Maryland Women's Basketball

I'm Back

2009-08-28T12:20:00.002-04:00

Wow what a summer it's been. It seems like it's been a whirlwind on campus since the end of the season.

Two new coaches added to the staff: Marlin Chinn | David Adkins

Two new recruits signed on for 2010: Lauren Mincy and Natasha Cloud. Along with Alyssa Thomas, Maryland has the #1 class in the country

Marissa has dealt with an ankle injury and a crazy dog.

Crystal is beginning to show the league what we all saw for four years. Although their offense is geared too much around Lindsay Harding if you ask me.

KT and Harper are both struggling to find playing time.

Yemi played in the World University Games.

Brenda went to Peru and back.

Controversy brewed over the fact that women's basketball's budget didnn't receive the same percentage cut as football and men's basketball. Honestly, the women implemented some cuts last year before things got worse such as bus trips to Pittsburgh and Duke instead of the normal flights.

Message board fights have heated up over the disappointments the last two seasons, which leads to the new poll question.

And lastly, we learned that Shay had a Breast Cancer scare while at Maryland. Just a reminder to all my female followers - be sure to get check routinely.

Friday Update

2009-05-29T20:26:00.002-04:00

As you can see on the left side of the page, I have put up the Twitter Feeds for Coach, Marissa, Kristi and Crystal. I will do my best to make it look cleaner in the coming weeks. (If you know of other players I need to follow, let me know)

Our Terps in the pros have done well. Harp started her last game and has led the team in rebounds in both preseason contests. KT had 17 the other night and Marissa and Lang continue to do well for the Mystics.

Marissa is also writing a blog for the WNBA and ComcastSportsNet.

The rumor I speculated last week is now true: Daron is leaving for La Tech. From the wording it sounds like Daron left for a title change (he went from Assistant Coach to Associate Head Coach), but he could have gotten that here. From my POV, he jumped ship and will take over Walz's title as Benedict Arnold (Walz - you must be so happy that Daron replaced you again). At least Jeff left for a head coaching position at a big time conference. Daron left to work for a rookie coach essentially. Some highlights from the release:
"Daron brings great experience to our program," Weatherspoon said. "He is a great X's and O's coach who is masterful with defensive schemes. Coming from the highly competitive ACC, he knows what it takes to compete at that level. "
- as I mentioned about a month ago, our scoring defense was the highest in the Frese era. I wonder where Daron was hiding the defensive schemes.
Weatherspoon said that Park will serve as the recruiting coordinator for LA Tech while also working with the Lady Techsters post-play development.
- Daron loved x's and o's and hated recruiting, I think his lone recruit last year was Yemi.
- Post-play Development? Drey rode the bench and Kizer missed a lot of lay ups and most of the time we played with 4 guards.

In short, I am not sad to see Daron go. I think he used the job as a stepping stone to get a better job (there were rumors he was looking last year too) and his stock wasn't going to get any higher next year.

According to Camille Powell at the Washington Post Dave Adkins will be hired to fill one of the two assistant coaching openings. Don't really know what to say about this hire. He's coached boys' high school ball for many years and is known as a local guru in terms of preparing players for the pros, but how is he going to help the team. In this video all I see the players work on is their offensive game. As we have seen, our offense really isn't the problem, it's our defense. Also, how will he relate to women's players and recruiting them? Hopefully the next assistant is a home run because at this point we have two assistants on the bench with limited college coaching expierence and I don't think either is an x's and o's person.

Post Season Updates

2009-05-22T17:47:00.003-04:00

- Good news is that no other player has decided to leave since my last update.
- Bad news is that Coach Floyd is leaving. That leaves us with no African American coach on our staff, hopefully that void is filled with her replacement. Best of luck to Coach Floyd in future endeavors.
- Monique Oliver chose Rutgers. Kind of odd since her old HS teammate left after a year there. C. Viv has been pulling in a ton of recruits lately, kind of fishy for someone who complained that her arena wasn't good enough for her.
- Lang and Marissa did well for the Mystics yesterday, Harp did decent for the Monarchs.
- Yesterday was graduation at UM, but I can't find a program to see how many players graduated.
- KT's first game is tonight.
- Brenda is now twittering
- The Terps will play Minnesota next season in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.
- Lastly, rumors are flying around that Coach Floyd isn't the only coach leaving this offseason...

Monique Oliver released from NLI

2009-04-18T18:00:00.002-04:00

According to multiple sources, Monique Oliver has been released from her NLI and her recruiting has reopened. ESPN HoopGurlz is saying Maryland is now pursuing her again. I believe Monique was the recruit last year who cancelled her recruiting visit right before she was scheduled to come to Maryland.

Updates and Thoughts

2009-04-16T11:00:00.002-04:00

- Looks like Drey Mingo is going to Purdue and Marah may be headed to Purdue
- The latest rumor surrounds Anjale may be looking to leave.
- Delle Donne is most likely going to play basketball at Delaware.

Thanks for all your comments about Monday's post. It was great to see some of the feedback and good to have some discussion. After reading through them, just a few responses.

- While I a new fan like so many of you, it can't be taken away what Brenda has done for the program. If you would have told anyone 10 years ago that Maryland would be one of the top women's programs in a few years, people would have laughed at you. I completely understand that while the team may struggle from time to time, it's definitely better than what was on the court beforehand. In the same vein, with success comes heightened expectations and I think that's why some are disappointed with the outcome the last few years. The same is happening on the men's side. It's the price you pay for being great.

-Everyone wants us to focus on defense.

-When I said motivation, I didn't mean physical abuse Bobby Knight style. I meant it more of a way to give the player a kick in the pants. Some players need tough love to be motivated others don't. Those with kids will understand (my little bugger is under 1 so he can do no wrong). There's also a limit to push, but each kid has to be pushed to a certain degree. Remember almost every kid on the roster was a stud in high school and had their way with the opposition. This is different, you just can't show up and win.

-The recruits I was thinking of included: Chay Shegog, Sierra Brevard, Jantel Lavendar, Caroline Doty, Destiny Williams, Monique Oliver. They all had us on their short list and a few decided to go to programs with less pretige (FSU, Illinois and USC). The last few years we seem to be high on people's lists and then at the last minute they change their minds. It's like we are the trendy pick, but not one to go to the dance with.

- My point about Rodgers is while she has battled injuries, there has to be an explanation why she wallowed on the bench for most of the season. She's a key player for this team next year.

- My player leaving list was just illustrating how many players have left in the last few years. While some wanted playing time and others were injured, it's 9 players in 7 years and other coaches will use this against us. No one is going to research why they left. It's also upsetting that we are giving scholarships to transfers who haven't helped us that much.

- "Posts like this from a fan will hurt recruiting". Getting blown out by Louisville and having Doris Burke rant for two games isn't going to help recruiting either. Plus, I think I was fairly tame and this blog shows the passion that Maryland fans have about the team. 5th place isn't good enough.

A Look Back and a Look Ahead

2009-04-13T11:04:00.004-04:00

Before I begin the evaluation, just a few quick points.
1. Marissa will be wearing #4 next year for the Mystics.
2. KT is looking for a new number to wear for the Sky.

The 2008-09 season is hard to sum up with one word. In a sense, we all expected a little bit of a down year as we lost four seniors, each of which had prominent roles on the team and were being replaced by players that hadn't played college ball. Our fears were shown in the opening game with a loss to TCU on the road. Then we won seven straight before Pittsburgh crushed us, but that could be attributed to the wacky road trip that I believe had us busing from Purdue to Pittsburgh or something along those lines. Then there was the Marah drama and an up and down start to the ACC season, loss to Duke, beat UNC, lose to UVA, beat FSU.

That FSU win was the turning point in the season. KT misses that shot and the Terps are 4-3 in the ACC and look like they are going to struggle the rest of the way as all 3 ACC losses would have been on the road. The Shot II though propelled the team the rest of the way as the Terps would win 14 straight including the ACC Regular Season and Tournament Championship. And with that there was talk that Maryland had a shot to knock off UConn.

Then the NCAA Tournament started and things didn't look as promising. The Dartmouth game, while not a struggle, took a lot more effort than I would I have liked. Ditto for Utah. Than there was the Vandy game where Marissa took over the last few minutes and the Dores had no answer. Right there was where I knew beating UConn was going to be tough. We needed a monster game to beat a team with no size. Finally, there was the Louisville game, which to be honest, scared me more than playing UConn. Walz knew the players and the players knew Walz. The stories even said that Walz still talked to some of the players from time to time. In the end, it was too emotional of a game and the 1-2 punch of KT and MC wasn't there. And with that the season was over and another Final Four was missed.

So what went wrong?
1. In all five losses here are the combined point totals for Marissa and Kristi.
TCU - 26 (KT - 11, MC - 15)
PITT - 20 (KT - 12, MC - 8)
DUKE - 26 (KT - 12, MC - 14)
UVA - 36 (KT - 17, MC - 19)
LOU - 32 (KT - 14, MC - 18)

Aside from the UVA game, where we played no defense in the second half, you can see we struggled when the Big Two didn't score. We never had a consistent third scorer and as a result if teams could hold the two in check they had a chance to win. Note that our 14-game win streak came when Marissa said enough was enough and tried to will the team to victory.
2. Adjustments Never happened. Brenda relied on MC and KT to do their things and outscore the opponent and rarely were adjustments made. Note that Sylvia Hatchell has attempted to do the same thing for years and it hasn't worked. If KT was struggling, a play was called to let KT get a good look at a 3. We rarely pounded it inside to get some points (something that happened in 2008 as well) and were strictly a three-point shooting team.
The Louisville game was a great example. The Cards decided the only way to win was to slow the tempo resulting in the clock being drained to 20-25 seconds each possession. It wasn't until 7 minutes left and down by 15 that we decided to try and pick up the pace. At that point it was too late. Did the coaching staff think that with a 15 point lead, Walz was going to play fast? Why weren't we hounding Byrd and forcing her to give up the ball? When Byrd was backing down KT, why wasn't someone sliding over to steal the ball? Why did we settle for jumpers instead of attacking the paint repeatedly? Louisville is a foul prone team yet we let them get their way defensively.
Also, we had this uncanny ability to let the other coach dictate the play. You want to go small? Sure, we will go small. I never understood why one team would play basically 4 guards and we would have to go 4 guards (if Marissa counts as a guard). Liles may be a forward by position but she's not big and slow, she has the ability to contain guards.
3. Kids were never developed throughout the year.
Kizer is 6'4 and shoots lay ups as if she's 5'4. She tried to finesse almost all her shots instead of using the glass. How many times did Lang not use the glass in 4 years?

Strickland's one job was to run to the corner of the floor and wait to shoot a 3. She rarely attacked the rim and if she did, she missed it. If she missed a 3, we were down to 4 on offense (3 if Kizer missed her first few shoots).
It took Kim Rodgers nearly 20+ games to finally show what she can do. Why did it take so long? Were we afraid Marah would leave?

Mingo sat on the bench for two years and now is leaving. She was a McDonalds and WBCA AA and yet wasn't good enough to see time over a lady that was a dancer 18 months ago? Either she was overhyped or no one took the time to work with her. Also, the fact that last year during blow outs she couldn't get playing time was awful. What were Lang, Harp, and Jade gaining by being in a 20-point game with 5 minutes to go?

KT's game regressed in the last two years. She was getting better at being a PG but as the hype got bigger and bigger she went back to being more of a scorer. Her decision making at times this year was suspect.

4. Motivation.
Watching the Championship game from 2006 last week, I would see Brenda get in player's faces. This year it was claps and smiles. KT and Marissa said they were both motivated by themselves to make the Final Four. What happened to tough love?

5. Defense
The one topic that every fan knew about the last four years, but wouldn't talk about. We don't play any D. I understand because of lack of depth we can't press all the time, but why can't we play defense? How often would we be beaten off the dribble? Why did we go under screens instead of over them? Why did our post players never try to block shots and would instead stand there with their hands straight up? Why did we give players 3 feet of shooting space? Our best defense was our rebounding and intimidation. We hoped that the other team would be scared to play us and jack up shots quick and miss so we could get the rebound and start the break. We would show flashes of it when we needed it, but never for longer than a half. our scoring defense of 67.8 was the highest in the Frese era.

In reality, the last four years ended with disappointment. After a National Title in 2006, all fans thought we would win another in the next three years. We were all defending Brenda against people calling her a one-year wonder. Three years later and we twice fell short in the Elite 8, both times because we didn't play defense and were outcoached. With three 2000 point scorers on the roster and probably 4 of the best players to play for Maryland we underachieved. If you think otherwise, your glasses are redder than mine.

And now we head into 2009-10 with a ton of questionmarks and concerns.
1. As of today, the roster is down to 7 active players:
Jackie Nared - project but needs to be kept happy because of sister
Yemi Oyefuwa - project but needed for depth in the paint
Anjale Barrett - starting PG but slow afoot and hampered by injuries
Kim Rodgers - starting SG but hampered by injuries and possibly lack of confidence.
Lynetta Kizer - starting C who needs to be more aggressive on both ends of the floor
Dee Liles - starting F. Athletic player who needs to harness that energy and become a go to scorer.
Lori Bjork - starting G. I am assuming this because to give a fifth year player a scholarship you better hope she starts or does a great job bridging the gap. great outside shooter.

Mingo is gone and Strickland left today. that's two AAs
2. We bring in 3 recruits.
Dara Taylor - McD's AA. Reading this evaluation, she sounds like KT. At the McD's game, it sounded like her defense really stood out as her offensive game was non-existent. May push for a spot right away. Matt Bracken let's you meet Dara Taylor
Tianna Hawkins - 6'3 post player, ranked the #28 center in the country. reports say she has a nice shot, but I am not impressed with what other schools looked at her.
Essence Townsend - 6'6 post player. sounds like another project but if she can develop an offensive game she will be good.

3. Recruiting. 4 years after a national title and we are missing out on top-notch kid after top-notch kid. I don't expect to get everyone of them, but Taylor is our highest rated kid but 2010 sounds promising with the kid from PA, Alyssa Thomas.

4. Kids Leaving the program. With the departure of Mingo and Strickland, which someone brought up the releases were written two different ways, and the possibly of possibly Kizer or someone else I think I count close to 10 leaving during Brenda's time:
Vanessa Ruffin
Alli Spence - personal issues with team.
Chrissy Fisher - more playing time
Kalika France - injuries/personal issues
Kat Lyons - personal issues
Christie Marrone - injuries
Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood - personal issues
Marah Strickland - no idea, but possibly personal issues
Drey Mingo - more playing time.
That's not good for the program nor for recruiting as other coaches will use that against us. Now the argument will be that only Marah was a huge loss because the others weren't playing that big of a role. It's still 9 maybe 10 kids.

5. Will this summer be spent working on defense?

6. What is the status of EDD or Elena Delle Donne? Yes, she has quit volleyball at Delaware and begun to work out with her high school basketball team, but is she a player we want? She's already shown she's a headcase and what's going to happen when the pressure of a game gets to her.

7. The Walz/Frese dynamic. I have no idea if they don't talk, I remember an article last year that hinted that they weren't best of friends. Also, for Walz to make that comment at the end of the game shows there has to be some bad blood.

8. Is it time for some coaching changes? Coach Park was supposed to be almost on par with Coach Walz as he was a rising star in the coaching world. Yet last year he seemed more focused on crushing teams, because he could and this year the defense has suffered and the offense revolved around KT. Any article about KT, mentioned Daron, but I don't recall many about Marissa and Daron. Coach Floyd is the recruiter, heck she couldn't even go to the regular season-finale because she was recruiting. I have also heard that Coach Park would rather watch game film than watch high school kids.

9. Is Walz going to take our kids? Mingo and Marah won't go to the ACC because there's a two-year rule. And I am not sure about Walz as Brenda has to approve the schools they can go to. She could easily block them. Walz did recruit them so it wouldn't be a shock.

10. Ed in Tampa and Andrea. Gail wasn't getting support from Duke and Texas threw money at her. That's why she left.

11. Under the Shell, I have no idea what happened to the first three seasons of the show and why they were removed.

12. How much longer will Brenda stay? Negative Press is growing, kids are leaving and recruits are going elsewhere. Slowly the shine is fading from her star. Will Brenda look to rebuild another program, possibly in Southern California this year or will she wait until 2010 to see how recruiting plays out?

Final Thoughts: I see 2009-2010 as a struggle year for the Terps especially if Kizer leaves. Liles and Kizer are like peas in a pod and who knows what affect it will have on her. Plus we would have 3 post players with very little polish around the rim. On the perimeter we have three slow guards and a speedy one in Taylor. Taylor is also 5'5 so she will need even more space to get her shot off. If we do focus on defense, it's going to be hard to ingrain in kids who never had to worry about it to suddenly start playing it. Also, will we make adjustments during the game? From my POV, we were outcoached in every round but the first and made it to the Elite 8 on talent. I see us making the tournament, but getting to the Sweet 16 will be an accomplishment.

Agree/Disagree let me know.

Coleman Picked 2nd, Toliver 3rd at the 2009 WNBA Draft

2009-04-10T11:58:00.002-04:00

For those watching the WNBA Draft yesterday, it was essentially over 15 minutes into it as Marissa and Kristi were chosen with the second and third picks. Marissa gets to stay home in D.C. and play with Crystal, while KT will play in the city that her idol Michael Jordan made famous - Chicago.

Marissa and KT are the second highest teammates to be picked as Sue Bird and Swin Cash went 1 and 2 in 2002.

Marissa gets picked
Kristi gets picked

Media coverage of Coleman
Washington Times
Bleacher Report
Washington Post

Media coverage of Toliver
Chicago Tribune
Examiner
Southtown Star
Harrisonburg Daily News Record
Chicago Daily Herald

On Monday, I will give my thoughts on the season that passed and the future of the team. If you have any questions post them in the comments and I will try to answer them. I will apologize to terps25 in advance as I don't know how nice I will be, but I will try.

It's Draft Day

2009-04-09T13:19:00.003-04:00

Today Marissa and Kristi become professional athletes and there are several links to track them.

Live Chat
Mock Draft
Breaking Down the Draft
Kara Lawson's Top 10
KT's Twitter
Marissa's Twitter
Getting to Know Marissa
Getting to Know Kristi

Kristi and Marissa Named State Farm All-Americans

2009-04-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

For the second straight year, Maryland placed two players on the State Farm All-America Team as Kristi and Marissa made the 10 member team this year. Last year, it was KT and Lang on the team. This is the third consecutive year a Terp is on the squad after Lang made it in 2007.

Friday Facts

2009-04-03T10:47:00.002-04:00

- Kristi was named a John Wooden All-American.
- Kristi didn't fare so well in the three-point contest last night as she didn't make the semifinals and thus only appeared on TV when cheering on other players.
- Kristi and Marissa were both invited to the WNBA Draft on Thursday.
- KT answered some questions about the WNBA Draft
- I have fixed the comments so now you can comment anonymously if you want. I am afraid a few of you don't want to comment or create an account.

Thursday's Topics

2009-04-02T11:20:00.003-04:00

- Dara Taylor started the McDonald's All-American Game but went 0-3 from the floor and scored 0 points. Remember this game will be replayed tomorrow on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. so we can all judge for ourselves how she played.
- Kristi Toliver will participate in the State Farm Slam Dunk and Three Point Contest tonight from 9-11 on ESPN. If she beats the other ladies than she gets to take on the men's winner.
- Rick Maese wrote a scathing piece about Coach Frese's Coaching Ability yesterday and I was wondering what people thought about it. Post your comments below. I do have to say that I agree with him for the most part.

Wednesday's Words

2009-04-01T11:22:00.002-04:00

- Marissa was named WBCA Player of the Month for March
- Kristi and Marissa were both named AP All-Americans on Tuesday. Kristi was First Team, while Marissa was Second Team. I would have switched them, but I have always thought Marissa was overshadowed for four years.
- Kristi and Marissa were also chosen finalists for the State Farm Wade Trophy. This is a 12-person list with 10 being named State Farm All-Americans. I like our chances here for back-to-back years of at two State Farm AAs.
- Dara Taylor and Tianna Hawkins are Gatorade Players of the Year for their respective states.
- Dara Taylor will play in the McDonald's All-America game today at 5:30 on ESPNU. They will replay the game on Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.

Louisville Ends Maryland's Season in the Elite 8

2009-03-31T09:26:00.002-04:00

I was hoping the season wouldn't end for at least another week, but unfortunately that didn't happen last night. Louisville played a heck of a game and the Terps let the emotion of seeing Coach Walz get to them throughout the game. Congrats to Louisville, they deserved it.

Momma always said if you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all. Instead let's focus on the positives.

- 3 Elite 8 appearances in four years
- 2 2000 point scorers
- Marissa is one of 5 players in ACC History to be among the Top 10 in points and rebounds.
- KT finished second all-time in the ACC in assists.

Thanks again to all my readers this year and I will post sporadically over the next several weeks as news becomes available.

