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Greivis Vasquez was drafted 28th overvall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA draft tonight. Oh yeah, the Washington Wizards drafted John Wall overall number 1. Of course Wall is the story of the NBA, but when will Vasquez get more national attention than tonight?

Vasquez, the former Maryland Terrapin, was one of the most passionate players under the guidance of Coach Gary Williams. Via Twitter, Williams said "I have no doubt Greivis will continue to work hard and will do everything to accomplish his goals in the NBA." Based on his years at Maryland, I believe that as well. Vasquez was never one to give up. His work ethic and intelligence showed prior to this past season when he entered and left the 2009 NBA Draft. Clearly the best choice as he would have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick at best then, and now he's a 1st rounder. Congratulations to Vasquez.

Lost in the insanity of the World Cup is the fact that a game seven looms on the horizon. For those who complain that the NBA season is too long, that it starts in the fall and goes through the winter and spring and summer, fear not. There's only one game left and what a game it is. Game 7.
Thursday night will mark the first Game Seven in finals history since game seven of the Knicks and Rockets series from 1995.
Nothing in sports is better than a game seven for all the marbles. Not to mention that it's a rivalry for the ages.
Do the Celtics have one more push in their brittle old bodies or can Kobe prove once again that he doesn't need Shaq?
You really couldn't have written a better script. I'm literally drooling as I type this.
Few things in sports can be as exciting as a game seven. There's a desperate feel in the air, the realization that this is it.
The Celtics may be without Kendrick Perkins who left game 6 with a knee sprain and may have to rely on "Big Baby." If Baby can play like he did in game four, then the Celts will hoist banner 18. Man that is a lot. Unless you are Phil Jackson and you could have 11 when the night is over.
I can guarantee that Kobe will put on a magical performance since he hasn't been able to be stopped yet, but can Lamar, Ron and Gasol match that intensity? So much will be answered tomorrow night. Don't set your tivo or dvr. Watch this one live, because there is a real good chance they will talk about this for awhile.
That's it and that's all.
P.S. I LOVE THE WORLD CUP!!

Let me start this article by apologizing to "Big Money Tony," I'm really sorry man, but I'm going to talk about the NBA again.
In fact, you may actually like were I'm going with this one.
I would like to address the joke that has become NBA officiating.
For those who bi-passed game 5 of the Magic and Celtics series let me fill you in. The Magic took game 5 by almost 20 points and made the Celtics look old, again.
The big issue after the game was that Kendrick Perkins was assessed two technical fouls and sent packing. The second technical was Perkins seventh of the playoffs and under the rules of the NBA, he would have to miss game 6.
But, wait! There's more.
The announcers during the game and the analysts after the game assured the viewers that the second technical would have to be looked at by the NBA and most likely rescinded.
Guess what? Today the NBA rescinded the second foul allowing Perkins to play in the next game.
It should be noted that the second technical was very soft and Perkins actually walked away from the situation.
My beef with the NBA is that it's kind of rigged. I mean Perkins was giving the technical and it should have stuck. What power do the referees have? I mean everything they do is put under a microscope and when they have the balls to make a call, it gets overturned.
Prior to game 4 this series was all but done. Now it's a series, but will the NBA let the players play?
They seem to have a death grip on the decision of who gets to advance in the playoffs. Remember the Lakers and Kings series when the refs gave LA a win?
Who can forget when Amare Stoudamire had to sit out a pivotal game because he barely left the bench?
If the NBA wants to know why no one, including Big Money Tony, is watching the NBA, they should look no further than game 5.
The faithful watchers of the NBA, like me, won't stay around forever. I'm tired of having the outcome of important games in history being decided by hot headed refs. I want the game to be played by two teams and have one of those teams triumph over the others.
I guess I'm a dreamer, because I thought sport was one of the most pure things around. I was way off.
That's it and that's all.

After thoroughly disappointing their fan base this past season, the Wizards have worked a little bit of magic by winning the NBA draft lottery.
Irene Polin (widow of the late Abe Polin) was sporting here husband's 1978 championship ring as she accepted the first overall pick, a pick that may have finally ended the curse of "Le Bullet."
It will be the first time the Wizards have picked first since 2001, and we all know how that turned out.
So what do the Wizards do now?
Most experts would tell the Wiz to pick the most talented player in the draft, and few would argue that's Kentucky point guard John Wall. Others would say trade the pick and try to get a player and a pick. Even a select few think Evan Turner or Derrick Favors would be better choices.
That's step one, step two should be the termination of Gilbert Arenas's contract. Get him out of town on a greyhound. Like the wise Tony Kornheiser expressed on his radio show, "he's poison."
Your right Mr. Tony, he is. He's already alienated an entire franchise and now they want him to act as a role model for the number one pick.
Are the Wiz taking crazy pills? I mean this seems like a no-brainer, you already got rid of Jamison and Butler, now get rid of the last stale portion of the big three. Let's start fresh, please.
DC is rapidly becoming the "Gateway to the Future." The Redskins have a new coach and a new quarterback and the Nationals have Stephen Strasburg.
There is optimism in the air, but is that a good thing?
We know how this story usually plays out, as ever NFL off-season is like Christmas, but so far those off-seasons have produced nothing.
So don't be scared DC sports fans, but be cautious. You've just suffered through a crushing exit from the Stanley cup playoffs a horrible NBA season and an unforgettable two years with Jim Zorn, but you have the number one pick. Enjoy.

That's it and that's all.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups were announced today and the Maryland Terrapins will travel to Penn State on December 1. Penn State did not have a good 2009-2010 campaign so unless things change drastically for them, the Terps will get nothing with a win over them. On the other hand a loss would really be bad for the Terps post-season chances. But it's May, so it's way too early to talk about that.

There was some men's basketball talk in recent days. Or rather, the Big Ten Conference potential expansion. On the potentials list of some analysts was Maryland. I'll state that this is a terrible idea for Maryland basketball. The ACC expansion a few years ago set up the ultimate football conference that fizzled. In the same process, all ACC basketball teams lost the "Home and Home" games. They are relegated to playing some teams just once a season.

The Terps moving to the Big 10 might increase football, but would give a considerable blow to basketball. There would be no Duke or North Carolina or even NC State on the schedule. That is unless the out-of-conference scheduling works out that way for the coaches. But there's no guarantee of that, and it would be stupid to play each other every year when not in the same conference. Worse yet, presuming Maryland is the only ACC team headed to the Big Ten, Penn State would be the closest rival. Virginia and Virginia Tech are only a few hours away by road.

What may be on the Terps side is timing. If the Big Ten is trying to make the change soon, they can try to convince AD Debbie Yow quickly. I'm not sure of the powers required to change conferences, but I'll bet that if the University President is not powered to do so, he or she would at least be consulted. Maryland's current President, Dr CD Mote, is retiring within the month. Certainly he will not authorize such a change and I would venture a guess that the incoming president, when chosen and in office, would hesitate to make a change so early in their administration. Ultimately time will tell, and it's all about money. Maybe this time, we can make it about tradition.

Let's start with one of the biggest changes in pro sports in a long time, Tiger Woods' decent.
We find ourselves deeply immersed in a "what have you done for me lately" society.
So the fall of the one time golden boy of golf should really come as no surprise, but the oddity that has become Tiger Woods life and pro golf career is stunning at that.
This past weekend during The Players Championship, Woods was forced to withdraw during his final round complaining about a brand new neck injury. Remember this is the same guy that won a major on one knee.
So what the heck has this past weekend told us? It told us that Tiger has gone from the greatest golfer of our time to the weirdest golfer of our time.
I remember where I was (kind of like how people remember where they were when JFK was shot) when Tiger crashed his car in front of his house. The initial report said that he was ok and only had minor injuries. I turned the TV off on Thanksgiving night assuming that Tiger would be ok. Boy was I wrong.
Since that moment Tigers life has turned in to a 24 circus. Each report gets weirder and weirder. Most of the reports had nothing to do with golf, so in the back of all of our minds we knew Tiger could get redemption on the lynx. That theory has officially hit a wall. Tigers un-expected exit at the Players Championship raises even more questions about a man that was once considered a role model and a champion. Now I see him as a strange, strange man, who was most likely never told he couldn't do something and now when all the chips are down he is finally showing his true colors.

