It's Postseason Time

I want to apologize for the delay lately. I have been busy working on a project at work and then my computer at home went down so there was no way for me to keep everything running smooth.

The regular season is officially over and now it's on to the ACC Tournament where I am sure you all heard that we are the 3 seed and take on the winner of the Miami-GT game on Friday at 9:30. Those two teams just played a double-overtime affair on Sunday with Miami winning by 5. Hopefully they play another double-OT game so we have easy picking on Friday night and can rest some key players for Saturday. This will be the first time in 2 months that we will have to play back-to-back games and possibly back-to-back-to-back games for the first time in 3 months. Our lack of depth will really be tested.

I have liked the way the team has played since the Duke loss. We seem to go out there and establish ourselves as the better team and aren't letting teams back into the game as we did after the first Duke loss. Our key questions heading into Friday are which Shay and Ashleigh will show up. Hopefully it's the ones from the beginning of the season.

Some other news:

Langhorne First Team All-ACC; Doron and Coleman Second Team All-ACC. For some reason 5 people didn't think Langhorne was a First Team performer. I would like to meet those 5 people.

Charlie Creme Finally Gave us a 1 seed in his latest bracketology. We needed Tennessee to lose first before that came to fruition.

The Duke loss didn't change our poll position, but we did pick up 32 points in the latest AP poll.

Good article today in the Baltimore Sun about the team's mindset heading into the ACC Tournament.

Some letters to the editor (Letter 1 Letter 2) over the Diamondback recently because of what this idiot wrote on Feb. 22. I have a feeling that Kunal couldn't score a basket against any of our players.

Terps Tidbits - Thursday

National Title Contenders

SI Power Poll-We're #3!

Game 28 vs. Clemson

It's the ACC regular season finale tonight vs. Clemson and our second to last home game of the year. There are a few records that could be set tonight as Crystal needs 6 points for 1,000 in her career in only 60 games (Shay needed 68 earlier this year), and Shay needs to make one free throw for the school record, which Crystal will probably break by the time she finishes. A win puts us as 12-2 in the ACC, our best mark in over a decade and at 25-3 overall. We have already clinched either being the 2 or 3 seed in the tournament after Duke's win last night. A Duke win on Saturday gives us the two seed and a possible semifinal match against UNC. Otherwise we are the three seed and could meet Duke in the semis again (Whoopie!)

To be honest I haven't seen Clemson play at all this year, so this will be strictly off the stats. They are 2-10 in the conference and 8-18 overall. Their only wins in the ACC are over Wake and GT. We beat them twice last year, once when Ashleigh made 7 3's in the first half and again in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Clemson has a ton of height on its front line but for some reason, Amanda Frist is the only one who sees extended minutes. That either means the other ladies aren't good or just not in shape. The other thing is that everyone on the team, aside from Cara Singletary and Adrienne Bradshaw have started at least two games, so that means the starting line up is always in flux. That's not good for the kids.

Clemson Roster

As a team, they average 67.0 ppg, and shoot 42% from the floor. They are also shooting 35% from 3, but only 67% from the free throw line. They commit over 20 turnovers a game, foul almost 20 times per game and collect 37.8 rpg. On the contrary, they allow 75.4 ppg, 41.3 rpg, 42% FG% and 35.5% 3FG%. The only thing it looks like they do well is block shots as they have 132 this year.

They are led by Maxienne White, who is averaging 11.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg. She plays more of a small forward role who can slash (one of our favorite people to guard!). White along with Julie Talley are the three-point specialists. Each one shoots over 40% from behind the arc. Amanda Frist is next on the team in scoring with 10.6 ppg, but only 5.0 rpg. For all you loyal Terps fans she went by Amanda White until her marriage over the summer. She also leads the team with 39 blocks. Tasha Taylor is the PG, and she can't really shoot. Also, Taylor has fouled out of 7 games.

Clemson Stats

Keys to the Game

Come out hard. Duke and Carolina both ran this team out of the gym and we should be able to do the same. Put the game away by halftime and let Angel and Charmaine enjoy their second to last game at home.

Dominate inside. They have height, we have skill, time to show why height isn't everything.

Newman. Needs to get back on track before the postseason, especially if Shay continues to do her vanishing act on the road.

Guard White. She's a slasher and it would be nice to not let a player like that go off on us for one game.

Defend the three-point line. Just don't let them get going, because then we could be in for a long night. I for one have liked relaxing during the final minutes of the last 2 games.

Articles

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

Game Notes
Maryland | Clemson

Looking at the ACC (2/23)

As of 2/22

1. North Carolina - 12-1
Remaining games:2/25 vs. Duke (12-1)
Outlook: Carolina has clinched a first round bye in the tournament and at least a 3 seed.

2. Duke - 12-1
Remaining games: 2/25 @ North Carolina (12-1)
Outlook: Duke has clinched a first round bye and can finish no lower than second (they own the tiebreaker over Maryland).

3. Maryland - 11-2
Remaining games:2/23 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: Maryland clinched the first round bye and at least the 3 seed. They can only get the two seed if Duke beats Carolina on Saturday.

4. Florida State - 8-4
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Wake Forest (3-9), 2/26 vs. Boston College (6-6)
Outlook: They clinch the 4 seed with a B.C. loss and a win.

5. Boston College - 6-6
Remaining games: 2/24 vs. NC State (6-7), 2/26 @ Florida State (8-4)
Outlook: They can finish anywhere from 4 to 8. They need to beat State and FSU.

6. NC State - 6-7
Remaining games: 2/24 @ Boston College (6-6)
Outlook: Can't finish lower than 8th, no higher than 6th.

7. Virginia Tech - 5-8
Remaining games:2/26 vs. Wake Forest (3-9)
Outlook: Anywhere from 5th to 10th at this point in the season.

