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Terps Tidbits - Thursday

Langhorne was a second team AP All-American.

The Terps are having an Open Practice and Final Four Pep Rally today from 1:30 - 3:30.

Michael Wilpon writes about a Final Four minus the Vols and Huskies. I don't mind him writing about women's hoops, but I wish it had more of a local focus.

Kathy Orton writes about how Toliver and Coleman learned the game from their fathers

Nice little editorial in the Washington Post today regarding Mason not being the only local team in the Final Four

Graham Hays has Four Final Four Questions. I think we have all been quietly asking #1 the last few weeks.

Beth Mowins breaks down our game vs. UNC.

SI.com writes about the ACC-filled Final Four.

Kristi Toliver was named to SI's All-Unsung Team.

The Diamondback let's us know that some of the Terps were rooting for Carolina and Duke on Tuesday.

Mel Greenberg on the impact of Langhorne and Harper. Here's the best line from the article: "I'm just glad we proved so many people wrong," Langhorne said of their college choice. "People were saying, `You're crazy for going to Maryland.' One head coach told me if I went to Maryland, I'd never get to the Final Four. I'm like, `Well, look at us now.' "

Laura blogs about the Final Four trip.

ComcastSportsNet to do a 30-minute special on the Terps run to the Final Four.

Toliver Stomachs Bug and Shoots Maryland into Boston, 75-65

Well, it wouldn't be a Maryland women's game if it wasn't filled with drama and intrigue. We were one bounce from being sent home, because some stupid virus decided to infect the team after the win over Baylor. I don't think we should ever visit New Mexico again. You could tell from the start we were sluggish and Utah's constant doubling of Crystal made the team forget about moving to an open space. We made several attempts to pull away in the first half, but Utah kept kept fighting back. In the second half, Kim Smith decided to try and take over by scoring 16 straight points, but Toliver, who hadn't slept all night, caught fire and single-handily kept the Terps in the game. Once again we were up seven, but we went cold and Utah kept cutting it closer and closer before sending Thornburn to the line for 2. After she missed the first, I knew we weren't losing the game. Overtime sealed the deal, because we all know what happens when we go to overtime. And now it's on to Boston and our third date with North Carolina.

Game Story Box Score Photo Gallery Video Highlights

Positives

Toliver. 28 points with a virus? Unreal. we need to make her sick more often.

Crystal. She was the only healthy post player and did what it took to get 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Harper. Sick as a dog, she gutted out the five overtime minutes and proved to be the X factor. Utah's lucky she didn't play the whole game.

Coleman. She got sick before the game so I will give her a reprieve on the shooting especially when she grabs 11 rebounds and blocks 4 shots.

Turnovers. Only 11 of them for a team that was ill and hadn't practiced. Not bad at all.

Defense. Once again we cranked it up with the game on the line. I wish I could see that style of defense for about 30-40 minutes a game.

Negatives

Free Throw Shooting. We missed several key ones down the stretch and it almost cost us the game. Have to do better from now on.

Shay. The captain needs to step up now and stop thinking so much. She hasn't shot well the last three games and she is too busy trying to draw fouls instead of going hard to the hole. She is also missing free throws.

Articles

Jerusalem Post

Boston Globe

Washington Post

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

Boston Globe

Associated Press

Diamondback

Diamondback

Diamondback

Diamondback

Diamondback

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Baltimore Sun

Raleigh News & Observer

Washington Times

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Washington Post

FINAL FOUR HERE WE COME!!!!!

It took an extra 5 minutes, but time to start making plans for Boston! Enjoy the night Terps' fans. Recap tomorrow.

Game #36 vs. Utah (Elite 8)

First the bad news, yes several players on the team have a stomach virus. From reading various boards it seems as if it may only be a 24 hour thing and that right now there are three starters that are unaffected by it. Who knows what happens when they wake up today and how they are feeling. If we see Charmaine, Angel and/or Aurelie on the court with the other 3 when the game starts then we know we have problems. I will try to keep you updated.

Now onto the matter at hand. Making the Final Four. Utah comes into the game at 27-6 and riding a 7-game winning streak. Our common opponents have been BC, NC State, Arizona and Gonzaga and they went 4-0 against them. They are a slow grind it out offensive team, much like Wake. They want to get you in their halfcourt set and then use a variety of screens and ball movement to find the open person. Defensively they play man-to-man (at least that's what they did against BC) One thing to note is that they were exhausted at the end of the BC game on Saturday. Neither team scored a bucket in the final 4 minutes of the game. Who knows how our sickness factors in and if Utah has decide to hydrate itself at this point in the game. Also, the New Mexico fans will probably be cheering for the underdog Utes since they are from the same conference.

Looking at their roster you see they have a lot of height, but of the 6-3 or taller players only Perry sees a ton of minutes. We should have a height advantage like we had had the first 3 games.

Like I said, they like to slow down the game and it shows in their stats. They are averaging 69.3 ppg, while allowing only 55.6. They taken 1832 shots so far this year, compared to the 2177 we have shot, which indicates how slow they play. They love to shoot the 3 as they have taken 642 of them, but only made 230. (We have made 202 of 494.) They are only averaging 37.5 rebounds per game and only out rebound their opponents by 4. They also don't seem like a good shot blocking team with only 91 on the season.