Finally, this weekend told us that I really shouldn't predict NBA playoff series. I did predict the Suns would win, but I had it going seven games. So when Steve Nash triumphantly returned with one eye and swept the aging Spurs out of their misery I wasn't the only one stunned.
So how did they do it? Well going in to the weekend the Suns had a 2-0 series lead. The Spurs had the momentum playing game three at home, but then something strange happened.
THERE WAS A GORAN DRAGIC SIGHTING!! Who? Oh, sorry he's the back up point guard for the Suns, and he one upped Lebron.
After Lebron scored 21 in the first quarter against the Celtics early in the night, Dragic did him two better and scored 23 points in the fourth quarter of game three.
How impressive was it? Well Dragic went 4-4 (5-5 for the game) from three point land in the fourth and drove the ball to the hole at will.
The second team unit for the Suns played the entire fourth as Nash, Amare and Richardson became spectators from the bench. The Spurs, who were facing a must win game had their starting five in during the fourth quarter rout.
So what did this weekend tell us?
I know very little, and apparently so did the Spurs, cause they couldn't figure out the new look Suns, the Suns that finally play defense. That's right, not a typo, the Suns play defense.

That's it and that's all!!

Alright haters, it's time to talk about the NBA playoffs, I may have just lost a majority of the readers, but those who stayed are in for a treat.

May be it's the night owl in me or the fact that I find beauty in a game played by overgrown men with more tattoos than degrees, but I love the NBA playoffs.
To me, nothing beats a 10:30 pm tip-off and more importantly nothing beats listen to Charles Barkley at 1:30 in the morning.
Round one already gave us minor upsets as the Jazz and Spurs overtook the underachieving Nuggets and Mavericks. Is there anything easier to predict than the Mavs choking away another 50 win season in the opening round? NO.
Now the fun begins, round two started on Saturday with the Cavaliers taking game one in their series with the aging Celtics and the final team advanced on Sunday when the Hawks punked the ailing Bucks. Tragically that ends the run for the best battle cry in recent years "FEAR THE DEER".

LAKERS V JAZZ: The Lakers took game one of their second round series over the Jazz, who valiantly fought until the bitter end, but in the end IT'S THE LAKERS!! Don't get too happy Jazz fans, you do have the best point guard in the league in Darren Williams, but you don't have the size to rebound with the Lakers.

Prediction: Lakers in 6 (The New dynamic duo in Utah will give the Lakers everything they have, but it wont be enough. Watch for Ron Artest to give Williams fits)

SPURS V SUNS: Possibly the sexiest series on paper is the rivalry between the Spurs and Suns. Who's older than the Spurs? Well the Suns have Grant Hill who's been around since the dawn of time and is finally healthy, but the Spurs have Tim Duncan who is also getting to the end of an all-star career.

Prediction: Suns in 7 (It's going down to the wire, and these two have no love loss for one another. This is no doubt the series to watch, watch for fights, watch to see whose bench will carry the load and watch to see Amare "posterize" Tim Duncan one more time)

MAGIC V HAWKS: Here is what could be the most exciting series packed with amazing athletes and youth. Can Dwight Howard stay out of foul trouble? Can Mike Bibby guard Jameer Nelson? Will this be Josh Smith's coming out party? It's amazing, on paper this has the potential to be some of the most exciting basketball ever played, but games aren't played on paper.

Prediction: Magic in 5 (I know I know, I said this could be one of the best series around, so why not seven games? Simple the Hawks are terrible on the road and the Magic, who I may remind you are defending Eastern Conference Champs, got better in the offseason. The additions of Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass and Jason Williams puts them way over the top. More importantly Jameer Nelson is the key, if he has a series like he did against the Bobcats then it won't even be close)

CAVALIERS V CELTICS: A difficult series to accurately predict. There are just too many what ifs. Who is a bigger "Drama King" Lebron James and his hurt elbow or Paul Pierce, who once left a game in a wheel chair only to return and win the game? How much of a factor will Shaq and Jamison be? The only thing that is almost sure to happen is that at some point Labron will drive the lane and taste nothing but Hardwood. The Celtics aren't afraid on the Cavaliers, but that wont matter at all if no one can guard the MVP.

Prediction: Cavaliers in 6 (Lebron finally has a decent supporting cast and that in the end will be the game changer in the series. Jamison only has to have 1-2 good games to have a huge impact in this series and if you remember not long ago Jamison played well as a Wizard in Boston. Boston will try their best to compete in this series, but they are just too old in a game league led by young guns, like MVP James.

That's it and that's all for the second round of the NBA playoffs. Try to watch a few games, there's only about a month left.

The rumors had run rampant during March Madness. Now we have more detail on the Dance. While those early reports had suggested with an almost definitive tone that we'd see 96 teams, the NCAA appears to be expanding only to 68 from the current 65. The men's basketball tournament held every March is widely regarded as an almost "perfect" playoff structure. The addition of the 65th team bruised that image a bit, but it's still better the BCS of college football.

Right now the story focuses on the continuation of CBS coverage and the addition of TBS, TNT and even truTV as broadcast partners. Interesting that it now appears every game will be broadcast live starting in 2011. This halts a revenue stream for DirecTV who had been selling a March Madness package to cover all the games. But it's good for all of the fans who can now watch their Ivy League or WAC without the odd breakaways CBS producers seem to screw up every year.

Back to the expansion, there does not seem to be an explanation of what structure the extra games will take. It is assumed that now instead of one "play-in" game on Tuesday, we'll get 4 games. Are they all to play for the illustrious 16 seed in each corner of the bracket? Or, will the NCAA listen to fans (and their wallet) and go for at large play-in games, like for a 10 or 11 seed? I think in the grand scheme of things, most fans would rather watch the 3rd ACC team play the 4th SEC team than the Horizon and MEAC champions fight for the position. Of course the power conferences have great influence and would rather have their teams "safe" in the 64.

While the expansion was not favored by all, it was almost universally agreed 96 was an awful number to jump to. The growth was essentially a given and 68 is a good place to land. Is it March yet?

Maryland's ACC Player of the Year, Greivis Vasquez drove the lane with a nifty one handed runner to put the Terps up by 1 point with six seconds remaining in the game. Yet Michigan State Spartan's Korie Lucious was not to be undone. He picked up the slack for injured star guard Kalin Lucas and hit a game winning three point buzzer beating shot to win the game for the Spartans as time expired for an 85-83 Mich. State victory.

The Terps found themselves down early and by as much as 16 points during the game. By halftime Maryland was down by 9. Lucas left the game late in the first half for the Spartans and is rumored to have a torn achilles tendon. Everytime Maryland would cut the lead to five, Michigan State had an answer. Summers torched the Terps from 3 Pt land shooting 6-8 and finished the night for 26 points to pick up the production for their injured star guard, Lucas.

It wasn't until late that Maryland awoke from their deep sleep and was led by Vasquez who scored 9 of the Terps final 11 points with the signature pressure defense that Gary Williams and Maryland is known for by forcing some big turnovers in the final two minutes of the game.

The final six minutes and last second shot will add to the lore of the NCAA Tournament. Does anyone remember various elite eight or sweet sixteen appearances? Yet, most everyone remembers an amazing game ending sequence. These two teams are now forever linked to another fantastic finish in history to which years from now Terps fans can look back and be prould of the performance of this team of players and how hard they battled back with such heart and determination to force MS to beat them with a buzzer beating shot.

In the final game of the first round, the Maryland Terrapins defeated the Houston Cougars 89-77 out in Spokane, Washington. Freshman Jordan Williams had a career high 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Terps to the victory. While the final score had a 12 point difference, Aubrey Coleman, the nations leading scorer this season, and his Houston teammates didn't make it easy on the 4th seeded Terps. The game was much closer in the first half until Maryland started inching away late in the half. Then Houston had a last second shot drop in from just inside the half court.

While Williams tallied 17 boards, early in the game the Cougars dominated. The Terrapins defense had trouble controlling Houston as they had little trouble going inside. But with Williams' inside game, Landon Milbourne's rare gem of a solid game, and overall production from all the Terps, they led at the half and increased it during the second half.

It was a struggle, and while I and other Terps fans/alums were watching it at a party, we still thought the game was in reach for the Cougars. And it was, as they managed to take the deficit down to single digits several times. In the end, it was just that MD is the higher seeded and better team. The problem now is that with such a tough game played in the first round, the Terps have to face Michigan State at 2:30 on Sunday, roughly 38 hours after the Houston game ended. Tom Izzo and his Spartans are not the Cougars. They're better, and Gary Williams and the Terrapins will need to have a better defensive game to get past them.

The Maryland Terrapins received an at large bid for the NCAA tournament. They were awarded the 4 seed in the Mid-West and will face the Houston Cougars at 9:40PM on Friday in Spokane, WA. The Terps received this seeding after falling to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday.

While Houston is the 13 seed, they have the nation's leading scorer, guard Aubrey Coleman, who averages 25.6 points. Maryland's defense better be on the A game Friday or Coleman may make a game of the matchup. This game also has some local flavor as Houston coach Tom Penders was the head coach at George Washington about a decade ago.

