Game 24: at Georgia Tech

Back on the road, for the second time in a week. This time we head to Georgia Tech for the first time in two years. We have beaten them four times in a row, including last season's ACC Tournament, where they put a scare into us for a while. 3 of those 4 games have been decided by less than 10 points. I am hoping the team rebounds from the loss like they did against Virginia. I also want to see two solid halves off basketball.

Game is on ACC Select and WMUC.

Georgia Tech

Record: 13-8, 4-3 (ACC), 8-3 (Home)

Common Opponents: Temple (L, 76-62); North Carolina (L, 69-57 and 78-31); Clemson (W, 63-57); Duke (L, 83-51); Miami (W, 52-37); Wake Forest (W, 58-45)

Most points allowed: 83

Fewest points scored: 31

Team Information - Stats

Averaging 66.5 ppg and allowing 58.4 ppg

Opponents shoot 39.3% from the floor and 28.2% from 3.

Outrebounding opponents by 7.

They turn the ball over 18 times per game, but also generate 11.9 steals per game.

They get their shots blocked more than they block shots.

They play a unique zone defense, which is the key to their team, it's like a 1-3-1.

Everyone helps out rebouding the basketball.

Players to Watch - Roster

Stephanie Higgs. 1/3 of their scoring trio. She is the penetrator of the group. She will try to break people down off the dribble and then take it to the bucket. She will shoot the 3, but much prefers to drive. She has taken 117 free throws, the most on the team. Will get in foul trouble because of her aggressive defense. 11 blocked shots (most on the team).

Janie Mitchell. 6'0 forward who sees a bulk of the action in the paint. Shooting under 50%. Has taken 12 threes. Will turn the ball over.

Chioma Nnamaka. The shooter of the trio. Has taken 148 threes, making 53 of them. Very rarely attacks the bucket with only 27 FTs. Will help rebound. Turnover prone and foul prone. Cannot let her heat up or she will keep shooting.

Jacqua Williams. Fourth leading scorer. Leads the team in steals meaning she applies the pressure on the trap. Prefers to shoot inside the arc, but not go to the hoop.

Brigitte Ardossi. 6'2 forward. Has taken only 56 shots, so she doesn't factor much into the offense. She is the fifth starter.

Kentrina Wilson/Daphne Mitchell. Post players that come off the bench. Wilson takes more shots and will shot the three. Also will get in the passing lanes.

Jill Ingram. Backup PG. Won't look to score. Only player to have more assists than turnovers.


Keys to the Game

Defense. Higgs and Nnamaka are going to look to score all night and our guards must not allow Nnamaka to have open looks nor allow Higgs to easily penetrate the lane. Mitchell can be shut down in the paint.

Attack the pressure. They will trap and it's not any better than Duke or UNC's so we should be able to handle it. Dribble into it and attack the paint.

Shooting confidently. Not every shot will go in (if it does it's a record), so don't pout and just get ready to make the next one.

Give the ball to Lang. Enough of the outside shooting. Give the ball to the team's best player and let her do what she does best.

Play a complete game. It's time to outscore someone in the second half again. Let Carolina and Duke know you are ticked off at the losses.

Play a smart game. No need to rush the ball up court just to do it. Value the basketball.

Harper. She must start playing like a legitimate post player again. Enough of the fumbling the ball and missed lay ups.

Wednesday's Words

Terps drop to 4 in both polls, which was expected since Tennessee didn't lose to UNC and Duke the same way we did. Had we kept the Duke game closer, I think we would have stayed at #3.

The Diamondback writes the team will see a lot of Latta and that are trying to learn from the latest loss.

Yesterday's Examiner looked at the Guards of the ACC and talked about how they were losing ground in the ACC.

Vicky Bullett will be honored as an ACC Legend at the ACC Tournament. Makes you wonder how many years it will take Shay and Crystal to be recognized.

Jerry Palm updated his bracket. We dropped to a two seed in Fresno with Ohio State as the 1 seed.

Under the Shell airs tonight at 11:30 on Comcast SportsNet.

Latta Skips and Shoots Her Way Past Maryland, 84-71

Another big crowd, another loss for the Terps. In front of the largest crowd to ever watch an ACC game, Carolina played loose, while the home team was rattled again. For some reason, Maryland sees more than 10,000 people in the stands cheering and goes into a shell (no pun intended) for the first 30 minutes of the game. Then they look at the scoreboard and say "Oh Shit, we are losing, big time to play defense" which they do, to make the game close and sometimes pull out the win. The team needs to get beyond that at this point, maybe Brenda needs to pump crowd nice into practices like football coaches do. The mindset of this team in big games is disappointing.

Give Carolina credit. They hit their shots down the stretch and played better with the ball then they had all year. Leaving Ivory Latta open four straight times didn't help either.

I was impressed with the heart the team showed when down 20. Against Duke they sort of folded in that situation, but last night they fought back and got it to 1. Also, the loss was to the #2 team in the country, who happens to be undefeated and was looking for revenge.

The crowd was great tonight and it felt like a men's game, I hope we get the same experience for the Duke game.

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery

Positives

Shay. That was the freshman year and sophomore year Shay. She wasn't going to let the team lose without a fight. She stepped up like a senior should in a big game.

Newman. Her defensive intensity in the second half was great. She went after loose balls and made it tough for UNC to score.

Rebounding. Who would have guessed we would outrebound UNC by 12 and still lose? Great job ladies. Keep it up.

Neutral

Team's intensity. Came out for 5 minutes to start the game, then went away for 10 minutes, then came back for 5 minutes, then went away for 5 minutes of the second half (UNC scored 18 points in that span), then came back. We can't have these roller coaster games of emotion. Like last year, we are coming out flat to start the second half.

Sa'de. Despite her awful first shot and questionable dribbles into the corner. I thought her defense during that stretch was great and she really used her quickness to her advantage. Now, she needs to rediscover her outside shot.

Crystal. 14 and 10, but only 4 after halftime. She needs to demand the ball more especially with the team on the ropes. When Carolina was struggling, they dumped it into Larkins who went to work down there. Crystal needs to do the same.

Negatives

The Super Sophomores. 8-of-30 shooting is not good, especially in a big game. In both losses, the two have struggled to shoot the ball and Coleman has been hesitant to pull the trigger. Maybe it's nerves, maybe it's pressure, but the two of them have to relax and have fun. Also, they players they guard combined for 49 points

Harper. She was the reason we won the title last year because she played hard and attacked. Yes, she had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, but she shot 3-of-8, dropped 4 or 5 passes and then let another 3 or 4 rebounds go through her hands. Then after bodying up Larkins for most of the game, she got pushed around like a rag doll. She has to play tougher than that.

Defense. We played it for about 15 minutes, too bad the game is 40 minutes long. I would like to see this team really foul someone for once. Not an intentional foul, but a foul that says "don't come in here again."

Turnovers. 14 in a half is too much against UNC especially when they are dumb ones, like dropping the ball out of bounds, ridiculous full court passes, etc.

Free-throw shooting. We only missed 4, but they came at critical junctions, like front ends of the one and one.

| | - The three blind mice from yesterday's game. Somehow none of them can see our players get hacked on nearly every play, nor the amount of times UNC travels with the ball, but calling a technical from 65-feet away is completely in their realm of officiating. When will the ACC hire real officials?

Articles

Washington Times

Washington Times

Baltimore Sun

Washington Post

Washington Post

Washington Post

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

Examiner

CSTV.com

ESPN.com

Up Next
at Georgia Tech on Thursday. They are 13-8 and 4-3 in the conference. They also play that weird style of defense.