Their best player is Kim Smith, she's a 6-1 forward who does it all for them and can shoot from anywhere on the court and attacks the glass. Think of her like Wake Forest's Liz Strunk. Their next best player is Shona Thornburn, 5-10 guard who runs the point. She's a converted point-guard who can also shoot. She also rebounds. The team of them are the keys to the team and also like to take it to the hole as evidenced by them each shooting 150 free throws this year. After that's there's 5-4 guard Julie Larsen who shoots 50% from 3. That's basically all she does is get open and shoot away. Perry is a rebounder, but only grabs 5.0 per game.

Keys to the Game

Obviously it's to be healthy.

Limit their three-point shots. We must go in front of screens and not behind them. We must not leave them open and we must put a hand in their face. To quote Norman Dale "I want to know the flavor of gum they are chewing"

Don't fall for their pump fakes. BC was so stupid the other night that anytime Utah went to shoot they bit on it and then Utah took a dribble and had a wide open shot at the basket.

Establish the inside presence. It's time for Crystal to get 30 again.

Limit Utah's opportunities. Rebounds for them mean chances to pass it to the outside and hit a 3.

Run when we have the chance. I know they are all tired and dehyrdated, but it's time to step up and worry about rest tomorrow. Don't show up to play and you have until November to rest.

Be ready for the double team. Utah is going to double team Crystal so she has to be smart and get it to our shooters.

Our shooters must be ready. Shay came here to lead us to the Final Four. Today we find out if she can do it when it matters the most.

Articles

Associated Press

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Associated Press

Salt Lake Tribune

Albuquerque Tribune

Diamondback

Diamondback

Langhorne's 34 Declaws Bears' Repeat Bid, 82-63 (On to the Elite 8)

If people didn't know who she was before the tournament, after back-to-back 30 point outings Crystal Langhorne had told everyone she's for real. She went head-to-head against an All-American in Sophia Young and dominated her. 14 of 18 for 34 points and 15 rebounds. Baylor tried match up after match up and no one could check her. That one Baylor player was forced to basically foul Crystal everytime she touched the ball. It was a thing of beauty.

We came out strong, weathered the Baylor run (that we all knew was coming) and then finished the half strong and started the second half like we started the first half. Angel and Charmaine are a win over Utah from playing in Boston. Not bad for two gals that played on a 10-win team their freshmen year.

Game Story | Box Score | Photo Gallery

Positives

Langhorne. I think we all know why.
Defensive Intensity. People said we couldn't play defense, well Baylor shot 33% and Sophia Young was the only player in double figures.

Marissa Coleman. She played her best game of the tournament. She rebounded efficiently and when the team needed offense she hit several key buckets.

Jeff Walz. He was the one who changed that end of the half play to go to Langhorne, who thought he was crazy. Nice call coach.

Rebounding. We were down 1 at the half in the rebounding margin. We finished +7. I liked the way we boxed out and attacked the glass all night long.

Turnovers. Except for a small stretch, we did a great job with the ball. I was shocked to see we had 12 turnovers, I thought we had fewer.

Toliver. She shook off the SJU game and controlled the offense. Also it looks like her shooting touch is slowing coming back into focus.

Newman. 6 rebounds, but what I liked the most is that she took the Baylor players off the dribble and to the bucket. I love it when she does that.

Overall Energy. I have seen the team play like this at the start of a game before, but the way they came out to start the second half was the best I have seen them all year.

Free Throw shooting. Can't complain about 13-for-16 nor about the way we have shot them thus far in the tournament.

Articles

Washington Post

ESPN.com

Waco Tribune

Seattle Times

Houston Chronicle

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Pictures

Game #35 vs. Baylor (Sweet 16)

What a great morning it's been! Not one, but two negative articles about the team today despite it's first Sweet 16 appearance in over a decade. Let's not focus on all our young talent, let's tell people Maryland cheated to get it. When are people going to get over it and just face it. Brenda knows how to recruit and gets the good players. Sorry if not everyone wants to go play for the witch in Knoxville or the Italian in Storrs, some ladies these days actually want to play and not ride the bench.

Now on to the matter at hand knocking off the Baylor Bears. Baylor is 26-6 and the defending national champions. They look to speed up tempo and beat you with their length and defense. We have no common opponents so there is no basis for comparison. I don't think they are as fast as UNC and they don't have a bulky player like Larkins.

They match up with us height-wise. Jessicia Morrow is their tallest player who sees a good amount of playing time, next is Sophia Young, their All-American. Their starting guard is 5-5. Baylor Roster

Baylor scores 75.2 points per game, but only gives up 60.7. They shoot 44% from the floor, but only 33% from 3. They also limit opponents ot 37% shooting and 31% from 3. They outrebound opponents by 5 and have very active hands with 352 steals and 157 blocks.