For the Terps, the 4 seed was higher than expected by most of the analysts, who had them as a 5 seed. On top of the higher seeding, they were put in arguably the toughest bracket, with Kansas (1), Ohio State (2), and Georgetown (3) in the mix. Presuming they get past Houston, they face Tom Izzo's Michigan State (5) in the Round of 32. Then it gets really difficult as they could face Kansas in the Sweet 16. Gary Williams, his staff, and the team have their work cut out for them.

First things first, take care of Houston. They are a high scoring team out of Conference USA. The Cougars shoot 35.6% from 3 point range on 794 attempts this season, against Maryland's 474 attempts. Landon Milbourne needs to drive inside to get easy buckets and/or fouls while Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and the rest play their regular good game. After being the co-championship of the ACC regular season, getting bounced by the 13 seed in the first round of the NCAA's would be a disappointment for the Terrapin faithful.

No doubt the ACC has some of the greatest men's basketball rivalries. As a Maryland Terrapin, I may be biased, but so be it. One thing we all in the ACC share (except maybe around Cameron Indoor) is our extreme dislike of Duke. I saw this today via twitter, from @keithsmooth. He may be a Tarheels fan, but he's good in my book for this post.

Well, that was well worth getting home after 1 AM. That was the final score in the battle for first in the ACC as the Maryland Terrapins beat the Duke Blue Devils for a share to the ACC crown going into the final conference games for each. It was also Senior night as Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne, and injured Jerome Burney were honored in pre-game ceremonies. Imagine how great this team would be if we had a healthy Burney!

All three active seniors contributed key plays. Hayes drained important 3's and drove in for those sweeping layups he's been using all season. Milbourne, after taking outside jumpers when he had an open lane to drive, hit a monster slam to break a slump in the Terps offense. Might have helped that our section and most of the arena was screaming "Go Inside!!!" at him. Of course, Vasquez was his usual confident self, just building his resume for ACC Player of the Year. It was fitting that on Senior Night, he ended the night hitting 2 free throws.

The game started off great with the Terps on a 10-2 run and built to a 14 point lead. But Coach K made adjustments and got the Blue Devils to just down 2 at half 40-38. Despite not liking him, everyone has to admit Coach K is a great coach. Duke came out of the half to take an immediate lead to 41-40 and built on it. The slump lasted until under 10 minutes left, when the Terps and Duke battled back and forth the next 7 minutes changing leads and tying the game up. But the last 3 was all worth it for the Terps. Good passing, and of course, Vasquez throwing up his trademark crazy shots, sealed the deal. Even freshman Jordan Williams stepped up, hitting free throws, where there is no argument is the worst part of his game.

Up next is Virginia to end the regular season in Charlottesville. Not only are they always tough for MD on their court, this shows signs of a let down game. Similar to the Virginia Tech game, but the Terps remained high in that game. If they can end the season on a win streak and put up quality play in the ACC Tournament, MD can make the committee think hard about seeding in the dance.

But let's savor the moment and how beating Duke is great everytime it happens. And it always justifies a storming of the court.

This was to be the let down game for the Maryland Terrapins. And that was the consensus before the water pipe breaks. However, after a 3 hour delay when Virginia Tech officials finally decided the show must go on without running water, the Terps beat the Hokies 104-100 in double overtime. It solidified the Terps as the second seed in the ACC and put the Hokies in the fight to settle for third or lower.

The game was close most of the time and in the second half it was really close. Double digit lead changes and ties added to the tension, but the Terps rolled on and persevered. Despite trailing at times, they took the lead late in regulation only to allow the Hokies to catch up and send it to overtime. What seemed noticeable is that the crowd in Blacksburg seemed to be loud, but still not overwhelming. They had the opportunity to taunt Greivis Vasquez as he missed the basket on an early field goal, yet failed to continue to harass him with "Airball!". Certainly the whole ACC knows his quick temper and it would have gotten in his mind.

Instead, without the reminder, it allowed Vasquez to take control and score 41 points. Sean Mosley played an excellent game to provide 17 and Jordan Williams continued his excellent freshman season, but struggled early at the free throw line.

Winning this game puts the Terps at a virtual lock for the NCAA berth. With 2 games left before the ACC tournament, MD could rest easy, but Duke at home for senior night and at Virginia to end the season does not leave much breathing room. Also important is this win has to put the Terps back in the Top 25 in both polls, something the voters neglected to provide to them last week, leaving Duke the only ranked ACC team in decades. Next up is Duke on Wednesday, and fans should hope for respectable game and if cards fall the right way, a win at home to end the seniors careers at College Park.

With 1.5 seconds left in the game, the Terrapin's Junior reserve guard Cliff Tucker dropped a thunderous game winning three point shot to seal a 76-74 victory for MD. The Yellow Jackets appeared deflated and dejected after witnessing two game winning shots by the Terps in last three seconds of the game. Cliff Tucker's game wining shot, the second game winning basket by MD in the waning seconds of the game, was his coming out party for the rest of the college basketball nation.

After the Yellow Jackets Frazor put back a missed shot for Georgia Tech, Greivis Vasquez ran down the court and banked in a 3 Pt shot over half court for the win with 3 seconds to go in the game or so everyone thought. The officials had acknowledged a time out by MD before the shot by Vasquez was taken. .9 seconds were left on the game clock until the officials reviewed the play and placed 1.5 seconds on the clock for MD and placed the inbounds behind the half court line.

Credit Gary Williams with a great cocaching decision. During the time out a play was chosen to run for one of the team's most unlikely player's to anyone that doesn't follow the Terps. Tucker excels in a transition game, on the free throw line, and even knocking down jump shots consistantly even when coming off the bench cold.

What some around the nation may not know is that earlier in Tucker's time at MD when his playing time diminished and his spot in the rotation coming off the bench was not so secure he contimplated leaving MD. Coach Williams had the confidence and trusted Tucker to take the final shot while all eyes would be focusing on Vasquez for the final shot or to Hayes. An elated Tucker could be seen running across Comcast Center while Yellow Jackets were stunned and motionless in disbelief.

The game itself had no tempo or flow due to the uneven and inconsistent officiating for both teams. MD would push a lead up to five only to have a series of calls go against them drawing the game closer. This game provided a good test for MD as the NCAA Tournament approaches. MD was able to prove itself against both a physically dominating team as well as the officiating. It was no luck that MD hit two critical shots to end the game. MD earned the right to call themselves the better team. Ga Tech gave MD what it needed most. They gave the Terps a mental and physical challenge in a tight game. The excat type of games the Terps will encounter in March.

The Terps now 9-3 in the ACC look in far better shape than just one year ago. What's changed from a year ago is the presence of forward/center Jordan Williams (9 points 12 rebounds vs. Ga Tech) with his low post skills and workman like presence.

Gary Williams coaching hasn't changed as he always coaches to put his team in the best possible postion no matter the talent. Gary Williams noticed the battle on the boards was tilting to the Yellow Jackets and inserted a bigger and more successful line up that included both Gregory and Williams playing together in place of starter Milbourne. Terps fans may see more of this line up to secure more rebounds and limit the possessions of other teams while also inserting another shot blocker that could aid the transition game too.

Maryland must maintain their success with their final remaining games on the schedule. With games versus Clemson, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, the Terps still have some work left to better their seeding in March. The selection committe doesn't like to see teams limp into the tournament, so seeding is on the line. With games against teams in the top half the the ACC remaining, Maryland will be well prepared for March and could be peaking at the right time.

So in the span of about a month, I have given up season tickets to both the Redskins and the Nationals. Before I continue, I should define what I mean by season tickets. To me, it means a plan that includes several games over the course of the season. In the case of the Redskins, it was the entire season. In the case of the Nationals, it was a 20 game plan. There were a number of issues that came up to help to make these decisions. Economy and the performance of the team were common in both, but there were others specific to the teams and sports.

Over the course of my post-college adult life, I have owned or been part of a group that owned tickets to the Redskins, Nationals, Orioles, Capitals, and Terps Men's Basketball. I'm down to just the Terps now. My alma mater holds a great place in my life, and they could be in a losing season...I'll still watch them anytime.

For the Orioles and Capitals, it came to distance and time commitments respectively. Baltimore is not that far, but committing to every Sunday game (and for awhile, several weeknight games as well), just wasn't great. The nail in the coffin for the Orioles was when the Nationals arrived in town. The Capitals are a great ticket to have, but my work got in the way and I just could not commit to any games ahead of time to justify keeping those tickets.

The Nationals was easy. The 20 game plan was not onerous. We even actually split the tickets so I was only obligated to about 10 games a season. But in reality, why should I prepay for games they decide I should buy when I can show up on virtually any gameday, 10 minutes before first pitch to buy the exact same seats and probably have a 90% chance of getting them? It sounds harsh, and I'm becoming what the team does not need...a fan who barely spends money on them. Note to the Lerners, I'm probably not the only one.