Game #23: North Carolina (ESPN2)

Well here it is, our biggest home game of the year. For the first time in program history, 17,950 people will fill the Comcast Center. A win proves the Duke loss was a fluke, gives us the tiebreaker over UNC and keeps us alive for a No. 1 seed come tournament time. It's also our second home game on national television, which I think is tied with the men this year.

For those that need a history lesson, Carolina has lost 3 of 4 to us including the Final Four last year. They own the nation's longest winning streak at 22 games and the last time they won 22 in a row, they lost (to Maryland in OT).

The ACC wants people to wear pink today to support the fight against breast cancer.

North Carolina
Ranking:2/2
Record: 22-0, 4-0 (ACC), 3-0 (Road)
Common Opponents: Virginia (W, 96-62), Clemson (W, 100-65), NC State (W, 86-65)
Most Points Allowed: 76
Fewest points scored: 69

Team Stats - Team Stats

Averaging nearly 89.9 ppg, while allowing only 51.0

Shooting 48.3% from the floor and 35.1% from three; opponents are shooting 32.1% and 24.9%, respectively.

Outrebounding teams 48.5-33.5

Averaging 16.3 steals per game, but committing 20.0 turnovers per game.

Shooting 69.8% from the free throw line

Tend to stay out of foul trouble, while getting other team's in foul trouble. (65 more fouls have been called on their opponents).

Like to grab rebounds and go. Game is dependent on their transition offense.

Players to Watch - Roster

Ivory Latta. The "PG" that makes this team go. Leads team in points, assists and three-point FG%. Must be guarded at all times and slowed down.

Camille Little. Rangy player that can do it all. Second on the team in scoring, third in rebounding and first in steals. Not afraid to shoot the 3 or just people to the bucket. Will use her length to trap and get the steal.

Erlana Larkins. The team's beef in the middle. She sets up in the paint and looks to bang with the bodies down there. Third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding, second in assists (meaning she passes out of the double team well) and third in steals. She is a key to their regular offense. When she is not on the floor, their offense seems to struggle. Will take a 3 if left open.

LaToya Pringle. Long forward who will disrupt shots and passes. Fourth on the team in scoring, first in blocks, second in rebounding. Has fouled out twice.

Rashana McCants. Younger version of Little. Helps out on the traps. Can shoot the ball, but won't attack as much as Little.

Jessica Breland. Pringle's replacement and clone. Will take a three-point shot.

Alex Miller. Latta's replacement who will also push the tempo. Does play more in control than Latta.

Heather Claytor. Three-point shooter off the bench. Doesn't attack the glass as she hasn't taken a FT all year.


Keys to the Game

Attack the paint. I don't care if the guards take 5 shots in the first 20 minutes, but Sylvia will be stubborn and let Larkins and Pringle play defense straight up on Harper and Langhorne. We need to get the ball down there and attack the, every chance we get.

Control the pace of the game. This didn't happen in the Duke game and we saw what happened there. If you slow Carolina down enough they will make mistakes and get frustrated.

Relax and have fun. The team has gotten excited the last few years playing in front of large crowds. They need to get over that and feed off the emotion.

Defend. Carolina can score from essentially every spot on the floor and we must be ready for that. Our post defense, which has struggled since the Duke game, has to be better. I can see NC attacking us downlow to get Langhorne and Harper out of the game.

Take care of the ball. Don't allow Carolina to set up the trap and attack their press so that they aren't in position.

Harper must step up and play big. We need her to not worry about getting her shot blocked and continue to take it to the basket.

The second wave needs to show up. Jade, SWG and Newman have to be ready to go as we will need them (as Ashleigh found out last year).

Articles

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

Durham Herald-Sun

Charlotte Observer

Raleigh News & Observer

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Washington Post

Terrapin Times

Friday Fun Facts

Jerry Palm and Charlie Creme have updated their brackets.

The Diamondback wrote about last night's game.

The Diamondback wrote about Sunday's sell out

The Diamondback tells students it's time to respect the women's program

TerrapinTimes profiles Elena DelleDonne. I think this article was just a republish.

Episode #3 of Under the Shell is on the web:

Terps Coast to Victory over Tigers, 76-62

For the third straight game since the Duke loss, the Terps have come out strong in the first half, built a huge halftime lead and then coasted to victory on the strength of their ability and lead. For the fifth time in six ACC games (Virginia being the exception), the Terps were outscored in the second half. Clemson held us to 28 points after scoring 48 in the first half. Yes, none of the starters played more than 28 minutes and the game was never in doubt, but either the team is still focused on the Duke loss or they are complacent with going up big and then relaxing.

Kudos to Toliver, who went 6-for-6 from behind the arc to help her record her second 20-point game in 3 outings. Langhorne was back to her old self and Coleman looks to be returning to her All-American form. Now it's time to get ready for Carolina on Sunday at 7 on ESPN2.

Recap | Box Score

Positives

Toliver. Third straight solid game. Looks like she took the Duke game personally. Only issue is that this is the second straight game, she has been invisible from the offense in the second half.

Langhorne. That's the player we expect to see nightly. 7-of-10, 8 rebounds and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

Coleman. Her game is starting to come alive after a little bit of a slump. 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.


Negatives

Second-half emotion. I harped on this earlier, but it's been an issue the last couple of games against inferior opponents.

Three-point shooting. Everyone not wearing #20 shot 0-for-11 from behind the arc? What happened to our marksmen like ability. Toliver has been the only consistent shooter from there since the loss. Have we lost our confidence?

Sa'de. What has happened to her? no points and five turnovers? She was playing so well and now she is struggling. Did the layoff affect her?

Free throw shooting. Too many missed especially from the usually automatic guards.

Turnovers. 17 of them, 11 in the second half.

Jade. It's time for her to bring her swagger back and confidence in her jump shot.

Opponent Results
Michigan State lost to Penn State, 69-58
George Mason beat Northeastern, 68-53
Duke beat Florida State, 73-60
Boston College lost to Georgia Tech, 60-49
Miami lost to Virginia Tech, 78-71
Virginia lost to NC State, 71-60
Mississippi lost to Georgia, 69-60
Loyola beat Iona, 73-68
N. Iowa lost to Illinois St., 60-58
Arizona lost to Stanford, 86-76
UC Santa Barbara lost to Cal State Northridge, 66-64

Game 22: @ Clemson

Back in action, this time in South Carolina versus Clemson for the first time in two years (Ashleigh had 7 threes in that game). The Terps look to start a brand new road winning streak and Crystal looks to get back in double digits. This is one of those trap games as the team could be looking ahead to Sunday's game with UNC or it could be like Miami where we blow the doors off the team.

The game isn't on TV or on the web so it's GameTracker and the boys from WMUC tonight (like the good ole' days). I have a feeling there will be more people listening to the game, then at the actual game.

Clemson
Record: 9-10, 1-3 (ACC), 5-6 (Home)
Common Opponents: Wake Forest (W, 73-57)
Most Points Allowed: 100
Fewest Points Scored: 48

Team Info - Stats

Averaging 69.8 ppg, while allowing 71.9

Being outrebounded 38.7 to 42.4

Very foul prone as they have had 14 foul outs during the year

They generate more turnovers than they create.

No one is shooting over 50% from the floor

5 different players have taken 40+ three pointers (shooting 33.1%)

Over 11 steals per game, I have a feeling the like to press and trap to force the action.

Only shooting 61.9% from the line.

Allowing 42% from the floor and 32.7% from the three-point line.

When they played Wake, they were outrebounded by 5.

First game in over a week.

Two players over 6'2 and they sub for each other.

Players to Watch - Roster

D'Lesha Lloyd. 6' guard/forward who leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Stays inside the arc and is their force in the paint. Has taken more shots than anyone on the team. Averaging over 3 fouls per game.