Sophia Young is hands down their best player. She averages 22.2 ppg and 10 rpg. She has 70 steals and 31 blocks. She's stay in the paint, but can take it to the whole and can jump. Her partner in the post is Abiola Wabara, who recently told Baylor this was her last year (and hopefully last game). She blocks shots and rebounds, but it also foul prone. Chemeka Scott is a quick guard. She's not afraid to shoot the 3 (32%), but also helps rebound. Tisdale runs the point and is nearly 2 to 1 in assist to turnover ratio. Jordan Davis comes off the bench and is a three-point specialist.

Keys to the Game

Either shut down Young or don't let the other plays beat you. Some teams would let the star player get her 30 points and just make sure no one else steps up. I don't mind that strategy as long as the whole teams understands the plan. I would attack Young defensively and get her in foul trouble. With her out of the game we can dominate the post like we did against SJU and Sacred Hear.

Attack the glass. Courtney Paris had a field day against Baylor this year. She's a wide gal and was able to control the paint against the skinnier Baylor girls. Jade isn't as big as Paris, but she should the same impact. We also need to keep Young off the boards.

Guard the three-point line. Baylor isn't the greatest shooting team so we can't let them get going by leaving them open on the perimeter.

Slow Baylor down. Don't them get their transition game going. The altitude will be a factor and we don't want to be worn down.

Shay and Kristi need to forget about last week. Shay needs to let the game come to her and not feel like she has to do it all. Kristi needs to regain her shooting touch and put last week in the past.

Coleman must become a third option. She hasn't been scoring like she was, but we didn't need it in the first two rounds. We need it today.

Play loose and have fun.

Articles

ESPN.com

SI.com

Waco Tribune

ESPN.com

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Game Notes
Maryland | Baylor

Terps Tidbits -- Friday

Nice little article about Brenda in the Baltimore Sun today.

Kathy Orton talks about the quick turnaround for the Terps.

The New York Times talks about the Terps' run and lack of respect.

The Washington Times also talks about the underdog role the team has adopted.

Terps Tidbits - Thursday

Brenda's one of four finalists for Coach of the Year. Way to go Coach!

Brenda gives a couple of quotes in this USA Today article about how the sport has changed with the new blood.

The ESPN experts pick their winners again.

Some sad news to pass along. I received an e-mail from Chris Janush, the General Manager of Terrapin Sports Marketing, and he said our radio days for the season are over, because of costs and that the games are on TV. His good news was that next year there will be 10 games on the radio! Whoopie! One-third of the schedule for a National Title hopeful! What to know how we can change this? Send Mr. Janush an e-mail at cjanush@terpsports.com and show your displeasure. Also have your fellow Terps fans do the same. I know we have some Rebounders reading this board. Get the word out.

Whew, Terps Weather Red Storm, 81-74, to Advance to the Sweet 16

Well we made it to Albuquerque...barely. Seems like the girls were as nervous during most of the as I was during the final few minutes of the game. I figured SJU would give us problems, but we would build up a lead and take it from there. That never happened as the Red Storm responded with basket after basket. I give them credit as they made tough shots and never went too far into the paint. When the going got tough though the team buckled down like they always do and made several key stops to come away with the win. Now it's on to New Mexico for a 9 p.m. date with Baylor.

Game Story | Box Score | Photo Gallery

Positives

Crystal Langhorne. If people didn't think she was one of the best players in America after last night, then they are just plain stupid. 11-16, 8-10 FT, 9 rebounds for a total of 30 points. when the game was on the line she demanded the ball and scored at will.

Ashleigh Newman. Down 1 with under 3 to play, who takes the big shot and drains it? Ashleigh. A few weeks she wasn't confident now she's back in rhythym.

Rebounding. We out rebounded them by 15 and almost had more defensive rebounds than they had total rebounds. Rebounding kept us in the game when things weren't going well and in the end helped us win the game.

Free Throw Shooting. We only missed 7, which is good, not great, but good and Harper and Crystal were solid at the line.

Defending the 3 in the second half. We got killed in the first half, then we put pressure on them and they shot 3-13.

Negatives

Defense. We have 3 days to learn how to stop or slow down penetrating guards. Toliver, Newman, Doron and Coleman have to do a better job of not letting quick guards have a free pass to the paint. Our posts have to do a better job of stepping out on screens and being aware of people driving to the hoop.

Turnovers. We had too many unforced TOs and many were due to lack of communication and uncharacteristic. Good teams exploit those. Great teams make it the difference in why one team wins and why one loses.

Toliver. She needs to not worry about it if her shot isn't falling. She's forcing a lot of stuff these days and then it affects the rest of her game. It will come back to you Toliver.

Shay. She needs to show up in these big games. Only 9 points, all from the foul line, is not what we expect for one of our go to players. Open shots should be makes for her.

Articles

Newsday

Washington Post

New York Times

Newsday

Baltimore Sun

Kansas City Star

Baltimore Sun

Centre Daily Times

Hartford Courant

Kansas City Star

Game #34 - St. John's (Round of 32)

A lot on the line tonight: First team to win 30 games, A trip to the Sweet 16 and validation that we belong. I like that we are playing the early game so the ladies don't have to sit and wait and think. A win tonight puts us in Albuquerque vs. Baylor on Saturday.