The Redskins was much tougher, yet was easily justifiable. I once had season tickets in the upper level for a couple of seasons during the Norv Turner era. Then I had given up until a friend decided he was interested in getting premium seats (lower level). So for the past few seasons, we have been 20-30 rows from the field, in the end zone, cheering on those fans. This past season, we were upgraded to the club level to test out the seats there. But ultimately, it was not enough to keep our interest. Besides some personal issues, the Redskins simply don't have the draw any longer. The price was not justified and while the fan experience there is great, watching games on TV is almost as good as being there. After you weigh in parking, getting there, and the simple hassle of possibly not sitting an entire half, it was too easy a thing to drop.

One day, I hope to reacquire some of these tickets. I may sound like a fair weather fan, but a dozen or so Terps games is plenty. Add in the occassional ticket I'll be purchasing as a one-off game for all these teams, I'll still end up going to 25 or so sporting events live each year. Which means I'll essentially creating my own season plan.

The Terps battled hard to beat 19th ranked FSU 77-68 at Comcast Center Sunday evening. MD lead the entire game over the Seminoles. With support by all players, Grevis Vasquez lead MD with 22 points.

Vasquez started off the game slowly, ending the half with only 2 points. Surprisingly, Landon Milbourne had a solid first half, driving to the basket, taking shots, and rebounding. In the second half though, things turned around. Vasquez was on fire, cutting through FSU's defense, and shooting three point shots, including following Eric Hayes after he hit his own three, to extend the lead after the Seminoles cut the lead down to single digits.

In the end, the Terps won by only 9 points. It could have been even closer, but inexplicably former Wizards and current Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton, down by about 10 with about 1:30 to go, only sent his team to foul Terps twice. At the game with The Sports Freak, I commented that Hamilton is deluding himself if he thinks his team is as good enough to come back at the last minute not fouling. But Hamilton's mistake is a win the Terps will take, bouncing back after a loss at home to William & Mary and a win over UNC-Greensboro. Starting off the ACC with a win is a positive.

Next up for the Terps are road trips to Wake Forest and Boston College. If they can go 1-1 on this trip, it will set them up good for a return to home against non-conference Longwood and ACC rival NC State.

All the big conference teams schedule "cupcake" games against mostly local and some regional smaller conference teams to start the season. Maryland is no different there. The problem is the William & Mary Tribe were scheduled. The Tribe beat the Terps 83-77 in a game that the Terps were never really in.

The game can be summed up in two easy parts. Poor shot selection and bad defense. During the first half, many shots were taken outside and not in the paint. Even shocking was what seemed to be unrealistic 3 point shots. This Terps team has more 3 point shooters than past teams, but many of the outside shots were taken when Eric Hayes, Maryland's specialist, was on the bench. Overall the team took shots that didn't go down, didn't draw a foul, and the Terps had no one under the basket to grab the rebound. On defense, it seemed that the Tribe had six men on the floor as one man was always open. They appeared to be the ACC team in the house, taking the ball into the paint for points.

While this an upset, as pretty much all CAA over ACC games should be labeled, we should look closer at William & Mary. The Tribe had already beaten Wake Forest earlier in the season, which may have given them the edge since they had already seen an ACC team at work. This is a bad loss now that may be lessened later in the season if it is proven William & Mary can be a contender.

The Terps need to bounce back. Only over a week before the ACC season begins. Not much time to re-group.

As reported earlier on The DC Sports Page Twitter account, it appears shooting guard sensation Lance Stephenson may not be attending the University of Maryland at College Park. As the Nationals were heading into extra innings, The DC Sports Page casually asked Johnny Holliday as he prepared with Phil Wood for the Nationals post game show if he thought Lance Stephenson would be attending Maryland to which he emphatically responded with a "No! No way!" - And a wave of the hands as if he was giving a safe sign to a play at the plate.

The Terps front court which already was very thin waved goodbye to Dave Neal (Maryland's own "Rudy" on senior night) and Braxton Dupree transferred to Towson (CAA). The Terps will once again rely heavily on returning point guard Greivis Vasquez for another season. The 2009 season could be another tough season for head coach Gary Williams that tests the limits of how much a coach can get from his players before highly touted recruits arrive in 2010 to further help the program.

Greivis Vasquez, star of the Maryland Terrapins basketball team, opted to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to Maryland for his senior season. This is great news for Gary Williams as he attempts to build a team to contend in the ACC and return to the the NCAA late rounds.

Vasquez has been a great asset for the Terps. While basketball is team oriented, he alone could change the game, like against NC State late this past season. Some might have worried that Vasquez would take the leap to the NBA or worse yet, stay with the team and work like John Gilchrist did his junior season. Terrapin fans will remember that Gilchrist played to impress NBA scouts, thereby creating some friction with Williams.

Vasquez looks like he's back to help the Terrapins continue to rise. With a good recruiting class, including the possibility of Lance Stephenson, Coach Gary may be able to gel together a team that can contend with Tobacco Road foes. Maybe an ACC Championship is in the works.

It appears that after months of waiting for a decision from shooting guard sensation Lance Stephenson, Maryland Terrapin fans may only have to wait a little longer. Gary Williams and Maryland have now spent the most time with Lance out of all the schools he's still considering for college.

According to ESPN's list of top recruits for 2009, Lance Stephenson is the only top 25 uncommitted high school player.

Stephenson's sexual assault hearing is scheduled for June 29th. Last season's turbulent roller coaster ride led to an explosive eruption between Maryland's Head Coach Gary Williams and Athletic Director Debbie Yow, who eventually issued a statement of support for her head coach. Gary's ability to take the high road in recruiting was well documented in a series of articles by the Washington Post.

Many questions exist that won't be answered until the hearing concludes, so it's too early to ask whether Maryland should offer a scholarship to Stephenson or not and that assumes that Maryland is where he wants to play basketball. It could be another rocky season for the Terps, but the front court addition of James Padgett should help considerably.

ESPN already has Maryland receiving commitments for the 25th ranked HS player in SF Terrence Ross and 74th ranked PG Terrell Stoglin. The 2009 season may have more growing pains, but the 2010 season looks much brighter. The thought of adding a true shooting guard should help stretch the opposing defense.

Terps fans may only have weeks to wait before a court's ruling and a decision by Stephenson forcing Maryland to decide if character enters into the equation for a scholarship besides shear talent alone. Gary's made good judgment calls in the past regarding players troubled history and bringing along a player that will require more supervision from Gary on a more personal level may be a new challenge for Williams and take time away from what Gary Williams does best - coach.

Maryland ran into the buzz saw of the Memphis offense as they fell 89-70 in KC yesterday. Memphis was just too athletic and overmatched the Terps. Maryland hung tough and brought a 29 point deficit in the 2nd half down to fewer than 20 by game’s end.

A long and exhausting season came to close for senior Dave Neal and the Terps. Tim Brando and Mike Gminski of CBS were gracious and complimentary of Maryland during the route that was occurring during the game. Little was made of Vasquez' comments about Memphis during the game and more made of the excellent coaching of Gary Williams this season and what Neal meant to the Terps this season.

The Maryland Terrapins headed out to Kansas City and defeated the California Bears 84-71. It was a close game almost from the beginning until late in the game when the Terps broke out and held the double digit lead. Cal, the best 3-pt shooting team in the nation, could not get traction from long range. They also could not contain Maryland's offense.

Greivis Vasquez led Maryland with 27 points while Dave Neal scored 15 and Eric Hayes added 14 from the bench. This again was a total team win, like their efforts in the ACC tournament last week. From the opening tip, Sean Mosley, and Adrian Bowie ran up and down the court. MD's defense held Cal in check and provided a highlight of a steal at midcourt with key passes finishing with Vasquez leaving it for Hayes for the easy lay-in. Another highlight was the rare dunk by the Terps as Hayes missed a lay-in with Dino Gregory picking up the rebound and a light slam.

It was good to see that every minute of every Terp helped contribute to the win. They'll need it to handle Memphis on Saturday and take sight of the Sweet 16. There are already calls that Maryland can win against the Tigers. Memphis plays in the weaker Conference USA. Howvever, after the close call with Cal State Northridge in their opening round game, Memphis will probably be on their guard against Maryland.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!" Only the original version, not the remakes. This is the real sporting event. College Bowl season? It's actually as long as a season now, so who cares? The Superbowl? A great event, but until recently, blowout city. World Series and NBA Finals, are they over yet?

So here is how I observe it.

1. Upsets - I see Dayton over West Virgina, USC over BC, Texas A&M over BYU and MD over Cal. I just don't feel it for WV, BC is spotty and A&M over BYU is my one 9 over 8. Of course I have to pick my Terps over Cal.