Game 36: Louisville (Elite 8)

2009-03-30T09:56:00.003-04:00

For the second straight year and third time in four years we are among the final 8 teams in the women's college basketball world. Like last year, the fate of the ACC rest in our hands. Brenda is 1-1 in these situations and today's game could be the most important game of her coaching career. Across the way from her stands former assistant Jeff Walz or as I call him Benedict Arnold. If you look at these two pictures you probably can't tell the difference:

Like Benedict Arnold, Walz is known as a great general but was disappointed that instead of being named associate head coach he wasn't named King of Assistant Coaches or Co-Head Coach and thus spent the 2006-07 season looking for work rather than helping this team win another title. And again like BA, he found solace in a team that wears red.

Louisville or the British enter today's game with a record of 32-4 with two of their losses coming to UConn, one to Nevada and one to West Virginia featuring a great Patriot Joanna Bernabei (she left the team to take care of kids). Louisville is know for defense and their relentless pressure. It will essentially be a game of shadow. Here's Kristi, here's a Card. Here's Marissa, Here's a Card. They use their defense to create their offense. One of his favorite calls is Mad Dog in which two-three players swarm the ball handler, hoping to create panic and turnovers.

Arnold is a great motivator as his rag tag bunch has really two players and the team feels that they will never lose. He also knows every nook and cranny about our players. How they react, their moves, etc. It makes them even tougher to scout.

PPG/OPP: 71.5/56.9
FG%/OPP: .433/.368
3FG%/OPP: .332/.265
FT%/OPP: .728/.649
RPG/OPP: 40.7/34.0
APG/OPP: 12.8/11.1
TOS/OPP: 18.1/21.7
STEALS/OPP: 11.0/7.6
BLOCKS/OPP: 3.2/2.9

The Starters
- #35 Angel McCoughtry. Hands down one of the top 5 players in the country and battling Marissa for possible #1 pick in the draft. She can do it all. Leads the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Has made nearly more shots than the next person on the team has taken. Shoots .315 from behind the arc. When she gets hot look out. Can be a head case if things aren't going her way. Heady player who will fly across the lane to get a steal or a block. Must limit her touches and attack her on defense to get her in foul trouble. If you ever wanted to see what it would look like to against a more defensive-minded Marissa, this is your chance.
- #13 Candyce Bingham. 6'1 senior forward. Great complement to Angel. Second on the team in nearly every stat. Has taken only 24 threes all year and made nine of them. Can't leave her open as she will shoot it from there. Loves to bang on the boards and look for position. Must box her out.
- #50 Desiree Byrd. 5'9 sophomore guard. converted shooting guard now playing the point. Taken only 49 threes all year and sometimes has to be begged to shoot the ball because she will be so wide open. Not a big factor on the glass. She must be hounded to throw the system out of whack.
- #15 Tiera Stephen. 5'7 freshman guard. In there as a defensive stopper as she doesn't do much on offense. Averaging only 1.0 point per game and 0.8 rebounds per game. Has taken only 4 threes all year.
- #4 Gwen Rucker. converted volleyball player as a 6'1 freshman forward. Mainly in there to help rebound and block shots. only 68 shots all year, including four from behind the arc (made 2) and shooting .324.

The Bench
- #45 Keisha Hines. 6'2 sophomore forward. The team's main post presence when she is in there. Shoots 54.6 percent from the floor but doesn't shoot 3s. Rebounds at a 4.7 clip. Will get into foul trouble so she must be attacked.
- #33 Monique Reid. 6'1 freshman forward. Started early on the in season but now comes off the bench. Averages 5.9 points per game and grabs 3.9 rebounds. will shoot the 3 if left open, but more likely to attack around the rim.
- #11 Becky Burke. 5'11 freshman guard. The team's main shooting threat off the bench. 103 of her 137 shots have come from behind the arc and shes made 31.1% of them. Can be a streaky shooter and is a head case. Make sure she misses the first couple and she gets gun shy. Not a big help on the glass.
- #14 Janae Howard. 6'1 freshman forward. Plays about 8 minutes a game and will shoot the 3. Not a big help on the glass.
- #23 Mary Jackson. 5'10 freshman guard. Not a deep shooting threat and more likely to take oyu off the dribble than anything else. Has attempted nearly as many free throws as she has shots.
- #24 Laura Terry. 6'1 sophomore forward. Still not recovered from midseason knee injury but can shoot from deep if healthy.

Keys to the Game
- Take care of the ball. The pressure will probably come during warm ups and we need to be smart about passing the ball shorter rather than cross court.
- Attack the trap. Stay away from corners and sidelines and when the trap comes, go through it rather than stand there and accept it.
- Rebound the ball. Louisville will have almost everyone crash the glass and we need to keep them from getting rebounds and put backs as that will allow the Cards to set up their traps.
- Get the ball and go. The quicker we get down the court, the less time they can set up their defense.
- Take care of the ball.
- Someone else must step up. Marissa and KT cannot be counted on to score 50+ every game.
- Shut down either Bingham or Angel. We haven't been successful in shooting down team's dynamic duos, but hopefully today we can at least shut down one of them.
- Play cool and collected. We seemed nervous at the start of the game on Saturday. Just go out and have fun.
- Don't overthink. This one is for the coaching staff. Don't try to think what Walz is thinking. Just let the kids play. It's not about you.
- Eat Kids

In closing, this will be one of the hardest games from me to watch. While I give Walz a hard time for leaving, I know he made the right choice. Plus I learned a few years ago that the staff followed this page from time to time and hence why there are always jabs at him. If I didn't like the guy, I wouldn't have an RSS feed for Louisville on the right. I want Maryland to win with all my heart, but if they lose at least I know I have a team to root for in the Final Four.

Then again the U.S. did beat the British after Arnold switched sides.

Go Terps Continue the March to the Arch.

Marissa's Unbelievable Performance Leads Terps to Elite 8

2009-03-28T16:40:00.002-04:00

It's been almost 18 hours since the game and I am still in awe of what I saw yesterday. The 42 points were the third most by a Maryland men's or women's player. Marissa refused to let the team lose. As Wirth was dominating us, Marissa went to the coaches and asked to cover her. She's the MVP of the team and it's about time people mention her in the same vein as Maya Moore.

For most of the game yesterday, I was having Stanford flashbacks as Vandy was making shot after shot. Every time we would come back, The Dores would sink another bucket and with the way we were playing D I figure the trip to Raleigh would be a short one. In the end, the defense clamped down when it need to and Vanderbilt didn't haven an answer for #25.

And now it's on the Elite 8 again with a match up again Benedict Arnold aka Jeff Walz. After a failure of a season in 2007, he decided to jump ship instead of help us get back to the promise land. Since then we have only lost 8 games, and Coach Park has helped fix most of our defensive issues. I hope we prove to Walz that he made a mistake.

Things I liked
- Marissa. 42 and 15? Are you kidding me?
- Kim's effort on the glass. Not the tallest player and limited by her knee injury she pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds. She gets better each time I watch her.
- The defensive lockdown. Over the last 26:28 of the game, Maryland outscored Vandy, 63-41. When we needed stops we got them.

Things I would like to see more
- Better composure. We came out at the start of both halves flat and disinterested. i was really disappointed that after we cut the gap to 3 at half, we let Vandy rebuild the lead again. Teams aren't going to roll over for us anymore.
- Production from players not named Coleman and Toliver. Kizer hasn't played like the ACC Rookie of the Year the entire postseason. Marah's picture showed up on my carton of milk this morning.
- Defense. Going under screens and getting blown past on defense, isn't good. We cannot be afraid to challenge shots. If it's middle of the second half and our posts don't at least 1 foul it means we aren't challenging shots.
- Officiating. I think we got the D crew as I couldn't tell what was a foul and what wasn't. KT's charge in the first half was terrible and then at some points the refs would let them play and then again start calling touch fouls.

Back tomorrow with a preview after scouting who we could play in the Final Four.

Game 35: Vanderbilt (NCAA Sweet 16)

2009-03-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

It's a quick turnaround after our game on Tuesday as we play again on Saturday. Vanderbilt hasn't played since Monday. This marks the second straight season that we have played Vandy in the Sweet 16. Last year we beat them 80-66 as we swamped them with defense and a quick tempo

The Commodores have won five straight including the SEC Tournament. They sit at 26-8 and among the common opponents were Virginia Tech (W, 72-43) and Mississippi State (L, 61-66). They are known for switches defenses to try and throw teams off. Expect to see some junk defenses along with what looked like some match up zone. Since the injury to Hanna Toumi, they have had to go small as they play four guards and one post.

PPG/OPP: 71.8/58.3
FG%/OPP: .456/.404
3FG%/OPP: .359/.322
FT%/OPP: .733/.683
RPG/OPP: 34.5/33.8
ASSISTS/OPP: 15.4/11.7
TOS/OPP: 14.6/20.3
STEALS/OPP: 10.2/5.3
BLOCKS/OPP: 1/9/2.5

Starters
- #34 Christina Wirth. 6'1 senior guard/forward. At this point, the team's main presence in the paint. Leads the team in scoring and is second in rebounding. Main offensive threat having taken almost 200 more shots than the next person on the team. Will shoot the 3 and does it at a .387 clip. second on the team in steals. shoots 73.5% from the line.
- # 23 Merideth Marsh. a 5'9 junior guard. second on the team in scoring and mainly an outside shooter as 201 of her 293 shots have taken place outside the three-point line, where she shoots .393. Doesn't help rebound that much. Only missed five of 48 shots from the charity stripe.
- #2 Jennifer Resper. 5'9 senior guard. she has become the new post player with the loss of Tuomi and while small she can do a great job posting up bigger players and then using a quick move to take them to the basket. Has only taken two 3s all year and shoots 50% from the floor. Leads the team in steals and is second in assists. I think she is the heart of soul of the team. Can get into foul trouble.
- #20 Jessica Mooney. 5'8 junior guard. Averages 7.6 points per game. Will shoot the 3 if open, but only makes 25%. not a big rebounder with only 2.2 per game. Leads the team in blocked shots, meaning she comes from behind to get the ball. Third in steals.
- #22 Jence Rhodes. 5'11 sophomore guard. Averages 6.1 points per game. Only taken four 3s all year, more likely to dribble and drive to the bucket. Leads the team in assists and is second in blocked shots. Shoots 84% from the line.

The Bench
- #24 Tia Gibbs. 5'9 freshman guard. mainly stays away from the paint as she has only taken 26 free throws all year. Will shoot the 3 and makes .338 from there and has taken 48 shots inside the arc. Not a big rebounder.
- #3 Chanel Chisholm. 5'11 sophomore guard. Doesn't shoot the 3. makes 50% of her shots. will help on the glass and create steals.
- #5 Lauren Lueders. 5'8 junior guard. Averages 8 minutes per game. Mainly a 3-point shooter. Doesn't help rebound. more of a point guard.
- #12 Jordan Coleman. 5'11 freshman forward. Has taken 25 shots all year and only plays only 5.8 minutes per game. Not a three-point threat.

Keys to the Game
- Rebound. Again we have a height advantage and we need to control the boards on both ends of the floor.
- Control Wirth. The offense flows through her. Limit her touches and force her to play defense and it will limit Vandy's chances.
- Dictate the pace. We can't let Vandy set up their defense and the best way to do that is to play fast. They have given up more than 70 only five times this year.
- We need a third scorer. Just like against Utah, someone else has to step up. Last year against Vandy, Marah had a huge game and we are going to need her and Lynetta to show what made them H.S. AAs.
- Play defense and limit the turnovers.
- EAT KIDS

Before we start, we will know who we play. I hope it's not Benedict Arnold and his Cardinals.

Maryland Heads to Raleigh, Utah Heads Back Home

2009-03-25T00:11:00.003-04:00

For the third time in four years, Maryland is headed to the Sweet 16. Unlike the previous two trips, this one was a lot easier as both wins came via double digit and neither game was in doubt with 10 minutes to go. Now it's time for the real fun to begin as each time we will play from here on it, won't be as easy as the first two. While we are playing in ACC Country, we have never played at the RBC Center so the venue will be new to us.

Utah gave us a tough game at the start seemingly making every shot. At one point they built a seven-point lead, but then Maryland buckled down on defense and grabbed neither every rebound (Marissa had more rebounds than Utah in the first half and the Utes had only 4 rebounds in the last 14 minutes of the half). Offensively the team clicked and after a few blinks the Terps were up 8 and then a few blinks later they were up double digits.

The second half seemed more like a walk-through as we only shot 22%, but our rebounding power kept Utah at bay.

It was disappointing that KT and Marissa missed their last shots at Comcast Center, then again they missed their first shots too.

Standing between us and St. Lo is a rematch with Vandy from last year and either Benedict Arnold and the Redcoats or Baylor.

What I liked
- Marissa's aggressiveness on the glass. 18 rebounds is impressive no matter who you are playing. Every time I looked up she was grabbing another board. I was hoping for 20 but that's me being selfish.
- The play of Dee Liles. Her athleticism was on full display as she grabbed 17 boards and was flying all over the place.
- the defense. We really limited Utah's looks at the basket. It didn't hurt that #1 decided not to shoot the entire game. Back-to-back games of holding opponents under 60.

What I would like to see more
- Kizer establish herself. Two NCAA games and she has been invisible. We need her to do more.
- Better execution in the second half. We shot 22% in the second half and if not for our rebounding, Utah would have made it a lot closer. KT seemed to force it a bit and we should have kept going inside.
- Less Turnovers. 16 is too much against a team that didn't force the action. We had a lot of unforced TOs.

A few days off now until the Sweet 16.

Game 34: Utah (NCAA Second Round)

2009-03-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

After a day of rest, we are back in action this time playing Utah in what will be Kristi and Marissa's last ever home game at the Comcast Center. Four years of memories have come down to this one day. I am sure there will be very few dry eyes when the clock hits 00:00 tonight.

Before the preview just two quick points:
1. Starting tonight, every one we will play from here to the Final Four will have motivation against us. Utah, Vandy, LSU, South Dakota State and Baylor have all been beaten by Kristi and Marissa during their careers and we all know Benedict Arnold would love a crack at Maryland.
2. With Tennessee's loss to Ball State(Don't know if you had heard, ESPN barely mentions this), the Lady Vols now own the record for earliest exit by a defending champ. We previously held that mark.

Utah was the winner of the Mountain West Conference Tournament and enters the second round with a record of 23-9. Among the common opponents for them and us: South Dakota State (L, 70-58), Virginia (L, 65-57), TCU (W, 73-63; L, 53-47).

The Utes like to run a ton of screens on offense and continually attack the hoop. The scored at will against Nova on Sunday. on defense they play tight man-to-man defense and will do their best to frustrate opponents. Nova was a great three-point shooting team and Utah took that part out of their game the other day. Utah gave us fits three years ago, but then again almost the entire team had the flu and I haven't heard that we are suffering from it again.

PPG/OPP: 63.3/54.7
FG%/OPP: .443/.342
3FG%/OPP: .347/.289
FT%/OPP: .803/.720
RPG/OPP: 38.8/30.8
APG/OPP: 14.4/10.9
TOPG/OPP: 17.7/13.4
SPG/OPP: 7.0/8.5
BLOCKS/OPP: 3.3/2.8

The Starters
- #15 Morgan Warburton. a 5'11 senior guard. Leads the team in scoring at 18.6 per game. Shoots 43% from the floor and 39% from behind the arc and 90% from the line. leads the team in assists and turnovers and is second in steals. Will rebound the ball as she gets 6.3 per game. Played in the Elite 8 game.
- #2 Kalee Whipple. 6' junior forward. Second on the team in scoring (16.8), assists (99) and turnovers (109). Shoots 44% from the floor, 37.4% from 3 and 77.2% from the line. has taken more threes than Warburton. rebounds 6.2 per game. Leads the team in steals but that tends to get her in foul trouble as she has fouled out 5 times this year.
- #31 Katie King. 6'1 senior forward. Averages 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Stays mainly inside the arc making 57.2% of her shots. Has shot 4 threes this season making only one. Is a 92% free throw shooter but has only taken 73 foul shots, which tells me she doens't go after contact. second on the team in blocks.
- #22 Halie Sawyer. 6'1 junior forward. Averages 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (leads team) per game.Shoots 42.8% from the floor and 65.1% from the line. Has taken 28 threes this season and made only 4. leads the team in blocked shots. Has fouled out of 3 games.
- #1 Janita Badon. 5'6 freshman guard. Didn't start the entire year until postseason play. Averages 3.3 points per game and has taken only 94 shots the entire year (the first four have taken 200+). Made 6 of 30 threes and is third on the team in assists. makes 60.6% of her free throws. will help rebound.

The Bench
- #5 Hannah Stephens. 5'8 freshman guard. was the starter until the postseason started. Like Baden she rarely shoots the ball, but it seems like she liked to shoot the 3 more than Badon did as 40 of her 72 shots have come from behind the arc. Doesn't really rebound.
- #23 Deanne Stevenson. 6'3 senior center. In there to help rebound. Has only taken 22 shots all year.
- #20 Sasha McKinnon. 6'0 junior guard. Three-point shooting threat.
- #10 Josi McDermott. 6'0 freshman guard. Has taken 16 shots all year, 4 of 6 from behind the arc.

Keys to the Game
- Dictate the Tempo. Utah will want to play slow to let their defense settle. Three years ago that worked because we had a short bench, this year it shouldn't. Grab the ball and beat them down the court before they can set up. Same goes for defense. Force Utah to play faster than they are used to. The Utes haven't given up more than 63 points in 2009 and haven't scored more than 79/
- Rebound the ball. Again we have a height advantage at nearly every spot. Rebounding allows us to pick up the pace and prevents second chance points.
- Switch on screens. Utah will run their players through screen after screen hoping to free up the offense. Against Nova, I saw a few players run the same the circular route over and over until they got a free look at the hoop. We either have to switch or hedge them to disrupt the passing lanes.
- Attack the inside. Kizer and Liles need to have big games to free up the middle even more.
- Don't make this about you. I hope Coach Park doesn't make it his mission to embarass the Utes. He's at a new school now and he doesn't need to prove to the old staff that he is so much better than them. Just coach the game like a normal one.
- Have Fun.
- Eat Kids

After our game you can also watch LSU-Louisville and Baylor-SDSU to see who else is in our Regional.

Terps' Speed Wilts Ivy League's Dartmouth

2009-03-23T13:29:00.002-04:00

1 down, 3 to go in Maryland's March to the Arch or Arc as Marissa calls it. The Terps finally hit the court after nearly 14 days off and the rust showed. Luckily, Dartmouth seemed to be in awe of us and missed several shots early. Also, KT was on fire in the first half as she matched the Big Green's first half total. It was great though to see the starters on the bench laughing it up as the game entered the final minutes. I hope we can see that 5 more times this season.

Now it's on to Utah, which was the only upset in the Raleigh Regional (If you call 9 over 8 an upset). Baylor struggled with UTSA as Coack Mulkey was in the hospital, but the higher seeds rolled in the other games.

What I liked
- KT's aggressiveness. She definitely attacked the paint more than I have seen her and she knew others were struggling. We didn't need another close early game which has been our MO.
- The Rebounding. We had the height advantage and we used. an 18 board advantage is great no matter who you play.
- The Traps. The 3/4 court trap seemed to throw Dartmouth off a bit and allowed to pick up the pace on our offense.
- Everyone got involved. Mingo who has been MIA the last half of the year scored eight points and maybe will have some confidence if we need her again.

What I would like to see more
- Another scorer. We can't keep trying to win games without a viable third option. The posts definitely need to score more than 15 points combined when we have an advantage inside.
- Better defense. Dartmouth was able to drive and cut it's way to the hoop most of the game. Maybe it was rust, but not everyone is going to miss layups.

Sorry for the delay, I got caught up with the UT-BSU game and Baylor-UTSA.

Game 33: Dartmouth (NCAA Tournament First Round)

2009-03-21T18:27:00.002-04:00

After a two-week hiatus, we are back in action and this time it's win or the season is over. Luckily for us we get to play at the Friendly Confines of the Comcast Center where we have won 34 straight games. I am hope the place is rocking.

Earlier this week, Toliver and Coleman were named Second Team ESPN.com All-Americans, which is a joke, and are still alive for the State Farm All-America Team. Somehow Toliver was the only one who made the CBS Sportsline All-America Teams.

Dartmouth won the Ivy League to earn their bid into the NCAA Tournament. This is the second time we have played an Ivy League team in the first round in recent memory as we played Harvard a few years ago. The Big Green enters the game with a record of 18-10 and 13-1 in the Ivy League. Their last game was a win over Harvard on March 10, which essentially decided the league title. Their only common opponent was BC, which they lost to by 34.