Tasha Taylor. 5'9 guard. second on the team in scoring. First in FG% and 3FG%. Shooting only 66% from the line

Lele Hardy. 5'10 guard. third on the team in scoring. second in rebounding. first in steals. Only a 38.7% shooter from the floor.

Christy Brown. 5'6 guard. team's point guard. fourth in scoring, first in assists and turnovers. Shoots 59.6% from the line. 42 shoots from behind the arc.

Moreemi Davis/Adrianne Bradshaw. Rotating centers and main shot blockers. Davis shoots better from the floor, but neither one is a good free throw shooter. Both are turnover prone as they each have over 30 turnovers to go with no more than 6 assists.

Yenner/Whitehurst. Three-point shooters off the bench. Whitehurst will shoot more 3s than Yenner, but both need to be marked when they come in the game.

Articles

Diamondback

The State

Washington Post

Examiner

Opponents in Action
Michigan State plays Penn State - 6:00
George Mason plays Northeastern - 7:00
Duke and Florida State square off- 7:00
Boston College and Georgia Tech square off - 7:00
Miami and Virginia Tech square off - 7:00
Virginia and NC State square off - 7:00 (Kay Yow's return to the bench)
Mississippi plays Georgia - 7:00
Loyola plays Iona - 7:00
N. Iowa plays Illinois St - 8:05
Arizona plays Stanford - 9:00
UC Santa Barbara plays Cal State Northridge - 10:00

Wednesday's Words

Still No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and still No. 4 in the SI Power Poll. Something about UT playing Duke closer at home than Maryland playing Duke on the road factored in.

The Diamondback writes about how we got back to our winning ways

Under the Shell is on tonight at 11:30.

Highlights from the Virginia game are up:


Opponents in Action
Marshall plays West Virginia - 5:30
Temple plays Rutgers - 7:00
TCU plays New Mexico - 7:30
Middle Tennessee plays North Texas - 8:00

Monday Musings

NEW FEATURE!! - Instead of waiting all day to see if the site is updated, fans of this blog can subscribe in the box on the left and have any updates e-mailed to them in the morning. (For those that would prefer an RSS addition, leave comments below the post).

Terps still at #3 in the latest AP poll and chances are we won't be in that same spot, this time next week. Picked up 6 points on UT.

Laura Harper blogged last week about the Duke loss and the team's motivation.

Erlana Larkins and Brittany Mitch were the ACC POW.

On CBS yesterday, Stacey Dales picked us as one of the team's she expects to see in the Final Four.

Some Under The Shell stuff for you:
Episode #2:


Highlights from the Miami Game:


Opponents in Action
Duke plays Tennessee - 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
UNC Greensboro plys Wofford - 7 p.m.
Virginia Tech and Virginia square off - 7 p.m. (RSN)

Guards Shoot Terps Past Demon Deacons, 83-60

Just like the weather outside, the game inside the Comcast Center was sloppily played. The Terps once again focused on their defense for a half, limiting Wake to 16 points and under 20% shooting, but sleptwalked through the second half as they were outscored 44-42 and nearly outrebounded. The winning streak is now at 19 games, but Crystal's double-digit scoring streak ends at 44, thanks in part to her awful free throw shooting (she was 1-of-7). 20 wins for the third straight year and five consecutive wins over Wake for the first time in nearly 10 years. Ashleigh Newman had a season-high 21 points.

Stat of the game: Guards 69 points, Posts 14 points.

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2 | Game Highlights

Positives

Coleman. That is the Marissa Coleman I expect to see nearly every game. 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block and no turnovers. She wasn't hesitant to shoot and didn't get upset when her first couple of shots weren't falling.

Aggressiveness. We again attacked the hoop and didn't just settle for jump shots. I would like to see more of that especially when opposing players have four fouls.

Newman. She was feeling it in the second half and took her shots in the flow of the offense. It was also good to see her make a few lay ups on a fast break again.

First half defense. We stepped in the passing lanes, prevented the penetration and got our hands up in the shooter's face. Wake isn't that great offensively, but 16 points is still 16 points.

Aurelie. Filled in nicely with 7 rebounds and solid defense. Also knew what to do on the double-teams.

Negatives

Second half defense. I guess the 25 point lead at half was enough for the team to coast in the second half. Everything that was done right in the first half, was forgotten in half number two.

Crystal's free throw shooting. 1-of-7 can't happen with her, unless they want teams to foul her everytime she touches the ball.

Jade. Ever since that 19 point game, the offense has been non-existent with her.

Harper. From 20+ to 0 points in one game? She seems to get too passive when confronted with a challenge. She needs to be more aggressive even if she misses a few shots.

Jade and Harper. Both looked like they had never seen Crystal double-teamed before and just stood around at the top of the key waiting. Even when they cut, they fumbled the pass or took it in slow motion.

Articles

Baltimore Sun

Washington Post

Examiner

Examiner

Examiner

Up Next
Clemson, which is 9-10 and 1-3 in the ACC. They are coming off a 69-65 loss to BC on Sunday.

Opponents' Results
Florida State loses to Georgia, 70-65
George Mason loses to Towson, 64-54
Michigan State beats Iowa, 67-57
Clemson loses to Boston College, 69-64
North Carolina beats NC State, 86-65
Georgia Tech loses to Vanderbilt, 72-55
George Washington beats Xavier, 67-55
Siena loses to St. Peter's, 51-49
Marist beats Iona, 70-49
Loyola beats Manhattan, 61-45
N. Iowa beats Wichita State, 66-56

Game 21: Wake Forest

Looks like we went with the NCAA Tournament schedule this week, with a game, day off, then game again. The game today is at 4 (Note the time change) and will be on CSTV as well as on the radio. Winning streak is at 18 (I miscounted) and a win today locks up our third straight 20-win season for the first time since the 1980 season. Wake took us to overtime last year and we are 45-12 against them all-time. A win also makes it five straight against the Demon Deacons, the most since the 1998 season.

Wake Forest
Record: 8-10, 0-5 (ACC), 1-3 (Road)
Common Opponents:Virginia (L, 70-77); NC State (L, 57-80)
Losses:Indiana, Western Carolina, James Madison, Richmond, Virginia Tech, Clemson, UNC Asheville, Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech.
Most points allowed:80
Fewest points scored34

Team Info - Stats

8 straight losses in ACC play dating back to last year.

Averaging 58.1 ppg, while allowing 63.1 ppg.

Shooting 36.8% from the floor and 31.5% from behind the arc.

Outrebounding opponents 40.4 - 37.6 (They are the tallest team in the ACC)

Averaging 19.3 turnovers per game, while generating 7.6 steals per game.

3.7 Blocks per game.

62.2% from the free throw line (No one shoots better than 75%)

Only one person on the team has more assists than turnovers.

Player's Info - Roster

Their best player is Yolanda Lavender, a 5-9 guard from D.C., who is averaging 18.2 ppg. She has taken 312 shots, 107 more than the next person on the team. She has also taken 132 three-pointers. This is her first game back in D.C. so I expect her to want to show something to her fans. She doesn't attack the glass and isn't big on the defensive end.

Alex Tchangoue. 5'11 guard. second on the team in scoring (11.7). First in steals. Best shooter, hitting 40.7% from behind the arc. Aggressive defender who has gotten into foul trouble. Also second on the team in rebounding.

Corinne Groves. Team's leading rebounder at 10.1 per game and third on the team in scoring (10.3). Shooting only 48% from the field.

Melissa Washington/Mekia Valentine. The team's main two shot blockers. They don't really factor into the offense, but stand in the paint looking to knock away shots. Valentine will get in foul trouble.

Courteney Morris/Christen Brown. The team's shooting threats when Lavender and Tchangoue aren't in the game.