2. Like the Sports Freak, I don't see it going chalk all the way. I see Syracuse and Missouri making runs to the Elite Eight. Also UCLA will take out Villanova this weekend.

3. In the end though, I got all #1's in the Final Four.

Unlike our President, I don't see UNC taking it all. Pitt over Louisville. Yes, even as an ACC alumnus, I get 2 Big East teams into the finals.

Good luck in your brackets.

With the clock ticking down to enter brackets, here are some quick tips along with my final four and champion. I usually hedge and create multiple brackets. Doesn't everyone?

1. Most everyone has heard of the 5-12 upset. As I stated last year the 6-11 is the new 5-12. George Mason was an eleven seed when they went to the Final Four. Upsets were more common when schools from the mid majors were given an opportunity to defeat a school from a power conference. The selection committee began pitting mid majors against each other and this year barely selected any for an at large bid. With weaker power conference schools getting into the big dance and facing stronger schools this may be another year that's close to chalk.

2. The Big Ten is overrated this year, while the ACC and Big East carry seven teams into the tournament. Of all the ACC schools North Carolina and Florida State look like they could make a strong run. The Big East has more teams that could go farther into the tournament then some of the ACC schools.

3. Several schools have lost someone for the season and others are still battling injuries like UConn, MSU, & UNC. How deep these teams can make it depends on the match ups. There isn't a clear favorite.

4. Now for some possible upsets.
A. Cleveland St. over Wake Forest. For a tall frontcourt, Wake plays smaller by playing from the outside.
B. BC over Michigan St. Tom Izzo is a great coach, but the injury bug may finally prove too much to overcome.

Not going completely chalk I selected two ACC and two Big East schools: North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, and UConn with UNC the Champion. The Seminoles could be a risky pick due to Hamilton getting out coached at times. He has strong guard play from Douglas and a productive front court for a good inside outside game. The teams that go the farthest usually have good play at the guard position.

Pitt and Nova could go far and so could Syr. if they have anything left in the tank after the Big East Tournament. Gonzaga could be a sleeper this year and give UNC a run for their money.

The East & South could disintegrate after the sweet sixteen while the Midwest Region has potential to implode the most from upsets from Wake Forest and MSU to OSU. Don't be surprised if an upset occurs in Duke's path as somehow things always find away to help the Blue Devils. Over the past few years, Duke's region has usually been in the eye of the storm.

Good Luck! The clock is ticking to enter your brackets with friends.

A few quick thoughts before the tournament starts:

Usually the team that most people think didn't deserve an at-large bid to be in the tourney ends up winning their first round game. As such, look for Arizona to beat Utah, which also would be a classic 12-5 upset.

As the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins, this simple question needs to be asked: what are the highest seeded teams in this year's field? The answer is Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Connecticut: the teams seeded number one. The teams seeded number 16 are the lowest seeds in the tournament. This may seem as obvious to you as it does to me, but some people, such as tonight's PTI guest Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, seem to be confused by this. Just because the number 16 itself is mathematically greater than the number 1 does not mean that a 16 seeded team is higher than a team seeded number 1.

The Maryland Terrapins had their ticket punched for the NCAA Tournament yesterday. They return as the 10th seed in the West to face formidable California on Thursday at 2:55 ET. Congratulations to Gary Williams and his team for the accomplishment.

The Terps took the hard road getting there. The consensus was to win at Virginia in the regular season finale to get in, but after losing they had to make a move in the ACC Tournament. Even then it was thought that MD had to get to the ACC final to get in. But with wins over NC State and Wake Forest concluding with a well fought battle against Duke, that catapulted them in the dance. Suprisingly they received the 10th seed, indicating they may have not been the last team in.

Maryland was projected to finish last in the ACC, so getting in as the 7th ACC team shows the real accomplishments that Gary Williams put together in a team that does not have the best skills. With only 2 ACC wins projected, they took that and nearly went .500, even losing enough games close that it was conceivable to be 10-6 in the ACC. The anti-Gary detractors should now realize and remember that there is a reason the real fans call College Park Garyland.

After Maryland's 67-61 loss to Duke yesterday, the Terps will have to wait for the NCAA selection show on CBS. Mississippi St Conference win over Tenn. took another at large bid away. The Terps must now wait.

The Maryland Terrapins keep their NCAA bubble alive by beating Wake Forest 75-64 last night in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. They finished this game, unlike the home finale where they lost to the Demon Deacons after leading much of the game. This takes the Terps to 20 wins and an even 9-9 in the ACC. Some bracketologists believe that the 2 wins have punched MD's ticket to the dance. But Gary Williams and the team aren't taking that advice and are looking at Duke and the ACC title.

Greivis Vasquez led the team with 22 points and 9 assists. Dave Neal continued his senior season by contributing 10 points. As the Sports Freak has said, the Terps can't win with Neal as the second leading scoring. In this game, Sean Mosley stepped up and scored 12 points. It was a team win as Eric Hayes brought 11 points to the game from the bench. Landon Milbourne scored 8 points and was active on the boards with 11 rebounds.

While 20 wins and a .500 conference record are generally enough for an ACC team to get to the NCAA's, another win should shelve the question. Also in mind is that with Duke today and presumably North Carolina in the final, the Terps have a shot at the ACC crown. First things first though. Beat Duke.

The Maryland Terrapins took the first step toward receiving their NCAA bid by beating the NC State Wolfpack 74-69 in the first round of the ACC Tournament. This time Greivis Vasquez was not the leader of the Terrapins, but another guard, Eric Hayes was. Hayes stepped in when MD was down 13 in the first half and scored 3 straight 3 pointers to help MD turn that deficit into a 3 point lead. He scored a career high 21 points including some key free throws in the last 2 minutes of the game to ensure the Terp win.

This was a group win. Vasquez, while only scoring 4 in the first half, came back in the second to finish with a double double, 17 points and 10 assists. Dave Neal continued his spectacular senior season with 10 points. The second half stayed close until the last few minutes. Probably the only drawback in the game was the slow start and the double digit deficit they had to fight back from.

Up next is a rematch with Wake Forest tomorrow. The bracketologists say the Terps need 2 or 3 wins in the ACC so tomorrow is yet another must win.

After the 2002 National Championship & 2004 ACC Tournament Championship, the legacy of one of the biggest underachieving recruiting classes paved the way to playing in the NIT. After the 2nd Half collapse versus Wake Forest and 2nd Half let downs versus Virginia, the Terps find themselves in familiar territory. They'll need to win at least three games to garner the attention of the NCAA selection committee. An ACC Tournament win would provide an automatic bid to the big dance.

The Terps haven't found much success over the years in the ACC Tournament. The two most recent wins came twenty years apart in 1984 and 2004. Before the team and recruits imploded Gary coached one of his best seasons at Maryland mastering both the talent and personalities along the turbulent season. What separated the 2004 season from the subsequent season was the ability to fight that was instilled from the leader and point guard John Gilchrist. The team didn't back down from anyone despite the key losses during the season. As opposed to the current roster that just like every Gary team can rebound for a scoring run when the Terps are down, the 2004 team was relentless. They could break your heart, but never backed down or stopped fighting. The spirit and attitude led by Gilchrest made playing the Terps so tough in 2004.

Vasquez and the Terps slowly pulled away from the Cavaliers to extend the lead to double digits two thirds of the way through the first half. Vasquez sliced his way down the lane for high lay ins off the glass.

The Rudy of the team, Dave Neal, felt the stroke as he sunk three 3 Pt shots and finished the game with 15 Pts. Many questioned why a scholarship was given to Neal when he started at Maryland. He's since won many fans over on this depleted roster and a Maryland team many thought would finish near the bottom of the conference. His wide body and big heart have provided the steady backbone the team has needed at various times during the season, but make no mistake about it that the Terps won't win many games with Neal as the second leading scorer like today's loss 68-63 at Virginia.

The Maryland Terrapins couldn't close the game against Wake Forest last night. After leading by 7 at the half they lose by 2. While the score appeared close, last minute scoring including senior Dave Neal's game ending 3 closed the gap on a 7 point deficit with less than a minute to play.

It was senior night and Neal was greeted to chants of "Dave Neal" in the pre-game ceremony as well as parts of the game. He collected 2 quick fouls and sat for much of the first half but played most of the second half draining 3's and driving the lane at times. He had a "career" game although it may not have really been his best game. He did look good out there and showed why he's important to this squad.

Maryland continued to improve their NCAA tournament resume by defeating the NC State Wolfpack 71-60 down in Raleigh, NC. Greivis Vasquez stayed out of foul trouble today, playing nearly the entire game with 38 minutes and scored 33 points to lead the Terrapins. The Terps move to 7-7 in the ACC with Wake at home Tuesday and Virginia in Charlottesville to end the regular season.