PPG/OPP: 56.8/55.1
FG%:/OPP: .376/.367
3FG%/OPP: .323/.314
FT%/OPP: .696/.709
RPG/OPP: 38.7/33.4
ASSISTS/OPP: 9.8/12.1
TOS/OPP: 18.6/16.9
STEALS/OPP: 8.2/7.6
BLOCKS/OPP: 3.3/3.5

The Starters:
-Brittney Smith: a 6'1 sophomore forward who leads the team in scoring at 14.1, rebounding at 8.2 rpg and blocks at 40. She doesn't shoot 3s and only make 60 percent of her free throws. She can get into foul trouble.
-Koren Schram: a 5'7 senior guard who is second on the team in scoring at 12.1. Like Smith she has taken 307 shots this year with more than half coming from outside the arc where she shoots 34.1%. She doesn't attack the paint that much having only taken 80 foul shots. Leads the team in assists and steals and will help on the glass.
- Darcy Rose: 6'2 senior forward/center who is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. Doesn't shoot 3s but shoots 74.6 from the free throw line. Can get into foul trouble. Doesn't really block shots.
- Margaret Smith: a 6'1 junior guard/forward. 4th on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Mainly stays inside the arc but has taken 39 shots from outside this year and made a third of them. Has only attempted 51 free throws all year.
- Meghan McFee: 5'10 sophomore guard. Has started 16 games this year. Shoots 34% from 3. Very rarely attacks the bucket. Will help distribute the ball. Third on the team in steals.

The Bench
- Betsy Williams: 6'0 junior guard. Shoots 27. 3% from the floor and 30.8% from behind the arc. She basically rotates with McFree at the guard slot. Doesn't help rebound that much. shoots 65.4% from the line.
- Cassie Cooper: 6'2 sophomore forward. Plays 15 minutes per game and has taken only 95 shots all year. will take the three (has taken 20), not a big rebounder, but a better passer.
- No one else on the bench has played more than 19 games this season or more than 5 minutes per game.

Keys to the Game
- Take the ball and go. Dartmouth has scoredmore than 70 only twice in 2009. They cannot keep up with us if we play our game. We can't let them dictate the pace on either end.
- Rebound. We have a little height advantage and she be able to use it.
- Take care of the ball. Just because it is Dartmouth doesn't mean we can play bad. We need to bring it for at least 25-30 minutes and put this game away.
- Getting rest for KT and Marissa.

Terps Receive Tough Draw on Their March to the Arch

2009-03-16T19:52:00.002-04:00

ESPN finally had some mercy on us as they announced Maryland in the first bracket instead of waiting until the end as they normally do.

Here's a quick look at our bracket.
1st round - Dartmouth: Ivy League team. Should be able to defeat them with our skill and size.
2nd round - Villanova/Utah: One's a rematch with Daron's former team which had a surprising run to the Mountain West Tournament title, the other is against a team that runs its offense slower than a snail walks.
Sweet 16 - Kansas State/Vandy: K-State has one of the top PGs in the country and Vandy will look for revenge from last year.
Elite 8 - Louisville/LSU/South Dakota State/Baylor: We could face Benedict Arnold, a defensive-minded LSU team which is surging, a mid-major which we beat earlier this year and a Big 12 team that saw it's star go down with injury a few weeks ago.

Overall I think it's a tough bracket that is going to force us to play different ways. Nova will slow us down and Louisville will press us all over the place.

We have to bring our A game every night to make it to St. Louis.

First game is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

See the bracket here.

It's Selection Monday!

2009-03-16T11:58:00.000-04:00

For the first time in a long, long time the terps head into selection Monday knowing where they will play each of their six games in the tournament. First two are at Comcast Center, then we head to Raleigh and finally to St. Louis.

The only questions that remain:
1. Who will we play?
2. When do we get our crack at UConn? Another shot at Stanford would be nice too.

Check back here after the announcement for a quick analysis of our March to the Arch.

I know you have all missed it

2009-03-11T11:47:00.002-04:00

The song from our recent title run:

And the song from our NCAA title run:

Love and Memories

Today's Front Page of the Post

2009-03-09T11:46:00.001-04:00

Terps Use Overtime Again to Take Title Away From Duke

2009-03-08T17:30:00.003-04:00

Duke really has to be sick and tired of playing us in Championship games. First there was April 2006 where they were hoping to take home their first-ever National Title and then there was March 2009 where they were looking to win the ACC title again. Unfortunately, both games went to overtime and to quote the title of Brenda's book "Overtime is Our Time." Both games wouldn't have went to OT if not for some amazing game-tying shots. We all know about KT's shot and if Duke won, we would have all known about Black's tip in.

In the end, we withstood the Duke pressure and some key three-point misses by Abby Waner and Joy Cheek (yes, Joy Cheek) and who is standing on the line with the Terps leading by 1? Only a player who coming into this weekend had played 56 minutes and scored 43 points all year, but she was wearing #22 and Shay's spirit must have shown through as Kim Rodgers calmy sank both free throws. After a long 3 and a jump ball, Maryland was ACC Champions for the first time since 1989.

While Marissa deserved MVP honors, Kim should get a share of it as she played 56 minutes and scored 30 points this weekend, most of which was needed as Marah slumped until a five-minute stretch in the middle of the second half.

We played fantastic and made stops when we had to. Plus, we didn't let the refs affect us as much as it normally would.

Enjoy the win while I make a manicure appointment and try to get She Can Play out of my head.

Game 32: Ekud (ACC Tournament)

2009-03-08T11:02:00.002-04:00

Another day, another game. While we have had two nailbiting games, Ekud has coasted to two victories and has only trailed by 40 seconds the entire tournament. It seems as if loss to us has sparked Ekud's offense as they have scored more than 75 in their last four games.

A win today gives us our first ACC title since 1989 and also prevents a team named Ekud or UNC from winning the crown in the last 11 years.

Keys to the Game
- Rebound. We did a great job yesterday and need to do the same day. Duke has the height like UNC did.
- Defend. Ekud plays better defense than UNC and we can't expect to win by not making key stops.
- Pick up the tempo. Ekud wants to slow the game down and wear you out with their defense. The quicker we get the ball down the floor and score will disrupt their chance of setting up their defense.
- Attack Black. She's the key to their offense. Get her in foul trouble and the lane opens up more.
- Handle the pressure. I expect to see more pressure D from Ekud as their recent plan has been to blitz their opponents and then let their D do the work. KT will be held and grabbed, etc.
- Don't let Waner or Thomas get hot. If they start feeling it, it could be a long day.

Terps Run Past Heels into ACC Title Game

2009-03-07T16:40:00.002-05:00

Like a great boxing match this game went back and forth. Everytime we had Carolina on the ropes, the Tar Heels stormed back and would take a lead. But Marissa wasn't going home early for the third time in her career. A bucket here, a pass there and then a huge 3 and Maryland was back in control. UNC took one last swing and who was standing at the free throw line with the team only up 3? Marissa who sank both free throws to put us up 5.

It's now onto the ACC Championship game tomorrow at 1 with both teams looking for revenge against the Terps. I hope the team is getting plenty of fluids and resting because we will need a great effort for 40 minutes tomorrow. Here's hoping the constant hounding of KT doesn't affect her mental make up and she continues to go to the line.

What I liked
- The play of Kim Rodgers. For the second straight game she has stepped up big and has provided the offense for an ineffective Marah Strickland. Kim is going to force teams to not leave her open if she keeps doing this.
- The effort on the glass. We outrebounded UNC by seven and showed great hustle.
- Composure. We never panicked when UNC made their run. The signs of a veteran team.
- Free Throw Shooting. great effort and the 80% especially the ones down the stretch sealed the deal.

What I would like to see more:
- Holding on to leads. We blew at least 3 nine-point or larger leads. UNC is a good team but we need to deliver a knockout punch.
- Marah Strickland's offense. 1-for-12 in the tournament. Kim has been bailing her out thus far.

Game 31: North Carolina (ACC Semifinals)

2009-03-07T09:25:00.002-05:00

Less than 24 hours after our win over Wake, we are back in action today (Why the #1 seed gets less than the #4 seed I will never know). This time playing the reigning ACC Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. Carolina had an easy win over Clemson (Thanks Georgia Tech) and should be more rested. They also know that they have won this thing so many times in a row that the pressure is all on the other team. Plus, they will have somewhat of a homecourt of advantage as the crowd will have a lot of light blue in it. I do hope the Dukies cheer for us just once.

Keys to the Game
- Rebound the ball. Carolina is outrebounding opponents by 4 per game. We outrebounded them by 13 the first time thanks to great games by Marissa, Dee and Lynetta. We will need the same effort today.
- Hound the ball handlers. Carolina loves to turn the ball over, but they can only do that if they are being pressured.
- Attack Breland. Get her in foul trouble and than opens up the lane a little more.
- Play at our pace, not Carolina pace. UNC loves to do everything fast, if we can slow the pace down to slightly under fast that would be great.
- Someone besides KT and Marissa will need to score. We got 10 and 12 from Lynetta and Dee respectively the first time. Need that again today.
- Don't let McCants get hot. If she makes her first couple she will continue to expand her range. she's not a great 3-pt shooter, but if she's feeling it the shots will fly.
- Hands up on the three-point shooters. UNC's guard are shorter than ours and we can't let them have open looks.

Terps Survive and Advance Past Wake Forest

2009-03-06T18:27:00.004-05:00

Well, they say a win is a win and it wasn't more appropriate than today. Hopefully, this was our typical clunker of a game that always happens on the first day of the ACC Tournament. Now that we got it out of our system we can rebound against UNC tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Wake Forest led 63-51 with a little under 10 minutes left and I wasn't seeing any spark out of the team. Then Kristi hit a 3 and it ignited a 19-2 run and put us in the lead for good. It looked as if the team panicked because Marissa and KT weren't scoring and that three let them know everything was going to be ok.

I do give the Deacons a ton of credit as their defense and offense gave us fits almost the entire game. Their tight d on KT and Marissa forced us to use other players to score and we didn't react well until the seniors took over. On offensive, they screened their way all over the floor to create mismatches. Also they couldn't miss shots.

Some milestones reached today:
- KT is now #2 in the ACC in assists with 730, she needs 50 to pass Sharnee Zoll.
- MC becomes the second ACC Player with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals and 100 blocks. I think she could also be the first player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks.

What I liked:
- It looked like the old Dee Liles was back as she was jumping all over the place getting rebounds.
- the play of Kim Rodgers. She hasn't seen much time but with Marah saddled with foul trouble she came in and scored seven points in the first half including two deep balls.
- The intensity with the game on the line. Wake was feeling it and if you Tivo'ed the game I believe there was a giddy Sue Semrau cheering when Collier or Tchangoue made a jumper near the WF bench in the middle of the second half.
- Kizer calling for the ball and knowing she could take her player. Now if she would just use the glass on her layups.

What I would like to see more:
- Taking care of the ball. We were just giving Wake the ball.
- Better defense. We didn't switch on screens and Wake had easy looks.
- Marah Strickland's offense and decision making. 1) she missed a ton of open looks 2) the game was on the line and we have a one possession lead and she shoots the ball way early in the shot clock. If you take that shot you have to make it.
- Better Free throw shooting. back-to-back games where we have struggled from the line.

The Keys to the UNC game will be up before the game tomorrow, just don't expect a full breakdown.

Toliver Named ACC Player of the Year

2009-03-06T18:25:00.002-05:00

For the second straight season, Maryland takes home ACC Player of the Year honors as Kristi Toliver was chosen as the winner earlier today.

Congrats to Kristi, although I felt Marissa deserved it based on her play recently.

I really wish they would stop hiding the votes.

Game 30: Wake Forest (ACC Quarterfinals)

2009-03-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

And now the fun begins. The Terps now enter the portion of their schedule where it's win or go home. Once again, Maryland had the luxory of watching another team play before taking to the court in Greensboro. This year's first round opponent is Wake Forest, a team that currently sits on the NCAA bubble in some people's eyes.

The last time we saw Wake Forest it was the first game of the ACC season and the Deacs were ranked in the top 25. 15 games later, WFU went 5-9 in the conference, while we went 12-2.

Record: 19-10
PPG/OPP: 65.6/59.0
FG%/OPP: .380/.384
3FG%/OPP: .300/.293
FT%/OPP: .664/.695
RPG/OPP: 37.9/41.3
APG/OPP: 14.3/10.5
TOS/OPP: 16.9/23.2
STEALS/OPP: 12.4/9.7
BLOCKS/OPP: 2.6/3.1

The Starters
- Alex Tchangoue. 5-11 guard/forwards. Second on the team in points and assists, first in rebounds and steals. Shoots 42% from the floor and 33% from behind the arc. Will drive the ball.
- Corinne Groves. 6-3 forward. Leads the team in points, but third in rebounds. Stays mainly in the paint and doesn't shoot 3s. When she gets the ball she is usually going to take the shot as she doesn't look to pass.
- Secily Ray. 5-11 guard. fourth on the team in scoring, second in rebounding and first in blocks. shoots only 35% from the floor. will take the three if left open, just not very good at it (26%). Likes to attack the bucket, but shooting 65% from the free throw line. Will get into foul trouble as she has fouled out of 3 games this year.
- Brooke Thomas. 5-4 guard. The team's point guard. sixth on the team in scoring at 5.7 ppg. Leads the team in assists as well as turnovers. shoots 28% from the floor and 14% from behind the arc (4-27). A decent free throw shooter at 67%.
- Courtney Morris. 5-11 guard. sixth on the team at scoring and fifth in rebounding. Shooting 33% from the floor and behind the arc. Primarily a jump shooter who rarely attacks the rim. 55% free throw shooter. will help on d as she is second on the team in steals.

The Bench
- Brittany Waters. 6-1 forward. third on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounding. makes 41% of her shots and 37% of her threes (has taken 100 threes this year) Can block shots, but will also get into foul trouble.
- Camille Cooper. 5-6 guard. fifth on the team in scoring. Another gunner who would prefer to stay outside the lane. all but 70 of her shots have been from 3 where she has made 26% of them. Doesn't help rebound.
- Sarah Riddle. 6-5 center. Barely plays and doesn't factor a whole lot into their offense . Doesn't shoot the 3.

Keys to the Game
- Play our game. This game should be over at halftime if we play the way we have been playing for the last month. Wake will try to slow it down to keep it close. We need to get the ball and go. Also, we need to rest some players given the games that await us.
- Rebound the ball. We have a height advantage on Wake and there is no reason why they should outrebound us.
- Get other players involved. I liked the plan against Miami on Sunday and hope we see more of the same today.

With the game at 3 and on TV, I have a feeling those who aren't in Greensboro will be enjoying happy hour even earlier.

Kizer Named ACC Rookie of the Year

2009-03-05T18:02:00.002-05:00

For the third time in five years a Terp has earned ACC Rookie of the Year Honors as Lynetta Kizer was selected by the panel yesterday. Kizer was also named to the All-Rookie Team and was joined by fellow Terp recruiting targets Chay Shegog and Cierra Bravard.

Tuesday's Tidbits

2009-03-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

- We moved up to #4 in the latest AP poll thanks to non-conference opponent UCLA's win over California.
- Marissa was named ACC Player of the Week
- Marissa and Kristi were chosen First Team All-ACC. It marks the second straight year the Terps have accomplished this feat and fifth-straight year with at least one first teamer. I do find it interesting that the ACC didn't release the votes this year meaning chances are high there was only one unanimous player and that person will be the POY.

Terps Crown Miami to Take ACC Title

2009-03-01T18:22:00.002-05:00

15 minutes into the game and you could already hear the managers preparing the champagne in the visiting lockerroom as the Terps were up by double-digits and Miami looked completely lost. (I doubt there was champagne but it's a good analogy) For the first time in 20 years, Maryland is the ACC Champion. Although the real titles they want will warrant another 3 and 9 consecutive victories.

Maryland now awaits the winner of NC State and Wake Forest on Thursday and then we go on from there.

It was funny to watch the game and see and hear more Terps' fans than Miami fans.

It was puzzling not to see Coach Floyd on the bench. I hope she gets over whatever illness she has in time for the ACC Tournament because I doubt anything else would keep her from being at the game that would secure the title.

I am sure you have seen the new poll I added to the site about ACC Player of the Year. I have a feeling we could split the vote and someone may swoop in and take it. My pick is for Coleman who has played so great the last eight games that she has pushed past Toliver as the team's most valuable player.

Things I liked
- Establishing other players. It seemed like the plan was to let Kizer take advantage of her height. There was also stretches where it seemed like Marah and the supporting cast were told to look to score before Toliver and Coleman did.
- The domination on the glass. Everytime I looked up a Maryland player was flying through the air. 52 rebounds has to be close to a season-high.
- Marissa driving to the bucket. Marissa saw the mismatch and routinely used her size and speed to take the Canes to the bucket over and over again.
- The defense. I think we forced Miami to do things they weren't comfortable doing and as a result they threw bad passes and tried to rush their offense.
- The Miami radio crew. They weren't biased and in fact I think they were more anti-Miami than anything else. I do want to know who was the source that revealed that Marissa and Kristi were top 10 WNBA picks. He/she could be the next Deep Throat.

Things I would like to see more of
- Practicing lay ups. too many easy shots were missed today. Luckily we got the rebounds.

Game 29: at Miami

2009-02-28T22:25:00.002-05:00

The Year was 1989: George Bush the dad was President, the Berlin Wall fell down, stamps cost a quarter, Marissa and KT were two, the Basketcases were part of Weller's Women and Vicky Bullett was the career leader in points and rebounds.

Now's its 2009: George Bush the son was just President, stamps cost 42 cents, Marissa and KT are 22, the Basketcases are Basketcases and Vicky Bullet is third in career points and rebounds (soon to be fourth in points).

What do they have in common? 1989 was the last time ACC Champion and Maryland Terps was uttered in the same sentence and tomorrow around 4 p.m. that sentence could be uttered again.

Miami is all that stands in the way of that becoming reality. Hoping the girls aren't spending any time on South Beach until after the game. Miami is playing for pride at this point and possibly Katie Meier's job as they have had another disappointing year (somewhere Fern is laughing). The Hurricanes are 2-11 in conference play and most likely the 10 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. They have been giving teams fits lately but then struggle down the stretch.

Miami
Record: 13-15
Common Non-Conference Opponents: None
PPG/OPP: 65.9/63.0
FG%/OPP: .400/.387
3FG%/OPP: .276/.314
FT%/OPP: .638/.681
RPG/OPP: 37.9/42.5
TOS/OPP: 16.9/21.2
STEALS/OPP: 11.3/8.9
BLOCKS/OPP: 4.8/3.4

The Starters:
- Shenise Johnson. 5'11 freshman forward who leads the team in almost every category. The favorite for ACC ROY. More of an inside game but will shoot the 3 if you let her. Shoots 85% from the line.
- LaToya Cunningham. 5'6 senior guard. Prefers to stay outside the paint and shoot jumpers. best three-point shooter. shoots only 61% from the line. Doesn't help on that glass that much.
- Epiphany Woodson. 5'8 sophomore guard. fourth in scoring. will shoot the 3 but only shooting 22% from there. Rarely gets to the line and rarely fouls the other team. She also has no steals which says to me, she doesn't play defense.
- Charmaine Clark. 5'11 junior forward. 5th on the team in scoring. Rarely shoots the 3. Will help on the glass. third on the team in assists. second in blocked shots. Mainly an inside presence.
- Sylvia Bullock. 6'2 freshman from Alaska (I doubt she complains about the weather). Plays about 12 minutes a game. Doesn't shoot the 3. shoots 43% from the line. not much of an offensive or rebounding threat.
The Reserves
- Riquna Williams. 5'7 freshman guard. second leading scorer. Makes 22% of her threes yet continues to jack up shots. Not much of a rebounder and rarely passes the ball.
- Lamese James. 6'1 senior forward. Another player who rarely factors into the offense having taken only 82 shots all year. Not much of a passer. Will help on defense.
- Diane Barnes. 6'2 junior forward. Inside player who is third on the team in rebounding. Not a great free throw shooter. Tends to get in foul trouble.
- LaToya Drake. 6'2 senior forward. Averages 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds. Not a three point shooter but will get involved in the offense. Another not so good free throw shooter.
- Briyana Blair. 5'10 sophomore combo player. Plays about 11 minutes a game. Has made only 3 threes all year. She can be left open on the jumper. Not a big help on the glass.

Keys to the Game
- Control Johnson. She's the entire team. I have a feeling that Marah will find out if she is wearing deodorant by the end of the night.
- Rebound the ball. We easily have the height advantage and there is no reason to not win the battle on the glass.
- Watch for the senior day burst. Miami's players may try to send out the Hurricanes on a winning note. We need to end that quickly.
- Control the tempo. I haven't seen Miami play but I doubt they have much of offense. If we get them helter skelter, we will be fine.
- Establish other scores. Kizer, Liles and Strickland need to know that they can score and we will need them in the postseason.

The game is on ACC Select, something else that wasn't around in 1989.

Seniors Shine on Senior Night

2009-02-27T23:13:00.002-05:00

Here I was worried that our seniors would get too emotional with all the pregame ceremonies. Turns out they decided that they would try to beat a team by themselves for the second straight game. While they did combine for 59 points, the defense was lacking today and we needed a late push to seal the deal. I would have liked to see Coach take a timeout with 16 seconds left and sub out Marissa and Kristi but I can be petty at times.

The win makes us undefeated at home in the ACC for the second straight season. Also, we are a win over Miami from winning our first ACC regular season title in a long time.

A win on Sunday means we will either face BC, Wake or NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournament. BC plays NC State on Sunday and if they win they get the 7 seed. NC State needs a win and a win by Virginia to get the 7 seed.