Keys to the Game

Put the game away earlier. This game should be over by halftime.

Defend. They just came off a game where they scored 34 points, they will be looking to score.

Contain Lavender. She will drive and shoot at will. She must be contained liked we contained Taylor two weeks ago.

Box out Groves and Tchangoue. They are the two main rebounders, especially Groves.

Attack the paint. We did a bunch of this against Virginia, but we need to keep it up today. Langhorne had 34 and 14 last year in this game, and I would expect similiar numbers today. (10 of those did come in OT)

Articles

Washington Post

Opponents in Action
Florida State plays Georgia - 12:30 (RSN)

GameTracker
George Mason plays Towson - 2:00
Michigan State plays Iowa - 2:00
Clemson and Boston College square off - 2:00

GameTracker

Webcast
North Carolina and NC State square off - 2:00

GameTracker

Webcast
Georgia Tech plays Vanderbilt - 3:00

GameTracker
George Washington plays Xavier - 2:00 (ESPN2)
Siena plays St. Peter's - 2:00
Marist plays Iona - 2:00
Loyola plays Manhattan - 2:00
N. Iowa plays Wichita State - 3:00

Terps Rebound to Wallop Virginia, 95-68

So much for the hangover after the first loss. Four players in double-figures (all scored 16+) and the home-winning streak extends to 17 games. That's three-straight over Virginia for the first time in a long time. The outset of the game was a struggle as the team focused on defense and the shots weren't falling (You could see that they were very concerned about defense). Then a 14-0 run happened and Virginia never led again. Crystal had a double-double. Toliver and Harper just missed them and Jade had 10 rebounds.

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Notes

Positives

Defense. I liked what I saw on defense, but I still think we have work to do. We did a decent job cutting off the penetration (although Pellum did it with ease), but our low post defense was sometimes non-existent againt Littles. The team communicated, kept its hands up and helped each other out.

Rebounding. Virginia doesn't have that much height, but we controlled the glass all night.

Crystal. 17 and 12, 13 and 6 in the second half after sitting most of the first half with foul trouble. Over 1500 points for her now.

Harper. Started off great attacking the glass on both ends. Also, stepped up on the defense end with 5 blocks.

Coleman. A quiet 16 points and a nifty behind the back assist to Harper on the break. She filled up the box score again and played solid defense on Wright.

Toliver. Good rebound off the Duke loss with clutch shooting and finding the open player. Defense was better as for the most part she contained Zoll's dribble penetration.

Jade. Shots weren't falling and she still fought for rebounds.

Coaching. I liked how Brenda pulled players that weren't playing defense and even called a time out to get the defense reorganized. It shows where the focus is.

Negatives

Attacking. It was more than we saw in the Duke game, which I liked, but I think sometimes we rely too much on our shooting. I am puzzled why we didn't attack Little everytime down the floor when she had 4 fouls. I know they played a zone, but we have to recognize that she's their main player and she's not going to play great defense when in foul trouble.

Sa'de. I thought this was the worst game I have seen her play thus far. She missed both of her shots, wasn't hustling up and down the court and look tired.

Referees. Two technicals, a flagrant foul and numerous offensive fouls. It got so bad, I had no idea what was a foul and what wasn't.

Articles

Philly Inquirer

Washington Times

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Daily Progress

Terrapin Times

Up Next
Wake Forest who is 8-10 and winless in the league. Last year we needed OT to beat them. That shouldn't be the case on Sunday at 4 (Please note the new start time)

Game 20: Virginia

It's been six days since the Drubbing (or Debacle) in Durham and now it's time to get back on the court and show what we learned. No more winning streak. No more perfect season. No more #1 ranking. We only have a home winning streak and a streak over Virginia, none of which matter since a loss tonight would be devastating. Will the team respond to the loss or has Duke exposed their flaws?

One last point about Duke: Does Bales have nightmares about Toliver? First there was "The Shot" and then on Saturday there was "The Block"

I have changed the opponent preview to hopefully make it more reader friendly.

Record: 12-5, 2-1 (ACC), 2-2 (Road)
Common Opponents: Temple (W, 71-65), Marshall (W, 75-58)
Losses: Liberty, South Dakota State, UConn, Richmond and UNC
Most points given up: 96 (twice)

Team Info:

They score 75.2 ppg, while allowing 68.4

They Shoot 42.8%, while opponents shoot 40.4%.

Shoot and allow 32% from behind the arc.

They grab 40.4 rebounds per game, only 3 better than their opponents.

They also turn the ball over more than 17 times per game, and generate 9 steals per game.

Don't get in a ton of foul trouble as no one is averaging more than 3 fouls per game.

only 53 blocks all year.

their bench has very little punch.

Players to Watch

Sharnee Zoll - one of the best PG in the league and is a slightly lesser version of Harding. She drives the lane, shoots the three and will dish the ball in traffic. Also has active hands on defense.

Lyndra Littles - Main post player. Undersized, but tenacious. Shooting 51.5% and leads team in points (15.9) and rebounds (8.9) Also leads team in turnovers.

Monica Wright - Frontrunner for ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Coleman clone, but has to do more because lack of other players. She's active on defense with 41 steals and will drive to the bucket as well as take pull up jumperz. Has only made 9 of 44 three-pointers all year.

Brenna McGuire - Main three-point threat. She basically runs down the court and sets up shop for a 3. Has taken only 35 shots inside the arc all year (made more 3s than that). Also a liability on defense as she isn't quick enough to stay with faster guards.

Siedah Williams - Athletic forward who is only averaging 8.6 ppg and 6.3 rpg. She has taken over 100 shots, but her athleticism isn't helping with her offense.

Keys to the Game

Defend. Virginia is going to drive to the bucket and set screens all day because of what they saw at Duke. Hopefully the days of easy trips to the basket are over. I see Toliver trying to redeem herself by guarding Zoll and Coleman on Wright.

Don't be overaggressive. Sometimes teams will try to hard to play defense and it results in foul trouble. We have to be smart on defense, but not ultraaggressive so that half the team is on the bench.

Shooting. Forget about the last game and do what they have done the previous 18 games. As pointed out by the Basketcases, the starters haven't faired well in the last two games, shooting only 43%.

Pressure the Cavs. They have 3 players over 50 TOs, so they must be forced to do something they aren't used to doing.

Attack them. They don't get in foul trouble, so either they A) don't play defense or B)are great at containing teams and forcing them to do what they want. We have an issue where we never attack teams and settle for jumpers, etc.

Contain Zoll. She makes that team go. Stop her and the offense will falter.

Rebound. We should be able to dominate them on the boards. They have no one over 6'3.

Defend. It needs to be reiterated after last Saturday.

Articles

Washington Times

Baltimore Sun

Daily Progress

Daily Progress

TV/Radio

The game is on WMUC Radio

Television coverage on RSN. For those in the area, Comcast SportsNet will show the game at 11:30 on tape delay or check here to see if the game will be on live in your area.

Wednesday's Words

In case you haven't heard, we dropped to 3 in both major polls (Tennessee is nipping on our heals) and 4th in the SI Power Poll.

Jerry Palm released his first bracket of 2007 and we are one seed in the Dayton Regional.

Laura talks about male practice players in this USA Today article. For those that don't know, a group known as the CWA wants to ban male practice players because they feel it limits the opportunities for women in college basketball. They essentially believe that more females aren't be given the chance to play college basketball, because the coaches would rather use the men.