8. Miami - 5-8
Remaining games: 2/26 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10).
Outlook: That loss vs. Duke really hurt them, but they can still finish fifth.

9. Virginia - 3-9
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10), 2/26 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: They can get to the 7 seed, but can also finish last.

10. Wake Forest - 3-9
Remaining Games: 2/23 @ Florida State (8-4), 2/26 @ Virginia Tech (5-8).
Outlook: Same boat as UVA, except UVA owns the tiebreaker over them.

11. Georgia Tech - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Virginia (3-9), 2/26 @ Miami (5-8).
Outlook: Big game vs. UVA on Thursday, which could keep them out of the 12 seed.

12. Clemson - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Maryland (11-2), 2/26 @ Virginia (3-9).
Outlook: They could make it to the 9 seed or stay right where they are.

Debbie A Picks Crystal for Kodak AA Team

Our favorite color commentator, Debbie Antonelli picked our own Crystal Langhorne for the Kodak All-America team in her latest column for CSTV.

This would be great if it came true, as I feel Crystal deserves especially as teams have keyed on her more and more this year.

Looking at the ACC Standings (Feb. 21)

As of 2/20

1. North Carolina - 12-1
Remaining games:2/26 vs. Duke (11-1)
Outlook: Carolina has clinched a first round bye in the tournament and at least a 3 seed.

2. Duke - 11-1
Remaining games: 2/22 vs. Virginia Tech (5-7), 2/26 @ North Carolina (11-1)
Outlook: Duke has clinched a first round bye and can finish no lower than third.

3. Maryland - 11-2
Remaining games:2/23 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: Maryland clinched the first round bye and at least the 3 seed. They need help to get the one seed.

4. Florida State - 8-4
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Wake Forest (3-9), 2/26 vs. Boston College (6-6)
Outlook: They clinch the 4 seed with a B.C. loss and a win.

5. Boston College - 6-6
Remaining games: 2/24 vs. NC State (6-7), 2/26 @ Florida State (8-4)
Outlook: They can finish anywhere from 4 to 8. They need to beat State and FSU.

6. NC State - 6-7
Remaining games: 2/24 @ Boston College (6-5)
Outlook: Can't finish lower than 8th, no higher than 6th.

7. Virginia Tech - 5-7
Remaining games:2/22 @ Duke (11-1), 2/26 vs. Wake Forest (3-9)
Outlook: Anywhere from 5th to 10th at this point in the season.

8. Miami - 5-8
Remaining games: 2/26 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10).
Outlook: That loss last night really hurt them, but they can still finish fifth.

9. Virginia - 3-9
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10), 2/26 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: They can get to the 7 seed, but can also finish last.

10. Wake Forest - 3-9
Remaining Games: 2/23 @ Florida State (8-4), 2/26 @ Virginia Tech (5-7).
Outlook: Same boat as UVA, except UVA owns the tiebreaker over them.

11. Georgia Tech - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Virginia (3-9), 2/26 @ Miami (5-8).
Outlook: Big game vs. UVA on Thursday, which could keep them out of the 12 seed.

12. Clemson - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Maryland (11-2), 2/26 @ Virginia (3-9).
Outlook: They could make it to the 9 seed or stay right where they are.

Terrapin Tidbits - Tuesday

Both Polls are out and we are ranked 4th in both. I guess beating the 18th-ranked team by nearly 30 at home isn't better than losing on the road to an unranked team.

ESPN.com put out its new bracket and we stayed a two-seed.

If you haven't seen them yet, check out Maryland's All-Star Candidates

Here's the link to the blogs in case you haven't read them lately: Shay | Marissa | Crystal

Shay and Crystal are among the 30 midseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy

The College RPI bracket is now out and we are still a #1 seed.

Coleman Named Rookie of the Week

Fifth time this year she has won the award and she has one week left to break the school record. She should be a lock for ACC ROY at this point.

Coleman Named ACC Rookie of the Week

Looking at the ACC Standings Part 2

As of 2/19

1. North Carolina - 11-1
Remaining games:2/20 vs. Boston College (6-5), 2/26 vs. Duke (11-1)
Outlook: Carolina has clinched a first round bye in the tournament and at least a 3 seed.

2. Duke - 11-1
Remaining games: 2/22 vs. Virginia Tech (5-7), 2/26 @ North Carolina (11-1)
Outlook: Duke has clinched a first round bye and can finish no lower than third.

3. Maryland - 11-2
Remaining games:2/23 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: Maryland clinched the first round bye and at least the 3 seed. They need help to get the one seed.

4. Florida State - 8-4
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Wake Forest (3-9), 2/26 vs. Boston College (6-4)
Outlook: They clinch the 4 seed with a B.C. loss and a win.

5. Boston College - 6-5
Remaining games:2/20 @ North Carolina (11-1), 2/24 vs. NC State (6-7), 2/26 @ Florida State (8-4)
Outlook: They can finish anywhere from 4 to 8. They need to beat State and FSU.

6. NC State - 6-7
Remaining games: 2/24 @ Boston College (6-5)
Outlook: Can't finish lower than 8th, no higher than 6th.

7. Virginia Tech - 5-7
Remaining games:2/22 @ Duke (11-1), 2/26 vs. Wake Forest (3-9)
Outlook: Anywhere from 5th to 10th at this point in the season.

8. Miami - 5-8
Remaining games: 2/26 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10).
Outlook: That loss last night really hurt them, but they can still finish fifth.

9. Virginia - 3-9
Remaining games: 2/23 vs. Georgia Tech (2-10), 2/26 vs. Clemson (2-10)
Outlook: They can get to the 7 seed, but can also finish last.