St. John's is an upstart program in the Big East led by coach Kim Barnes Arico. It's there first appearance in the tournament since 1988 and they are looking to go to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever. They went 22-7 this year and the only common opponents we had were Monmouth, Wake Forest and Duke. They crushed both Monmouth and Wake, but were crushed by Duke.

Judging from their style on Sunday (ESPN2 didn't show much of the game, something about someone dunking was very important) they like to run the floor and play in a quick tempo. They are averging 71 points per game, while allowing 61. They shoot 43% from the floor and only 30% from behind the arc. They rebound well at nearly 41 per game, and keep their opponents to under 34. (Duke only outrebounded them by 12). Their opponents shoot nearly 40% from the floor and 31% from 3. The one thing I noticed is that they don't seem to foul much. they have 480 fouls this year and that's about 15 a game, but only 4 foul outs. SJU Stats

Looking at their roster, they are a very small team. Their tallest player is 6-2 Angel Tate and she rarely plays. After that they have two 6-1 players and one at 6-0. SJU Roster

Kia Wright is the team's best player. She got homesick and transfered from UConn. She averages 14.5 points per game, over 2 steals, 4.3 rebounds, 4 assists. She shoots 42% from the floor and 31% from 3. She has also taken 111 three-pointers. The next best player is Angela Clark who averages 14 ppg, 8.4 rpg and shots 55%. Danielle Chambers is another one of their rebounders grabbing nearly 9.1 a game. Tara Walker shoots nearly 40% from 3.

Keys to the Game

Come out firing on all cylindars like we did against Sacred Heart.

Establish post presence. A team with only 3 6-footers shouldn't come close to outrebounding us.

Control Wright and Clark. They are the only two weapons on the team. Shut them down and the game is ours.

Watch for foul trouble. SJU won it's opening round game by getting Cal's post players in foul trouble. The game changed when they didn't have trees in front of them.

Wright likes to drive to the hoop so Toliver and Newman must keep her in front and prevent her from penetrating.

End the game early. Our next game is Saturday hopefully so we need to rest the team as the next two will be spent traveling back to campus and then off to N.M.

Articles

Washington Times

Newsday

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

International News Service

Baltimore Sun

Centre Daily Times

Terps Run Past Pioneers, 95-54 (5 wins to Go)

I give credit to Sacred Heart's Ed Swanson for trying to run up and down with the Terps yesterday and it worked for about 5 minutes. Then we clamped down defensively dominated the glass and on the inside and won handily 95-54. The line up we saw on the court at the end of the game wasn't one we have seen in a while: Ross, Noirez, Newman, Carr and Perry. We played sluggish early on as I expected (it was two weeks since our last game) and then once we got back in the flow we took care of business on the court. 29 wins matches the most in school history. It's now time to get ready for St. John's which beat California by 10. Another win gives us 30 and puts us in the Sweet 16 for the first time in over a decade.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Positives

Paint Domination. One of the keys was take advantage of our height and we did that. 57 rebounds to 26. In fact Jade, Laura and Coleman outrebounded the Pioneers by themselves. We must continue to do this.

Kristi Toliver. Her shot wasn't there, but she still contributed with 12 assists, often finding a streaking runner or open player in the post. Also had a team high 3 steals.

Jade Perry. led the team with 20 points and she seems to have more confidence than ever these days.

Defense. SHU had 15 points in 5 minutes, then scored only 39 the rest of the way. We forced them to make bad decisions and got out on their shooters.

Laura Harper. She was ready to play and it showed. She attacked the glass and made her free throws. She had a double-double by halftime and stayed ou of foul trouble.

Shay. It was a quiet 17 points, but she did all the little things right. She attacked when she needed to and played solid defense.

Coleman. Her shot wasn't falling so she went and rebounded.

Negatives

Conditioning. We looked winded 5 minutes into the game. Don't know that happens after a two week lay off, but hopefully that doesn't happen again.

Shooting. our shooting didn't look good in the first half. Yes we had a huge lead, but we missed open jumpers and some 3s. The rebounding advantage helped, but against bigger teams it may not be there.

Articles

Washington Post

Connecticut Post

Centre Daily Times

Baltimore Sun

Hartford Courant

Annapolis Capital

Game #33 vs. Sacred Heart (NCAA First Round)

It's been two weeks since our last game and it's also a monumental game as once the ball is thrown up it will mark the most games the team has played in school history. Let's also hope we extend that streak to 38 games.

Today's opponent is Sacred Heart winners of the Northeast Conference. They went 26-4 during the season and are riding a 10-game winning streak. Among the common opponents were Monmouth, Central Connecticut State and Mount St. Mary's which they went 5-0 against. Monmouth was their closest game in that stretch.