What I liked:
- The fire that Coleman and Toliver are playing with lately. It's now kind of shocking when they miss.
- Marah and Anjale's defense on Picco in the first half. Picco didn't realize her shadow would follow her all over the court. BC's coach made some adjustments and continually ran Picco off of screens to help free her up.
- The lack of turnovers. Eight is great for a game that was fast-paced. I thought we had more.

What I would have liked to see more of:
- Defense. Maybe it's BC, but we seem to not play defense against them. It could be an over focus on the post players but this is the second time a BC bench player have a career night.
- Rebounding. Swords was saddled with foul trouble and we still lost the battle of the boards.
- Other scoring options. It's great to see the seniors shine, but other people need to score. Marah's outside shooting was non-existent and no one else really looked to score.

Game 28: Boston College

2009-02-27T09:53:00.003-05:00

Fresh off the big win over Ekud on Sunday, the Terps have another emotional game tonight. But it's a different kind of emotion as we sort of say goodbye to Kristi and Marissa tonight (they will be back for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the tournament). Last year's senior game was very emotional with the entire team crying during pregame festivities and it looked like it took us a half to wake up. We also needed OT to beat Florida State. I hope tonight we can keep our emotions in check until after the game when this happens:

The opponent tonight is Boston College a team we played five games ago. You can read my report about BC here and then check on the recap.

A win tonight puts us another step closer to the #1 seed in the tournament.

Keys to the Game
- Rebound the ball. Dee and Lynetta did a great job in the first match up and we need them to do more of the same tonight.
- Play defense. Last time we let BC do what they wanted on offense and it sparked a trip from AD Yow to practice. This time Ms. Yow can walk into the huddle to impart some words of wisdom if the D is under par.
- Attack the Trees. Swords and Murphy can't keep up with our speed and as a result it should result in fouls.
- Hands up on defense. just a hand in a shooter's face can make all the difference.
- Play cool and calm and the rest will be fine.

Wednesday Words

2009-02-24T18:52:00.003-05:00

- Wahoo for the Wahoos. A big thanks goes to the Virginia Cavaliers for upsetting Florida State and putting us in the driver's seat for the Regular Season ACC Title. Two more wins and the #1 seed is ours.
- Marissa earned ACC Player of the Week honors again.
- Charlie Creme moved us up to a one seed as did Jerry Palm
- The Diamondback did a story on Marissa and KT's recent play.

Toliver and Coleman Nearly Defeat Duke By Themselves

2009-02-23T09:33:00.002-05:00

What a weekend at the Comcast Center. First the men upset UNC, then the women lay an old fashion beatdown on the Blue Devils. The first half was a little frustrating with the team's tentativeness on offense, but I knew if we kept it close the second half would be ours - and it was.

That was the best opening minutes of the second half I have seen us play in a long time. Usually we look like we are going through the motions, but we played aggressively and let Duke know they were going to have to work for the victory.

The win almost guarantees us a two seed in the ACC Tournament. We have to win our remaining two games and Friday will be hard as Kristi and Marissa will be emotional. To get the 1 seed we need a huge win by Virginia later this week as Miami collapsed in the final minute of their game against FSU.

What I loved
- Kicking the crap out of Duke and watching Coach P look dumbfounded the entire game.
- Kizer and Dee's defensive presence. While most here will pick Toliver or Coleman for player of the game, my vote is between Kizer and Dee. Those two disrupted most of Duke's low post game by either blocking shots, tipping the ball away and grabbing key rebounds. Without that this is a shootout.
- Strickland's defense. I think if you asked Marah what flavor gum Abby was chewing she would have known. Except for a few times, Marah won the game of shadow. Now if she could just work on her offense a little bit.
- Yemi. Honestly, when Yemi came into the game I was worried that Duke would take over in the post, but Yemi held her ground and even came up with some key rebounds.
- Toliver's decision making. Kristi was feeling it early but she did her best to keep her teammates involved and that's great change from earlier in the year.
- Watching the starters on the bench with a minute to go and a huge lead.
- Kicking the crap out of Duke.

Leave it for Rick Maese to be the wet blanket today.

We also said Goodbye to Sa'de yesterday who has decided to remain in school but not with the team. I wish her good luck but it would be nice for her to at least be on the bench like Christie Marrone did last year and Emery is doing this year.

Game 27: Ekud

2009-02-21T18:55:00.002-05:00

Another game, another tough-minded defensive team on the horizon. For the third-straight game, Maryland will play a team whose MO is defense first, offense second. The first two games have seen us handle the physical play well and let's hope the third team goes just as well.

This is the second time we play Duke last year and if you recall the first game, we should have won that one too. Marissa was cramping up and Marah was at home battling illness not the same one she battled in December. We lost by 3 and were missing two key contributors. Had we grabbed a few more rebounds the game probably would have went another way.

By my calculations, this game could decide the first three seeds in the tournament. A win by us, locks us into at least the two seed if we win our remaining games as we would own the tiebreaker thanks to our win over FSU. A loss and we drop to the 3 seed and possibly the four seed as Duke would own the tiebreaker. More on this after tomorrow's game.

Record: 22-3 (9-2 ACC)
Non-Conference Common Opponents: -
PPG/OPP: 71.4/55.5
FG%/OPP: .408/.342
3FG%/OPP: .306/.291
FT%/OPP: .683/.642
RPG/OPP: 45.4/36.6
TOs/OPP: 20.0/23.8
Steals/OPP: 13.8/9.5
Blocks/OPP: 5.8/3.0

The Starters
- Chante Black. 6'5 post player who leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks. Can shooter a jumper and has attempted two threes this year (missed both). The offense essentially runs through her at this point. Has fouled out of two games this year.
- Abby Waner. Possibly the last time we will ever see Abby play at Comcast and her career has continually gone down since freshman year. Second on the team in points (9.7), first in steals and assists and three-pointers made. Will help a little on the glass. You never know which Waner will show up - the dead eye or the one who just chucks up shots. She leads the team in steals because she is the one who comes over to help on the trap or lies in wait for the errant pass.
- Jasmine Thomas. Quick point guard. Can shoot the 3 and will do if left open. Great hands and can create turnovers. Not the best shooter.
- Carrem Gay. Lanky forward who is there to help on defense. second on the team in rebounding. Will shoot the 3. second in steals.
- Bridgette Mitchell. Thrust into the starting line up 3 games ago and is the fifth scoring option on the team. Will shoot if open but defers to teammates first.

The Bench
- Joy Cheek. The Muscle down low. very physical player who uses her size to her advantage. Has range on her jumper and will step out and take the 3. Usually gets in foul trouble.
- Karima Christmas. Another one of Duke's defensive pests. Creates turnovers and blocks shots. Shoots 50% from the floor and 40% from behind the arc.
- Keturah Jackson. Heart and soul of the team. Coach G buried her on the bench but Coach P loves her hustle and intensity. Not a great shooter and is in there to create havoc.
- Shay Shelby. Back up guard who doesn't do much.

Keys to the Game
- Control Black. She's long so fronting her will result in lobs over the top. We should play behind her and force her away from the hoop. That way if Duke misses a shot it will be harder for her to rebound.
- Control the glass. Duke has the height so Maryland will have to limit second chance opportunities. We need to go up strong for rebounds.
- Take care of the ball. Duke will want to press and force bad passes to score easy buckets. If we can get a combination of the Rutgers and GT effort I like our chances.
- Don't let Abby get hot. If she catches on fire early we are in trouble. If she misses early, she will get frustrated.
- Watch for the back door cuts. Duke loves to bring the posts high and then have the guards cut underneath for the easy bucket.
- Attack the post. Tennessee did this all night on Monday and it really affected Duke.
- Respect the 3. Unlike GT, Duke has 4 players on the court at all times that can shoot, we can't afford to sag off and leave them wide open.
- Score and score some more. Duke has broken 70 four times in the ACC this year - once was in OT, once against Clemson, Miami and Virginia. I loved the GT strategy of attacking the bucket quickly. I don't think Duke has the offense to keep up with us.

Lastly, The Washington Post is expecting another big crowd tomorrow. Not a sell out, but another big number. I hope it is louder than the men's game was today. And I don't think I need to remind any fans that it is Duke and they are led by the same woman who mocked our IQ last year and doesn't know the names of any of our players. I hope the bullies read her the riot act.

Terps Take Sting Out of Yellow Jackets

2009-02-20T09:47:00.002-05:00

Another road game, another somewhat tight ball game. We lead by a lot for most of the game but down the stretch I was getting close to chewing at my nails. We handled the press well for the most part and as a result moved to 22-4 on the season and 9-2 in the ACC. One more ACC win and we lock up a first round bye. Although we are still gunning for the regular season ACC title.

Good to see that we can still win when Kristi has an off night. Now it's time to get ready for Ekud.

What I liked:
- The establishing of Kizer. We knew that GT couldn't handle us in the paint and from the opening tip we attacked them inside. I think Lynetta had the first 8 points for us and finished the first half with 17. Hopefully the freshman slump is over for her.
- The uptempo offense. Instead of letting GT set up the press we went at them full speed so they didn't have a chance to trap us. As a result, we scored bucket after bucket before GT knew what was happening.
- The rebounding. We had the height advantage and for the first time in three games we won the battle on the boards.
- Strickland finding other ways to score. It was good to see that Marah can shoot from other spots on the court. I was getting worried that she could only score from the corners.
- The backdoor cuts. We have been cutting on teams the last several games exceptionally well. It gives a new dimension to the offense and often leads to free throws.

What I would like to see more:
- better control of the ball. We handled the press well, but the problem was we often tried to be too fancy with the ball pretending it was an And1 Mix Tape demo. A lot of the turnovers were unforced.
- Defense. We had roughly two 10 minute stretches where we played solid D but the other times we seemed to let GT do what they wanted. 79 points is a lot for a team that rarely breaks 70. I knew the plan was to limit the dribble drives, but giving Montgomery and Williams space to shoot the 3 was a mistake.

Game 26: at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)

2009-02-19T10:22:00.002-05:00

After two games at home, it's back to the road for the Terps and this time it's a dreaded trip to Georgia Tech. We have lost four of the last five games at Georgia Tech including two years ago when the Yellow Jackets stunned us. GT is 12-1 at home and 2-0 versus ranked teams this year.

Tech is a defensive minded team who will press and trap us the second we get off the bus. They are also physical as who can forget last year's double overtime game where 5 players fouled out for them.

This is an important game in terms of seeding for the ACC tournament and hopefully a game we don't look past as it was sandwiched between Rutgers and Duke.

Georgia Tech
Record: 18-7 (5-5 ACC)
Common Opponents: Boston College (L, 64-65), Florida State (L, 49-59), North Carolina (W, 66-62; L, 50-73), Duke (L, 34-60), Clemson (W, 49-41), Wake Forest (L,60-68), NC State (W, 67-54).
PPG/Opp: 65.7/53.9
FG%/Opp: .417/.382
3FG%/Opp: .290/.261
RPG/Opp: 38.5/33.2
TOs/Opp: 22.5/25.6
Steals/Opp: 14.0/9.1

The Starters:
- Alex Montgomery: combo guard/forward who leads the team in points (12.8) and rebounds (7.0). Second on the team in blocks and steals. Will take it inside and shoot it from outside as she is a 32.7% shooter from behind the arc. Doesn't initiate a lot of contact as she has only taken 59 free throws all year.
- Iasia Hemingway: another small guard who likes to take the ball to the hoop having attempted over 100 foul shots on the season. Third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. Has taken only 18 threes this season.
- Deja Foster: 6'0 guard who has started the last three games. Fourth on the team in scoring, third in rebounding and third in steals. Another player who is more comfortable closer to the basket as she has only taken seven 3-pointers all year and made only 1. Shoots only 60.7% from the line.
- Sasha Goodlett: 6'5 freshman center who is fifth on the team in rebounding despite her size. Doesn't shoot the 3. Makes only 46% of her shots and 55.6% on her free throws.
- Metra Walthour: 5'6 point guard who was thrust into the starting line up after the loss to Wake Forest. Has taken 33 shots all year and only 13 threes. Doesn't rebound and only plays 10 minutes a game. I think she was put in the line up to shake things up a bit.

The Bench:
- Jacqua Williams. One time starter. Pesky defender who leads the team in steals and is second in scoring at 11.4 per game. Primary ballhandler who loves to take people off the dribble and create contact in the paint. Shoots 74.5% from the stripe. Will also shoot the three , making 23 of 77 shots during the year. Doesn't help a ton on rebounding.
-Brigitte Ardossi: 6'2 forward who also used to start. 46.2% from the floor and no three pointers. 82% free throw shooter. fourth on the team in rebounding.
- Mo Bennett: 5'10 guard who plays 13 minutes a game but comes out looking to score as she has shot 123 shots this season. 8 for 39 from 3. Doesn't venture into the paint that often with only 15 foul shots and 2.4 rebounds per game.
- LaQuananisha Adams and Chelsea Regins: freshman post players who see about nine minutes per game. Neither takes a bunch of shots and isn't much help on the glass. Nor have they shot a three all year.
- Shaday Woolcock: Another guard who doesn't shoot much but will take the three. Plays about nine minutes a game. Not much help on the glass.

Keys to the Game:
- Take care of the ball. GT will trap and press pretty much the entire game. They play a 1-3-1 press which confuses teams. We must make safe smart passes to the open players and try to get to the bucket fast. The Jackets haven't scored more than 70 against a real opponent all year.
- Rebound. the team has one player over 6'1. We need to hit the glass hard and watch for their guards coming back to help on the glass. Controlling the defensive glass will give GT less time to set up their press.
- Control Montgomery. Probably Marissa's assignment. If we can limit her scoring chances and keep her off the glass GT is in trouble. Marissa just needs to stay out of foul trouble.
- Keep our composure. GT wants us to speed up play and force it. We need to just play calm and do what we do best.
- Protect the interior. GT isn't a three-point shooting team, so we must be ready for the drives to the bucket.

If you can't watch it on ESPNU try ESPN360.

Tuesday Tidbits

2009-02-17T13:52:00.002-05:00

- Maryland is now in the top 10 in both polls. Two more wins this week and we may even be in the top 5.

- Marissa earned ACC Player of the Week for the second time this year.

- From Charlie Creme's column on Sunday:
2. Maryland is making a statement. Rutgers could have been the kind of team to give Maryland trouble, considering the strength of the Scarlet Knights' physical defense. But other than Connecticut, no one had an easier time Sunday than the Terps. A 20-point win and now a five-game winning streak means Maryland is now back in contention for a No. 1 seed.

Maryland Gives Rutgers a Taste of It's Own Medicine

2009-02-16T15:31:00.002-05:00

What a week it was for the Terps. First BC was dispatched, then Virginia and finally Rutgers with each margin of victory getting wider and wider. The team seemed to play with a ton of passion yesterday and determined not to let Rutgers employ their will. Two more wins this week and the Terps reenter discussions for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

I thought the atmosphere at the game was great and Coach Frese announcement was a no brainer but I feel that each lady should get their own night. I even posted a second poll about it.

Marissa has been playing awesome and seems like she refuses to lose. In her last three games, she's gone to the line at least 10 times which shows off how aggressive she is being.

Suprised not to see Sa'de on the bench and the rumors abound that she left the program. We heard the same rumors back in December about Marah and she's still on the team. I guess we all have to wait for official word.

What I liked:- the defense. at one point during the game, I felt as if Rutgers was going to build us a new Comcast Center with the amount of bricks they were shooting. I think we forced Rutgers into a ton of bad shots and did a great job limiting their bigs from scoring inside. Dee blocking shots was also a welcome sight.
- the team's focus. Rutgers tried a few times to get back in the game and each time we went on a run and kept Rutgers at bay.

What I would like to see more of:- Rebounding and production on the inside. Rutgers was in foul trouble down low most of the game we still lost the rebounding battle. That shouldn't happen. Also, we would like to see the two posts score a little more. We will need it one day.
- class from Rutgers. fouling with 8 seconds left? shooting a three at the buzzer? it was a 20-point game.
- The starters on the bench at the end of games. The last two games have saw us with decent leads in the final minutes yet KT and Marissa are still on the court. They need rest especially with the ACC Tournament right around the corner.

Georgia Tech and Ekud this week. Two physical in your face defensive teams. Two wins would almost lock up a top 2 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Game 26: Rutgers (ESPN2)

2009-02-14T15:40:00.002-05:00

Two days after a great victory the Terps are back on their home court looking to avenge last year's defeat at Rutgers. The game is part of ESPN2's February Frenzy, which is ESPN's way of showing how their tournament coverage will work. If you can't make the game, and why wouldn't you be there, ESPN will show the game. If you are outside Maryland, chances are you will catch snippets of the game on the wraparound coverage.

On a side note, FSU's win last night essentially eliminates UNC and Duke from the ACC title hunt unless FSU goes into a tailspin. FSU's toughest remaining game is Virginia, which is at home. If they lose that and we win out we win the ACC title. Duke doesn't have the tiebreaker and UNC has three conference losses.

Back to the game, Rutgers enters the game with a win over DIII Farmingdale minus Coach Stringer, who was at jury duty. Rutgers is having a down year as the Scarlet Knights are struggling to incorporate freshmen after the departure of Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson to the WNBA. As usual Rutgers relies on their defense to frustrate opponents as their offense is pretty much a bore. In their last seven games against DI opponents, they have scored over 60 once. They will press, trap, grab and do whatever they can to frustrate teams.

Record: 14-9
Common Opponents: Pittsburgh (L, 61-53)
PPG/OPP: 61.7/53.7
FG%/OPP:.422/.364
3FG%/OPP:.319/.297
RPG/OPP: 36.5/31.3
TOs/OPP: 16.0/17.2
Steals/OPP: 9.0/6.5

The Starters
- Epiphany Prince - Leads the team in points, steals, assists, shot attempts. Will shoot the 3, will take it to the hole. Shoots 43% from the floor and 31% from three. also 83% from the free throw line. She must be shut down.
- Brittany Ray - another guard who will take it inside and outside. Not as inclined as Prince to go to the hoop as she has only shot 50 foul shots all year. Shoots 38% from the floor, 37% from behind the arc and 80% from the line. Second on the team in steals, third in rebounding.
- Khadijah Rushdan - another guard like Brittany Ray. Shoots 39% from the floor, 39% from 3 (only taken 31 all year) and 65% from the line. third on the team in steals. Averages only 5.7 ppg. Can be a scoring factor if left alone.
- Heather Zurich - guard/forward. Primarily a jump shooter and not one of the better defensive players. Doesn't rebound much.
- Rashidat Junaid - Inserted in the starting line up to light a fire under Kia Vaughn who has struggled all year. Stays in the paint and hasn't taken a 3 all season. not a strong rebounder. Second on the team in blocks. Shies away from contact with only 28 fouls in 20 games.

The Bench
- Kia Vaughn. All-American candidate to start the year who now comes off the bench because of the way she has struggled all year. Somedays she shows up to play, somedays she doesn't. Lately, she has been showing up to play. Stays in the paint. Terrible free throw shooter. Leads the team in rebounding as she muscles her way for the ball. Leads the team in blocked shots. Must not let her push us around.
- Myia McCurdy - back up forward who won't shoot the 3. Helps on traps. Rarely gets into foul trouble.
- April Sykes, Brooklyn Pope, Nikki Speed, Chelsea Lee. the Freshman guards and forwards who really haven't really found their rolls on the team. Speed and Sykes can shoot the 3 and handle the ball. Pope can block shots. None of them play more than 15 minutes a game and score less than four points a game.

Keys to the Game
1. Don't let Rutgers dictate the tempo. A year ago, we were battling illness and Rutgers slowed the game down and we got frustrated. Like against UVA, we need to grab the ball and run. Rutgers can't keep up with us offensively.
2. Handle the press and the physical nature. Like I said, Rutgers plays streetball and knows it can get in your head. KT will be grabbed and hand checked every time she touches the ball. She needs to be smart and let let it affect her. Same goes with the newcomers in the paint.
3. Rebound. Dee and Kizer have to be on the glass and not give up so many second chance points.
4. Control Prince. Prince is the star of the team. Keep her under wraps and the offensive will struggle even more.
5. Attack Vaughn. When Vaughn enters, Dee and Kizer need to attack her and get her out of the game.

Should be a fun game. Rutgers may keep it close for a while, but our offense should wear them down.

Terps Avenge Earlier Defeat at Hands at Cavaliers

2009-02-13T10:12:00.002-05:00

Last night was how the game in Charlottesville should have went. Let Virginia hang around and then blitz them at the right time to build a huge lead and come away with a victory. Coach Ryan decided she was going to run and gun with the Terps except we brought a machine gun and she brought pistol. In Maryland's losses this year it was teams who locked down on them defensively and forced bad shots, not played matador defense. I will take the win anyway we can especially when it adds up to another 20-win season and makes bballfan over at Rebkell pissed.

By my calculations a win by UNC tonight puts us first place in the league. UNC and us would be 2-1 against FSU, Duke and each other and since we hold the win over UNC it gives us the tiebreaker.

another great game by Coleman who is rapidly closing in on the 2,000 point mark. I will do my best to update the record chasers this weekend.

