2010-2011: The Schedule

[BaltimoreTerp]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/maryland_terps/blog/2010/09/maryland_hoops_schedule_is_released.html

November 8 Seattle CSN 8:00

Coaches vs. Cancer, College Park, Md.

November 10 College of Charleston ESPNU 7:00

Coaches vs. Cancer, College Park, Md.

November 14 Maine CSN/NESN 2:00

November 18 vs. Pittsburgh ESPN2 7:00

Coaches vs. Cancer, New York, N.Y.

November 19 in Coaches vs. Cancer ESPN2 5/7:00

Coaches vs. Cancer, New York, N.Y.

November 23 Delaware State 8:00

November 26 Elon CSN 8:00

December 1 at Penn State ESPN2 9:15

December 5 vs. Temple MASN/FSN 8:00

BB&T Classic, Washington, D.C.

December 8 UNCG CSN 7:30

December 12 Boston College FSN 4:00

December 22 NJIT 8:00

December 29 North Florida 8:00

January 4 Colgate CSN/NESN 8:00

January 9 at Duke FSN 8:00

January 12 at Wake Forest Raycom 8:00

January 15 at Villanova CBS 1:00

January 20 Virginia Tech ESPN/ESPN2** 9:00

January 22 Clemson Raycom 2:30

January 27 at Virginia CSN 7:00

January 30 at Georgia Tech FSN 7:45

February 2 Duke ESPN 9:00

February 5 Wake Forest Raycom (split) 1:00

February 9 Longwood 8:00

February 12 at Boston College Raycom (split) 1:00

February 15 at Virginia Tech Raycom (split) 8:00

February 20 NC State FSN 5:30

February 23 Florida State Raycom (split) 9:00

February 27 at North Carolina FSN 7:45

March 2 at Miami ESPNU 7:00

March 5 Virginia Raycom 2:00

March 10-13 58th Annual ACC Tournament (Greensboro Coliseum)

[Sports Guy]

20 or 21 wins...NCAA bubble team.

Williams first team ALL ACC.

[Sports Guy]

The OOC schedule will be interesting... true road vs PSU, neutral/essentially home vs Temple... true neutral vs Pitt, and Illinois / Texas, neutral/essentially road vs 'Nova.

How they do in these games will go a long way to determining bubble status.

1) Bowie, Howard, Stoglin

2) Tucker, Parker

3) Mosley, Palsson

4) Gregory, Padgett, Pankey

5) Williams, Weijs

Most important questions facing the Terps:

1) There is a lot of hand-wringing from Maryland fans that Bowie is not a legitimate point-guard. Okay, I agree. He is SG, in a PG body. He also will be a Senior, and Gary Williams has a major bias to his 4 year players. Bowie does have good quickness, and an ability to drive. Bowie came into today, hitting 39% from 3 point-land. With 2 makes in 3 attempts today, Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-pointers to end the year. While his Junior year was a disappointment overall; Bowie did play his best ball to end the year. It should also be remembered that in his Sophomore year, he made 28 starts, and averaged 9 points a game.

Terrapin fans should come to grips with the idea that Bowie is going to start to at-least begin next-year. If he improves his ball-handling, and his ability to make foul-shots, he will get more than 20 minutes a game. If he does not; he will be effectively sharing the position with either Howard, or Stoglin.

2) Both Howard, and Stoglin are described first as scoring guards, as opposed to true PG's. While neither is described as a superior athlete, they are both supposed to be strong, physical, scoring threats. After prepping at Oak Hill, I believe Howard is going to be more likely to come-in and challenge Bowie early.

2a) I'm very interested to see how good of a handle both Howard, and Stoglin have; and what percentage they shoot from the foul-line. It has been a blessing being able to have Vasquez, and Hayes on the court in close-games; with their ability to control the ball, and make foul-shots under-pressure.

3) I see Jordan Williams dominating inside next-year as the lead option in the flex. He will come back to College Park even bigger, stronger, quicker - and really be set-up for a tremendous year. I do not think he will have any problem adjusting to being the main-option. If anything, I think he will thrive off of that. Where I do think he will have to adjust, is dealing with defenses sagging on him, until his teammates show an ability to consistently hit from the outside. Before Williams played a game as a Terrapin, I stated I believed he could average 8 points, and 5 boards as Freshman. In-fact, he out-produced that expectation as he averaged 9.6 points, and 8.6 rebounds. Next-year, I expect 15 & 10 per game.

4) If Williams will be the Number 1 option, Sean Mosley will be option 1a. Mosley increased his scoring from 5.3 points, to over 10 points as a Soph. He averaged over 50% from the floor, and made 39% of his shots on 7 Field Goal Attempts per game. In comparison, Vasquez averaged over 15 FGA's per game. As Mosley gets closer to those level of attempts, he should also be at 15+ points per game.