I read the comments here and on the basketcases board and it seems everyone agrees the defense sucks and Langhorne needs more touches. Some have suggested more of a zone, but in the games we have played zone this year, we haven't looked well playing it. Also, there was a comment about not playing as a team. I think we have played too much as a team at certain points, trying to make the extra pass, etc. There has to be a time where certain players just take over the game, like Toliver against Utah and Langhorne against Baylor last year. I do agree that trying to go 1v1 Bales when down 13 is not the best option.

Terps Bedeviled in Durham, 62-81

It's been nearly two days and I still can't believe what happened on Sunday. I never thought everyone of the guards would go cold at the same time. I never thought we would lose to anyone by double-digits this year. Winning streak over. Perfect season over. Unstoppable team belief over. The only streaks that continued were Langhorne's double-digit scoring streak and losing in Durham streak. Why do we always have to get our asses kicked the first we play them each year?

We scored the most points against Duke all year, consequently gave up the most points all year. It was a humbling experience and I hope the ladies learn from it. We will find out on Friday, then sunday, then thursday and definitely on the 28th against Carolina.

Positives (Yes there were some)

Langhorne. 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 7 rebounds. Consistently beat Bales in the low post (only misses were jumpers). Still trying to figure out why she rarely got the ball in the second half.

Rebounding. We matched them board for board, which is something I couldn't believe when looking at the box score.

Turnovers. We didn't have that many, which was also a shock considering the score.

Negatives

Guard defense. consistently a step slower and a step behind. How many times did Harding have to drive the lane before she was stopped? Where was the help defense off the screen? Why were we hedging so much on the screens set by Bales, were we that afraid that Harding was going to pull up from 21 feet? Why was Coleman following Smith to the three-point line knowing that she's not the greatest shooter from out there? That left her open for the back door screen. Did we ever think about trying to take a charge on all those run outs by Duke? What happened to Sa'de's speed?

Harper. She's 6'4 and for some reason when she plays against a person, just a bit taller, she shrinks to 6'1. There is no reason for Bales to ever block her shot or for her to miss as many lay ups as she did. She gets so afraid of contact and then doesn't attack the glass.

Shooting. We had enough open shots that we shouldn't have missed that many of them. What ever was going on inside their heads on gameday needs to be addressed?

Mental toughness. The team faced a big deficit and instead of locking down on defense, they shrunk up and just tried to match Duke basket for basket. I thought we had gotten over that flaw.

Langhorne and Coleman. I know there are 8 stars on the team and they are all about team ball, but the two of them need to step up when the team needs them. Coleman looked passive when her shots weren't falling, while Langhorne doesn't command the ball. When you shoot 77% from the floor and the person guarding you is slow, ask from the damn ball and take it at her everytime.

Gameplan. I liked the first half plan to spread the floor and get the ball to the open shooters. In the second half I had no idea what we were doing. Instead we tried to challenge Bales, but not initiate any contact. we took I think three 3s in the second half. Who cares if we missed in the first half, they were good looks. Where were the Langhorne isolations? Where was the high low play to attack the double team, where Harper streaks from the top of the key to get the pass from the double teamed Langhorne?

Bottomline: We were outhustled and worked. Duke wanted it more and the ladies couldn't handle it. I expected to see more heart out of this team. The team needs to worry about kicking everyone else's ass before worrying about playing Duke again. If we drop below 5, it will be a travesty.

Game 19: at Duke

Last time we played Duke, there was this:

which resulted in this:

which later led to this:

and this:


It's been over nine months since that evening in Boston and I still sit in shock about that state of events. But like the ladies said on Under The Shell, it's time to move on.

Today we return to our last road loss and only road loss during the season - Cameron Indoor Stadium. It's sold out and the students are back in session ready to heckle the players mercilessly. Brena will get heckled about her hair and how she never sits down, but I wonder if there is anything instore for the players. Last year, they went after Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle due to her theivery at Walmart as a senior.

Both teams are undefeated and the top spot in the ACC is on the line. Maryland hasn't won in Durham since 2000 and Duke hasn't lost a regular-season game to Maryland during that same time frame.

Duke has changed since the last time we saw them, as Currie, Williams (nee Bass) and Foley are gone, while Chante Black is sidelined with a knee injury. They don't have a goto player as the have in the past with Currie and Waner, but that could be a bonus for them as you don't know who to cover at the end of a game.

The Blue Devils have played two common opponents: Marist (71-50) and Miami (72-42) as well as five ranked teams.

The key to the Blue Devils is their defense. In 17 games this year, only 4 teams have scored more than 50 against them (their last two opponents have done it to them) and the most they have given up is 54. Also, only 5 teams have shot over 30% against them with 40% being the high (last game vs. GT). They rebound the ball well (44.3), block shots (7.7) and create turnovers (13.1 steals per game). They do have an offense too as they are averaging 78.2 points per game and shoot 43 percent from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. They are also quite good from the free throw line shooting 75%.

Duke is led by Harding, Bales and Abby Waner. Harding runs the point and is their stopper on defense. She likes to penetrate the lane and create her shot, rather than settling for 3s, as she has taken only 36 all year. One of the reasons we won last year is because she fouled out and Duke didn't have a capable back up point guard. Waner is their 3-point specialist, shooting 36 percent and taking the most on the team (her sister is second on the squad). She leads the team in steals primarily because she comes over to trap with Harding and is the one who gets the ball. They also trap with Gay. Bales will forever be linked to not being tall enough, but she's a solid player in the middle for them. She's a shot blocker and tall enough to give our post players fits. She is shooting under 50 percent from the floor and I wonder if that is because she is settling for jumpers. Gay and Smith are the other starters. Gay is the athletic post player, but lacks the height of Black. Smith is the two/three guard who will shoot the 3, but is more likely to pass the ball and play tough defense.

Keys to the Game

Beat the trap. Kristi, Marissa, Shay and Sa'de need to bring the ball to the middle instead of the side so that Duke's trap is ineffective. In the same vein, we must give the ballhandler an outlet if and when she gets trapped. The posts should space themselves out in the paint so that Bales can't guard both of them at the same time.

Rebound. Duke relies on Bales and Gay to get a majority of their rebounds. If we rebound, they can't set up the trap and it keeps Duke from getting second chance opportunities. In the two games we beat Duke last year, we outrebounded them. In the losses, they outrebounded us.

Attack their defense. We can't always settle for jumpers not matter how good we are at shooting them. When I watched the VT game, I saw Duke got itself in trouble with its aggressive defense leading to all five starters getting in foul trouble in the first half. We can't be afraid of Bales just like we weren't afraid of DeHaan. Bales on the bench equals inexperience in the paint.

Be prepared for the crowd. Luckily, we have a veteran team that has played in that hostile environment before so we should be ready for it, but you never know. It will be loud and hostile, and we need to block it all out. One way to take the crowd out of the game is to go on one of our patented runs early on.

Be prepared for a run. Duke will make a run during the game, hopefully it's a 4-0 to 6-0 run and not the long ones like they normally go on against us. If this happens, we need to not be frazzled and just answer them.

Langhorne. She needs to recognize right away if they are going to double her and find the open shooter. If not, she can take Bales 1v1. If Black guards her, ditto. I would be shocked if Gail let Langhorne be played straight up.

Sa'de. Time to see if that quickness can beat the press. She needs to take the ball and go to the hoop and dish it off when the shot blockers come.

Protect the ball. 20 turnovers works against less talented teams, it won't work against Duke. Not too many risky gambles.

Make the free throws. Abby Waner missed one that lost her team the game, we don't need to have that happen to us.

Posts must stay out of foul trouble. just like Duke we are thin in the post and if Langhorne and Harper are sitting on the bench, then Bales will get many touches.