After losing to Duke last week, this win was a necessary step to push for an at large bid in the NCAA's. It also showed that Maryland could shake off the loss and get back in the game. Sean Mosley, who played with a noticeable limp after getting injured in the Duke game seemed to have healed and was playing strongly tonight. The Wolfpack's bigger lineup could not clamp down the Terps scoring. While Dave Neal and Eric Hayes contributed 11 and 9 points respectively, 2 of the most important points came from Cliff Tucker. Late in the game with a slim lead, Tucker scored a jumper with just a second left on the shot clock.

The TV broadcast team noted early that Vasquez plays with so much emotion. As the NC State fans taunted him late, he responded by scoring more and giving a key no-look pass assist to Dino Gregory. Still at the end of the game, his emotion continued to show as he shot a 3 pointer to end the game, although the Terps already had a 8 point lead. Gary Williams will probably speak with him about that, as he has to keep it in check and respect the opponent.

The home finale will be Tuesday against current #13 Wake Forest. It will also be Senior Night, where we'll send off Dave Neal, hopefully with a good performance and win.

Update: 11:30 AM. So I found Youtube video of Dave Neal's screen on Nolan Smith. It's a bit grainy, but well worth the watch. It's embedded in the story on the second page. Enjoy!

So the final score was not exactly close. The Terps lost to Duke 78-67 in an effort to upset another ACC leader just days after knocking down North Carolina. But the game was much closer than that until the last few minutes. As usual for MD-Duke, the arena was packed. The game started with old tradition as Maryland students read the Diamondback during Duke player introductions. But for this battle, the Comcast Center was filled with newspapers so everyone got to participate. Maryland continued to wear the yellow jerseys that have brought them good vibes this season.

Maryland hung tough, holding off Duke the entire first half. A few times, Duke came close and finally tied it in the last minute of the half. The Sports Freak noted that Maryland couldn't break that 4 point lead barrier. But still, this was not the same Maryland team that was blown out a month ago at Cameron Indoor.

It was a physical match that had uneven officiating. Many a time, Duke players would hand check, charge, or manhandle Terps with no calls. Fans sitting behind us noted Coach K's defensive instructions. "Place your left hand on the opposing player's hip and then switch to the right hand". Possibly the worst call was Brian Zoubek in the paint shoving senior Dave Neal to the floor and using the open space to score easily. On the Terps, most handchecks and charges were called, sending many Terps to the bench, including Grevis Vasquez.

The Terps look to avenge the 41 point humiliating blowout loss to Duke from earlier in the season as they are coming off arguably the most gratifying and significant win in recent memory since winning the ACC Tournament in 2004,. Maryland corrected many of the miscues that occurred in the first meeting against the Blue Devils to defeat UNC on Saturday.

Where Duke can methodically work their spread offense in a half court set play, UNC looks at every opportunity to keep the game running from end to end negating much of their size and three point shooting ability. It is what allowed Maryland more of an opportunity to stay in the game without the scoring struggles in a half court offense that doomed them for most of the first Duke game.

North Carolina may have NBA talent, but Maryland has a head coach as the Terps upset the (third ranked) Tar Heels 88-85 in OT Saturday afternoon at Comcast Center. Greivis Vasquez return to the point guard position yielded Maryland's third triple double in team history with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also scored the Terps first sixteen points.

Maryland football has solidified the future of the team by naming James Franklin the future head coach after Ralph Friedgen steps down. "Fridge" still has three years remaining on his contract. This is a good sign for the program as they won't have recruits wondering about the coaching of the team. They will know Franklin will be there. Since he is the current offensive coordinator, there may not be much change in the system.

This is where the Terps athletic program is succeeding, by allowing a plan of succession. Let's hope Debbie Yow and her staff can give Gary Williams the room he needs to work. While she supported him earlier in the week, that does not guarantee future seasons, thus putting recruits at the position of guessing if Williams is still around when they play.

Yesterday, Debbie Yow put forth her support of Gary Williams in the regular pre-game press conference. Maryland Athletic Director dispelled rumors of Williams being on the hot seat. The timing of the support was delayed because Yow was with her family after the loss of her sister, NC State Coach Kay Yow last week.

While delayed, this support came at an important time. The Terps face 3rd ranked North Carolina this evening. A blowout or likely loss to the Tar Heels will bring more talk of getting rid of Williams. Talk, IMHO that is not warranted. Yow's comments yesterday should put the talk down for the rest of the season.

The Terps held off a late second half charge by Miami to win 73-68. Miami was outcoached by Gary Williams again, but this time the Terps held on for the win. While watching the game and walking out of Comcast center, it was interesting to hear the thoughts and reactions of both students and alumni when asked if Gary should remain head coach at Maryland.

The wolves are out and the vultures are circling in Garyland The DC Sports Page Reported. Many Terrapin fans would like Gary to leave one way or another so winning can resume at Maryland. It's interesting to assume that by replacing Coach Williams will instantly bring back winning. It may take decades with such a decision, so why the rush and why not allow the man responsible for much of what the athletic department has achieved a chance to succeed.

How soon everyone has forgotten what losing is really like. I mean real losing. Real losing isn't just getting embarrassed by a highly ranked Duke team, but being embarrassed night in and night out and watching "our" beloved Terps give it everything they have only to fall way short. The Terps haven't finished with a below .500 record and have been eligible for post season games. It's hard to know what you have until it's gone. Just ask a wolf pack fan. NC State is still waiting for someone to restore the university to glory since Bobby V. passed away. Virginia had Ralph Sampson, but since then the Cavaliers have been wondering in the desert.

Every Terps fan would like to see UNC type players not just recruited by Gary but playing in a MD uniform, but as a co-worker mentioned recruits line up to play at Duke & UNC. No one lines up to play at MD. This isn't likely to ever change in the foreseeable future so having an excellent coach matters. Could recruiting change and is it part of being a head coach - yes, but what's more rare is finding a truly talented head coach that can coach.

When Gary arrived not only were scholarships reduced, post season games restricted, games broadcast on TV after midnight, but he willingly chose to repair an ailing program and mired deep in financial problems at his alma mata. A sign would hang at Cole Field House reminding students how much more money was needed for the stadiums. Gary returned a program to national prominence and brought home a national and ACC Tournament title. He's the closest to Gibbs or Lombardi at Maryland.

All that the Maryland Athletics has right now can be traced back to Williams. As he rebuilt the program, Gary's winning helped pay for and renovate Cole Field House, build Comcast Center, enhance Byrd Stadium, and more importantly showed potential football recruits that Maryland was a viable option for athletics. Without a strong winning program to show recruits what was possible, Vanderlinden may not have recruited the players that Friedgen inherited and took to the BCS Orange Bowl. Without the revenue generated from eleven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, how quickly would a nice soccer and lacrosse field been built or the luxurious football facility that Friedgen now enjoys be built?

Feinstein's Article couldn't be more correct. The recent quarrel between Yow and Williams in the media could have easily been avoided. The Athletic Department has been partial to Friedgen like a parent favoring one child over the other. Today's successes are paved by the hard work and dedication that Gary has demonstrated by restoring Maryland athletics to national prominence.

A lack of respect has been given to Williams. Isn't it Business 101 that if an employee remains loyal, grows revenue for the company (being Univ. of Md), represents the company well, and makes the supervisor look good because they're a shining star that the rule is "KEEP THIS PERSON HAPPY!"? If it's not a rule it should be. For an individual to give so much it appears strange that it's not Gary 1st when it comes to sports at Maryland.

When Terps fan started to grumble when Friedgen hit a rough patch, Maryland's athletic department came out to support him. Whether Gary has been winning or not he's always had his detractors. It's difficult to recall the athletic department supporting the head coach of Maryland Basketball that helped Maryland when the university needed him the most. It seems odd that the last real boast of confidence to the basketball program or support was from former athletic director Geiger.

Wouldn't every Terps fan want to give Gary a chance to improve the team over the remaining few years of his contract? He's given so much back to Maryland it's time for Maryland to give him the opportunity to return to the NCAA's with the remaining years of his contract and give him their full support. Gary rebuilt the program from the worst set of circumstances and should be given the chance to take the team back to the NCAA's with far less obstacles this time around.

Several times in the past three days I have heard something approximating the following said on ESPN: “I don’t think that Duke is the best basketball team in the country but they deserve to be ranked number one.”