The Pioneers have four ladies that are 6'1 and taller. The problem is that only Walker and Sowinski have seen playing time in almost every game. Sacred Heart Roster

As a team they average 72 ppg, while only giving up 58.1. They attack the glass grabbing 40.5 rebounds, and their opponents grab 37.2. They shoot 42.6 from the floor and 30.3 from behind the arc. They allow their opponents to shoot 37.5 and only 29.3 from three. I haven't seen them play so I don't know if it's their defense or the level on competition. (Although when they played Ohio State, the Buckeyes dominated them by 27 rebounds and shot over 50%)

Amanda Pape is their best player as she averages 18 ppg and 7.4 rpg. She's a 5'8 guard, but doesn't shoot that many 3s, so I assume she slashes to the hole and helps out on the glass. Jasmine Walker is the best rebounder as she is the only other player grabbing over 7 a game. Walker is also foul prone. Nicole Rubino is the shooter on the team as she has made 34% of her 3s. Kerri Burke runs the point, but isn't afraid to shoot. Mary Rush is the fifth starter, but she doesn't do much.
Sacred Heart Stats

Keys to the Game

Dominate early and often. We can't give them any hope that they have a shot, so that means play defense and score at will.

Control the glass. We have the height advantage at almost every position so we should get almost every rebound.

Force the tempo. Some of these lower seeds like to slow the game down to keep it close. Grab the ball and go.

Toliver regaining her shot. She struggled a little bit in the ACC Tournament and we need her to return to her old form.

A healthy Shay and Crystal. Hopefully Shay's thigh bruise is gone and Crystal's knee is healthy.

Articles

Washington Post

Hartford Courant

Centre Daily Times

Si.com

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Centre Daily Times

Game Notes
Maryland

Looking at the Brackets

Bridgeport
First Round:Duke should be able to ease into the second round against Southern based on talent alone. In the next round it's either Southern California or South Florida. I think USC is the more balanced team and should be able to get past Dickson and the Panthers. Kentucky - Chattanooga could be an interesting contest as Kentucky has been up and down all year, while Chattanooga tends to always be ready for the dance even though they play in a weak conference. I just wonder how Kentucky's players will react to being in the dance for the first time. The winner moves on to play Michigan State, who should have no problem with UWM.
The bottom half of the bracket has UConn in a walkover against Coppin State. I can see Coppin State slowing the game down, like they did against us earlier this year, but I would be shocked if they kept it close enough to make it a game. The 7-10 has two struggling teams with Virginia Tech and Missouri, both snuck in the tournament, but I can see VT winning due to size in the post and no one in the Big 12 knowing how to handle it. Georgia should be Marist with Humphrey controlling inside. Temple will struggle, but should pull away in the end to beat Hartford.
Second Round:Duke should be able to beat Southern California or USF with their defense and speed. I also see MSU getting past Kentucky. MSU has experience even though Mickie DeMoss will be looking to avenge her buddy Pat's loss to them last year. UConn should walk into the Sweet 16 as should Georgia based on size and speed.
Sweet 16:Duke has too many weapons for MSU, which relies on Shimek and Bowen. It will be close, but Duke should win. I can see Georgia upsetting UConn with a quick tempo, but the crowd will be a factor and Georgia will have to not give up when they build a lead like they have down against Tennessee.
Elite Eight:Duke's post players are too much for Georgia's Tasha Humphrey and their guards can match up with the Bulldogs easily. Duke needs to have Waner and Harding show up or they could go home before the Final 4.

San Antonio Regional
First Round: LSU should ease into round 2 and probably play Minnesota. Minnesota hasn't been playing well lately, but I think they have the defense and the ability to knock off the Huskies of Washington. NC State and DePaul should meet in round 2, DePaul more than NC State since Liberty's amazon girl is in the WNBA this year. It will be interesting to see if State shakes off last year's first round blunder. I can see FSU struggling with La Tech as FSU has played 1 game in two weeks and they had one of the easier ACC schedules. LaTech is on a roll and have played several big name opponents. Stanford should have no problem with SE Missouri State if Wiggins plays her game and Brooke Smith hits her hook shot. I got Iowa over BYU since the Hawkeyes feel like they have something to prove since people don't think they belong. Courtney Paris should have another 20-20 game against Pepperdone to move Oklahoma to round 2.
Second Round: LSU moves on to the Sweet 16 as UW has no one who can guard Fowles and the Tigers already beat Minnesota by 20 earlier this year. DePaul also advances thanks to their 3-pt shooting. State doesn't defend those well and Khara Smith will be a load in the paint for DePaul. Stanford beats either FSU or LaTech with their talent and will face Oklahoma since Iowa can't run with the Sooners.
Sweet 16:Khara Smith showed last year she doesn't do well against taller players and Fowles is too big for her to push around. LSU wins and gets ready for Oklahoma as Paris is too big for Brooke Smith and Stanford lacks the post presence.
Elite 8: Oklahoma vs. LSU comes down to which team has a third player step up. LSU should win based on experience, but if Fowles gets in foul trouble and Augustus is called on to try and win the game, Oklahoma could start a string of 4 straight Final Fours.

