stoglin is disappointed by his 1st team all-ACC snub, which he should be. Austin Rivers being in over him is a perfect example of the ACC bias I loath in our conference. Had Rivers shot better, I'd understand it. And I don't buy this "if we were a better team" crap. If that was the case, why wasn't Lonny Baxter a 1st team all-ACC the year we won the Natty and went 15-1 in conference? Anyway, use this as motivation to go Gilchrist in the ACC tournament, Stogs and win it all!

Terps football coach Randy Edsall says change ‘does not happen overnight’ - Terrapins Insider - The Washington Post
This is my problem with Edsall - Change didn't need to happen on that level! You're rebuilding something that didn't need to be entirely rebuilt! Now you set our program back 2-3 years when in reality you had the pieces to work with to get them to the next level already. This is why Edsall wasn't the right hire for Maryland and that falls on Kevin Anderson, IMO. Edsall is doing what he's always done and ultimately I think he'll have success here. But there is no way he's the person Maryland needed at this point. They needed someone to come in and energize a fan base and instead Anderson hired a guy who wants to rebuild and start over. In the meantime, no one is going to come to games as we suffer through multiple "rebuilding" years. Ugh.

Terps undeterred by lack of depth entering spring drills - Washington Times
Patrick Stevens breaks down Maryland football entering as they enter Spring practice this Saturday.

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Lacrosse News - Snider Leads No. 5 Terps to Win vs. No. 8 Duke
Forgot to mention this over the weekend, but Maryland downed Duke 10-7 to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Out of nowhere, Murray’s everywhere for men's lacrosse - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Defenseman Gordan Murray is good and he's only a freshman.

Lacrosse power rankings: March 5-11 | SNY.tv: News

Here are your Lacrosse power rankings from SNY. The Terps check in at #3. Oh and when Syracuse joins the ACC, we'll have the best lacrosse conference ever.

Wrestling Wins Back-to-Back ACC Tournaments, Crowns Four Champs - Testudo Times

I wanted to highlight this FanPost by Duck on Maryland's wrestling team. Congrats to them for winning the ACC Tournament.

Baseball's Hagel breaks out vs. Manhattan over weekend - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland

Nice piece on Jordan Hagel. It really is amazing how Erik Bakich has turned this program around.

Women's basketball projected as No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament - Sports - The Diamondback - University of Maryland
Looks like the Women's team might be getting a 2-seed. I'd think winning the ACCT could bump them up to a 1-seed, but maybe not.

Loyola-Maryland captures first MAAC title since '94 - chicagotribune.com
I wanted to give a shout out to Loyola (MD), who won the MAAC tournament last night and earned just their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth. In case you don't know, Loyola is coached by former Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos, who was basically Gary's right hand man for years. I met Patsos when I was traveling with Maryland's pep band after we lost an NCAA tourney game. We were in a gift shop and he'd just found out he'd been hired by Loyola. We were buying souvenirs and Patsos walked up and paid for all of them for us. It was awesome. He turned a one win team into an NCAA team, which is no easy task and which took several years. Oh, and the person who hit the game clinching free-throw? Former Terp Shane Walker. Very happy for all of them.

After another disappointing loss for the men, we can all celebrate some good news from yesterday - the Lady Terps defeated Georgia Tech 68-65 on Sunday to capture the ACC Tournament, their second under head coach Brenda Frese.

Just before the game, ESPN showed Frese in the locker room talking to the team. She was wearing her ACC Tournament ring from 2009, showing it to the current players and telling them they needed to win one today to leave their own mark on the program. Frese said that during every timeout, she was going to show them that ring so they remembered what they were working to accomplish today. Apparently it worked.

Alyssa Thomas again showed why she was deserving of the ACC player of the year award as she scored a career-high 29 points to lead Maryland to their third victory over the Yellow Jackets this season. Georgia Tech jut couldn't stop her when she got the ball, whether it was in the paint where she's back them down or at the top of the key, where she'd drive and score.

"Alyssa is by far the most competitive player I've ever coached and I've coached a lot of great players" Brenda Frese said. And as Frese notes, that's saying a lot considering the players that have come through Maryland since she took over the program.

More on the game, including video highlights, after the jump...

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The Lady Terps took care of business today against the Demon Deacons, beating 7th seeded Wake Forest by 15, 73-58. Maryland was led by sophomore forward and ACC player of the year Alyssa Thomas, who had four assists to go along with a game high 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Terps played well for a team that finished their last game just 15 hours earlier, shooting 52.8% from the floor. But fatigue might have been a factor at the start of the game as Maryland turned the ball over three times in the first three minutes. Fortunately for Maryland, Wake missed their first five shots and turned the ball over two times. After a few sloppy minutes, both teams settled into their offense. The game remained close throughout the first half, with both teams tied at 20 with just over six minutes remaining. That's when Thomas scored six quick points for the Terps, letting everyone at the Greensboro Coliseum know why she was the conference's play of the year. Maryland entered halftime with a six point lead, 33-27.

While Maryland's play seemed to improve as the game went on, the Demon Deacons (19-13, 7-9 ACC) just couldn't get shots to fall. Wake shot just 29.7% from the field, including 5-19 from three-point range.

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