10. Wake Forest - 3-9
Remaining Games: 2/23 @ Florida State (8-4), 2/26 @ Virginia Tech (5-7).
Outlook: Same boat as UVA, except UVA owns the tiebreaker over them.

11. Georgia Tech - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Virginia (3-9), 2/26 @ Miami (5-8).
Outlook: Big game vs. UVA on Thursday, which could keep them out of the 12 seed.

12. Clemson - 2-10
Remaining games: 2/23 @ Maryland (11-2), 2/26 @ Virginia (3-9).
Outlook: They could make it to the 9 seed or stay right where they are.

Terps Run Wolfpack Into Loss, 65-57

The road portion of the ACC season is officially over after the 65-57 victory over NC State yesterday in Raleigh. The game was not as close as the score indicated as Maryland had a double-digit lead for most of the second half and the Wolfpack converted some late buckets for the more respectible score. With the win the Terps go to 9-1 on the road and 6-1 in the ACC. Very impressive marks and has to be our fewest road losses in at least 10-15 years. Now it's time to wrap up a 12-2 conference mark and then get ready for the ACC Tournament and beyond.

Game Story | Box Score

Positives

Harper. Another solid offensive game out of her.

Crystal. She didn't shoot as well as she normally does, but I thought she passed great out of the double-team and from the high post. Also, I don't mind if she shoots from outside the foul line as it will open up her game down low.

Coleman. Her shot attempts were down again, but she made them when it counted. Also she seems to be attacking the glass even more and more. That one rebound where she swooped in grabbed it and put it back was great.

Defense. We limited them to only 33% and 57 points. That's back-to-back games of holding an opponent to under 60.

Rebounding. State is a solid rebounding team and showed that in the first half. I noticed we had more intensity in the second half and ended up with a +10 in rebounds.

Toliver. We were slumping at the end of the first half and she nails back-to-back in the final 2 minutes to turn a 1 pt lead into a 7 point cushion at the half. She has no fear.

Negatives

22 turnovers. That's back to back 19+ TOs.

Shay's shooting. Another poor outing on the road which trickled into her FT shooting. Hopefully a neutral site will change things.

Newman. She had some big rebounds, but she took two shots and they both clanged off the backboard. She's pressing too hard instead of letting things come naturally.

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Raleigh News & Observer

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Game 27 @ NC State

Well, it's the final road game of ACC season and it's down in Raleigh vs. NC State. The Wolfpack are hoping for a big crowd due to their breast cancer awareness day (which Maryland donated $4,000 to, shame on the fans at the men's game). It's our fourth straight trip to North Carolina this month and hopefully all the travel hasn't worn on the ladies.

NC State is a post-oriented team led by Tiffany Stansbury, Khadijah Washington, Sasha Reaves and Gillian Goring. They have two talented guards in Ashley Key and Billie McDowell, while Rachel Stockdale comes off the bench to shoot the 3.

NC State Roster

They are coming off a nine-point win over Clemson and have won three straight and are 6-6 in the conference and 16-9 overall. Last year, they beat us at our place, before we returned the favor at the ACC Tournament. The've lost to every ranked team but 1 so far this year.

They shoot 43.8% from the floor and 31.4% from 3. Free throw shooting is a weakness as they are only making 61.1 percent of their shots. They outrebounded their opponents and turn the ball over as much as we do. NC State is essentially a mirror of our team except they don't shoot the 3 as well and the same with free throws. Based on their stats, it seems like the posts have a hard time scoring, but the guards who can shoot from outside do well against them.

Stansbury is the leading scorer with 12.8 ppg, but she has been in the doghouse lately and is coming off the bench. McDowell and Key are next in scoring at 11.1 ppg, but Key has taken on a bigger role lately in handling the point and leading the team in scoring lately. McDowell has taken 133 three-pointers this year and has made 46. Whittington is the leading rebounder at 8.0 ppg and a fierce competitor.

NC State Stats

Keys to the Game

Establish down low. We did it so well against BC, we have to do it again against NC State. If their posts are taken out of the game, it helps us a ton.

Run them up and down the floor. They may have depth, but Stansbury, Reaves and Goring are slow and can't get back in transition.

Shay finding her road stroke. 22.3 ppg at home, but possibly under 10 on the road. Today needs to be the game where she busts out of it. After today, only 2 more home games all year.

Newman building off Thursday. Her shot looked better in the second half so hopefully the confidence continues into today's game.

Containing Key. She likes to drive and dish and we have a hard time stopping guards like that.

Don't leave McDowell open. Just keep a hand in her face the whole game, if she gets going we are in trouble.

Put the game away early and don't let them back in. This is their biggest game of the year in terms of fan support and marketing. We can't be scared and have to show why we are a top 5 team early and often.

Game Notes
Maryland | NC State

Terps Dismantle Eagles, 86-59

Yesterday had to be the most complete game we have played in a while and maybe even all year. We came out strong and took it to B.C. early. Once we established the lead, we never let B.C. get close. We even came out strong in the second half scoring the first 13 points. Brenda used one time out and that was her throwaway one. The win clinches at least a 3 seed in the ACC Tournament and the first round bye. It gives us more win than last year and 10 wins in conference for the first time in a long time. If we play at this level on Sunday down at NC State, which beat Clemson by 11 last night, it could be another easy one on the heart.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Notes

Positives

Rebounding. We outrebounded them by 18 despite Crystal only having 4. Everyone was one the glass and Coleman led the way with 15.

Harper. After a shaky Duke game, she came out and did what she does best score, rebound and block shots.