One of my loyal readers would like me to be more positive so here it goes:

What I liked
- Coleman's fire and intensity. Whoever gave her this recent pep talk needs to keep it up. She has played awesome the last several games.
- The backdoor cuts. It adds a new dimension to the offense and stops us from relying only on jump shots
- Taking the ball to the bucket. I think KT made more lay ups today than in her entire career. She keeps that up it will free up more opportunities.
- The lack of turnovers. Only saw a few lazy passes. some were telegraphed and some were players not coming to the ball.
- The defense. Littles and Wright were forced to take shots they didn't want to and were hounded on every play.

What I would have liked to see more of
- Rebounding. Getting outrebounded by 13 is not good and imagine what would have happened had we won the battle of the boards. One thing I noticed is that Kizer and Liles don't leave their feet to rebound. It seems as if they wait for the ball to come to them. That was ok in HS, but in college you need to be first to the ball. Rebounding limits the fastbreak and second chance points, which was about 28-4 last night.

Now on to Sunday for a matinee with struggling Rutgers.

Game 25: Virginia

2009-02-12T10:28:00.002-05:00

Game number two this week and the rematch with the Cavaliers. 13 days ago we went down to JPJ Arena and looked in control for the first 25 minutes of the game, but then Virginia rattled off a 23-8 run and never looked back ending our winning streak against UVA. Tonight's game has a lot of importance in the race for the ACC title. A win keeps us alive for the #1 seed and regular season title as FSU plays UNC tomorrow night. A loss drops us to fifth and gives UVA the tiebreaker. We can't afford to play 4 games in 4 days.

Virginia
Record: 19-5
Conference: 5-3
Schedule since the last time we played: Longwood (W, 88-50), Duke (L, 81-67), Virginia Tech (W, 69-61)
PPG/Opp.: 74.0/63.4
FG%/Opp: 40.5/39.0
3FG%/Opp: 28.0/30.4
RPG/Opp: 43.9/37.4
TOs/Opp: 16.4/21.2

The Starters
Monica Wright - a do everything combo player who leads the team in scoring, steals, assists and field goals attempted. She is the team. She has taken 240 shots more than the next player on the team. Not the best three-pointer shooter but when she gets on a roll she rarely misses. Loves to provide help on the trap and come away with the steal.
Lyndra Littles - forward who missed the first half of the year due to grades (at Duke they would raise a banner for her). In 15 games, she has taken 236 shots. That works out to over 15 shots per game. She can take it inside and if left open will shoot the foul line jumper and top of the circle three-pointer. Second on the team in rebounds. She's the reason we lost the first time as we couldn't stop her.
Aisha Mohammed - Tall, Lanky center whose game has really improved this year. Leads the team in rebounding at nearly 10 per game. Shoots over 50% from the floor, but does almost all of her work in the paint. Can block shots but not as bring of a threat as you would imagine. Shoots only 59.1 percent from the free throw line.
Britnee Milner - the team's point guard when Wright lets her touch the ball. Fiesty defender who relies more on driving to the bucket than shooting the 3 (13.6%). Must be contained.
Kelly Hartig - placeholder in the starting line up. Has taken 51 shots all year. Mainly in there to block shots and pass the ball.

The Bench:Ariana Moorer - back up PG and outside shooting threat. Shoots 24.6 from 3 and 100 more shots inside the paint.
Chelsea Shine - back up post player who usually replaces Hartig. Doesn't shoot the 3. Leads the team in blocked shots. Shoots 42.1% from the floor.
Whitney Edwards - another back up guard who shoots more from the inside than the outside. Sometimes she plays, sometimes she doesn't.
Kristen London - another guard, but she seems more apt to shoot from deep.
Jayna Hartig - She displays the same skill set as her twin.
UVA's rotation aside from Moorer and Shine is a mystery. I think she just looks at the bench and points.

Keys to the Game:
1. Shut down Littles and Mohammed. Wright is going to get her points no matter what Maryland does. If you can keep Littles and Mohammed under 15 each we should win. They make the team go.
2. Rebound the ball. At their place we were outrebounded by six. Control the glass and limit the offensive opportunities.
3. Make smart passes. During UVA's run, I think I counted 3-4 lazy passes which just fell into the arms of UVA players.
4. Watch for the trap. The Cavs will bring the trap meaning that someone needs to come to Kristi and help get the ball. Doing that makes it a 4 on 3 opportunity.
5. Slow the run outs. UVA loves to grab the rebound and start the fast break. This means that on missed shots, Sa'de and KT must drop back to prevent easy baskets.

If we play composed, we will win.

See you tomorrow for the recap.

Terps Survive Eagles

2009-02-10T09:40:00.002-05:00

Another game against BC, another win. That's eight straight against the former Big East team and moves Maryland into a tie for second in the ACC Standings. It also moves the Terps to seven wins meaning another .500 or better record in the conference for the sixth straight year, I think maybe Duke and UNC can also say that.

As far as the game goes, I thought our defense was terrible. 52.4% is not acceptable this late in the season. Swords had her way with us and then we let Rusin have a career day. Our transition defense was even worse as BC looked to run every chance they got, something I also noticed against Virginia.

We were up 12 with 5:41 left and I figured the game was over. I was wrong. Nearly three minutes later BC was only down three and we looked frazzled. After trading baskets, KT drained a long three to put the Terps up six and Marissa sank four free throws to make it another happy trip home from Boston.

Marissa played one of the better games of her career finishing with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. More importantly she went 10-for-10 from the line. She also moved into the 1,000 rebound club.

Turnovers were down, which is a plus, but our road struggles continue. Luckily the next two games are at home and they are both big ones - Virginia and Rutgers.

One thing that also concerned me during the telecast was when KT said she was going to be more assertive the rest of the year. I hope more assertive means finding the open man and attacking the rim and not throwing up a three because she feels we need it. I do feel she has been more shot happy this year when we struggle.

Onto to the rematch with the Cavaliers.

Game 23: at Boston College

2009-02-09T10:38:00.002-05:00

After a short trip back home, the Terps hit the road again for a Monday night match up against Boston College. The game is on TV, but most ACC fans will be watching UNC versus Duke on ESPN2. We probably want UNC to win to help us move up further in the ACC standings.

Boston College has been one of the early suprises of the ACC season, but they have played a fairly easy schedule which led to their high record. They are 9-1 at home and that one loss was to Notre Dame in the non-conference portion of the schedule. BC had won four straight before losing to Duke and Florida State last week.

Quick Facts
Record: 17-6
ACC Record: 5-3
PPG (Opponents): 70.6 (62.0)
Rebounds (Opponents): 42.0 (33.4)
FG% (Opponents): 44.5 (37.5)
3FG% (Opponents): 34.1 (33.9)

The Starters:
Mickel Picco - a junior guard who leads the team in scoring. Has taken nearly 80 more shots than the next person on the team and knocks down almost 50% of her shots. also a strong threat from 3, nailing 38.5% of those attempts. Can't let her heat up
Carolyn Swords - 6'6 post player who spends most of her time near the hoop scoring on lay ups and grabbing rebounds. She doesn't go to the free throw line much. Leads the team in blocked shots as well as personal fouls.
Stefanie Murphy - 6'4 post player who has more range than Swords. She also blocks shots but is foul prone.
Ayla Brown - a 6'0 combo guard/forward. Fourth on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Will shoot the 3, but isn't great at it.
Jaclyn Thoman - 5'9 point guard. Rarely shoots the ball and even rarer is when she takes the ball to the hoop. Can be pressured to turn the ball over

The Bench:
Brittany Johnson and Corey Rusin are interchangeable at the guard spots, as neith does much . Johnson is more athletic and will drive to the hoop and force turnovers.
Lauren Whitehurt - back up post player. plays about 10 minutes a game, takes very few shots, doesn't shoot the 3.
Mia Nickson - another back up post player similar to Whitehurst.
Victoria Jones and Victoria Gill round out the back up guards. Both are ballhawks.

Keys to the Game
1. Attack the post. Take down the two big trees inside and the middle will open up wide.
2. Play with intensity. The last few road games have been struggles for the Terps and it's time to show we can win on the road easily.
3. Guard Picco.
4. Take care of the ball.
5. Rebound. BC will use it's height to keep us off the glass and Kizer and Liles will have to fight for every rebound.

What to watch for
1. Marissa needs seven rebounds for 1,000

Hot Shooting Sends Wolf Pack Running For The Hills

2009-02-06T10:23:00.002-05:00

With the cold temperatures outside, Maryland decided the best way to keep everyone warm was to try and set the nets on fire and they nearly accomplished that in the first half last.

Over the last 11:09 of the first half, the Terps made nine straight shots and 10 of their last 11. They missed eight shots the entire half and finished shooting 70%. I thought they did a great job of finding the open shooter and not forcing shots.

I thought the defense was decent, but we struggled to contain Beal and should have been able to outrebound this team by more than 8. We had a our typical out of halftime lull, but Kizer and Coleman made sure the lead never dipped under double-digits.

It was good to see Yemi and Kim get playing time, but I wish Kim would have seen more time and don't get why Kristi is playing 34 minues in a 20-point blow out. At some point she needs to rest and we need to develop past her.

Mingo and Marah must have read the blog as both scored in double figures and Mingo looked more confident.

Congrats to Marissa for passing Shay and staying on pace for 2000 points.

The postgame ceremony for Harper was outstanding and her speech was awesome. Two more jerseys from that team to retire.

Game 22: NC State

2009-02-05T09:32:00.002-05:00

Fresh off one of the most exciting victories in recent years, the Terps are back in action tonight against NC State. The Wolfpack enter tonight's game with a record of 9-12 and 1-5 in the ACC. They recently won their first conference game by defeating Virginia Tech. NC State has been playing with a heavy heart though as legendary Coach Kay Yow passed away less than two weeks ago.

Quick Facts:
Common Opponents: UNC (L, 66-75), Florida State (L, 59-64), Duke (L, 58-61), Virginia Tech (W, 57-46)
PPG(Opponents): 60.8 (58.2)
Rebounding (Opponents): 41.6 (40.5)
FG Percentage (Opponents): .375 (.361)
Three FG Percentage (Opponents): .274 (.280)

The Starters:
- Shayla Fields: a 5-9 senior guard. Averages 17.6 points per game and is the primary shooter as she has taken almost 100 shots more than the next person on the team. Shoots .302 from behind the arc. Expected to play the whole games as she rarely gets into foul trouble.
- Nikitta Gartrell: more of a slashing guard. She does most of her damage inside the arc and is third on the team in rebounding.
- Sharnise Beal: a 5-9 junior guard, who has missed eight games this season. She is third in scoring and like Gartrell does most of her damage inside the arc. Although she has made 6 of 15 shots from 3 this season. Not much of a distributor as she has 18 assists in 13 games.
- Lucy Ellison: team's leading rebounder at 6.7 per game. Despite starting every game, rarely shoots the ball and her 62 shots rank seventh on the squad. Has only blocked three shots all year.
- Inga Muciniece: 6-5 center. Taken fewer shots than Ellison, but is second on the team in blocks. Only picked up 10 fouls all year. Either she's a matador or plays some of the best defense in the country. Only at Duke can you find a starter with 10 fouls or less during the year.

Off the Bench:
- Bonae Holston: Freshman forward who is the main inside threat and third in rebounding. Not a great rebounder
- Tia Bell: Local product who is athletic and leads the team in shots blocked. Only shoots .398 percent and rarely from 3.
- Brittany Strachan: Three-point threat off the bench, rarely drives to the bucket.

Keys to the game:
- Guard the perimeter. This is where NC State does most of it's damage
- Attack the inside. NC State's posts are weak and we should be able to score at will.
- Don't let up. NC State isn't a high octane team, they use their defense to keep them in games. If you let them stay around the game gets uncomfortable (see UNC, Duke).
- Control the pace. NC State will slow it down, we need to play fast but smart.

What to watch for:
- A win gives the Terps 30 straight at home.
- Marissa needs 12 points and 12 rebounds to reach third on the scoring list and 1,000 rebounds.
- Laura Harper has her jersey sent to the rafters after the game.

If you can't be at the game because of the weather than you can catch it on ACC Select or WMUC.

I'm Back and Ready to Comment

2009-02-04T13:20:00.002-05:00

After finally getting the chance to watch three games in a row, I got the itch to come back to the blog and start posting my thoughts again. Starting with tomorrow's game against NC State, I will do my best to break down the team before and after the game.

Here are my thoughts on the team thus far and I apologize if they are negative as I expect a lot from the team.

1. I like that Kizer and Liles have a jump shot and aren't afraid to use it. I do wish that they wouldn't shoot if the other was away from the basket.
2. I love Liles athleticism but sometimes she needs to slow down and not force a shot.
3. If we play defense like we did against FSU and UNC, it's hard to beat us. If we don't then we will lose. We must hold opponents under 70.
4. I heard the rumors about Strickland wanting out and if she still feels that way, let her go. Except for the two games where she came back from deciding to stay with the team her entire game consists of running down the court, standing in a corner and waiting for a pass. She barely rebounds and isn't a good enough ball handler to make a move towards the rim.
5. I think last year's lack of playing time killed Mingo's confidence as she looks like she goes out there to do something positive so she won't get pulled.
6. KT has regressed as a PG. When we get down in games, she panics and tries to take over (i.e. UVA) instead of running the offense. Against FSU, she had several crucial TOs down the stretch because she was trying to do too much.
7. Coleman needs to assert herself more. That drive to the basket against FSU was a thing of beauty.
8. Our transition defense is terrible. 3 people crash the glass, 1 sits in the corner and thus KT is left alone to often guard the run out. This killed us against UVA.
9. We need better hands. I have seen too many rebounds batted around like a volleyball. They need to be grabbed and held onto tight. Maybe Lang and Harp spoiled us.
10. Kizer and Liles can't be afraid to block a shot. I know that we need them inside but too many times I watch them play decent defense and the ball go through their hands because they are afraid to pick up a foul.
11. I like that when teams hound KT, Coleman gets the ball, but then that limits us on the glass.
12. I would expect to see more triangle and 2 until MD can show that someone other than KT and Coleman will show up routinely.

Overall, I am a little disappointed in the team. The ACC is down this year and it seems on some nights we just don't bring it. We should have beaten Duke, but the UVA loss shouldn't happen with two veteran leaders.

I know it comes off harsh, but judging by the poll on the left some of the expect a deep run into the tournament and I don't see that unless the D is better and we take better control of the ball.

Taking A Break

2008-10-21T16:57:00.003-04:00

As mentioned earlier this summer we had our first child and I got a promotion at work. As a result, I am just overwhelmed to also manage the site too. I will do my best to make sure the countdown clock is updated as is the Fact Box and the records section. Other than that, I will not be able to do the site justice as I have in the past.

I may in pop in from time to time or post on the basketcases site or on rebkell. If anyone wants to be the new voice feel free to email me at joey.nations@gmail.com.

Thanks to all my loyal readers and to my fellow rebkell defender Toliver...Holy Cow: Best of Luck with the twins, I don't know how you do it. One is hard enough for me.

And the Season is Underway

2008-10-21T16:28:00.004-04:00

Maryland Madness once again marked the start of the new year and several media outlets were on hand to cover it.

UMTerps.com

Under The Shell (Look Under Special Programming)

DC SportsBox

Washington Post Blogs

Washington Times

Saturday morning was the first practice for the team and on Sunday our friends, The Basketcases got their first glimpse of the 2008-09 team.

InsideNoVa.com did a story on frosh phenom Lynetta Kizer

ESPN.com looks at the Top 10 Games and who may be playing in St. Louis

Brenda picked up two commitments this weekend: 2009 Center Essence Townsend and 2010 Wing Alyssa Thomas

According to TerrapinTimes.com - Kim Rodgers was out sick on Friday (xwomynjoc has heard it may be serious - ht BasketCases) and Emery Wallace career as a Terp is over due to knee issues. She will remain on the team, but will not play.

Newest Player Revealed

2008-09-24T13:47:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned a new post player for the team and according to TTDan on Terrapin Times that player is 6'6 Yemi Oyefuwa from Great Britain. She's only been playing ball for two years and at the recent European Championships, she averaged 1.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She only played above 10 minutes in one game and missed all six free throws. Maybe she was injured, but I am really concerned that we will have to play 5 guards if we get in foul trouble.

I'm Back and With some Possible Breaking News

2008-09-12T11:25:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the delay in updates over the summer but a number of things have happened since the season ended.
1) I got a promotion at work.
2) The misses gave birth to a baby boy.

With that being said, I may not be able to devote the same time I have had in previous years. If someone wants to help maintain the site shoot me an e-mail or leave a message in the comments.

Now onto the team business
1. We added a transfer from Illinois by the name of Lori Bjork. She's a three-point specialist and can't play until next year.
2. The schedule has been posted and I will update here when I get a chance.
3. The Maryland Media Relations department seems to be doing a good job getting us ready for the season with all these Q&As with past and present players.
4. Brenda was named the chairperson of a SIDS event.
5. We have a new assistant coach replacing fan favorite Diane Richardson. I loved the Hulk Hogan move she pulled at the ACC Tournament.
6. Kat's gone.
7. Kizer helped the U-18 team win gold.
8. Coleman and Toliver were named to the preseason WBCA Watch List.
9. In WNBA news, it seems Lang and Harper are struggling for playing time. I can understand Harper because the Monarchs are a playoff team, but the Mystics amaze me. They are terrible and instead of seeing what Lang can do for a full game, they just bury her on the bench. They even made up for their draft "mistake" by trading for Tasha Humphrey, which means even less time for Langhorne. I guess shooting 62% and leading the league (Brooke Smith has only played 8 games) isn't good enough.
10. POSSIBLE BREAKING NEWS: I was at Comcast yesterday trying to buy some tickets for this weekend's football game (friends are in town to see the baby and want to go to the game) and I saw the girls playing pick up. A few observations: Kizer looks good as do last year's injured guards; I saw a new girl in the post who didn't resemble Kizer, Drey or Liles. Maybe this is the international girl Terrapin Times refuses to tell us about.; No sign of Jackie Nared, but maybe she had class and wasn't there when I stopped by. - UPDATED at 1:30. Jackie is no longer enrolled at Maryland due to a Clearinghouse issue according to Terrapin Times. Rumors abound that dad is mad. Better clear this up if we have any chance with her stud sister.

less than a month until the Madness begins again....

Feeling a Draft: Langhorne to Mystics; Harper to Monarchs

2008-04-09T21:02:00.005-04:00

If you watched the WNBA draft today you probably saw Lang picked by the Mystics and Harper picked by the Monarchs.

Thus giving Maryland two Top 10 picks for the first time in school history.

Later they posed with their jerseys:

and just as an FYI the Mystics don't have a #1 (or #24 Crystal's first number choice) and the Monarchs don't have a #15.

And also sat down to chat with fans. Crystal's response for shooting over 60% "I shoot a lot of layups"

Lastly, Laura's newest beat writer already wrote an article about her.

Crystal and Kristi Earn More All-America Accolades

2008-04-05T13:59:00.002-04:00

What a week for Crystal and Kristi, despite losing in the Elite 8 they picked up three all-america honors. You heard about the AP honors earlier this week, but the other day they earned USBWA honors and today made the prestigious State Farm WBCA All-America Team

Congrats to both ladies. Now it's team to wait for the draft.

Wednesday Words

2008-04-02T10:33:00.003-04:00

I would just like to point out that only one team scored more than 87 points in the Elite 8 and that just happened to be Stanford.

Crystal and Kristi were named second team AP All-Americans yesterday, while it seems Marissa was an honorable mention selection. It marks the first time since 1989 that we have had two players named AA in the same season.

My favorite Benedict Arnold - Jeff Walz earned the Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year Award from the WBCA. I am sure Natty06 felt that Daron Park should have received the award.

The Baltimore Sun gives an update on Dee Liles

Some articles on the day after:
Sports Illustrated
Baltimore Sun
Diamondback

As we head into the off season there are some questions that need to be asked:
Did lack of playing time for the young players make them think about heading elsewhere?
Will Coach Park's stint as acting head coach make him want to pursue his own head gig?
What kind of team will we have next year?
Will we land several top 10 recruits to go along with Dara Taylor so that we reload in 2010 instead of rebuild?

Lastly, thanks to all my loyal readers who visit this site almost daily. I probably don't have the readership of the basketcases but I hope you enjoy the site and continue to visit in the offseason as we now have to track the pro careers of Shay, Crystal and Laura. For those senior parents who read this board, I hope you continue to visit even if your daughter is no longer on the team. I know I expect a lot out of the team, but I wouldn't be a fan if I didn't.

Stanford Ends Terps Season in Elite 8

2008-04-01T01:10:00.003-04:00

All I can say is wow, Stanford shot the lights out as did we, then just made more threes. I am so proud of the ladies' effort tonight that I can't be that disappointed. Not many teams will beat us when we score 87 and shoot over 50%. We ran into that team tonight. When the third and fourth scorers can't miss from 3, there's not a whole lot you can do. Missing free throws didn't help, but I am sure Wiggins would have drained another 3. I would have liked to have seen Coleman guard Wiggins at certain points to make it harder for her to shoot, but that's my only complaint.