Cleveland
First Round: Carolina rolls into round two to face Louisville who is too much for the collapsing Vanderbilt. UCLA ends Bowling Green's winning streak with their speed and their guards and will face Purdue who uses defense and outside shooting to beat Missouri State. A&M advances over TCU, while Rutgers struggles early with Dartmouth's 3-pt shooting but wins in the end. George Washington defeats ODU at home and gets ready to play Tennessee for the second time this year.
Second Round:Carolina goes to the Sweet 16 by running up and down the court on Louisville. Purdue meets them there, by stopping penetration and using defense to hold off UCLA. Rutgers defense is too much for A&M's slow down offense and they play Tennessee for the second straight year in the dance.
Sweet 16:Carolina once again uses speed to win and advance to the Elite 8. Boosted by the addition of Hornbuckle and their height Tennessee goes to the Elite 8.
Elite 8Hornbuckle and Parker can't prevent Latta from going coast to coast all game, while Carolina's relentless attack on the glass is too much for the UT post players.

Albuquerque
First Round: Davenport has a field day against Oakland to move on to round 2. B.C. loses to it's old Big East foe due to a return to the slow down game and their lack of motivation the last month of the season. Utah wins over MTSU ending their string of first round upsets. Arizona State's defense and shooting sends SFA home early. Florida beats New Mexico, but in a close game and Baylor defeats Northern Arizona with their speed. St. John's Kia Wright is too much for Cal to handle as the Red Storm win their first Tournament game in a long time (maybe ever).
Second Round:Davenport is too tall for either B.C. or ND and OSU defense is better than anything else they have seen. Arizona State's defense puts them over the top in essentially a home game against Utah. Florida leads for most of the game, but Sophia Young takes over and Baylor goes to the Sweet 16 again.
Sweet 16: ASU's 2-3 zone doesn't contain OSU and they advance to the Elite 8.

***Note Maryland was left out since I will do a preview of each game** I think they have a shot at the Final Four, but they must play smart, in control and not go through scoring droughts.

Terps Tidbits -- Friday

Crystal Made Sports Illustrated not once, but twice.

Maryland was also mentioned in this Sports Illustrated article.

For those Terrapin Times online subcribers, Chris King wrote a preview article about the team.

Diamondback article previewing the game.

Nice article in USA Today about the growth of the ACC in women's basketball.

The Seattle Times also had a piece on the ACC.

Sports Page Magazine previews the NCAA Tournament.

Terps Tidbits -- Thursday

The Diamondback has a ton of articles on the team today, here they are:
The Frese Effect
Diamondback Picks
Women Get Their Shot at Stardom
Mounting Injuries Soothed Heading Into Tournament
Living Under the Roof of an NBA ref
Women Primed For NCAA Final Four Run
From Cole's Closets to Comcast glory
Increased Television Coverage Exposes Game

Some good news for the fans. While our games won't be on Terrapin Sports Radio Network this weekend due to scheduling conflicts, Dave and Matt will be back for the Regional in Albuquerque. This is great news considering how many of us probably can't go to New Mexico.

Terps Tidbits -- Wednesday

Under the Shell is on tonight.

Walter Moody talks about The Teams Placed at Penn State and their history with Rene.

Crystal was named WBCA All-Region. This means she just needs to beat out 38 other players to be a Kodak All-American.

Sports Illustrated breaks down the Albuquerque Region.

Sports Illustrated's experts give their picks.

Several of Graham Hayes' burning questions have to deal with the Terps.

In case you haven't seen them by now, check out how the Queen of women's hoops reacts to getting a 2 seed: Video 1 | Video 2

Terps Tidbits -- Tuesday

We finished the year ranked 3rd in the AP. Highest finish in a long time.

Ranked 3rd in the coaches poll. Hoping we are ranked #1 by the time the next poll comes out.

Here's what the ESPN experts are saying about the bracket

Graham Hays says Terps Must limit Turnovers To Win NCAA Title.

Graham Hays also says we are a contender for the title.

Here is the Terps page on ESPN.com.

Articles about the bracket

The Diamondback

The Diamondback

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Raleigh News & Observer (look at the ALB. Region)

The Connecticut Post

Hartford Courant

New Haven Register

#2 Seed in Albuquerque

Well we're a two seed in the Albuquergue Region. Not disappointed at all. OSU has won 19 straight and I can't argue with them being deserving.

Here is the bracket.

We play the first two rounds at Penn State on Sunday and Tuesday. The first round game is Sunday at 2 p.m. vs. Sacred Heart. Second round is against either St. John's or California on Tuesday.

Here's where the problem comes in. The ALB bracket is a Saturday/Monday Regional meaning that after we advance we have a few days (like 2-3) to fly across the country and get ready for the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, the winner of the Tucson subregional gets an extra day of rest.

I like our bracket, but don't have time to break it down. Save that for the next few days.

What do you guys think?

Terps Tidbits -- Monday

It's Selection Monday! By 7:05 tonight we will know whether we are a 1 or 2 seed. According to these Power Rankings sent in by one of the daily readers we are the third best team. Will this result in a #1 seed? I have no idea, I have a feeling we are getting a 2 and going to New Mexico. I just don't want anything to do with Bridgeport.

Article in the Charlotte Observer regarding today's selection process.