Articles

Washington Post

Washington Times

Baltimore Sun

Raleigh News and Observer

Examiner

Fayetteville Observer

Friday's Opponents' Results
Temple beat St. Bonaventure, 73-55
Marist beat Canisius, 63-54
George Washington beat Fordam, 77-51
Siena beat Fairfield, 57-52
Loyola plays Manhattan, 66-56

Opponents in Action
UNC Greensboro plays Appalachian St.
Middle Tennessee plays New Orleans
UC Santa Barbara plays UC Davis
Arizona plays Oregon State.

Friday Fun Facts

Dick Patrick writes about tomorrow's showdown in USA Today.

Jessie H. Nunery of the Rocky Mount Telegram tells people that the women have a game worth watching too. Unfortunately, she can't spell Kristi's last name.

The DC Express wrote about the game.

Beth Mowins talks about Maryland's X Factor as well as Toliver trying to get past "The Shot"for ESPN.com.

DWHoops.com writes about how Duke can win the game.

The Duke Chronicle previews the game.

The first episode of Under the Shell aired on Wednesday and here it is:


Opponents in Action
Temple plays St. Bonaventure
Marist plays Canisius
George Washington plays Fordam
Siena plays Fordham
Loyola plays Manhattan

Thursday's Opponents' Results
Middle Tennessee beat Florida Atlantic, 78-48
Michigan State lost to Purdue, 70-60
NC State beat Boston College, 58-40
North Carolina beat Clemson, 100-65
Wake Forest lost to Virginia, 77-70
George Mason lost to James Madison, 68-38
Mississippi beat LSU, 77-74
Marshall lost to Rice, 83-79
Northern Iowa lost to Evansville, 56-54
TCU beat Air Force, 87-61
UC Santa Barbara beat Utah Valley St., 86-58
Arizona lost to Oregon, 86-73

Maryland turns Miami into a Slight Wind, 111-53

For the second game in a row, all I can say is wow. I expected to win big, but not by 57. That's our most points in an ACC game in nearly 26 years. Six in double figures, led by reserves, I mean second wavers (thx basketcases) Jade Perry and Ashleigh Newman, who each had 19. To be honest, I watched the first half
and then headed to Comcast for the disaster. (I should have stayed at home) What I saw in the first half was domination on both ends of the floor. Miami's offense never could get on track as Taylor couldn't shoot and on defense Miami didn't know who to guard. Case in point: With the score 10-4, here is what happened in the next 6 possesions: Newman 3, Newman 3 (Miami TO), Toliver 3, Missed shot, Wiley-Gatewood 3, Coleman 3. That's 5 three-pointers made by four different players. Also added into the mix were 56 rebounds compared to Miami's 25.

Winning streak reaches 24. 18-0 overall. 2-0 in conference for the first time since 2004. 4th game of 100 or better. Team is averaging 96 ppg with Sa'de. Second straight game of 56 rebounds.

Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

Positives

Rebounding. Ever since the poor effort against NC State the team has attacked the glass at every chance they get. 56 rebounds in back-to-back games is impressive.

Jade. Back-to-back games with a double-double. Saturday it was from the line, and yesterday it was from the floor. They can let her shoot that jumper all day and eventually they will have to come out and guard her.

Newman. I hope this game busts her out of that shooting slump she was in. 6-of-7, two off the school record, but the school record for percentage.

Coleman. Rebounded from two poor scoring games, by lighting it up in the first half. Nearly a double-double at halftime.

Three-point shooting. 11 made and every guard but Marrone and Doron had one. Great balance.

The defense. Like I said, Miami looked confused in the first half and it resulted in us grabbing 13 steals, which may be a season high.

Negatives

Turnovers. Too many sloppy passes from what I saw.

Articles

USA Today

Associated Press

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Herald

Opponents in Action
Middle Tennessee plays Florida Atlantic
Michigan State plays Purdue
NC State and Boston College square off
North Carolina and Clemson square off
Wake Forest and Virginia square off
George Mason plays James Madison
Mississippi plays LSU
Marshall plays Rice
Northern Iowa plays Evansville
TCU plays Air Force
UC Santa Barbara plays Utah Valley St.
Arizona plays Oregon

Wednesday's Opponents' Results
Virginia Tech beat UNC Greensboro, 56-45
Georgia Tech lost to Duke, 83-51

Up Next
A game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against our old friends from Duke University. They are also undefeated. Their place is sold out and they are looking for revenge.

Game 18: at Miami (Fla.)

For the first time in nearly a month, the Terps hit the road to take on the Hurricanes of Miami. The Terps are 5-0 on the road this season and have won six in a row on the road dating back to last season. This is our only meeting with Miami and have taken 3 straight from them. The game can be heard on the radio via Miami's WVUM or watched via ACC Select

Miami enters the game with a record of 9-8 and losers of three consecutive. They are 0-2 in conference having lost to FSU and Duke. The Hurricanes are 7-1 at home with the lone loss being to Auburn in their last home game. Our only common opponent is Mississippi, which they lost to 82-64.

Miami is averaging 70.1 ppg, while allowing 67.9 ppg. 83 is the most they have given up in a game. They shoot 41.1 percent from the floor and 30 percent from behind the arc. Miami grabs 40+ rebounds a game and still has a negative rebounding margin. They turn the ball over 19 times a game, but also generate about 10 steals per contest. Nothing really jumps out at me in their stats because of their level of competition. Looking back to last year's game, they like to run the ball up and down the court and create offensive off their turnovers. They have some height on the roster, so I don't understand the obsessive with sudden offense.

For a scouting report on Miami, just call anyone that played Monroe CC two years ago as second year head coach Katie Meier essentially recruited the guards off that team to run the Hurricanes. First is 5'2 senior PG Renee Taylor, who is lightening fast and shoots whenever she wants(remind you of another guard in the ACC?). Taylor has attempted 78 more shots than the next person on the team and 67 more threes than the next person. She rarely passes the ball and doesn't have that many rebounds. Her backcourt mate is Maurita Reid. She is second on the team in points, shots, three-pointers and rebounds. She leads the team in steals. Miami really has no post presence. Their best post player last year was Denison and she came off the bench one game. She leads the team in rebounds, but in their two ACC games has hardly any points. Carla Williams, 6'4 center, has been their post player off the bench.

Keys to the Game

Rebound the ball. If we get outrebounded, it means we spent too much time on South Beach or we made every shot we took and had limited opportunities on the other end.

Establish the post. Jade, Laura and Crystal should all have at least 10 points.

Shut down one of the guards. We won't be able to stop both as Taylor is quick,so I would suggest Reid. She tends to do more than just score and Taylor will shoot no matter what the situation.

Don't try and keep pace. Just because they want to run doesn't mean have to run. Get in our offensive sets and win the way we have for 23 straight games.

Put the game away. After we make our run, which we all know will happen, don't let up. We blew a 13-point lead last year and I don't want to see that happen again.

Opponents in Action
Virginia Tech and UNC Greensboro square off
Georgia Tech and Duke square off

GameTracker | Webcast



Tuesday's Opponents' Results
Middle Tennessee beat Florida International, 86-52
George Mason beat Brown, 73-50
Temple beat St. Joe's, 59-53
George Washington beat Richmond, 57-50

Tuesday's Trivia

Still No. 1 in both polls, and we gained a second place vote in the AP poll (thanks Jay Jenkins).

Charlie Creme writes about the lack of parity and then gives us his latest bracketology. For some reason he has us going to Texas for the first and second rounds.

For the first time in school history Comcast Center will be SOLD OUT for a women's game.

The highlights from the MSU game are up on Under The Shell Website. Look below to see them.