Coleman. 15 rebounds, 12 defensive, and played decent defense. She only scored 8 points, but it doesn't matter when she is doing everything else (4 assists, two blocks and 1 steal)

Newman. She struggled with her first couple of shots. She looked like she was trying to hard. She finally settled down in the second half and scored 8 including two great drives to the hoop.

Intensity. I mentioned it earlier and I thought it was great how we didn't play down to our opponent. BC foul trouble helped too.

Negatives

Turnovers. 19 is a bit much, but when you outrebound an opponent by 18 and win by 27 it is somewhat acceptable. I still would prefer less.

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Game 26 vs. Boston College

Well it's round 2 vs. the Eagles, who are suddenly red hot as they have won 6 straight ACC games and 7 in a row overall. This is the third and final of our home-and-home series thus far this year and if form holds true we should be remarkably better than the first meeting. Case in point, we beat Virginia by 10 in OT at their place, then came home and won by 14 in regulation. Duke beat us by 18 at home and in the second meeting we only lost by 10.

In the first game against BC, it was the Crystal and Harper show as the posts combined for 39 points and 21 rebounds. Shay added 13 including several clutch baskets in OT. We didn't shoot particularly well, as we made only 3 three-pointers and shot 40% from the floor. BC was led by Kindyll Dorsey's 18 points, all of which came from behind the arc, while Brooke Queenan added 17 and Aja Parham had 11 and 12. They didn't shoot particularly well either, but rallied in the second half to tie the game.

MD-BC Boxscore #1

BC's seven-game winning streak comes against weaker foes as they have played Longwood, Virginia, NC State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Miami. BC has shot 52.2% from the field during the winning streak and over 50% in the last five games.

This game is very important as if we win, we clinch at least the 3 seed in the ACC Tournament. That means a first-round bye and an extra day of rest.

BC Stats

Keys to the Game

Establish our inside presence. BC is your typical grind it out Big East team. If we can take out their post players we should win easily.

Control Parham. She was able to slash at ease in the first game and we seem to have trouble guarding slashers.

Guard Dorsey behind the arc. She hit 6 3's the first game and that can't happen again.

Pressure the ball. BC is averaging 20 turnovers a game. There is no reason to let them take their time setting up their offense.

Getting Newman back on track. I miss the old Ashleigh Newman who could hit almost every 3. She's in a slump these days although her last make was the biggest of her career.

Show intensity. We can't let the Duke loss get us down. Go out tonight and prove we belong among the top teams in the ACC.

Articles

The Diamondback

Game Notes
Maryland | Boston College

Terps Tidbits - Wednesday

Up to 4th in the latest coaches poll. Would like to be higher, but the loss to Duke didn't help.

Also up to 4th in the SI Power Poll

Jerry Palm now has us as a 1 seed in his latest bracket. He still has us going to Norfolk, which would be a hike, but at least close to home.

Under the Shell is on tonight. Check the listings as last week they moved the episode to 1:30 to show a stupid hockey game.

Looking at the ACC Standings

As the season winds down, I am going to start updating the ACC standings each day and try and breakdown the seeding for the tournament. Here's the first go-round

As of 2/13

1. North Carolina - 10-1
Remaining games: 2/17 @Virginia Tech (4-6), 2/20 vs. Boston College (6-4), 2/26 vs. Duke (10-1)
Outlook: Carolina can be anywhere from a 1 to a 5 seed at this point. With a win or a B.C. loss, they clinch a first round bye in the tournament and at least a top 3 seed.

2. Duke - 10-1
Remaining games: 2/19 @ Miami (5-6), 2/22 vs. Virginia Tech (4-6), 2/26 @ North Carolina (10-1)
Outlook: Duke has clinched a first round bye and can finish no lower than third since they own the tiebreaker with BC and FSU.

3. Maryland - 9-2
Remaining games: 2/16 vs Boston College (6-4), 2/19 @NC State (5-6), 2/23 vs. Clemson (2-8)
Outlook: Maryland needs one more win to clinch the first round bye. A win over BC gives them at least the 3 seed. If they can finish 12-2, they can get the two seed if Duke beats UNC.

4. Boston College - 6-4
Remaining games:2/16 @ Maryland (9-2), 2/20 @ North Carolina (10-1), 2/24 vs. NC State (5-6), 2/26 @ Florida State (6-4)
Outlook: They can finish anywhere from 1 to 8 depending how the next week goes for them. A win Thursday keeps them in the hunt for the first round bye. The FSU game may decide the final bye.

5. Florida State - 6-4
Remaining games: 2/17 vs. Miami (5-6), 2/19 @ Clemson (2-8), 2/23 vs. Wake Forest (3-8), 2/26 vs. Boston College (6-4)
Outlook: They should be able to win their next three and move into the four seed. They have an outside chance of moving into the Top 3, but that would take a total collapse by all three of them.

6. NC State - 5-6
Remaining games: 2/16 @ Clemson (2-8), 2/19 vs. Maryland (9-2), 2/24 @ Boston College (6-4)
Outlook: They have a chance to still claim the last first round bye, but their final two games are tough. They also could finish in the bottom half of the standings if they drop the game to Clemson.

7. Miami - 5-6
Remaining games: 2/17 @ Florida State (6-4), 2/19 vs. Duke (10-1), 2/26 vs. Georgia Tech (2-9).
Outlook: The first two are tough games while the last is winnable so they are in the same boat as NC State

8. Virginia Tech - 4-6
Remaining games: 2/17 vs. North Carolina (10-1), 2/19 @ Georgia Tech (2-9), 2/22 @ Duke (10-1), 2/26 vs. Wake Forest (3-8)
Outlook: Big win over FSU last night keeps them out of the basement for now. They should go 2-2 over the final four games to keep them in the 6-8 range. If not, they could be a sleeper on the first day.