Article in the Trenton Times about our own Crystal Langhorne

Here is Charlie Creme's latest bracket and we are still a two seed. You can chat with him at 2 p.m. to talk about it all

Check out the poll on the bottom of the women's page at ESPN.com.

Jerry Palm posted his final bracket today and we are still a 1 seed.


And now for the sad news:

Crystal was not a finalist for the Wade Trophy. I looked at the list and it would be hard for someone to be taken off that list and replaced by Langhorne. Lang's a great player, but the others all have a little extra to their game that Lang can work on in the offseason.

In case you haven't heard, The Washington Post reports that the NCAA is asking some questions around Maryland. Sounds routine because Brenda took us for a 10 win season to possibly 30 in 3 years and did it through recruiting. I just question the timing of this all and how the press found out. Very odd that days before one of the bigger recent days in Terps history, someone has to send over a rain cloud. I hope the NCAA makes a quick assessment that everything is status quo and we can go on with our lives.

Terps Tidbits - Thursday

Moved up to #2 in the latest SI Power Poll

Jerry Palm still has us as a 1 in his latest bracket

Lang one of 18 finalists for the Wooden Award.

Shay is featured in the latest issue of Slam Magazine

Terps Tidbits - Tuesday

Moved up in both polls to #3. Ohio State jumped us, but then again they only have two losses so I can't blame the voters for that.

Today's Diamondback talks about the Terps not having a 1 seed just yet.

Charlie Creme updated his bracket and decided that us beating Duke was not as important as UT winning the SEC. He then held an informal chat of which I was a part of and gave him the business.

Heels and Friends Beat Terps 91-80.

After yesterday's game, I am sure there are a ton of people out there who think our win over Carolina was a fluke because of Ashleigh's shot. Count me out of that group. Yesterday proved that even after 3 games in 3 days we can still play with the #1 team in the country. We cut the game to 3 and then UNC decided to let the refs affect the outcome of the game. Then after we made it a game again, another phantom call and essentially we were taken out of our comfort zone.

Here's a stat for people to chew on: First 10 minutes of the game, Maryland 3 Fouls Against, North Carolina 8 Fouls Against. Remaining 30 minutes of the game: Maryland 21 Fouls against, North Carolina 11 Fouls Against. Can someone explain how a pressing team commits fewer fouls than a team that sits back and gets ready? That's 10 more fouls in a 30 minute span. Of course the same jackass who gave a technical to Ashleigh on Saturday worked the game on Sunday so that was decidely against us. How does the best conference in the ACC have the crappiest refs in America?

To make matters worse, Tennessee beat LSU last night so that idiot Charlie Creme has them jumping over 7 teams and getting a one seed, while we are stuck with a #2. I would have never guessed losing to only 4 games to teams ranked #1 in the country would result in being a two seed.

Other than that, I thought we played with heart and emotion, but Carolina was a little fresher and a lot longer.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Positives

Jade Perry. She came off the bench and scored 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting, most of which were jumpers. This earned her second team all-tournament honors. I wish she would have rebounded more, but her offense kept us in the game.

Newman. She looked more aggressive and determined to score yesterday. Good things happen when not saddled with foul trouble.

Coleman. Again she was ready to take over the game. It's too bad the refs didn't allow that.

Free Throw Shooting. We only missed 4, which is good considering what happened the first two days.

Negatives

Rebounding. We didn't attack the glass that well and that may be as a result of the 3 games in 3 days. need to get better at that for the Big Dance.

Defense. We turned it up a little bit in the second half, but we can't let teams have their way inside like Larkins did and then let the other players drive with no help.

The officiating. We had four players with 4 fouls, they had none. It would be ok if they were decent refs who had bad games, but Lisa and Eric are known to be the worst refs in the ACC.

Articles

Diamondback

Diamondback

Greensboro News Record

Baltimore Sun

Washington Post

Boston Globe

Terps Send Blue Devils Back to Durham Early, 78-70

It's the morning after and I think we are all still high from yesterday's win. The only problem is we have another task at hand today at 1: Winning the ACC Championship. I think we showed a ton of toughness yesterday. We kept the lead the whole first half and then when Duke went up 1 we answered and put the game away for good. Nothing was sweeter than the look of shock on the face of Coach G as the game's final minutes counted down.

Game Story | Box Score | Quotes |Photo Gallery

Postives

Team toughness. We came off tough to start the game and after halftime and then withstood the Duke run. I have waited all year for us to do this and todaay it paid off.

Coleman. She took over when Lang and Harper couldn't get anything going down low. Her defense was better than it has been and she did a great job on Currie. And she grabbed 13 boards.

Harper. She proved me wrong after Friday's bad game. She even responded after missing her first few shots and went at the bigger players.

Langhorne. With the game on the line, she demanded the ball and took it at Williams, Bales and Black. She also ended her rebounding drought against them with 10.

Toliver. Controlled the offense great and only rushed one shot.

Newman. Early foul trouble, but she kept her head in the game and played lock down defense.

Doron. Didn't play much due to injury, but made the key free throws at the end of the game.