I don’t understand this reasoning. In my book, the only reason a team deserves to be ranked number one is if they are the best team, otherwise what is the purpose of the rankings? The statement from above alludes to the fact that the rankings may simply be some way to break ties among power conference teams with the fewest number of losses. Duke, UCONN, Pitt, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest all only have one loss but pollsters think Duke is the best team out of those five. Is North Carolina with two losses better than all five of those other teams? If so, then they would be deserving of the number one ranking.

After every bump in the road Gary Williams detractors embrace the notion of looking for a new head coach to bring a championship to Maryland. His greatest critics discuss the lack of tournament appearances since 2004. While attending games this season, students have voiced their displeasure with the team and head coach. The current students acknowledge the championship of 2002 and then quickly dismiss it. They mentioned they're looking for a championship caliber team while at Maryland and they're not getting it from Gary.

As the first part of the new basketball season comes to a close and as the students prepare for exams, the Terps received more than a passing grade. They weathered a tough storm after being beaten by Gonzaga and Georgetown in the Old Spice Tournament. They bounced back to defeat Michigan this past week and GW in the BB&T Classic this weekend. The local tournament has proved to be a tough challenge the past few years.

Two wins against Big Ten schools Michigan State & Michigan should help down the road when selection Sunday occurs on an individual level, but should also elevate the ACC conference when determining a choice between the two possible bubble teams from these conferences to enter the NCAA Tournament. The narrow victory versus Michigan looks good on the resume after Michigan defeated Duke as long as MD continues to defeat the teams they should beat and win some key games in the ACC.

In the only local men's basketball tournament, the Terrapins routed the George Washington Colonials 76-53. Landon Milbourne lead all scorers with 20 points. The win marks the second in a row for Maryland as well as the first win over GW in 3 years in the BB&T. The Terps put up a strong offensive showing with 4 of the 5 starters in double figures. While the Colonials are not a ranked team, the win is a psychological victory. In the next month, all of the games will be at home in mostly winnable contests. Georgia Tech will be the first ACC game and it is at home on January 10. These next few games should allow Gary Williams to test out different lineups and see what his team can offer.

On a related note, there are good things and bad things about the BB&T Classic. Once a great tournament showcasing two local teams and two usually ranked national teams, it's now all "local", if you call Blacksburg, VA local. With Virginia Tech and Navy to round out the tournament, it is now closer to the local tournament some of the founders had envisioned. What's bad is now it's no longer a true tournament. Maryland played GW in one game and VT and Navy in the other. No championship game or consolation game is available. This has been the case since 2005, but with all local teams now, it seems even more needed so there can be local bragging rights.

The Maryland Terrapin men's basketball team has been off to a rocky start. As usual for most big conference teams in the early part of the season, several small local teams were scheduled. Sloppy games and narrow victories have been on par. Vermont took them to overtime, although their head coach was a recent Gary Williams assistant.

Since Thanksgiving, however, the schedule has been closer in competition to some of what they will see in the later part of the season. A Turkey Day win over Michigan State, then a loss to cross-town rival Georgetown ended November. However, the key game which didn't seem like it at the time, was the win over Michigan last week.

In this ACC-Big Ten Challenge game, the Wolverines are a far cry from their Fab Five days. The Sports Freak and I attended the game expecting a close, but sloppy game. Shawne Merriman, currently of the San Diego Chargers, was on hand to run his annual charity function at the University of Maryland. The game started the way we thought it would. Both sides couldn't seem to get in much rhythm and the Terps were playing the way they've been playing all season. MD's 13 for 41 shooting in the first half was beaten by Michigan's 13 for 37.

I realize that the title of this website is not “Penn references on PTI,” but I can’t refrain from pointing out yet another one. Tonight’s episode featured a segment about Brandon Jennings, a basketball player who decided to play professionally in Europe rather than attend college in the United States. Tony Kornheiser noted that Jennings is behind other guards on the depth chart, including former University of Pennsylvania player Ibby Jaaber. A quick search on Wikipedia reveals that former Penn star Jerome Allen also once played for the team that Jaaber currently plays for, Lottomatica Roma in Italy.

Maryland was pushed to OT by Vermont in an 89-74 Terps win at Comcast Center. Vasquez nailed a clutch three pointer to force overtime in a game that shouldn't have been this close on paper, by history, and power rankings, but the Terps can't take any team lightly on the schedule or they could face far worse than OT.

The starting lineup included Dupree, Milbourne, Tucker, Vasquez, and Hayes. By the end of the game and only a few games into the season the Terps discovered what lineup should be starting the game. Four minutes into the game the Terps looked as sharp as they had all season as they built a lead. Hayes exited the game and shortly after about mid way through the first half the game tightened up. This also occurred at the end of the first half. With a little over a minute to go Hayes was substituted out of the game with a nine point lead that was quickly trimmed down to a two point lead due to poor shot selection and decision making on offense.

Last night, the Maryland Terrapins dominated the Bucknell Bison 81-52. As the Sports Freak noted as we were walking into Comcast Center, this is a team that has made it to Big Dance as many times as the Terps in the last 4 years, so the win is impressive. The start was not. Neither team scored until nearly 4 minutes into the game when Bucknell finally dropped one in. It didn't get much better in the first half. The Terps had no inside game. Not just shooting, but nobody went into the paint when jumpers were taken. Offensive rebounds were few and far between. The only thing saving the Terps was that the Bison apparently copied the playbook and did not rebound their own shots.

In the last two minutes of the half, lone senior Dave Neal took the floor in his customary time to pressure the opponent. While the half ended 33-17, the Terps looked sluggish the entire half. Besides Neal, the other spark came from Jin Soo Kim, this season's home crowd favorite, as he drew a foul and shot both free throws.

The Terps dispatched Northwood University 104-60 at Comcast Center. The undersized Terrapins were without Greivis Vasquez who sat out the game for violating team rules. The game also marked the debut of Jin Soo Kim. He was declared academically eligible earlier in the week. He appeared to have a little Mario Lucas from yester years in his hands. During one stretch of playing time in the first half the ball hit his hands and a shot was soon fired up. His second half results were much better as he finished the game with 20 points and he immediately became a fan favorite.

It's just around the corner, or rather it started last night. NCAA Hoops is back. The Maryland Terrapins Men's and Women's teams kicked off their seasons last night with the annual Maryland Madness. Thanks to members of the Spirit Squad who stopped to let The Sports Freak take this picture outside Comcast Center after the festivities.

It's always a treat to watch this event. As alumni of the University of Maryland at College Park, both the Sports Freak and I attended the event. The events are the same every year, but after going 4 or 5 straight Madnesses, and the couple I attended during my 4 1/2 years there, it's always entertaining. The night starts off with the Gary Williams Look-A-Like Concest. Next was the Alumni game. Former Terps in attendance included Tony Massenburg, Johnny Rhodes, Byron Mouton and current Terps staff members Chuck Drissell and Keith Booth.

Well, it's time for the rankings to come out. What, why would anyone put out an NFL pre-season rank before some teams have opened training camp?

Come on, I'm not talking about the NFL. It's the men's college basketball rankings! But only since 84/85. Extra-special Terrapin enemy edition with Duke and Georgetown bookending the rankings at 1 & 10 respectively.

Goes to show how the dog days of summer are. ESPN is now analyzing some teams who's players have played, won championships, moved on to the NBA and retired. Overall, I can't fault them on their picks. Duke and NC are obvious contenders. Yeah ACC! Boo Blue Devils and Tarheels!

OK, so I'm about 6 months early, but it'll be a Happy Thanksgiving if we see this matchup. Both the Maryland Terrapins and the Georgetown Hoyas are currently scheduled to play in the Old Spice Classic during the 2008 Thanksgiving weekend. I say currently scheduled because who knows what GT might do. They never gave MD back the gentleman's agreement of the home and home game.

And with the next pick, Kelvin Sampson calls a bunch of recruits. We bring this less than breaking news to break into the Mock NFL Draft. It's really a curiosity.

OK, raise your hands if you knew there was an NCAA Slam Dunk contest. Wait mine wasn't up. I found this out this morning from the local NBC4 6 AM newscast. Apparently it was won by some kid from Arkansas. Somebody from Georgetown was there and James Gist of the Maryland Terrapins too. I think the sports anchor said something about it being restricted to seniors only. Boy, that will entice Kevin Love to sit in the NCAA's instead going for NBA millions after this season. Really..let's...win...the...Slam Dunk Contest (NCAA version)

Really, why have it? I am guessing there will be an NBA scout or two. But how many NCAA players do you hear about who are "undersized" for the NBA or need to "bulk up"? So if they can dunk today, add 25 pounds to play in the NBA this fall, will he dunk on Shaq? Yao Ming? Bueller? It's not a rhetorical question. Is there is reason to have an NCAA dunk contest?