9. Wake Forest - 3-8
Remaining Games: 2/18 vs. Virginia (2-9), 2/23 @ Florida State (6-4), 2/26 @ Virginia Tech (4-6).
Outlook: The big game is Saturday vs. Virginia. Win that I don't see them finishing lower than 11th. Lose and they could be the 12th seed.

10. Clemson - 2-8
Remaining games: 2/16 vs. NC State (5-6), 2/19 vs. Florida State (6-4), 2/23 @ Maryland (9-2), 2/26 @ Virginia (2-9).
Outlook: The first three don't look very winnable so the game vs. UVA could end up deciding last place.

11. Virginia - 2-9
Remaining games: 2/18 @ Wake Forest (3-8), 2/23 vs. Georgia Tech (2-9), 2/26 vs. Clemson (2-9)
Outlook: They should be able to win the remaining 3 and not have to worry about the basement, but how will the team respond after losing to the top 3 teams in the league?

12. Georgia Tech - 2-9
Remaining games: 2/19 vs. Virginia Tech (4-6), 2/23 @ Virginia (2-9), 2/26 @ Miami (5-6).
Outlook: Not looking good to getting out of the cellar. A win over UVA would be big and possibly give them the tiebreaker.

Bedeviled! Duke Continues Winning Ways Over Terps

Well it was the tale of two halves. The first half saw us play with poise, control and defense. That led to us building an 8-pt halftime lead. Once again we came out in the second half flat and Duke burned us with a huge run to take the lead. We seemed to have regained our composure and took the lead on a Doron three, but miscomunication on our zone defense led to two wide open Foley 3s and from that point on we were trading baskets. The loss ends our 8-game winning streak and drops us to 9-2 in conference. It's also our first road loss in conference this year. We've made some progress since the last Duke game, but in the end experience won out.

There was some silver lining as Virginia Tech beat Florida State last night so a win over BC on Thursday locks up at least the three seed in the ACC Tournament. Not at of turnaround time for the ladies, but they have been in this spot before and handled it well. Also, it's a home game.

Game Story | Box Score

Positives

Coleman. She came to play and was doing a great job in the first half until she picked up her second foul. That really started to turn the tide.

Toliver. Handled the Duke pressure admirably (only 2 TOs) and made the offense look fluid. She had a few rushed shots, but those 3s she hit in the final minute prove to me that she is willing to take the big shot.

Charmaine. She doesn't play that much, but when she came into the game yesterday she played with energy and added a new spark. Her bucket and subsequent free throw was great. She also grabbed 4 rebounds and hassled Currie.

Negatives

Rebounding. Yes, Duke is taller than us, but we looked awful on the defensive glass and that's a key reason Duke beat us. You can't give good teams second, third and sometimes four chances to score. The guards need to help out in times like that.

Second half defense. We gave up 57 points in 20 minutes. Unacceptable. We looked like matadores out there at certain times.

Second half intensity. We have to stop coming out of halftime flat. It finally came back to bite us on the ass this game and could happen again in the postseason.

Shay. Disappearing act continued on the road. She played ok against UNC, but she needs to realize that if her shot isn't falling from the outside, she needs to create shots in the paint and go to the foul line.

Harper. She was too hyped for the game. Early miscues with the ball and then looked out of sync when on the court. It was her first Cameron experience so I will give her a pass, but she needs to play taller versus the bigger teams.

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We're #4!!!

The first poll finally came out and we have moved up to 4th in the AP Rankings. As an added bonus we picked up two first-place votes. Meanwhile, UNC only has 1. Duke is ranked #1 meaning tonight's game is another against the #1 ranked team in the country. Hopefully we can end Duke's reign as quickly as UNC did.

AP Poll Story | AP Poll

ESPN's Bracketology

Charlie Creme finally got around to updating his bracket and talking about last week. He said despite the win over UNC, still a two seed and probably no chance of grabbing a 1 even if they beat Duke. That makes me laugh. The new bracket has us in Norfolk with a possible second round match against Florida and then possibly Courtney Paris and Oklahoma.

Game #25 @ Duke

Part one of the road trip went well, thanks to some luck and us finally playing defense like we did early on in the season. Part two doesn't get any easier as we had to Cameron Indoor and look to knock off Duke for the first time in forever. Duke's beat us by a combined score of nearly 70 in the last three meetings and the closest game I remember was a three-point loss in Durham last year.

Duke beat us by 18 nearly a month ago, but we were a different team back then. Toliver was still coming off injury and everyone was readjusting to their roles. In the second half we played them straight up, only being outscored by 1 point. Duke has looked vulnerable since the loss to UNC. They have gone into defensive lapses and let teams creep back into games. That being said, they are still tough to beat, even tougher than UNC. The key to beating UNC was to slow them down and make them run an offense. Duke can run you, but they can also work their offense to perfection. Plus, they have scorers at every position. There were some positives to take from that game as we only lost the rebounding battle by 1 despite Crystal not getting one the whole game.

The game is on ESPN2 at 7:00

Duke-Maryland Box Score Gm 1

Keys to the Game

Match the intensity we had to start the UNC game and the way we ended it. Duke wants to put you away early like they did back at our place. We can't fall behind by double-digits and expect to come back. If we can keep with Duke for the entire game, I feel we can pull away in the end.

Crystal has to get rebounds. In the first game, she had 0. Yes, 0. Duke did a great job of having two to three people box her out. Crystal must fight through these and get in good position. Also, her teammates must step up and fill the gaps that are created by the extra attention.

Control Harding and Black. Harding had a field day in the first game, pentrating and dishing. Toliver must be stronger defensively to not let this happen again. Black seems to love playing against us. Harper, Lang and Perry must keep her off the glass and away from the basket.