Jade. With Harper struggling she went in and knocked down two shots over the taller players.

Rebounding. We were down at half and then responded in the second half to outrebound Duke.

Defense. We played great for all but that 4 minute stretch by Duke.

Negatives

Free Throw Shooting. Another not so good effort especially down the stretch. We will get better though.

Turnovers. We had some dumb ones at certain times, but overall I am ok with it.

Articles

Greensboro News Record

Raleigh News & Observer

Baltimore Sun

Greensboro News Record

New Bern Sun Journal

Diamondback

Cover of the Baltimore Sun

Ding Dong The Witch is DEAD!!! Finally!!!

What a game! More tomorrow morning after I wake up. I think this picture of Marissa sums it up best.

Terps Eek By Georgia Tech, 71-66

It wasn't pretty and at times I felt we were looking ahead to Duke, but when the game was on the line we dug deep down and pulled out the win. That's what winners do. Now it's on to Duke for the third straight year. I hope today is the blowout win I was expecting yesterday.
Game Story | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Positives

Crystal. 20 points and clutch rebounds at the right time. She was fantastic.

The Freshman. Both had that deer in headlights look for most of the game, but at the end it was Toliver with a big 3 and Coleman with 6 free throws to seal the game.

Ashleigh. I think she has found her shot again. That's good news for us.

Charmaine. Came in and played good defense and then had a huge rebound. I like the energy she brought when on the floor.

Shay. She's not playing at full strenghth but when we needed her to pick up a fooul she did and when we needed a bucket she hit that too.

Negatives

Turnovers. Too many.

Free Throw Shooting. We started out awful and then finished making our last 11. Have to shoot better.

Harper. She looked like she was in a fog yesterday, we need her to bust out that to go far in this tournament and the next one.

Articles

Baltimore Sun

Game #30 - Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech thus far has the upset of the tournament based on seeding with a double-digit victory over 6-seeded Miami yesterday. They limited Miami's Big Two and rebounded the ball well. Their guards also controlled the tempo. I was hoping for a double overtime game, but the fact that Tech had to keep it's starters in the whole game is good for us.

We played Tech during our "down stretch" part of the season and only beat them by 8. We were up double-digits throughout most of the game, but then Nnamaka hit 3 or 4 threes in a row to make the game more interesting.
MD vs. GT Boxscore

Tech is essentially a guard-oriented offense that uses its 1-3-1 trapping press to throw teams off and slow down the game. They shoot 39% from the field and 31.7% from behind the arc. Everyone chips in on the rebounding effort. Nnamaka must be guarded from behind the arc as once she starts heating up she rarely misses. They are foul prone as they are averaging nearly 20 fouls per game.
GT Stats

Keys to the Game

Come out strong and ready to go. We can't let GT hang around. They are coming off a big upset for them and are full of confidence. A big run to start the game, ends their fun early.

Shay and Ashleigh's shooting. We need them to be big contributors this weekend, especially as more teams double-down on our posts.

Establish our post presence. We were outrebounded by them in the first game. That should not happen again.

Defensive pressure. Higgs isn't the greatest dribbler so pressure her and score the easy transition buckets.

Guard Nnamaka from behind the arc. She can shoot the 3 as I mentioned. Stop her and you can beat GT.

End the game early. We win and we probably have Duke tomorrow. The players need rest so that they can be fresh for a 4 game on Saturday after playing at 9:30 tonight. Duke has the depth to give them rest, we don't have that yet.

Articles

Washington Post

The Diamondback

Baltimore Sun

Game Notes

Maryland

Terps Tidbits - Thursday

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram previews the upcoming women's tournament and calls us a sleeper team.

The AP previews Maryland's ACC Tournament Run

Comcast SportsNet is showing the women's game on tape delay tomorrow night beginning at 10:30.

USA Today's Dick Patrick answers 10 questions about the upcoming conference tournaments.

Coleman Named ACC Rookie of the Year

For the second straight year a Terp walks away with the conference's Rookie of the Year award. This was a no doubter once ACC play started and Waner started to tail off a bit. I still don't know who decided Coleman wasn't the ROY, but Crystal had the same problems last year.

Congrats to Marissa!

Official Release | AP Story | Washington Post Article | Diamondback Article

Terp Tidbits - Wednesday

Harper blogged over at the Double A Zone to talk about the Terps getting ready for the Postseason.

We are ranked #3 in the latest SI Power Poll

Jerry Palm still has us as a #1 in his latest bracket. We may have to play ODU at ODU though. Baylor and Tennessee are the 2 and 3 seeds.

Nice preview of the ACC Tournament on theacc.com

Toliver and Coleman each named to the All-Freshman Team. It's the fourth straight year with at least one Terp on the team.


Just a few housekeeping issues.
1. How many people visit this site daily? You don't have to give your name or anything, but I always wondered if I write this for myself or if people look forward to the site. Either post a comment below or in the Chat thing on the left.
2. Who's going to Greensboro? I haven't decided yet, since I want to go to some of the NCAA Tournament as well. Again post it in the comments or on the left side.