BTW - I would have provided a link, but my 10 minutes Googles search, 5 on ESPN.com and ESPNU.com, and even NBC4.com provided no link to the story. Wikipedia has it as an afterthought to the NBA Slam Dunk contest article. Enjoy the story of the 2006 dunk.

The Final Four is set today with a Jay Hawks two point margin of victory as Davidson's three point shot failed to hit iron. Curry was forced to give up the ball after three different screens failed to clear any room for him to shoot. Teams throughout the tourament have refused to go to a box in one defense in attempt to coral Curry. When it mattered most Kansas came up with the critical stop against Curry and his Davidson team.

There were many great games, near upsets, and indeed a few David's slaying Goliath. To wrap up a previous conversation with Bob there were a couple of 5-12 upsets, but for those that really knew something about college basketball the Villanova game wasn't a surprise. They've had more upsets as a lower seeded team in modern day history than any other school. Toss in free throw shooting by Clemson and the fact that other than coming close with UNC they played some close games with mediocre teams in the ACC that didn't make the tournament.

A lot is made of the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky making it to the sweet Sixteen, but how much of an upset is it when the selection committee pitted two Mid-Majors against each other for one less Mid-Major to challenge the power conference teams. San Diego played their hearts out and sure the loss of UConn's guard and leader played a major factor in the game, but here's where the real challenge begins for a solid WKY team. Drake was a good team than ran into the wrong style of play as most teams do when they get bounced from the tournament.

The time is 12:50 and yet as in prior years when CBS allowed fans to watch two different games on HD TV and low definition TV, this is not the case again this year. Once again CBS tries it's best to challenge is college sports fans by showing Duke vs. Belmont in the DC Metro area. It's my theory that CBS lost some of its best sports minds when they lost the NFL years ago. Why else would the Sports Division of CBS be unwilling to move non-home team games to better games. For example, Duke is scheduled in the local area while the most hyped and maybe even anticipated game of the day USC vs. KSU isn't even being shown as the primary game here. Ok maybe if you're Peter Angelos and would like to lay claim that Carolina is your territory then you'll have a case, but Duke - really?

You're never going to be able to please everybody, but if common sense prevails then switching games without being trigger happy when the cases are warrented would keep complaints to a minimum as things go. Everyone knows when a game is lopsided so why make fans suffer in these 1-16 or 2-15 matchups?

"It's go time", as Mendlebaum said on Seinfeld. People may not be trying to lift a heavy TV and throw out their back right now but they're probably frantically figuring all the permutations and scenarios dancing in their heads with only an hour to complete their brackets.

Did you ever feel like as soon as the word spread about the 5-12 upset it would eventually become such common knowledge that every Joe Schmo in the office that knew nothing about sports would even know this rule until it virtually no longer occurred? Well a couple of years ago I made mention of this to some friends that it looks like the 6-11 is the new 5-12. The way the selection committee is taking fewer Mid Majors and even pitting them against each other makes for a tournament more like chalk and one in favor of the power conferences.

When I pondered the brackets I kept certain things in mind such as WV. When reviewing websites and articles and the major pundits, some believe that WV is a strong threat to defeat Duke. Although this isn't the strongest Coach K team, I recalled that Huggins has lost many games and clutch games in the tourney never breaking through.

Well this is certaintly not the entry I wanted to write in mid-March about the Maryland Terrapins. In any case, the Terps travelled to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers. After a close first half, at which Maryland led by 1 point, the Terps continued to work hard and won 68-58

OK, this is not local, and I would not even care about this team if The Sports Freak and I had not seen the interview. But really, who is going to root for the Georgia Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament?

The SEC Tournament was delayed during the quarter finals. On Friday night, a tornado struck the Atlanta area, including the Georgia dome, where the tournament was being held. Georgia and Kentucky's game was postponed. After discussing with the NCAA, it was determined the only way to preserve the SEC's automatic bid was to have the championship game done by Sunday afternoon. To facilitate that, Georgia and Kentucky would have to play early Saturday and the winner would have to play a semi-final game on Saturday evening. Essentially two games in one day.

I really feel like I'm doing a disservice by discussing UMBC's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. They won the America East Championship over Hartford. I've never followed them other than the times the Maryland Terrapins scheduled them for one of those non-conference December games. You know, the ones that drag down RPI?

For those that don't know, UMBC is the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers. I did not know they were the Retrievers, although I think I saw them once or twice in my 17 years of going to Maryland games. Probably at good old Cole Field House. OK now I'm really doing a disservice to the Retrievers. Back to them.

Finally, we can all say, American Eagles can dance.

American University, with former Virginia coach Jeff Jones guiding them, got an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the defeat over Colgate in the Patriot League Final.

The Maryland Terrapins lost to Boston College Thursday night in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. It was a punch in the gut, but at the same time, all us fans felt that this was how it was going to end. Not a loss to BC, but more that it would end in dissapointment. This is not how they wanted to end the season. After nearly 12 minutes, BC had only scored 9 points and Maryland was in a double digit lead.

I'm not exactly a fan of the team, but Jim Larranaga, their coach seems like one cool coach. I've seen his interviews on Pardon the Interruption during their unbelievable run to the Final Four a couple of years ago. His team, the George Mason Patriots, got their ticket stamped by winning the Colonial Athletic Association's tourney.

Congrats to the Patriots for being first from the DC area.

What started as a terrible season with back to back losses to Ohio (no, not Ohio State) and American, then great with a win at North Carolina, the Terrapins lose twice to end the season. First in a heartbreaker a week ago to Clemson on Senior Day and yesterday to Virginia at Charlottesville.

MD now heads in to the ACC tournament, which starts Thursday, as the #6 seed against #11 Boston College. The Terps could have been seeded as high as #3, but the late season letdown burst that bubble and is on the verge of bursting the NCAA bubble as well.

Maryland is working hard late in the ACC season to move up in the seeding to perhaps as high as the third seed in the ACC tournament. After back to back losses to Virginia Tech and Miami, the Terrapins won 74-70 tonight.

James Gist had a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Terps to the win. This brings a showdown on Sunday with Clemson coming to the Comcast Center. A win in the home season finale will help inch the Terps up their position in the ACC.

If they continue the hard work, they can make it and hopefully get an at-large bid for the Big Dance.

Local Hoops mania last night in what ESPN has dubbed "School Spirit Week". Ugh, what happened to just "Rivalry Week"?

First, let's get this out of the way. Georgetown dominated St John's in Big East action last night. The Hoyas held them to just 2 buckets in the first half. Now that I've mentioned Georgetown for the first time in this post, let's go to the team I care about.

The Terrapins bounced back from the loss to Duke on Sunday to beat Virginia. After leading by double digits, the Terrapins nearly let it slip away, allowing the Cavaliers to come within 5 with just minutes left in the game. But they perserved to win.

If I wrote this entry at halftime yesterday, it could have been reversed.

The Terrapins in an effort to defeat the top team in the nation and the #3 team in a span of 8 days failed. They put on an excellent showing in the first half, but sputtered when hitting the floor in the second half and lost 93-84. Bambale "Boom" Osby had a double-double and a career high in points with 20 in the losing effort.

In stunning fashion the Terps dominated most of the game and the battle on the boards in Chapel Hill. It came down to the final minutes after the Terps went up by eleven points and won 82-80. Maryland seemed to take it to the Tar Heels for the better part of the game until a ten minute stretch where UNC made a few runs to eventually take a small lead.

Mixed night for the Terps. The men's basketball team broke a three game skid to roll over the Blue Hens of Delaware 76-46. Later in the evening, the football team lost to the Oregon State Beavers 21-14 in the Emerald Bowl.

Photo by BMT

The Terps fell today 67-59 in consecutive non-conference losses at Comcast Center for the first time during Gary's tenure at MD. AU showed great determination and energy as Vasquez and Hayes showed up for MD scoring 28 and 16 points respectively.

As stated in a prior posting (of mine), Gary (NCAA Champion Coach) made the adjustments that were necessary giving Hayes more control running the offense to free up his back court partner Washington Post .

Although the Terps fell to BC 81-78 on Monday, it made for one spectacular game. It bodes well for the Terps as their play improves and as the freshman mature. Hayes leading the half court offense should steady the team and Vasquez fire and intensity should spirit their scoring runs from the transition game.

I have to admit, if MD had won that game in a fabulous come back maybe we wouldn't have to watch the final 90 seconds over and over again of the MD collapse against Duke on ESPN Classics. This game could have been one to eclipse it. It was oh so close, just like the game.

Much like the doubt and discontent fans are heaping on Joe Gibbs, Gary Williams will hear the boo birds again from fickle fans due to the slow start and it's unwarranted. This could be one of the best years of Gary's coaching career.

The Terps overcame their early season turnover struggles to bring home a win at Comcast Center tonight 69-61.