Use pump fakes. Duke loves to go for the block on ever shot. Get them off their feet and then go up and under for the easy bucket and/or foul.

Limit turnovers. Duke will bring pressure as did UNC and we have to stop with the bad turnovers.

Make the most of each possession. Duke can score on almost every possession as can we, we just need to make the most of each one.

Help on the double teams. Toliver will get doubled as will Lang in the post. The others must get to open space so they can get the ball.

Have fun. They have played in hostile environments before and now they must treat it as another game and do what they do best.

Game Notes
Maryland | Duke

Articles

USA Today It's the cover story!

Diamondback

Washington Post

Terps Tidbits -- Sunday

It's been three days since the big win and I am sure you all saw the coverage this weekend, especially Friday. There were a few articles this weekend though.

Baltimore Sun

WUSA 9 TV

Baltimore Sun

Hartford Courant

Laura Harper Blog

Coleman's Blog

Langhorne's Blog

Another Road Game, Another Overtime Victory

It seems like road games and winning in overtime are the norm for the Terps this year. The first three were a little puzzling as they were against BC, UVA and Wake, but the one last night was completely acceptable as we took down the #1 team in the country, the North Carolina Tar Heels with a 98-95 victory in Chapel Hill! The team showed heart down the stretch, especially after being down 70-56 at one point, providing defensive stop after defensive stop and then watching as Ashleigh Newman grabbed a loose ball and "calmy" fired at the hoop to hit nothing but the bottom of the net. In OT, it was the same old story, grab a big early lead and walk away winners. UNC made it a battle as Latta made back-to-back 3s, but her last three was blocked by Shay Doron and the Terps have now won two straight over UNC.

This win finally proves we belong. After the debacle vs. Duke nearly a month ago, all the fans out there thought we were a paper team. Last night though proved that we can play with the big girls of women's basketball and win on their court. It was fun to listen to all the crickets chirp last night. You can't bash a team that became the only team to beat the current #1 team in the land.

Also, it's time to start watching our little bandwagon pick up steam. Suddenly new fans will come out of the woodworks. The bandwagon will pick up even more steam if we can do this again on Monday vs. Duke.

With the win, the Terps have matched last year's win total.

Game Story | Box Score

Positives

Ashleigh Newman. I don't often think that someone who shoots 1 of 9 as a positive, but when that one make is a 25-foot 3 to tie the game. She gets a ton of props.

Marissa Coleman. 23 points (9 of 15, 4 of 6 from 3), 9 rebounds and 6 steals. They may start etching her name on the ROY trophy now.

Crystal Langhorne. 25 pts, 8 rebounds. Our All-American stepped up in the biggest game like we expected her too.

Toliver. facing a relentless pressure defense, she dished out 8 assists and only had four turnovers. Remember folks, she's a freshman.

Shay's block. She got her points, but nothing was bigger than getting her hand on Latta's shot at the buzzer in OT.

Defense in the last 10 minutes. I don't know the exact score, but UNC had 70 points with at least 12 minutes left and I was fearing they would score 100 on us. 12 minutes later, UNC only had 83. That's what you call playing defense when it matters the most.

Three-point shooting. One of my keys was making the 3-pt shots. We made 52.9% of them. 7 of 9 in the second half and OT.

Negatives

Free Throw Shooting. We missed 13 of them, not good. Luckily for us, they missed 14. This is twice in the big games our FT shooting has not been good.

Turnovers. 21 is a lot, but we only had 5 in the second half and OT. Now if we can only have 5 in each half.

We didn't win by more, but I will take the win :)

Articles

USA Today

Washington Post

Hoopsvibe.com

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

Baltimore Sun

Durham Herald Sun

Kinston Free Press

The Daily Tar Heel

Pictures

WE WIN!!!!!!

Another road game, another overtime win. I will do the usual postgame wrap up tomorrow. I am celebrating now.

Be sure to watch SportsCenter and all the usual shows to see all the new Maryland fans come out of the woodworks.

Game #24 @ North Carolina

Well tonight begins the stretch of games which proves if we belong with the big teams or if we are still on the next tier down. First it's tonight in Chapel Hill vs. the #1 Tar Heels (the third #1 team we have played this year), then it's Monday vs. #2 Duke, Thursday vs. #23 Boston College and then the 19th vs. NC State. Anything less than a 2-2 record through this stretch will be killer. I would take 3-1, but would love to see us go 4-0.

Tonight though is North Carolina, the #1 team in the land. The only undefeated team. The team that blitzed UConn at Storrs and came from 17 down to beat Duke at Cameron. They are good, really good and we need to bring our A game to beat them. They love to run the ball up and down the floor. They use speed to their advantage and hope to force teams into submission thanks to their fast break and relentless press. Also, they are looking for revenge after last season's loss at Comcast.

They are led by Ivory Latta, one of the best guards in the country and probably the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year. She's quick, cocky and can shoot from anywhere on the floor. Next there is Erlana Larkins. She's tough on the blocks and has range with her jumpshot. Next is Camille Little. She's gone from down in the low post to more of a small forward position in three years. She can shoot the three, but also back you down. Atkinson is their defensive stopper and rebounder. They have a huge freshman class but none of them have really stepped to the forefront to take control like our freshmen have.

UNC scores 83.5 points per game, while allowing only 54.4. They have nearly 300 steals, but have committed over 400 turnovers. They shoot 48.2% from the field and 39.2% from behind the arc. Their stats are very impressive and I can't find a weak spot. Tonight is going to be a tough game.