Opponents in Action
Middle Tennessee plays Florida International
George Mason plays Brown
Temple plays St. Joe's
George Washington plays Richmond


Monday's Opponents Results
Wake Forest lost to UNC Asheville, 58-53
UNC Greensboro beat Georgia Southern, 80-55
Loyola lost to Fairfield, 57-54
Marist beat Rider, 84-59
Siena lost to Iona, 81-77
Virginia lost to North Carolina, 96-62

Monday's Musings

Langhorne named ACC Player of the Week for the first time this season.

According to yesterday's Texas-Purdue game, Nancy Lieberman doesn't think Lang is one of the top 5 players in the country. Luckily, Pam Ward (and an alum) chimed in. NL believes Marissa is the best player on the team though.

The State News writes about Saturday's blowout twice

The Diamondback also writes about the win.

Having read over most of the message boards now, two conclusions have been reached: 1. People think we are scary good or 2: Michigan State is overrated. I wonder what this team must do to prove itself?

Opponents in Action
Wake Forest plays UNC Asheville
UNC Greensboro plays Georgia Southern
Loyola plays Fairfield
Marist plays Rider
Siena plays Iona
Virginia and North Carolina square off

Gametracker | Game is also on TV (Check local listings)

Sunday's Opponents' Results
Virginia Tech lost to Duke, 86-54
Georgia Tech beat Clemson, 63-57
NC State lost to Xavier, 76-69
Miami lost to Florida St., 71-62
George Mason lost to William & Mary, 47-46
Marshall beat Southern Miss., 96-83
Mississippi beat Vanderbilt, 76-66

Terps Make Statement, Crush Spartans, 97-57

Wow, that's all I can say is Wow. I expected a win and probably a 20-point win that gained throughout the game. I just never thought we would crush them by 40. For those that thought the 16-0 start was a fluke, guess again. For those that saw us for the first time, be afraid, be very afraid. This was the 18th-ranked team in the country and we crushed them, so I hope this is a good indication for the rest of the season.

Important Notes:

5 players in double figures and that didn't include Sa'de or Marissa.

56 rebounds were the most allowed by MSU all year and the most grabbed by the Terps

23 straight wins, 17 to start the season.

Most points allowed by MSU all year.

Undefeated non-conference season for the first time in school history.

Game Recap | Box Score | Notes | Quotes

Positives

Langhorne. So Nell Fortner doesn't think she is POY candidate? Check out this statline: 12-of-13, 9 rebounds, 3 assists against a 6'9 lady. That up and under move in the first half was unbelievable.

Jade Perry. 12 points, 8 from the free throw line, and 10 rebounds. Giving up nearly a foot to DeHaan, she held her own and made her buckets count.

Toliver. Does anyone else put their hands up the second she releases the ball? I know I do. What a pure shot to go along with 6 assists and 3 rebounds.

Rebounding. 56 of them, while limiting DeHaan to 4 total.

Never letting up. When we went up by 30, I figured we would mail it in. I was wrong as the score climbed to as high as 47 with 2:50 to go.

Negatives

Yes, leave to me to find a negative. I didn't like our three-point defense. We spent a lot of time focusing on controlling the paint that we continued to leave Lucas-Perry open. We fixed it in the second half as they only made 1 but they attempted 12.

Articles

Baltimore Sun

Washington Post

Washington Times

Washington Post

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Washinton Times

Saturday's Opponents' Results
Marist beat Fairfield, 74-52
Gardner-Webb beat North Florida, 39-35
UNC-Greensboro beat Furman, 67-53
Siena lost to Loyola, 60-53
TCU beat Colorado St, 86-36
Northern Iowa beat Drake, 61-55
UC Santa Barbara beat UC Irvine, 86-67
Middle Tennessee beat Troy St., 90-55
Arizona beat Washington St., 59-57 (OT)

Opponents in Action
Virginia Tech and Duke square off
Georgia Tech and Clemson square off

GameTracker | Webcast
Miami and Florida State square off

GameTracker
NC State plays Xavier

GameTracker
George Mason plays William & Mary
Marshall plays Southern Miss.
Mississippi plays Vanderbilt

Game 17: Michigan State

For the first time since 2005 a ranked non-conference opponent will take to the Comcast Center floor to play our Terps. It's our first game on National Television (i.e. the Big Four networks) in a long time and there are expected to be over 12,000 on hand to see us against Michigan State. The game will prove if playing all the cupcakes hurt us or helped us.

Michigan State enters the game with a record of 12-2 and winners of five straight. Their two losses have come to Hofstra and LSU, both at home. They are coming off an overtime win over Indiana on Thursday, their seventh straight OT victory (looks like we need to trademark that phrase quickly). Our only common opponent was UC Santa Barbara, which they beat by 24.

It's been over a year since we have played Michigan State in the Paradise Jam (if you want to read about that game you can click here) and their main personnel has changed. Gone are Bowen and Shimek and they are replaced by Victoria Lucas-Perry (a backup last year) and freshman 6'9 center Allyssa DeHaan (yes she is 6'9).

Unless they have changed from a year ago, MSU is a team centered around defense and they play one of the best 2-3 zones in the country. Last year it confused us and we resorted to running a weave to confuse them and get off a good shot. They are averaging 54.6 points allowed per game with the most they have given up all year is 71. They score 66.4 ppg and outrebound opponents by over 8 a game. They force opponents into 17.9 turnovers a game, while committing 19.6 per game. Opponents are shooting .324 from the floor and .271 from behind the arc.

The two key players on the team are the afore mentioned Lucas-Perry and DeHaan. Perry is 5'9 and leads the team with 13.7 ppg. She shoots 37 percent from three-point range(best on the team) and is first in steals and second in assists. DeHaan is averagaing 12.8 and 9.2 and leads the team with 67 blocks. She also shoots 56.1 percent from the floor(seems a bit low for someone who towers over ever other player). She also doesn't seem to get in foul trouble, which could be a result of the zone). Rene Haynes and Aisha Jefferson also can't be overlooked as they are also averaging double figures in points. Haynes is second on the team in three-point shooting, while Jefferson is second in rebounding.

Keys to the Game

Utilize our speed. State wants to settle you down and force you to play against their zone. The less time we give them to set up the zone, the better chance we have of building a lead.

Rebound. We haven't done it well in a few games and now we head into the game where we don't have the tallest person the court.

Attack their posts, especially DeHaan. She likes to block shots and is the key to the middle of their zone. Langhorne, Harper and the rest need to get into the paint and draw contact on her to get her out of the game. Their next tallest is 6'3, which is more manageable.

Don't be afraid to shoot the 3. We know we can make it and if they want to sit in a zone all day it's open season.

Smart passes. They are averaging nearly 10 steals per game.

Build off the crowd. Largest crowd since last year's Duke game and we shrunk in that game, can't do the same today.

Play a complete game. Do that and we win by double-figures. Don't do that and it will be a struggle to win.

Articles

Examiner

Detroit Free Press

Friday's Opponents' Results
Temple beat Brown, 71-37
Clemson beat Wake Forest, 73-57
Marshall beat Central Florida, 62-58

Opponents in Action
Marist plays Fairfield
Gardner-Webb plays North Florida
UNC-Greensboro plays Furman
Siena and Loyola square off
TCU plays Colorado St
Northern Iowa plays Drake
Arizona plays Washington State
UC Santa Barbara plays UC Irvine
Middle Tennessee plays Troy St.

Friday Facts

The Associated Press has decided to release their votes each week, which you can see here. Looking through them all, I noticed that Jay Jenkins of the Charlottesville Daily is the lone person ranking us third and Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News has us second behind Duke. I couldn't find the other second place vote.

Milton Kent of the Baltimore Sun writes about the Terps easy non-conference schedule. While I see his point, I would rather the team rested and ready rather than beaten down. Tennessee hasn't won a title since 1998 and it could be related to a) getting beat up during the course of the season and b) having your weaknesses exposed by all these other good teams.