5) In his Sophomore season, Cliff Tucker averaged 20 points per game against National Champion North Carolina. In his Junior season, Tucker scored at-least 8 points 9 times. I fully expect Tucker to be a consistent scorer next-year. He has the athleticism to get to the rim (though he could learn to finish better), and shoots at a high-percentage from the floor 49.7%, and from 3 at 35.4%. There is no reason he can not replace Hayes' level of scoring (11 points per game).

6) Dino Gregory figures to get 1st-crack at the vacated PF position. Milbourne has spent the past two-years as an undersized 4. Gregory is also a bit undersized, but has better bulk than Milbourne. He does not have Milbourne's offensive-game, but should be better equipped to more regularly help rebounding, and as a defensive presence.

6a) Padgett, Pankey, and Weijs will be active bigs that can run the floor, block shots, and help rebound at both the PF, and Center positions. Pankey should basically mirror what you received from Padgett this year, and Padgett should be ready to take the next-step. If Padgett shows improvement, he can push Gregory as the starting 4.

7) Stoglin and Howard are going to get plenty of minutes off the bench backing-up Bowie, and Tucker. In-fact, I think Stoglin and Howard get more minutes as the backups to Bowie, and Tucker; than Bowie, and Tucker got as backups to Vasquez, and Hayes.

7a) Parker has the potential to be a future star, and the athleticism that is going to get him time off the bench. I envision Parker getting time next-year at both the 2, and 3.

7b) I think it will be interesting to see what Maryland gets out of Palsson. Potentially, he might be the best 'shooter' on the roster. If that is the case, and he looks confident (physically and mentally), I can see him getting minutes as the zone-buster we hoped Jin-Soo Choi was going to be. If Palsson looks uncomfortable, I would not be shocked to see him Red-shirted.

8) The overall athleticism of the roster will be increased. Tucker, Gregory, Padgett, Parker, Pankey, and Weijs are all very good athletes. Stoglin, Howard, Bowie, Mosley, and Williams move well, even if none of them are jump out of the gym types.

9) This should be a team that improves month-to-month. Williams, Mosley, and Tucker are going to need to carry the load early. It should again be a team that opponents do not like facing come March.

I think they beat Penn St and likely Temple...But I like Nova, Ill/Texas and Pitt to beat them.

The problem is, Penn St and Temple aren't going to be OOC wins that you will really be able to point to as great wins, so that's why I see them on the bubble....because they ain't beating Duke.

Its a shame the Terps don't have a better matchup in the Big Ten/ACC challenge.

[PaulBako]

I wonder why you picked this game as an L:

January 30th @ Georgia Tech - L

[Sports Guy]

It will be pretty deep in the year when MD gets Duke at home... the young guys will be more experienced... frankly that trip to CP will be one of the lone games Duke can lose in conference.

Re: Temple... I think ESPN has them Top 3 in the A10... but I get your point... if MD finishes with 7-8 wins in conference and only Temple, and Penn St as their best OOC wins, they will be on the bubble... I expect they will be significantly better than that in conference though.

Of course you do.

I am thinking 9 ACC wins for MD. Which isn't a bad season by any means...And I do agree that they will be better at the end of the year and perhaps, they can do damage in the last 10.

I think they are going to go into the ACC tourney needing to win a game to make sure they get in. If they lose the first round game, i would guess they will be in trouble.

I would have liked to see them schedule some better mid major teams although I say that not being sure if C of C is supposed to be good this year or not...if they are, that could be a nice little win.

As for Duke vs MD...Who is guarding Irving, Smith, Curry and Singler.

I am not sure if Duke will have the same leadership they had last year and they need the Plumlees to replace the rebounding they lost but this Duke team is deeper, more talented and more athletic than last year's.

[Sports Guy]

I wonder why you picked this game as an L:

GT is always a tough place to play and should have a good perimeter attack.

I am sure Chris will tell you that they may win that game but then lose a game that he thinks they should win.

[PaulBako]

Thing is, the Terps have had no problem in recent years plauing in the buzzdome (or whatever they call it). GT might be the worst team in the ACC this year. There were struggles between Maryland/GT last year, but GT had a top ten talent team, just coached by paul Hewitt. Now their team is not as talented, and they still have Paul Hewitt.

[PaulBako]

If I had to take away a win, I would pick at Wake. They might be bad too, new coach, but it is early in the season and the team never seems to play well at Wake.

[Sports Guy]

One thing the Terps players can't get caught up in is how do we replace Greivis?

These guys need to play to their strengths.

I think there are going to be 2 huge keys for the Terps:

1) PG play...You have freshman PGs and Bowie, who I do not believe is a starting PG in the ACC. Not only are these guys going to have to not turn it over and play smart, they need to be fundamentally sound at feeding the post...which is a lost art in basketball.

2) Perimeter shooting.

Why are these 2 things important? Jordan Williams.