UNC Roster | UNC Stats

Keys to the Game

Control the tempo of the game. UNC likes to run and we can't get in a running match with them. Our bench is 7 deep sometimes 8 or 9, and they have a larger one. We can't be afraid to set up our halfcourt offense and get the best shot. Just because UNC runs the ball and hoists up quick shots doesn't mean we need to.

Control the glass. The main reason Duke was killing Carolina early was because they owned the glass in the first half. Then Atkinson got going and the game changed. Crystal, Laura, Marissa and Jade must attack all missed shots to prevent the breakout. If UNC gets a defensive rebound, they are off and running.

Keep Latta under wraps. She's the quickest guard we have faced and we know how we do against quick guards. Slow her down with some ball pressure and keep her out of sync. Also, she needs other people to beat us. She tends to be a ball hog sometimes and often will try and do it all.

Keep our composure. Our last 5 road games have been awful at the start and out of halftime. It's time to show up when the ball is tipped and prove we belong.

Keep the Intensity. Last year, when we built the big lead, we bent but didn't break, we need to do the same tonight. When we take the lead, build on it and don't let up. This isn't UVA, GT, Wake, etc. UNC can come back.

Break their press. They love to press with Little at the top of the zone. With her at the top that leaves Langhorne and Harper wide open down below for an easy bucket over their shorter players. They also will let Latta press the ball handler and then bring over the double team quickly. We must not get trapped.

Have confidence in our shots. They play a zone so our gunners must be able to hit from 3. If we can connect early and often, it may force them to play more man and we can get buckets underneath.

Get Larkins in foul trouble. Another reason Duke led big was because Larkins sat on the bench with foul trouble. Coach G never attacked her in the second half when she had 3 fouls and we all saw that result. Take her out and it could be a feast down low.

Articles

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Durham Herald Sun

The Diamondback

Washington Times

Daily Tar Heel

Game Notes
Maryland | UNC

One last thing, tonight's game isn't on TV and is only available on Student Radio or the UNC broadcast. I guess the folks over at Maryland didn't think a #1 vs. #6 match up was important enough to send the commercial crew. If you want to voice a complaint drop an e-mail to Chris Janush, the general manager.

New Site Feature

If you look to the left there is now a link that will pop up a message board to talk about the Terps. It replaced the Guestbook, because I was tired of all the spam I had to sift through.

Feel free to post a message and see what your fellow fans have to say. Might be a good resource for the road games this weekend.

Terps Tidbits - Wednesday

Still ranked 6th in all three polls: AP, ESPN and SI Power Poll, but that should change considering our next two games.

Still a #2 seed in the latest bracket by Jerry Palm.

Crystal got some publicity from Mechelle Voepel in her latest column. Good to see someone else thinks she's one of the best post players in the country.

Just a reminder that Under The Shell is on tonight at 11 on Comcast SportsNet.

Terps Tidbits - Tuesday

George Soloman writes about the team and coach Frese

Mel Greenberg previews the upcoming week.

The team raised money for the Hoops for Hopes game vs. NC State.

Toliver Named ACC Rookie of the Week

For the second time in three weeks, Kristi Toliver has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week.

This marks the 6th time this year a Maryland rookie has won the award.

Terps Sweeps Cavaliers For First Time since 1989

Well, we are slowly regaining that early season grove. After our normal beginning of the game funk, we went out and dominated Virginia with a 21-1 run. Virginia slowly crept back into the game, which included our also usual post halftime funk, , but was never able to get closer than 6. The Terps looked complacent in the second half, as if they felt Virginia was going to roll over and die. No one in the ACC does that so we can't just turn it off because we have a big lead. The next two games are going to be very telling. The win moves us to 8-1 in the ACC, clinching a winning record for the first time since 1997. We are also 21-2, one win away from last year's win total. And we swept Virginia for the first time since 1989.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Notes

Postives

Laura Harper. Again the star of the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Her offense game is coming alive and she is starting to hit the glass with more force. This can only help open things for the other players.

Shay. Another solid game out of her. She looked a little like the old Shay with the way she took the ball to the basket instead of relying on her jump shot.

Toliver. 9 assists, 2 turnovers vs. one of the best PGs in the conference. She picked her spots to take her shot and ran the offense very well.

Free Throw shooting. Another game over 70% and we made them down the stretch to seal the game.

More assists than turnovers. I can't recall the last time that happened.

Negatives

Our 1-on-1 defense. All teams are doing are isolating the defender and then driving past them. Zoll did it most of the second half yesterday and occasionally Granberry and Sardin would do the same. We have to be better at not being taken off the dribble on every possession, especially with UNC on Thursday.

Complacency. We have to stop letting teams back into games. It's been a problem since the start of the season. When we build a big lead it's time for the team to step on their throats and make the game a laugher.

Three-point defense. Virginia isn't a great 3-pt shooting team, but McGuire had only 3 looks all game and UVA only took 8 shots from behind the arc. It's an improvement since the games last week.

Sloppy passes. In the half court offense we tend to want to force the ball into spaces that don't exist. Just pass the ball around the perimeter and eventually that spot will open.

Crystal. She needs to work harder down low to get open and create her shot. She can't just set up shop and expect to get the ball and then not get doubled. She's too good of a player to only take 7 shots.

Articles
The Diamondback
Baltimore Sun
Washington Post
Washington Times
Charlottesville Daily Progress

Pictures

Game #23 vs. Virginia

It's the rematch vs. Virginia that all their fans have been waiting for. The Cavaliers are struggling right now. They are 2-6 in the ACC and have lost three in a row and four of their last five. Plus, this week they play us, Duke and UNC. They are going to be hungry for a win as they could be 2-9 by the time next Sunday night rolls around.