Congrats to Crystal, Laura, Ashleigh, Jade and Christie. You will be missed.

The countdown to next year is on. I hope Lynetta, Dee and Drey can help us reload in the post and take us to the Elite 8 and beyond next year.

Game 37: Stanford (Elite 8)

2008-03-30T23:51:00.003-04:00

After our best performance in over month, it's time to see if the play continues tonight. Tonight's opponent will be one of the best we have played all year and are nearly mirror images of us as they have an athletic wing, and two posts. The game is at 9:30 on ESPN2 and a win sends us to Tampa and the Final Four for the second time in three years. A win means another morning of extra coffee to make it through the day for the fans, but it will be worth it.

Stanford is 33-3 and the common opponents are Rutgers (W, 60-58), Temple (W, 63-54), UCLA (L, 69-56; W, 75-62; W, 78-45), Pittsburgh, (72-53)

Stanford scores 75 points per game, while only allowing 54.9. Since the back to back losses to start 2008, Stanford has only given up more than 60 points, three times and has yet to lose. They have only broken 80 three times, six times during the 21-game winning streak and they were all against subpar opponents. They are one of the best rebounding teams in the country and rank 10th in the country in rebounding margin (41.7 to 33.6). They also shoot well at 45.8 percent from the floor and .321 from behind the arc. Opponents shoot 34.8 and 29.1. They are steady with the ball, averaging only 13.3 turnovers a game. They also block 5.1 shots per game.

Stanford is led by All-American Candice Wiggins. For four years, she has tried to make the final four and has yet to do it, she is driven and does it all for Stanford. She leads the team in points at 19.6. She rebounds at 4.6 per game, is first in assists and steals and shoots 43.1 from the floor and 33% from behind the arc. She is a clone of Marissa and needs to be stopped. The first of the twin towers is Jayne Appel. She is 6'4 and scores 15.1 ppg and grabs 8.9 rebounds. She also leads the team with 89 blocks. Appel shoots 59.7 from the floor and doesn't take 3s. She has only fouled out once. The other twin tower is Kayla Pederson, a 6'4 freshman, who shoots more outside the box than Appel. She averages 12.6 points and grabs 8.5 rebounds. She will stroke the three, but is not much of a shot blocker. She also rarely picks up fouls. JJ Hones is a 5'10 guard and scores only 6.0 points per game. Hones is a three-point shooter, barely rebounds and is a distributor as she is second on the team in assists. Rosalyn Gold-Onwude is the fifth starter and averages 5.2 ppg at 5'10. She also barely rebounds and shoots 48% from the free throw line. She will shoot the three. Off the bench they have 6'1 forward Jillian Harmon, who scores 6.3 points, grabs 5.0 rebounds and has missed all nine threes this year. Next is Jeannette Pohlen, a 6'0 guard, averaging 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and shooting 26.6% from three. Cissy Pierce is a 5'10 guard who may also play and averages 2.8 points per game and is a shooter. Lastly, there is Morgan Clayburn, a 6'4 center, who goes to to spell the towers and that's it.

The Cardinal have experience against two great post players as they have done an effective job shutting down California's dynamic duo. Harper will have to bring her A game.

Keys on offense

Attacking the post. Stanford relies a lot on Pederson and Appel and if would could get them in foul trouble, it would help a lot.

Taking care of the ball. Stanford forces 16.5 turnovers a game and wants to get inside your head Rutgers style.

Attack Wiggins on defense. Make her work on defense and possibly saddle her with foul trouble or at least tire her out.

Rebound the ball. They have two main rebounders so the guards will have to help.

Harper must come up big with a double-double and stay out of the foul trouble that has plagued her most of the tournament.

Strickland has to continue to play the way she did on Saturday. She plays that way and we won't lose.

Keys on Defense

Don't let Wiggins get hot. She is pumped for this game and she can score 30 with no problem if we don't defend her. Either switch on screens or go under to limit the three-point shots.

Keep the ball away from Appel and Pedersen. Pedersen is more of the shooter where Appel goes for the layups. Probably front Appel.

Guards must help rebound. Since their guards don't we need Kristi and Marah to go after rebounds and limit second chance points.

Hands up to prevent threes.

Wiggins is the only main upperclassmen on this team so who knows how the young players will handle the pressure of the game. They could be like our kids or they could be nervous.

If we play man, I see Laura on Appel, Crystal on Pedersen, Marissa on Wiggins, Toliver on Hones and Strickland on Gold-Onwude.

We must force the tempo like we did on Saturday and see if Stanford has the fire power to do it.

I see us winning because Stanford can't keep up, but we must control Wiggins.

Lastly, as far I have read, no one is sick. (knock on wood)

Terps Defensive Effort Puts them in Elite Company

2008-03-29T23:25:00.002-04:00

What a game last night. For the first time in over a month, the team we fell in love with in November - January reared it's head and said not so fast to those that were predicting an early demise. I guess the pressure of last year's loss we really getting to the team as I didn't recognize the team on the floor. The ball was fed into the post repeatedly, we weren't settling for jump shots and Marah or Big Strick as the kids call her made a triumph return (she needs another game like last night to completely come off the milk carton). Oh and we showed Vandy we can play a little defense too.

As an FYI, Vandy hadn't given up more than 47 in the tournament, they gave up 44 in the first half last night.

Like Terps25 said, how can you pick only one person for Player of the Game? My vote has to be Marah as we weren't a 4 on 5 team and our five can beat anyone's five.

I am having a really good feeling about Monday night. We still need to bring our A game, but when Kristi is a distributor first and scorer second most teams will have their hands full. I also think Monday will be Harper's breakout game of the tournament.

Articles

Game 36: Vanderbilt (Sweet 16)

2008-03-28T23:53:00.002-04:00

Now that we have gotten over the hump it's time to make it to Tampa. Before I get to the the preview here are some things to read to kill time before our game at 9.

The Examiner writes about the senior class

The Burlington County Times talks about Crystal getting another week with her teammates

Milton Kent writes about Marissa Coleman

Mike Wise writes about Under the Shell

The Philly Inquirer remarks about how Harper and Langhorne spruned the traditional powers

The Diamondback's Greg Schimmel writes a wonderful article about Crystal

Kristi and Crystal were named finalists for the State Farm Wade Trophy

Graham wrote about my favorite turncoat

Mechelle Voepel previews the game

Now onto the preview.

I seriously hope the tightness we saw on Sunday and Tuesday was due to stress over not losing. From now on, we need to play to win not to not lose. I am sure most of you know what that means, but for those that don't it means we step on the gas and keep going until the game and don't let up for a second. We are the best team in the country and it's time to prove it.

Vanderbilt is 25-8 and 4-1 on neutral courts. Among the common opponents: Clemson (W, 74-56), Duke (W, 68-55), Princeton (W, 81-48), LSU (L, 51-62). They have only lost four games since Jan. 1, 2008. Problem is those losses have come to Tennessee three times and LSU once.

The Commodores average 71.2 points per game, but only allow 55.9 points per game. They have given up more than 60 four times, all to UT and LSU. Tennessee is the only team to break 70 on them since Jan. 1. Hence they are a defensive team. They only outrebound opponents by 3.7 per game. VU shoots .468 from the floor and .387 from three. They force 20.4 turnovers a game and get 10 steals. Opponents only shoot .363 percent from the floor and .292 from 3.

Vanderbilt is led by 6'1 guard/forward Christina Wirth. She can do it all, she's Kristi and Marissa combined as she shoots a ton of 3s (and makes them), rebounds, gets steals and distributes the ball. She averages 13.1 points per game and 4.9 rebounds. Next on the team in scoring is Liz Sherwood, a 6'4 center who comes off the bench. She averages 11.0 points per game and shoots 62 percent. She only averages 4.4 rebounds per game and leads the team with 39 blocks. From the little bit I saw it seems like she likes to go over her left shoulder in the post. Jennifer Risper is a 5'9 guard, who likes to take people off the dribble instead of shooting the three. She is a distributor and the team's leading rebounder and stealer. Meredith Marsh is another three-point shooter on the team. She's not that much of a rebounder. Jessica Mooney is a slashing guard, who will occasionally take a 3. While she doesn't rebound the ball, she does block shots and get steals. Hannah Tuomi is a post player, but doesn't see as many touches as Sherwood. She shoots 50% and is foul prone. Lauren Lueders is another three-point shooter and very rarely drives the lane. She is like Marah. Jence Rhoads is the starting point guard and is more likely to drive to the bucket than shoot the 3 as she has taken only 13 long-range shots all year. Amber Norton is a post player off the bench. She has taken only 80 shots all year and grabbed 38 rebounds.

Keys on offense

Attacking the post and getting Sherwood and their post players in foul trouble.

Getting Harper and Marah involved in the offense. If they are clicking, no one is stopping us.

Marissa playing hard and doing what she does best.

Toliver playing smart and not forcing the offense.

Taking care of the ball, by not telegraphing passes.

Rebounding the ball.

Keys on Defense

Limiting Wirth's touches, Marissa will have to lock her down and not let her get good looks.

Rebounding the ball. VU doesn't do that well and we must keep the off the glass.

Control Sherwood, either by fronting or forcing her away from the basket.

Hands up and preventing VU from having open looks from 3.

stopping penetration by Mooney and other guards.

Going under on screens.

Vandy will try to slow things down on O and try to milk the clock. We need to speed up the tempo. Chances are they will press like everyone else so we must be quick and smart with decisions. Also if we force the action on Vandy they will make dumb passes.

I am guessing we play zone or a gimmick defense, given the four-guard line up by Vandy.

I don't envision us losing, but then again, I never do.

Terps Victory Wasn't Pretty, but it was Sweet

2008-03-26T01:50:00.002-04:00

That sound you heard tonight as the clock ticked down to zero was a huge sigh of relief from the ladies after finally putting last year's second round collapse behind them and knowing it is time to win a title. For the last two games it seemed as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders and that they didn't want to choke again. Instead of playing loose and free as we did early in the season, we played tight. In both games, we went on a huge run figuring that our opponent would give up the fight and quit. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and we let both Coppin State and Nebraska back in the game. Over the course of the next four games, we can't let that happen.

For 15 minutes, I thought this would be blow out city and then we got complacent and routinely let Nebraska back in the game. Our rebounding sucked in the first half and I wish I was a fly on the wall in the locker room. In the second half we outrebounded them by 15 and gave them only four offensive rebounds. We also saw the Marissa Coleman we have been waiting for all year, the one who takes over games. For five minutes, she put the team on her back and made sure we weren't losing. We need more of that. Crystal also didn't miss in the final 10 minutes of the game and grabbed every rebound she could.

My issues at this point
1. Maybe it is me or Kristi looks exhausted. She's back to last year Kristi where she forces her shot to get in rhythm instead of passing the ball around and getting a good look. She's leaning on her shots and even missing lay ups.
2. We need to make free throws down the stretch.
3. I want to see more out of Harper, she was a main reason we won in 06.
4. Marah is close to appearing on my milk carton.
5. We need our hands up on defense. I told you Turner was a three-point shooter and we routinely never put a hand in her face.
6. Time to clamp down on defense.

Now it's time for some sleep and then off to Spokane.

Before I go, I saw something on TerrapinTimes that Jackie Nared, daughter of former Terp Greg Nared was here this weekend on an official visit - looks like we aren't done recruiting yet. Click here to read more about her.

Game 34: Nebraska (NCAA Tournament - Second Round)

2008-03-25T00:31:00.003-04:00

Now that round one is behind us and move on to round two which takes place later tonight against Nebraska. In the past four years, the second round game has been our bugaboo. In 04, we lost to LSU, in 05 to OSU, in 06 we needed a late run to get past St. Johns and last year was the debacle to Ole Miss. Let's hope the Coppin State game is our close game for this two-game session.

Nebraska is coming off a win over Xavier in which they led big early and then held on at the end. Overall, they are 21-11 and have lost to Ohio State and Oklahoma both of which we beat. They average 70.1 points per game and allow 62.8. They have only cracked 80 seven times this year and allowed 80 or more three times, which translates them to being a defensive minded team. The Huskers shoot 44.6% from the floor and 31.3% from three. They allow opponents to shoot 40.5% from the floor and 34.7% from behind the arc. NU shoots 68% from the line. They outrebounded opponents 38.5 to 35.3 and turn the ball over 17.8 times per game.

The Huskers are led by 6'2 forward Kelsey Griffin. She is averaging 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds (leading the team in both categories), blocked 25 shots and has 37 steals (second on the team in both). She doesn't shoot 3s, but will use a variety of moves in the paint to get her shot off. Danielle Page (6'2) is second on the team in scoring at 12.2 per game and grabs 6.6 rebounds, while leading the team in blocking shots. She will shoot the three if left open and has taken the most shots on the team. Next is Cory Montgomery (6'2), who comes off the bench and averages 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. Her game is more away from the basket as she likes to run off a screen for a three. Yvonne Turner (5'8) is one of their starting guards and averages 7.9 points per game. She leads the teams in steals and assists. She is also one of the team's main three-point shooters knocking down 30.5% of her attempts. Tay Hester (5'10) is another starting guard and more of the slasher and streaker that gives us fits. She's taken 26 threes all year and 165 other shots. Dominique Kelley (5'7) is their last starting guard and she is more of a combination of Turner and Hester. Kaitlin Burke (5'7) is their main three-point shooting threat off the bench. Nicole Neals (5'6 guard) will also come off the bench as well as Kala Kuhlman (5'8 guard) and Nikki Bober (6'4 center). Neals will shoot the three, the other two not so much.

After watching Nebraska on Sunday, I noticed the following:
they press off made baskets
will sub liberally.
I didn't see them trapping much, but if we make quick smart passes we should be able to beat them down the floor.
They like to pop out their forwards and post players for long range shots.
They don't rebound the ball well as Xavier outrebounded them.
We have to watch the double down by their guards and Griffin in the post in an attempt to steal the ball from our post players.
Their guards will help rebound.

Keys to winning the game

Give the ball to the post players

Take care of the ball

Go over on screens and not under them

Rebound the ball.

Play with emotion.

Defensively, we may either play a box and one or triangle and two that way Coleman can guard Griffin and Harper possibly on Page/Montgomery. If we go man, Coleman on Turner, Strickland on Hester, Toliver on Kelley, Langhorne on Page, Harper on Griffin.

A win has us against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Spokane. A big thanks goes to the NCAA for giving us the late game so we have no time to prepare for Vandy, who will probably have practiced three times before we get there.

Lastly, Coach P didn't like our booing last night so I think tomorrow would be a great time to show her that Sunday was tame. Come early, be loud and remember that ASU's colors are variations of Maryland's red (maroon) and yellow (gold).

Lackluster Terps Get By Coppin State

2008-03-24T10:20:00.003-04:00

I figured two weeks would be enough to get rested and ready for the NCAA Tournament. It turns out that was not the case as the team sleptwalked through their first round game against Coppin State yesterday. Every other 1 seed won by 30 and we needed second half runs to put the game away. Give Coppin credit, they made their first couple shots and had more confidence as the game went on. We pouted with every turnover and every missed shot. This is not the same team I saw earlier in the season.

I am wondering when our obsession with the outside shot will stop as Coppin's post players couldn't stop Langhorne yet there were several possessions where Crystal never touched the ball. Coppin's post players all had four fouls and we never attacked them enough to get them out of the game.

Our man defense was awful as we continually let Coppin drive past us and it seemed like we were often reluctant to change to zone until later.

I expect to see better tomorrow against Nebraska who will press the entire game, but aren't as quick as the Coppin guards. We should dominate the paint the way Xavier did.

Lastly, Marah needs to step out of the funk she is in. If she's not going to score than she needs to play defense and rebound.

Can someone find a bubble for Toliver to live in so she stops getting sick?

Game 34: Coppin State (NCAA First Round)

2008-03-22T11:06:00.003-04:00

For the first time in nearly two weeks, the Maryland Terrapins take to the floor and this time it’s put up or shut up time. A loss and we never see Crystal, Laura, Jade, Ashleigh or Christie in a Terps uniform again. Six more wins and we are national champions for the second time in three years. Luckily for us, the first two rounds go through Comcast where we are 19-0 this year.

The run to the National Championship begins tomorrow at 2:30 against local-foe Coppin State.

Coppin State is 22-11 on the season and won the MEAC. The only common opponent they played all year was North Carolina and they lost 92-63. The Eagles have won 17 of their last 19 games all agains the MEAC.

Coppin averages 67.6 points per game, while allowing 71.0. They haven’t given up more than 70 in nearly three months and have only scored more than 80 four times all year. The Eagles are outrebounded 44.2 to 40.7. The shoot 43.6 from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the arc. CSU has made 85 threes all year, while Kristi has made 73. Coppin holds opponents to 35.7 percent from the floor and 26.2 percent from three. They turn the ball over 18.5 times per game and average 9.1 steals.

They are led by 5’8 senior guard Rashida Suber, who is averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. She leads the team in steals at 101 and shoots 27.3 percent from three. She is their main three-point shooter as she has taken 176 and the next person on the team has taken 51. Next on the team in scoring is 5’6 guard Shalamar Oakley, who averages 17.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. She is the team’s main ball handler and leads the team with 133 assists. She is second on the team in steals. Danielle Anders is a 5’11 swing forward and averages 11.5 points and is second on the team in rebounding at 5.7 per game. She’s taken three 3s all year and blocked 21 shots. Anders has hit 64 of 74 free throws. Whitney Cunningham is a 6’3 center averaging 10 points a game and 8 rebounds. She shoots 59.1% from the floor and 66.1% from the line. She is the team’s leading shot blocker. The last starter is 6’0 power forward Jennifer Martin. Like Oakley she is foul prone and only averages 6.4 points per game but grabs 7.7 rebounds. Martin shoots 40.9% from the floor, only blocked 10 shots and has 30 steals. Their two main bench players are 5’6 point guard Sesalie Johnson and 5’11 shooting guard Chanelle Downing. Neither scores more than 3.5 ppg.

I saw Coppin play once and it’s a guard-oriented offense where they basically pass the ball around the perimeter trying to create shots for their guards. They will press and try to create transition opportunities.

This should be a game we win handily as long as we play our game. We need to stop dribble penetration and force the ball down low for easy buckets. Also, run the ball as I doubt Coppin can keep up with our speed. I will be disappointed if we give up more than 55. Lastly, I don’t want us settling for long jumpers, I would much rather we attack and get to the free throw line.

Friday Factoids

2008-03-21T16:08:00.002-04:00

Here are some links to articles and predictions regarding the NCAA Tournament

Charlie Creme talks about the bracket process

CSTV.com

Stanford is mad

Maryland gets money from the NCAA to promote the sport

SI.com

SI's SI's Traci Schultz Bracket

SI's Kelli Anderson's Bracket

SI's Richard Deitsch's Bracket

CSTV's Jeff Lippman's Final Four

ESPN.com Experts' picks

Tuesday's Thoughts

2008-03-18T23:40:00.002-04:00

First let's get some team news out of the way

incoming junior college player Dee Liles was named Player of the Year

Crystal was named first team All-American by CBS Sportsline, while Kristi was named second team AA.

Crystal and Kristi were second team All-Americans by ESPN.com

And now onto a quick look at the first two games of our run to our second national title.

Coppin State

Record: 22-11

Common Opponents: North Carolina (L, 92-63)

Most points scored: 101

Most points allowed: 92

Roster Size: 4 players over 6'0

Nebraska

Record: 20-11

Common Opponents: Ohio State (L, 86-74), Oklahoma (L, 80-72)

Most points scored: 90

Most points allowed: 92

Roster Size: 6 players over 6'0

Xavier

Record: 24-8

Common Opponents: North Carolina State(W, 51-49); Temple (W, 64-55; W, 47-42)

Most points scored: 97

Most points allowed: 82 (first game of the year)

Roster Size: 6 players over 6'0

More breakdown as the game gets closer. We shouldn't lose the first two games unless we beat ourselves like we did last year.

Terps Get 1 Seed for 2008 Dance

2008-03-18T00:29:00.002-04:00

I have to say I was shocked when I saw the Terps received a one seed in the tournament after the poor effort in the ACC Tournament. I figured we would get Stanford in Spokane which is great as I think we won't see Eric Brewton or any of the ACC refs for a while, but the Cardinal may play with a chip on their shoulder.

I really like our bracket at first glance and will study it more tonight and post more thoughts tomorrow. Vote in the new poll and for Crystal. Also, the opponent links have been updated for the postseason.

Monday Musings

2008-03-10T16:34:00.002-04:00

Amazingly, we stayed at fifth in the AP Poll

Charlie Creme dropped us to a two seed in his latest bracketology with us going to Spokane. I really like this draw, but coach Park may have to check his emotions if we play Utah in the third round.