Williams is a beast but he had the fortune of being able to play with Vazquez last year, which obviously takes the pressure off of him. This year, he is the man. He is the guy to carry this team.

But he can't be effective if the PGs don't get him the ball and if every team just crashing down on him down low. He needs to be able to have space to work and free himself up some. That is very important for the Terps and their potential success this season.

[Ruzious]

It's interesting that Terps fans are talking a lot more about Howard and Bowie than they are about Stoglin. Stoglin's not as physically strong as those 2, but I think he's going to end up playing more, because he's a better offensive player.

It's too early to have a good handle on where MD fits in the ACC this season, but they'll have a lot of depth on the perimeter. They can't afford an injury up front. Sorry, but I don't expect anything out of Weijs and Pankey this season. Where they might miss Greivis and Hayes the most is feeding the post. Jordan Williams really benefited from both of their presence and presents. But he'll adjust and so will the team. Go Terps!!!

[ccbird]

Honestly, I don't know what to begin thinking until I see some of the freshmen play and some of the other guys in much larger roles(Bowie, Tucker, Gregory). We have two established players in Williams and Mosley, though Mosley was pretty mediocre in ACC play. I fear Bowie and Tucker are too inconsistent but I do have hope for Howard and to a lesser extent Stoglin.

Put me on the spot and make me make a prediction and I'd have to say 20 wins and 8-8 in conference. Could move it quickly one way or the other after I see some of these guys get some run.

[Sports Guy]

Honestly, I don't know what to begin thinking until I see some of the freshmen play and some of the other guys in much larger roles(Bowie, Tucker, Gregory). We have two established players in Williams and Mosley, though Mosley was pretty mediocre in ACC play. I fear Bowie and Tucker are too inconsistent but I do have hope for Howard and to a lesser extent Stoglin.

Put me on the spot and make me make a prediction and I'd have to say 20 wins and 8-8 in conference. Could move it quickly one way or the other after I see some of these guys get some run.

I would say that is a pretty realistic expectation. I said 9 wins.

The big advantage MD has over most of the ACC teams is coaching..That alone makes them a threat. They aren't as talented as some teams..They don't have a lot of experience but they have a great coach and that will help them against a lot of teams.

What kind of PG and perimeter play will they get? That is the key.

As I said, I see no reason to think Bowie is a starting PG in the ACC, so they are going to need one of their freshman to step up.

[Ruzious]

I never take anything from those Midnight Madness scrimmages... but I did notice Stoglin having a better shot from 3 than I anticipated. I like everything I have read about him, but can't imagine that coming from Tuscon he is better prepared to be a lead guard in the ACC than Howard (after Howard started for 3 years for Oak Hill).

There is no reason to believe that Weijs and Pankey will not be able to provide 10 fouls a game, and a defensive presence when/if they do see the court... that is enough to help.

They are going to miss GV and Hayes in many ways... one way will be at the end games, when they were able to control the ball and knock down foul-shots.

I never understood that line of reasoning. If being able to foul was a positive skill, I should have made my high school team, because I was more proficient at fouling than anything else. :scratchchinhmm: Pankey missed most of his senior season with an injury and seems to be the kind of player that needs an awful lot of work to play in the ACC. Weijs has no body - he needs to add strength before we even talk about him as a potential contributor, imo.

On the Stoglin/Howard debate, it's nice that Howard has experience at a big time HS, but so what? People used your same rationale against Jordan Williams, and he excelled as a frosh. It comes down to who's the better player; not who played for the better HS program.

[ccbird]

I never understood that line of reasoning. If being able to foul was a positive skill, I should have made my high school team, because I was more proficient at fouling than anything else. :scratchchinhmm: Pankey missed most of his senior season with an injury and seems to be the kind of player that needs an awful lot of work to play in the ACC. Weijs has no body - he needs to add strength before we even talk about him as a potential contributor, imo.

On the Stoglin/Howard debate, it's nice that Howard has experience at a big time HS, but so what? People used your same rationale against Jordan Williams, and he excelled as a frosh. It comes down to who's the better player; not who played for the better HS program.

I agree. Never understood that logic much and I don't expect Pankey or Weis to play at all. It'll be a 3 man rotation and at times might even go 4 guards with Parker or Mosley sliding down.

On the other hand, I do think the difference between Howard playing at Oak Hill and Stoglin at a public school in Arizona will be a factor . If for nothing else than the staff is very familar with Howards game. Plus, I think Howard is the better defender and stronger player.

[Ruzious]

Howard can be a good player. I'm just not sure he's a good fit. With Mosley being their top returning perimeter player and probably the team leader, I think they need shooters to surround him and spread the floor for the bigs - since outside shooting is not a strength for Mosley. Howard seems a lot like a shorter version of Mosley - with better ball-handling skills. I think he can be a great defensive player who will make some spectacular plays, but I think he's going to have issues on offense with turnovers and outside shooting.