Two weeks ago, we needed overtime to beat them as we went on a 10-0 run to start the extra session and essentially put the game away. Coleman led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Crystal had 17, Ashleigh had 15 and Toliver had 12. We had 23 turnovers and didn't play inspired until late in the second half. We need to play better to sweep the season series for the first time in forever.

MD vs. UVA Boxscore | UVA Stats

Keys to the Game

Rebounding. we should be able to dominate them on the glass as we have our last two opponents. We beat them at their place by 6, I think we can get it to double-digits.

Controlling Siedah Williams. She's another of those lanky small forwards that seem to dominate us because she's long and quick. She had 16 against us last time and we need to control her better.

Cutting off Zoll's drives. Zoll loves to drive and dish or create contact and get the foul. We need to prevent them, but also be aware that she can shoot the 3.

Muscle up Littles. She caught the ball very deep last time and had a quick turnaround for the easy bucket. Jade and Lang have to keep her off the blocks and make her work away from the basket.

Don't let McGuire get hot. Shay did a great job guarding her two weeks ago and we need the same effort today.

Shay. Let's hope the slump is behind her and she's back playing like the first team All-ACC performer we know and love.

Newman. Her defensive responsibilites may not be that much today so she may be able to settle down and find her shot.

Toliver. Now that she's starting, let's how she does a full 40 minutes with Zoll.

Game Notes
Maryland | Virginia

Terp Tidbits -- Friday, Feb. 3

Another article in the Diamondback

Crystal was one of 20 midseason candidates for the Wooden Award

Laura Harper blogged for the NCAA's new site: www.doubleazone.com

Marissa, Shay and Crystal have each updated their Under the Shell blogs.

Go Here and vote for Maryland to be ranked 3rd in the country.

Terps Use Runs to Overcome Hurricanes, 88-77

We just don't like to win easy any more do we. After building a 13-point lead af halftime, we decided to let Miami tie the game 4 minutes into the second half. It took a late run and foul trouble by Miami to walk away with a 88-77 win last night. Shay had 26, Harper had a season-high 19 and Langhorne and Coleman each had double-doubles in the win. Now 20-2 on the season, 7-1 in the ACC with a big game against Virginia looming on the horizon.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Notes

Positives

Laura Harper. The last two games she has really stepped her offensive game. Yes, the opponents were smaller, but she can easily score 15 a night if given the chance. I hope Brenda continues to get Harper involved in the offense.

Shay. She likes her home cooking. Back-to-back good games at home, now it just needs to translate on the road next week.

Rebounding. This was one of the keys of the game and we owned the boards 54-34.

Defense on James. Yes, she had 16 points and yes she was in foul trouble, but I think Harper played decent defense on her and gave her something else to think about.

3-point defense. Another key to the game and they only made 6 of 23 shots. That's pretty good considering what we had been giving up from that range.

Coleman's rebounding. She did a great job of coming and stealing the rebound from Miami when Crystal and Harper were boxed out.

Negatives

Turnovers. We had 22, only 9 in the second half though.

Langhorne. It's kind of hard to think of Crystal as a negative, but the last few games she has missed a ton of easy layups. She is also hesistant to pull the trigger on shooting from further than 5 feet. For her to be the complete player, she can't be afraid to shoot something other than a layup. Also, she's turning the ball over a ton. The coaches need to tell her to stop being so hesistant.

Coleman's shooting. Her shot looked weird last night as if she was trying to put some extra back spin on the ball. She needs to stop thinking so much and do what comes natural too her.

Newman. It's been a while since she's a hit a 3 I think, so she needs to get back on track.

Articles
Baltimore Sun
The Diamondback
Washington Post

Pictures

Terp Tidbits

Still ranked 6th in all three polls. SI Power Poll

Under the Shell is on tonight

Jerry Palm has us as a 3 seed in his latest bracket.

Diamondback Article today on Laura Harper

Game #22 vs. Miami

This begins a crucial week for the Terps. The next two games should be winable and help further lock up the first round ACC bye. We also need to start getting our players some rest so they aren't tired during the final stretch.

Miami enters the game with a record 14-6 and 4-3 in ACC play. They are playing under a new coach Katie Meier, who graduated from Duke. I have seen them play once and they like to run the ball ala North Carolina. Common opponents include: George Mason (lost), Siena (won), Georgia Tech (won), Boston College (won), Virginia Tech (won).

They average 76.1 ppg, while only allowing 66.9. They get outrebounded, but have 231 steals on the year. They shoot well from the floor at a 45.5% clip and 33.5 from three. They also don't miss many free throws. They turn the ball over at least 19 times per game.

Their one problem is that they are a small team that relies on quickness to beat you. Tamara James leads the ACC in scoring and also her team in rebounding. All this at 5-10. Renee Taylor is second on the team in scoring and she is 5'2. Brittany Denson is their tallest player and she's a freshman averaging 6.1 and 5.9. She has blocked 24 shots this year. The only player in double figures in blocks. Melissa Knight is the third leading scorer at 11.5 ppg and she's 5'11.

Miami Roster | Miami Stats

Keys to the Game

Own the paint and the boards. Last year Crystal had 29 and 22 against them. I expect similar numbers tonight. Harper and Jade also must be forces down low.

Control the tempo of the game. This is a decent preview of what UNC will throw at us in a week so the team can't let Miami streak up and down the floor. Use pressure to slow down Taylor and James.

Control Taylor and James. They are the keys to that team. If you can stop them, then you should win handily. I would like to see Coleman guard James and Newman on Taylor. The height discreptancies should give them fits.

Guard the three-point line. We need to stop letting teams have a field day behind the arc.

Shay and Newman getting back on track. It hasn't been a great couple of weeks for the two markswomen. They needed to cured in a hurry.

Maryland Game Notes | Miami Game Notes