On the drive back I thought more about Saturday's game and I still couldn't believe we lost and how sick it made me feel. I hope this serves as a wake up call for the team as we have slept walked through the last few games. What disappointed me the most was that we didn't attack the basket. Yes, the refs weren't calling everything, but we helped their cause by not going inside against the zone. We all know that Joy Cheek and Crystal Thomas can't stop Laura and Crystal, so why didn't we dribble penetrate? Why did we settle for jumpers instead of creating contact and going to the line? Marah needs refind her game or maybe it's time to let Ashleigh start. Marah helps us when she can score from the outside, but her defense was not very good this weekend and if she isn't helping on defense then she needs to score. Yes, lack of bench preparation did hurt us, but Duke's energy is what killed us. The Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper era at Maryland has six more games to go, if we plan on playing in all those games, the two of them should get touches in the paint 95% of the time we are on offense. Unless we find two other players who shoot nearly 65% from the floor.

Congrats is order for two Former Terps today. First, Kalika France and her teammates at Purdue won the Big Ten Title last night at the buzzer to make the tournament. And then, my favorite Benedict Arnold, Jeff Walz upset Rutgers in the Big East Tournament. Hopefully if we play Rutgers again, Coach Park will give Jeff a call for some pointers.

Duke Bedevils Maryland in ACC Semifinals

2008-03-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

Well that was not fun to watch as our run to our first ACC title in quite sometime was ended early thanks to our nemesis Duke. I have to give full credit to Duke as their zone defense confused and rattled us all game long. After an early spurt where we built a 10-point lead, Duke creeped its way back into the game and from that point forward we looked shocked and not into the game. This game reminded me a lot of the Rutgers game, as we let Duke dictate the tempo of the game and got more and more frustrated as our offense wasn't clicking. For the first five minutes we attacked the paint and drew fouls, yet after that we decided that if we couldn't get it into Crystal or Laura we would jack up shots instead of penetrating and going to the rim.

Things we need to work on before the NCAA Tournament:
1. Three-point shooting. Where has it gone the last few games?
2. Disregarding physical play. Duke muscled us and we wilted in the pressure instead of giving it right back. I don't know why this team shies from contact so much. The practice players should hit the girls on every pla the next two weeks.
3. Not worrying about the referees. Yes, they were awful yesterday, but we can't let affect us.
4. Defense. It was missing all weekend long and we consistently left shooters wide open for threes.
5. Penetrating the lane instead of taking long shots.
6. Marah or someone else needs to score. We can't play 4 on 5 in the tournament or we won't be making it out of the second round.

This was a game we should have won and we had our chances to win the game, but instead of reaching down deep and not letting Duke take control, we wilted and took bad shots.

Now that we are a two seed, we just have to wait until March 17 to see what regional we will be put in.

Game 33: Ekud

2008-03-08T08:18:00.002-05:00

Another day, another game and this time it's Ekud for the third time this year. We are 2-0 against Ekud this year and will look to win our third straight against them for the first time since 1994. Two years ago, Ekud was in the same position as us and captured the third meeting, let's hope that doesn't happen again.

The two previous match ups were complete opposites as we rallied to put them away at Comcast, while we led essentially the whole game in Cameron and never let them make a game of it. To read the previews of those games click here and here. The recaps can be read here and here.

The keys to winning today as as follows:
1. Play defense - hopefully they found it in the hotel last night.
2. Rebound - Need to keep Black and Cheek off the glass
3. Don't leave Waner open - if Picco can score 33, she can score 40.
4. Attack the post - Let's get Black out of there and Cheek is foul prone.
5. Take care of the ball - Ekud is going to trap and try to force turnovers.
6. Don't let Ekud muscle Kristi all over the court.
7. Don't let up on the gas until Ekud's starters go to the bench - against UNC they gave up with 7 minutes to go and we need to rest some players for Sunday.

A win today and it's another match up against Virginia or a revenge game against North Carolina.

Terps Out Pace Eagles in ACC Quarterfinals

2008-03-07T22:42:00.002-05:00

For the fifth straight year, Maryland advanced to the ACC Semifinals after today's win over Boston College. Unfortunately, it seemed like we left our defense in College Park as BC essentially had it's way on offense. The only problem was that we have more offense than they do. There are two ways to look at it: 1. We rested the starters midway through the second half and BC took advantage or 2: Picco just happened to be hotter than the sun and nothing we could do to stop her.

Overall, I really liked our offensive game today and thought we did a great job of working the ball around and finding the open person. In the post, Crystal and Laura were not going to be denied as they combined for 19 of 21 from the floor. Defensively, I think we overrated and left their shooters open for three.

We took decent care of the ball but did try to force a few things which allowed BC to get back in the game.

The huge lead allowed us to rest some of the starters although I would have liked to see Kristi play less than 30 minutes.

We seemed to struggle holding onto the ball, which hopefully changes for tomorrow.

The win gives us 30 and marks our best start after 32 games in school history.

Tomorrow its our third go-round with Ekud, preview should be up by the time everyone wakes up.

Game 33: Boston College (ACC Tournament)

2008-03-06T23:48:00.006-05:00

We are now on to tournament time where it's one loss and your done and you have to bring your A game at all times. Our road to the ACC Championship begins today against Boston College, which defeated Virginia Tech yesterday in a snoozefest of a game. For us it will be the third time this year we have played against them.

In both match ups we dominated them, to read the previous previews click here and here. For the recaps click here and here.

We need to put this game away at halftime and here is the way to do it.
1. Take care of the ball
2. Grab the rebounds and go, force BC to play uptempo.
3. Force the ball into the paint and get Swords and Murphy in foul trouble.
4. Have the shooters in position to receive the ball from the post as BC will likely double team the post like last time.
5. Control the glass.
6. Limit Swords and Murphy's touches.

A win today has us playing either Duke or Florida State on Saturday.

Thursday's Talking Points

2008-03-06T11:06:00.003-05:00

Congrats to Crystal who was named ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR. She won by 13 votes even though people on message boards felt Larkins was the hands down winner. The Maryland release details her the significance of her selection.

Marah Strickland earned Honorable Mention All-Rookie Team. I am a little shocked as Marah was the fifth option at times and near the end of the season she was a little non-existent.

According to a release on the Oklahoma Sooners website Kristi, Marissa and Crystal were selected as All-Americans by Sports Illustrated

Charlie Creme moved us up to a 1 seed in his latest bracketology

Tuesday Tidbits

2008-03-04T15:35:00.002-05:00

Maryland sets another school record as Four, yes Four, players were named All-ACC with Crystal and Kristi leading the way with 144 points. Marissa made second team again and Laura earned third-team honors for the first time.

Still Fifth in the AP Poll as one guy keeps voting us seventh, but moved up to 4th in the Coaches Poll after Rutgers loss to Connecticut last night.

The Baltimore Sun recaps future Terp Dara Taylor's junior season

Jerry Palm and Charlie Creme each have us as a two seed, but Creme thinks we could be a one seed now.

Wonderful AP article on Crystal Langhorne

Terps Ruin Whittington's Senior Day

2008-03-02T17:53:00.002-05:00

Another trip down to the Tar Heel State and another win. A solid Terps effort and a few timely runs gave Maryland their 13th win the conference and 29th overall. Their 13-1 mark in the ACC matches their best ever and the 29 wins are the second most in program history. Now our one chance to get a share of the ACC title is to root for Ekud in their game against UNC. Either way we are a two seed, but it would be nice to put up a banner (Not as nice as an ACC Championship banner).

We play on Friday night at 6 in Greensboro and it looks like we are playing either BC or VT/Wake (winner of the coin toss). Either way that works in our favor as all three teams like to slow down the pace. A win gets us probably Ekud again and then hopefully a rematch with UNC. The key to Friday night's game is to put it away early as to rest the starters.

As for today's game, I think we played good but not great game. We took care of the ball and pounded it inside (I would have liked to see more, but that's me), but none of the guards shot the ball well and Marah and Kristi were missing wide open threes. I knew our perimeter defense would struggle and we have to be better against penetration. The zone helps us a little, but someone needs to fill the lane when they get by Kristi. Also, when we went up 19, I don't understand why the bench wasn't cleared. A win's a win, whether it's by 19 or by 7. At least the starters get some rest.

Congrats to Crystal who passed Monique Currie for 11th on the ACC scoring list as well as to Ashleigh for playing in the most games in Maryland history. I think she needs to play in 8 more to have the ACC record.

Game #31: NC State

2008-03-01T23:14:00.002-05:00

Today marks the final regular season game of Crystal, Jade, Laura and Ashleigh (Christie is not going to play) and from here on out losses mean that much more. While our seeding is all set for the ACC Tournament, it's not set for the NCAA Tournament and a loss would hurt our chances of a #1 seed. A win gives us our second best record ever in the ACC as well as the second most wins in program history.

NC State is 18-10 on the season and 6-7 in the ACC. Our only non-conference opponent was Temple and they won by 5. After starting the ACC season with a 2-6 mark, they have won four of their last five with their lone loss coming against North Carolina.

The Wolfpack averages 66.6 points per game and only allows 55.3. The most they have given up is 89 all year and only 85 to North Carolina. They shoot 42.0 from the floor and .326 from 3, while opponents shoot 36.3 and 28.3 respectively. NCS outrebounds teams 40.5 to 37.1. And they do block 5 shots per game.

NC State is led by Khadijah Whittington a 6-1 senior who leads the team in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (11.3). She shoots 52.1 from the floor and 59.9 from the free throw line. She doesn't take threes. Shayla Fields is second on the team in scoring at 13.2. She shoots 42% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. Fields leads the team in assists and steals. She will take us off the dribble as well as spot up and must be contained. Third on the team in scoring is Nikitta Gartrell at 9.2 ppg. She mainly shoots from inside, but will take a three if left open. Gartrell helps distribute the ball and also helps on the traps. Sharnise Beal is next in scoring at 6.9 and like Gartrell she mainly stays inside the arc. Chanita Jordan is their other starting post player, but is the fifth option. She only shoots 50% from the floor and a little better from the line. She is 6'4. Their last starter is Amber White. She's another in the mold of driving to the hoop first and shooting from deep second. Megan Zullo is their shooter off the bench and essentially spots up from deep as she has only taken 30 shots inside the arc. Lucy Ellison is their replacement in the post. At 6'1, she's mainly in there to give Whittington and Jordan rest. She is foul prone as well.

Keys to the Game
1. Play uptempo and force NCS out of its game. They will want to slow it down and try to set up their trap.
2. Attack the paint. Whittington is the heart and soul of their team. Get her in foul trouble and the Pack will struggle. There is no reason why the ball shouldn't be fed into the post repeatedly to get her out of the game.
3. Take care of the ball. Don't force things.
4. Rebound the ball.
5. Put the game away early as we have three games possibly next weekend.

To win the rebounding title, Laura and Crystal need to outrebound Whittington by 5 and 6, respectively. Crystal needs nine rebounds to finish the ACC season averaging 10 rebounds a game in conference play and 27 points for averaging 20 points in conference play.

Defensively, we will probably play man with Kristi on Gartrell, Marissa on Fields, Marah on White, Laura on Whittington and Crystal on Jordan.

Don't forget to vote for Crystal.

Tuesday Tidbits

2008-02-26T16:30:00.003-05:00

Dropped to 5th in the AP as several pollsters dropped us for no apparent reason. To see who is voting us where click here.

Ashleigh was picked to go to the WBCA/Nike Workshop.

In a complete joke, Crystal was a second team Academic All-American Candace Parker was first team along with four players who won't be a regular AA.

In bracketology land, Charlie Creme and Jerry Palm have us as a two seed in Tennessee's region.

Don't forget to vote for Crystal

Terps Overcome Emotions, Overtime and Seminoles to stay perfect at home

2008-02-24T22:19:00.002-05:00

4 seconds, that's all remained between Maryland and a perfect record at home. And that one play showed how much Crystal Langhorne has grown in her four years as a player. With the clock running down and the ball fed into the post, Crystal faced a double-team and instead of forcing it up (freshman and sophomore year) or turning it over (junior year), she calmly turned, passed it to Marissa, who went strong to the bucket and tied the game at 76-all. After a last second miss by FSU, it was on to overtime and just like that an eight-point deficit with 3 minutes left was gone.

It was an emotional day at Comcast as the ladies were crying before the ceremony and much of that emotion continued deep into the game until the team realized that they may lose the game. Full credit goes to the team for digging down deep and getting the crucial stops they needed and make the post game ceremony filled with jubilation.

I never got worried as I knew we would get the stops we needed, but at certain times Florida State seemed to just throw the ball up and it would go in.

It also seemed that the senior filled line up confused not only FSU but ourselves as the post players weren't sure which part of the zone to cover and thus left FSU for 3.

I understand why we played zone today, but I think at certain times we are over rotating which allows the opposition to complete a skip pass to a wide open shooter. Teams with more than two good three-point shooters could hurt us down the line.

I was a little disappointed that we had an 11-point lead and let Florida State score 14 straight to take a three-point lead. During that stretch, we had two charges, two turnovers and a missed three. Those aren't great possessions.

We also have to stop the turnovers. I understand that for some reason traveling was a focus of the refs today, but we still forced some bad passes.

We have to get better on defense against teams with mostly guards as we seem to get exposed. Plus we were hesitant to attack the post over the top.

Another week off until North Carolina State. Our only hope to win the regular season title is to have UNC lose their next two and for us to beat State.

Game #30: Florida State

2008-02-23T21:44:00.002-05:00

Today is Senior Day and we will honor five seniors: Ashleigh, Christie, Crystal, Jade and Laura for all their accomplishments. They are the first class to record four-straight 20+ win seasons and thus are the winningest class in school history. These four (and Christie) bought into Coach Brenda's vision and without each one of them, 2006 would have never happened nor would the reestablishment of Maryland as one of the elite programs in the country. I could go on and on about what they have done in their careers, but most of you all know that by now. Plus, we all have a ceremony to sit through and posting all their accomplishments would take you a long time to read.

After everyone wipes away their tears (remember we still get to see them at home tow more times), we do have a game to play and that opponent is Florida State, our first and only meeting with them.

The Seminoles are 16-10 and 6-5 in the ACC to put them in fifth place. The only common non-conference opponent was LSU and they lost by 12. In the ACC, they have lost to Virginia (twice), Georgia Tech, Duke and North Carolina.

Florida State averages 70.1 ppg, while allowing 64.5. 97 is the most they have given up all year and have only allowed more than 80 four times. They outrebound opponents 39.5 to 38.2. They shoot .434 from the floor and .351 from 3, while other teams shoot .391 and .312 from behind the arc.

Due to suspensions and injuries, Florida State has a limited roster and plays a four-guard line up. In fact, they have two healthy forwards over 6' and one of them only plays under 16 minutes per game. Tanae Davis-Cain is a 5'11 guard who leads the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game. She's more of a slasher as she has taken 135 more shots inside the arc, but still shoots 36.7% from 3-point land. Davis-Cain only grabs 4.4 rebounds per game. Second on the team in scoring is Mara Freshour, a 6'1 guard, at 11.9 ppg. She shoots a little better from 3 at .404 but will take shots from whereever. She rebounds a little better than Davis-Cain at 4.7. Their main post player is Jacinta Monroe, a 6'4 athletic forward, and she averages 11.0 ppg. She leads the team in rebounding (6.3) and blocks (68). She shoots 60.7% from the floor (only 1 three all year), but 57.6% from the free throw line. Shante Williams is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.2. Unlike the other two guards, she is more of the slasher than a three-point shooter. Williams is their defensive leader with a team high 46 steals. Their fifth starter is either Courtney Ward or Christian Hunnicutt. Both are freshmen and decoys in the offense as neither one scores that much. Ward at 6.2 and Hunnicutt at 3.7. Both will shoot the three if left open so we can't ignore them. Anyone they bring off the bench can shoot the 3 except for Cayla Moore, who is their other post player.

The keys to win the game..
1. Check emotions at the bench before the game begins. I know the players will be emotional, but they have to remember that they have a game to play. Crying can take place after the game.
2. Rebounding the basketball. With FSU only having one post player, we should dominate the boards.
3. Containing penetration. I have a feeling we will play zone to try and prevent the penetration and because of match up issues. We can't leave FSU open for three.
4. Take care of the ball and keep our foot on the throttle. One thing that was great about the Duke game was that we never let them back in the game. Everytime Duke tried to get close we made a run.
5. Feed the post. with one post player, let's get her in foul trouble and make them use their bench.

Don't forget to stick around after the game to see Crystal's jersey put in the rafters.

Off to get my box of tissues....

Friday Facts

2008-02-22T15:51:00.003-05:00

Sunday is senior day and as I thought back to the four years of Jade, Laura, Crystal and Ashleigh I couldn't help but remember that each of them except for Harper has hit a memorable shot in their career. For example, Jade hit that off the glass shot against Arizona as a freshman, Ashleigh tied the game against Carolina as a sophomore and Crystal made that lay up against Baylor before halftime. If someone can remember one for her please post it in the comments section. Here's hoping it happens on April 8.

With the win on Sunday, Maryland improved to 2-0 when one of the coaches has a child that same day. Remember Coach Walz' wife gave birth to Jacob last year against Loyola.

Brenda and her husband didn't sell their photos like most celebrities and just let the AP snap the two newest fans.

Wednesday's Words

2008-02-20T18:03:00.002-05:00

We stayed at the same spot in the polls despite all the turmoil at the top last week. We are the only top 6 team to not get a first place vote, despite having only lost on the road to the #2 and #4 team.

Crystal and Kristi stayed at fifth and eighth in the latest version of Wade Watch

Jerry Palm has us as a two seed in Tennessee's bracket. Charlie Creme was lazy this week.

Crystal will have her jersey honored at senior night.

Future Terp Lynetta Kizer was selected to the McDonald's and WBCA All-Star Games. If many of those names look familiar, it's because we recruited most of them.

Brenda was named a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award according to the Georgia Tech site, although the Naismith site has nothing about it.

More articles on Coach Park: SLC Tribune, Pressbox

Memborable Day for Coach Frese: Birth and a Sweep

2008-02-17T20:41:00.002-05:00

Feb. 5, 1993. That was the last time Maryland swept the season series from Duke. Until today. Thanks to a stellar effort from Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver, the Terps made the first few hours of Markus and Tyler's lives an enjoyable. If you don't know who Markus and Tyler are, watch this:

Feb. 17 will now go down in Maryland history as not only a season sweep of Duke, but the birth of Brenda's two children. The boys were also smart enough to arrive before 11 so that mom and dad could take photos, etc and then be ready for the 5:30 tip. Luckily, Brenda's other "kids" decided to put Brenda and Mark at ease by coming out from the start and being the aggressor. After a Abby Waner 3 at 16:47 (she shot it from nearly half court) cut the gap to 3, Duke never got any closer.

Overall, I think we played a good game. We essentially dominated Duke on both ends most and the game was a lot closer than the score indicated thanks in part to the refs swallowing their whistles (somehow in the men's game you can't be forced out, but in the women's game you can). We controlled the boards and every time Duke tried to get back in the game we either made a basket or a defensive stop (including the first-ever double block I have witnessed). Offensively, we played well attacking Duke in the post and hitting most of our open jumpers.

We had too many turnovers for my liking, but some of that has to be attributed to the refs letting Duke be physical and not calling it. Also, I think too often we look for the foul call instead of playing through it. Kristi also has to pass the ball and not try to dribble through everyone. I was disappointed that Newman and Strickland didn't shoot as well as Thursday. Ashleigh had a big steal and played good defense, but she missed a lay up and an open jumper (someone get her sick again). Strickland missed two wide open threes and a free throw (first of her career). I was pleasantly surprised how we handled the trap and confused Duke with our zone.

The win now clinches the two seed for us in the ACC Tournament. We still need UNC to lose twice and their remaining schedule includes Miami, NC State and Duke. If we stay as the two seed we would play the winner of the 7/10 match up on the second day (Currently that is Florida State/Miami).

Now a week off before Sunday's senior day against Florida State. You may want to ge their early as this senior class has a ton of accomplishments.

Congrats to Crystal for another school record - 826 made field goals.

Game 29: Ekud

2008-02-16T23:30:00.002-05:00

The revenge portion of ou schedule ends on Sunday against Ekud. The first time we played them we ended our home-court losing streak against them. A win on Sunday gives us our first win in Durham since 2000 and our first sweep of the season series since 1993 (I think the basketcases were in high school when that happened). Of course we won two straight over them in 2006. A win tomorrow locks up the two seed in the ACC tournament as the worst we could finish is 11-3 and we would own the season series against Virginia and Duke.

To read my preview of Ekud from the first game click here and for the recap click here.

For us to win tomorrow, we need to play our tempo and not make stupid passes. Ekud will again force us into a half court offense and hope their defense leads to points. We need to attack the post and get Black and Cheek in foul trouble. Chances are the refs won't help us out like they did last time.

Thinks I want to see:
1. Strickland continue her confidence from Thursday.
2. Newman show Thursday was not a fluke.
3. Domination on the glass.
4. Marissa not waiting so long to take over.
5. Kristi showing patience and handling the traps.
6. No let downs.
7. Abby Waner marked at all times.