As of last check at least 12,000 tickets have been sold for tomorrow's game and the American Red Cross will be there looking for blood donations. Also some recruits including Ms. Shegog. Hopefully there will be some signs in the crowd telling her to pick Maryland.


Thursday's Opponents' Results
Mississippi beats Auburn, 74-66
Michigan State beats Indiana, 64-56 (OT)
George Mason lost to UNC Wilmington, 59-57
Northern Iowa beats Creighton, 56-53
Arizona lost to Washington, 83-66
UC Santa Barbara beats Long Beach State, 71-60
Florida State beats Boston College, 72-53
Georgia Tech beats Winston-Salem, 75-43
Virginia Tech lost to North Carolina, 102-68

Opponents in Action
Temple plays Brown
Clemson and Wake Forest square off - GameTracker
Marshall plays Central Florida

Terps Rout Wolfpack in ACC Opener, 80-61

Well it looks like ACC play started just like non-conference play finished with another blowout win. The Terps came out ready to play from the get go and built a 26-point lead at halftime, thanks to a slow clock on the half's final play. The second half was more of a cruise control game as they were outscored (Terps scored only 10 points in the final 10 minutes) and outrebounded (a first this year). Shay moved up to No. 2 on the points list, Langhorne is in ninth place now. The winning streak is now at 22, 16-0 start matches the best in school history and Brenda won game 100. Oh and the new girl was 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line.

Game Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery | Photo Gallery

Positives

Sa'de - Fourth game, third double-digit scoring game, and perfect from behind the arc. Plus, she is making Kristi and everyone else so much better.

Harper - Her jump shot is working again and she opens up the lane for Langhorne.

Langhorne - Now that she is in conference play and more teams want to play her straight up, she will begin to abuse them as she did that poor freshman last night.

Teamwork - Another 20+ assist night.

Negatives

The second half - We showed up for the first 10 minutes and then coasted for some reason. I understand they were up big, but that is still no excuse. Also wonder when Coach will let Langhorne and Harper play 30+ minutes. There will be a time where they have to play more minutes and I would like to see them prepared for that.

Rebounding - This is the second game in a row where I haven't been impressed with our rebounding effort. We box out, but then don't fight for the ball. NC State must have grabbed at least 10 loose balls night.

Articles

Washington Times

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Diamondback

Up Next
Michigan State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS. Michigan St plays Indiana tonight for the second time in less than a week and third Big Ten game.

Opponents' Results
TCU beat UNLV, 88-63
Duke beat Miami, 72-42
Virginia lost to Richmond, 73-70

Opponents In Action
Mississippi plays Auburn
Michigan State plays Indiana
George Mason plays UNC Wilmington
Northern Iowa plays Creighton
Arizona plays Washington
UC Santa Barbara plays Long Beach State
Florida State and Boston College square off
Georgia Tech plays Winston-Salem
Virginia Tech and North Carolina square off

Game #16: North Carolina State (ACC)

Well, now the games start for real. After two months of decent, but not great competition, we finally get in to conference play, with the lone out of conference game being against Michigan State on Saturday. While I hope every game from hear until April 4th is a blowout, we all know that probably won't be possible as the coaches are all familiar with each other (no coaching changes last year).

A few notes about tonight:

A win matches the best start in school history

A win sets the school record for consecutive victories

A win gives Brenda her 100th at Maryland

Game is on the radio and the internet.

Tonight, we open at home for the first time in four years, which was also against NC State. NC State comes into the game with a record of 11-3, but are 2-3 on the road and at neutral sites. The Terps are 8-0 in similar games this year. The Pack has lost to Purdue, Arizona (In OT), and Nebraska. They are 2-1 against Terp Opponents having beaten UC Santa Barbara (64-55) and Temple (59-57) to go along with the previously mentioned loss to Arizona.

NC State will also play the game without coach Kay Yow on the bench as she is battling cancer. Be gracious Terp Fans and send her a message here.

As a team they are averaging 64.4 ppg, while allowing 52.1 ppg. They outrebound opponents by over 4 a game, while shooting just a shade over 40 percent. They create 20.1 turnovers a game, but also commit 16.6 per game. They look to have balance all over the court with 10 players seeing action in all 14 games this year.

They average around 6' in height with their tallest player Gillian Goring at 6'7. She has only seen action in 8 games. The Pack is led by 6'1 guard Shayla Fields 11.3 ppg. She looks to be an off guard as she is averaging only 2.9 rpg, and has taken 48 three-point shots. Khadijah Whittington is essentially their only post player as she is averaging nearly double figures in both points and rebounds. She hasn't shot a 3 all year, but leads the team in blocks with 20. Marquetta Dickens is their other post player, but tends to be foul prone as she has fouled out 3 times and is only averaging 5.6 rpg. Ashley Key and Keisha Brown, who comes off the bench, both like to shoot the 3 and sit on the perimeter.

Keys to the Game

Runs - Make a few early and control NC State's Runs. you keep NC State in the game and they will get confidence. They seem to play better in the second half, so the start of the second half will be key.

Control Whittington - She's their only force down low, so attack her and get her in foul trouble and we should be able to control the paint.

Watch out for Brown - She's their secret weapon off the bench and has to be taken into account when she checks in.

Guard the three-point line - We didn't do a great job of that against Marist.

Sa'de - Her first game against "real" competition in almost two years. I want to see how her speed translates against teams with like abilities.

Continue our torrid shooting - It only opens up the inside more for Jade, Harper and Langhorne.

Articles

Washington Times

Washington Post

Tuesday's Opponents' Results
George Mason beat Fordham, 59-42
Temple beat Florida, 85-80
UNC-Greensboro beat Chattanooga, 71-68
Marshall lost to East Carolina, 73-51
Middle Tennessee beat North Dakota State, 93-63
Mississippi beat Nicholls State, 87-50
Clemson lost to Charlotte, 65-62
Florida State beat High Point, 67-39
North Carolina beat Georgia Tech, 69-57 (UNC trailed at halftime)
Wake Forest lost to Virginia Tech, 74-54

Opponents in action
TCU plays UNLV
Miami and Duke square off
Virginia plays Richmond

Tuesday Trivia

Still No. 1 in the coaches poll and it doesn't look like we lost any votes. Good to see MTSU finally cracking the Top 25.

Virginia's Zoll and Wright swept the ACC Weekly Awards. Wright is seriously challenging Langhorne and Coleman's record of five ROW.

Langhorne was featured in the Cherry Hill Courier Post

Monday's Opponent's Outcomes
Siena lost to Vermont, 75-56

Opponents in action today
George Mason plays Fordham
Temple plays Florida
UNC-Greensboro plays Chattanooga
Marshall plays East Carolina
Middle Tennessee plays North Dakota State
Mississippi plays Nicholls State
Clemson plays Charlotte

GameTracker
Florida State plays High Point

Webcast | GameTracker
North Carolina and Georgia Tech square off

Webcast | GameTracker
Wake Forest and Virginia Tech square off

Webcast

Monday Musings

Happy New Year to all the Terps' fans and let's hope 2007 means another title for our ladies!

Still No. 1 in the latest AP poll, but we lost two first place votes.

Future Terp Kim Rodgers was MVP of the Bojangles Shootout scoring 19 points in the championship against Oakton, which features Duke signee Jasmine Thomas who was held to nine points.

In ESPN's Images of the Year, The Terps were the first images posted after the word Champions appeared on the screen. Hopefully ESPN will post the video on line soon.

Sunday's Opponent Outcomes
Boston College defeated Massachusetts, 70-64
Loyola beat Penn, 75-63
Michigan State beat Wisconsin, 56-46
TCU beat UMKC, 68-45