I think we have another good chance to win as the team looks hungry. I watch will be watching the game on Comcast SportsNet and be ready to right the happy recap postgame.

Maryland Stays Perfect Against Boston College

2008-02-15T09:53:00.002-05:00

Just like the Virginia game last Friday, last night's game was the opposite of the first time we played BC. BC focused on shutting down the post play of Crystal and Laura, usually with double teams, and that left Maryland wide open on the outside. As a result, the team hit 11 threes, including three, yes three, by Ashleigh. Two were when she set her feet and one was an off-balance beat the shot clock shot. Let's hope the slump is over.

We played sluggish at the start as we adjusted to BC's double teams in the post, but then we took command and went into half with a 17-point lead. The game was never close in the second half and it gave us a chance to rest the starters. As a result, Crystal only finished with 4 points and 3 rebounds and Marissa also was in single digits.

Coach Frese said she was happy with the way we played defense, but BC still shot 42.3% and we barely won the rebounding battle. So I don't know if she was happy that we limited BC's offense and forced them to work the clock or she saw something I didn't. The Eagles match up with us better than most teams because they aren't athletic. I was glad to see Crystal and Laura contained Swords, and maybe that's what Brenda was referencing.

It was great to see Marah emerge from the dog house and wouldn't you know that Drey Mingo has an offensive game? It only took 11 ACC games for me to find that out, but after 13 minutes and seeing the offensive run through her I was pleased and puzzled why she doesn't play more.

My only complaint was that we were too unselfish near the end of the game, resulting in at least 4 rushed shots with the shot clock winding down. It's great to get everyone involved, but no need to pass the ball around with 8 seconds on the shot clock.

Now it's time to get ready for Ekud and lock up at least the three seed at the ACC Tournament.

Don't forget to vote in the POG poll.

Game #28: Boston College

2008-02-14T07:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight marks another rematch as we take on Boston College. Here is my preview of the last time we played them and here is my recap of the game.

The Eagles have lost two straight to Duke and NC State and only scored 41 points in both match ups. At 5-4 in the conference, a win tonight almost locks up a first round bye in the ACC Tournament (we just have to wait until FSU loses to UNC on Sunday).

Tonight is finally the time to put on a dominating performance. I don't want BC to creep back into the game like they did last time. The Eagles are down right now and it's up to us to continue their last season swoon. I also want to see our post defense improve as last time Swords had 28 and 13 last time and that shouldn't happen against Crystal and Laura.

We need to rest the starters as some of you feel they are playing too many minutes, which I agree with. A strong first 10 minutes will allow Drey to see more time and rest us for the game in Durham on Sunday.

Other keys:
1) No let downs to start the game or the half.
2) Ashleigh making a jumper
3) Drey seeing minutes
4) Kristi continuing to play smart and not forcing bad shots.
5) Jade to continue having fun out there.
6) Marah getting out of the dog house.

Game time is at 7 and rumor has it we are letting a player on BC sing the National Anthem (Ayla Brown who was on American Idol). I, for one, think it is garbage, but then again our marketing department isn't all that bright (once again the Gary Williams radio show takes place at the same time as the women's game).

Back tomorrow with the happy recap.

Tuesday Tidbits

2008-02-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

Stayed at fourth in the AP poll, but Rutgers got sympathy votes in the Coaches poll and bumped us to 5th. One guy in the AP poll has West Virginia ahead of us.

Crystal stil holding down fifth and Kristi eighth in the Wade Watch

Jerry Palm has us as a two seed with a chance to play Minnesota or Arizona State (Don't like that match up), while Charlie Creme also has us as a two seed with a potential second round game against Louisville and the turn coat.

Found this on theACC.com:

Monday Musings

2008-02-11T13:10:00.001-05:00

Kristi has been named ACC Player of the Week. That gives us 8 total and the ACC-record is 10. There are three weeks left, so we need some dynamic performances to tie the record.

Former walk-on Michelle Miller has taken up coaching a local high school team, except she's not there all the time.

The NCAA let a few media members go through the process of Selection Monday and currently, we are a two seed.

Crystal is a finalist for the senior CLASS award. Be sure to vote for her.

Crystal was also named Academic All-District.

A put a new poll up on the site to gauge people's feelings. Also I will be doing polls after each game to let the fans pick the player of the game.

Terps Edge out Cavaliers Again

2008-02-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

In another hard fought game, Maryland moved it's winning streak against Virginia to 6 with a 86-80 victory. The game was the complete opposite of the game three weeks ago as Virginia decided that they would try to run with Maryland instead of slowing down the pace as they had down in Charlottesville. It worked for certain stretches as the pace seemed to encourage the Terps to push the ball and make foolish turnovers. As a result, we once again trailed in the second half. Then Marissa took over and converted two three-point plays during an 11-2 spurt to vault Maryland the lead. A lead that was never given back. We had several chances to put the game away, but give Virginia credit they fought until the end. The win gives us the tiebreaker over them should we be tied at the end of the season.

Virginia's strategy in the first half seemed to be to isolate Mohammed on Langhorne in the paint and let her go to work. After foul trouble put her and Wright on the bench, UVA's guards used their speed to exploit the 2-3 zone employed by Maryland. I understand the zone was useful with the four guard line up UVA used, but we struggled to cover the gaps and grab rebounds, which will always be the problem with zone defense. UVA had too many offensive rebounds for my liking and 80 points is too many to give up to a team that only scored 64 last time.

We saw Strickland struggle for the first time and as a result Kat saw more time. Kat seemed to be in a little awe as she forced two bad passes and her one shot didn't go in, but she needs this experience. I would have like to have seen Drey play, but Jade was bringing some energy and there was no reason to disrupt the flow. I do feel Drey needs minutes against Murphy and Swords on Thursday to prepare for next year.

A lot of the mistakes we made yesterday were mental, which could be as a result of being tired. There's no reason for us to shoot 57% and only win by 6. We need to play within our offense and stop trying to make SportsCenter plays each night.

Kristi looks to be only slumping at home, but she is making smarter decisions. We really need to stop playing down to opponents, I wonder if it will take a loss or just the Duke game to wake up and start crushing teams again.

Congrats to Harper who recorded block number 186 last night, one more for the school record by herself.

Next up is BC on Thursday, make it a date night with your significant other.

Game 27: Virginia

2008-02-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

Time for game two this week and begins our stretch of rematches, the first being Virginia. Three weeks ago, we needed an end of the game run to pull away from Virginia for good to stay, at that point, undefeated in conference play. If you want to read my original preview of Virginia, click here. The box score from that game is here and you can also read my recap.

Since our win over them, Virginia has defeated Miami (by 11), Florida State (by 3), NC State (by 25) and Morehead State (by 45) and is virtually tied with us in the ACC standings. A win today gives us the tiebreaker over them if it comes down to that.

The keys to today's game is to come out strong to start the game and handle the Virginia trap. We had too many turnovers in the first game and that's why we trailed for most of the first half. Marissa needs to stay out of foul trouble as her two quick fouls killed us at the JPJ Arena. We need to keep UVA off the glass and continue to work on our depth.

It will be interesting to see how Coach Park handles teams a second time around and how coaches have adjusted to him. Last time we played a triangle and 2 with Coleman on Wright and Strickland on Littles. Will we do that again from the start or save it until later?

I think we win in a blowout and reestablish that we are the best team in the league.

Stat of the day On Monday it took Virginia Tech 10 minutes to score 31 points, yesterday against Wake it took them almost 30 minutes.

Remember to wear pink to the game today and that Shay is getting honored at halftime, so don't run to the concession stand.

Tuesday's Tidbits

2008-02-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

Back up to 4th in both polls, there are still four AP voters who feel we are not a Top 5 team. Last night probably didn't help much.

Shay is having her jersey honored on Friday night at halftime. I don't think it's being retired so Kim Rodgers should be able to wear it next year (as well as the weight of expectations on her shoulders).

The Washington Times and Baltimore Sun did features on Brenda's pregnancy.

The Examiner writes about how the Terps need depth for a title run

The Diamondback talks about the squad's team attitude.

Jeff Lippman picked Crystal for his All-January team.

Jerry Palm dropped us to a two seed and Charlie Creme moved us up to a one seed.

Crystal now in fifth in the Wade Watch, while Kristi is down to eighth.

Under The Shell Episode #3

Terps Squeek by Hokies in Overtime

2008-02-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

Well I was half-right on my prediction as Barbour and Cook killed us offensively, but I didn't expect VT to make us all break out in a cold sweat last night. We played the first 10 minutes like we didn't want to be there and that VT would just wilt and give up. The players didn't realize that VT has already played UNC and Duke so they have faced this animosity before. Hopefully this wakes them up.

We also have been terrible on the road lately as we have trailed at the half at UVA, at UNC and at VT and all three games have included the home team coming out red hot to start the game and then us clawing our way back into it. Either Coach B needs to tape some pregame talks or Coach Park needs to work on his.

This game can be broken down into two parts: the first 10:13 and the last 34:47.
In the first 10:13, VT scored 31 points on 11 of 23 shooting, including making their first six shots. In that same time span, Maryland scored 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting and 10 turnovers. Over the last, 34:47 Maryland outscored VT 64 - 30, while VT made 15 of 60 shots to Maryland's 24 of 53. Maryland also committed only 15 turnovers in that final span (still too many, but compared to the first 10 mins it's an improvement). Also note that the run started when the bench went into the game.

I give the team credit for keeping their composure and slowly chipping away and forcing overtime. Talent took over and once it went to overtime, VT was spent. The problem is experienced teams shouldn't let inferior teams stay in the game. I don't expect this to happen again.

The other problem is that because the game was a struggle, once again the starters had to play a ton of minutes. Credit goes to Kristi who realized her shot wasn't falling and settled for more mid-range jumpers. Another solid night out of Crystal with 19 and 16.

Back in action on Friday night against Virginia. Be sure to wear your pink.

Game 26: Virginia Tech

2008-02-04T14:35:00.000-05:00

Back playing on Monday night, but instead of being on ESPN2 we are on Comcast SportsNet while Duke and UNC battle it out on the deuce. Today's game should again be a great way for us to improve our depth. Although, judging from some of the comments people still aren't satisfied with the rotations. I do agree that Drey, Kat, Ashleigh and Jade (in no particular order) need to rotate in when the game is close. VT should be blown out of the water, so there is no reason for us to not work on getting everyone involved. (I stand corrected, as the VT website is hyping this game as if it's a top 25 match up)

Virginia Tech is 13-9 on the season and 0-7 in the ACC. Their only win in the last 8 games is over Dartmouth. The Hokies closest ACC game was a four-point loss to FSU.

VT averages 70 ppg while allowing 65.1 ppg. They outrebound opponents 39.2-37.0 VT shoots 42.8% from the floor, but 29.3% from three, while opponents shoot 40.9% and 31.8%, respectively. VT has only made 75 threes all year, meanwhile Marah and Kristi have made 101 in fewer attempts.

VT is led by 6'0 guard Brittany Cook. She averages 17.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg. She likes to take the ball inside the arc as more than thirds of her shots are from inside. She will play aggressive defense and can block shots. Second on the team in scoring is freshman Andrea Barbour at 15.9 points per game. She is like cook, except doesn't rebound as well. Next is Utahya Drye, a 6'1 forward, who leads the team in rebounding at 6.2. She's not a shot blocker and not a three point shooter, but does average 10.1 ppg. Amber Hall is 6'2 forward who also pulls down 6.2 board per game. She is the main shot blocker down low and has taken only two 3s all year. She is a good free throw shooter at 88.5%. Rounding out the starters in point guard 5'10 Laura Haskins. She runs the offense and leads the team in assists at 101. She also helps rebound so she needs to be boxed out. She will shoot the 3 if open, but is primarily the fifth option on the team. Lindsay Biggs is their shooter off the bench as 73 of her 121 shots have taken place outside the arc. She shoots 34.2% from there. Eleanor Brentall is their main post sub and is listed at 6'4. VT's other two subs Shani Gray and Lakeisha Logan don't seem to be too involved in the offense and don't play more than 9 minutes per game.

VT will probably try and use it's quickness on the outside to get the rim and we need to counter that by getting around screens and boxing out when the miss. On the inside, Laura and Crystal should have a field day. The Hokies will probably try to slow the game down, so we need to get the ball and go. Dictate the tempo, not let them dictate the tempo for us.

Defensively, I see: Kristi on Haskins, Marah on Barbour, Coleman on Cook, Langhorne on Hall, Harper on Drye.

I want to see Ashleigh hit a 3 tonight and more offensive plays run for Drey and the same energy from Jade I saw on Thursday.

Terps Cane 'Canes

2008-02-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay was having computer issues.

Now that’s more like it. After a sluggish first 10 minutes of the game, we settled in and played Maryland basketball and cruised to a 44-23 halftime lead. Almost everyone minus Emery played in the first half, which means either Coach Frese and Coach Park have been reading internet chatter and wanted to quiet the fans or feel that depth was a key factor in Saturday’s loss.

I was excited to see Kat become the first player off the bench, and thought she played well. She avoided the traps and with the shot clock running down she made her move to the bucket and either shot it or dumped it inside. Her three-point streak ended at 10, but she already started a new one.
Would have liked to see Drey get more minutes in the first half when the game is close. It’s great she got experience last night, but she’s not learning much when Miami has essentially given up. Let’s she what she can against some frontline starters.

We finally got some rest as none of the starters played more than 29 minutes and Kristi and Crystal each played 20. This is the way it should be from here on out. Use the depth to keep our minutes down so the ladies are fresh for March, when it really matters. While Kristi and Crystal will have to play more than 20 minutes against Duke, UVA and maybe FSU, they shouldn’t need to play 35-40 as some rest will allow us to take over games earlier.

Congrats to Crystal on 2,000 points (on a jump shot no less) and then making all nine of her free throws. Kristi also continues to produce while her offense isn’t working, dishing out 10 assists. You can tell Kristi is starting to fret as she is forcing some shots (she doesn’t need to fade on every shot) and trying to dribble through people. She needs to play her game and stop thinking.

Jade looked like she was having fun out there again last night and I hope the coaching staff realizes that. Ashleigh needs to do something about her shot, because if she can’t hit an outside shot she’s not helping us on the offense. She had some nice steals last night, but if she is not consistent then let’s give Kat her shots.

Next up is Virginia Tech on the road, Monday night. Should be another easy game, which will help us further develop the bench.

I think we will be quiet on the milestones for a few games, but I will have to look at the media guide over the weekend.

Game 25: Miami

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-05:00

We all had five days to stew over the loss, but now it's game time again. Today's opponent is Miami and begins a two-game stretch where we should be able to develop the bench.

Miami is 8-12 and 1-4 in the ACC. They beat Clemson by 5 and lost to LSU (11), Duke (12), Georgia Tech (3), Virginia (11) as far as common opponents go.

Miami scores 64.5 points per game and allows 62.5. The most they have allowed is 84. They are outrebounded 38.5 to 38.1. They shoot 39.4% from the floor and 32.6% from behind the arc, while their opponents both shoot better than that. The Hurricanes shoot 60% from the free throw line. Interesting fact of the day: Miami has played in front of 14,000 fans total (that's including home and road games). Our last two home games were in front of 25,000 combined.

Miami is led by Maurita Reid. She leads the team in points (16.5), rebounds (5.8), steals (81) and shot attempts (292). Shut her down you shut the team down. She shoots roughly 40% from both inside and outside the arc and will use quickness to get to the bucket. Albrey Grimsley is second on the team in scoring at 8.8 and leads the team in assists. She will shoot outside but prefers to stay closer to the bucket. Epiphany Woodson is fourth on the team in scoring at 6.4. She will spot up and take the three and shoots 30% from there, but shoots 59% from the foul line. Carla Williams is the lone post player in this offense and averages 6.0 ppg. She only grabs 4.4 rebounds per game, shoots 47% from the floor and doesn't take 3s. Charmaine Clark is their fifth starter and is a guard/forward. She has taken 16 threes this year and only made 1. She is essentially in there to shot block. Off the bench their scoring threat is LaToya Cunningham, who is third on the team in scoring. She also likes to shoot the 3. Diane Barnes will give Williams a rest in the post.

This game should be over at halftime and if it's not I hope it's because Kat, Drey, Jade and Ashleigh have seen extended minutes. I would prefer all four didn't play at once, because they need to be worked into the rotation for us to go deep in March. Jade should have a big game today due to the lack of post presence by Miami.

This is what I want to see today:
1) Smiles on the faces of Jade and Kristi. I sure miss those.
2) None of the starters playing more than 30 minutes. They need some rest.
3) A Big line up featuring three post players, Marissa and either KT or Kat at the 1
4) A complete game.
5) Ashleigh Newman hitting a three-pointer.

Also, I completely forgot, but thanks to Chris for pointing it out. Crystal needs two points for 2,000. Looks like she will be getting another commerative ball (I wonder what she does with them all?). Also, Kristi is two assists away from 500.

Wednesday's Words

2008-01-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

Looks the Inside Edition tease was just that, a tease. Who knows when it will be on again.

The Diamondback finally did its Daron Park story.

The Annapolis Capital wrote about Brenda's pregnancy

It's Bracket Prediction time and both Charlie Creme and Jerry Palm have posted theirs.

Crystal and Kristi are slipping in the Wade Watch

Marissa was left off the MidSeason Naismith Award List.

Under the Shell Episode #2

Monday Musings

2008-01-28T17:27:00.000-05:00

Brenda was on Inside Edition today. If it appears online I will post it here.

I posted a new poll today regarding baby names. Thanks to Heidi Scanlon who provided a bunch.

So we lose on the road in double overtime minus two players, you would figure most pollsters would take this into account. Not the AP voters. We only dropped to fifth, but 12 poeple felt that we should be sixth or worse. Four people: Buddy Davis (7), Eric Herter (7), Stu Durando (7) and Ramona Shelburne (8) picked us seventh or eighth (Click on their names to e-mail them if you want).

Love the feedback in the comments section regarding the loss to UNC and I do agree that some of the players may be worried about being pulled hence their tentativeness. Keep it up people. I really want to see Drey in the same line up as Harper or Lang. I don't want to see Drey and Jade at the same time. Something really crazy would be Kristi/Marissa at the 1, Marissa/Marah at the 2, Drey at the 3, Harper at the 4 and Langhorne at the 5. That line up would give some teams fits and could help with length if we went to a 2-3 zone in the future.

One last point about the game and the terrible officiating. At the 10 minute mark of the second half, both teams had 7 team fouls. We committed 16 in the next 20 minutes, UNC committed 3.

Heels Depth Outlast Terps in Double Overtime

2008-01-26T17:56:00.001-05:00

Well, the overtime streak had to end at some point and while I would rather it never end, I am glad it happened in the regular season. We played Carolina tight with 7 players, but once we got to 5 it was going to be rough, especially with lack of height.

There are several reason why we lost today.
1. Depth. We have the best starting five in America, problem is no one on the bench can play because they don't get minutes. Ashleigh hasn't hit a jumper in weeks, Jade looks disinterested because she doesn't get to play and Kat and Drey can probably give a great scouting report of the different bench chairs in the ACC. We won't go far in either tournament if Drey doesn't see minutes. I am pretty sure she knows how to rebound and that's all we would need her to do to spell Laura and Crystal.
We were exhausted at the end of boths halves because no one can come off the bench. If we don't feel Kat can play PG, slide her to the 2 and let Marissa play the point for a while.
2. Rebounding. Carolina outrebounded us by 13 and mainly because of hustle. The guards need to help keep the more athletic teams off the glass.
3. Daron's inexperience. I want to say we had a great game plan defensively, as we held Carolina to 71 points in regulation and I think Daron did a great job that way. But I think today he coached not to lose instead of to win. We were doing great, passing the ball around looking for open shots, but with the game in hand we went to isolation plays and worked on dribbling the shot clock out. Problem with that is that Carolina is long and can contain Kristi and Marissa, plus it gives us no chance at a rebound as the Heels can stand around waiting for the shot. We did the same thing versus GT. If we played to win, we would all be celebrating. But it's something he can learn from.
His inexperience didn't help with the refs either and that's not a slight on him because he can't do anything about that. Jesus could have been the coach and the refs wouldn't have given us calls. Sylvia knows how to work the refs and after 0 free throws in the first half, UNC shot 38 in the second half, while we shot 11. Our whole team was in foul trouble despite no one having more than 1 in the first half. Yet Carolina never was in foul trouble. In fact, the refs evened it up right away as Langhorne had 3 fouls less than four minutes into half #2. I am sure Commissioner McGlade will put a little extra into the checks of Wesley Dean, Eric Brewton and Joe Cunningham this week.
4. We settled for outside shots. We should have pounded it more downlow, but I do realize Carolina's length made that tough.
5. Kristi's pressing. She was great at distributing the ball, but you can see she's trying to will each shot. Someone needs to relax her when she misses.

Carolina isn't better than us, they just have more depth. But from now to the end of the season, Drey should see at least 10 minutes a night and Kat at least 5 considering the teams we are playing the rest of the way.

It's time to rebound against Miami and make sure we don't lose again this year. We need some breaks but we can still get that one seed.