Terps rout Maine; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Several days after being pushed to the limit against the College of Charleston, the University of Maryland was in-complete control against the University of Maine.

Picked by The Sporting News, as the preseason favorite of the American East conference – Maine was out of the game early against Maryland. Life for the Terps will become more difficult next week against Pittsburgh, and either Illinois or Texas; but the 89-59 win today was the latest example of why this Maryland team is capable of again exceeding external expectations for the program.

The Good:

1) Cliff Tucker was everywhere in the first-half, scoring all of his 16 points before the break. He finished the game 4 for 6 from 3, and also had 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Several times in Tucker’s first-three seasons as a Terp, I have been irritated that Tucker would try and try a finger-roll on a fast-break. Today he emphatically slammed it home, showing all the athleticism he has always had. He has scored 16, 15, and 16 in the first three games. It will be very interesting to see what he does next-week.

2) It is going to get boring talking about Jordan Williams. Every-game he brings effort. Every-game he is stronger than his opponent. He had a rough first-half today, but continued to run the court, and go after missed shots. Another 20 points, and 11 boards today. After missing his first 2 FT’s, he came back to hit his last 8. Through the 3 games he is averaging 21 points, and 13.7 boards. The nation does not yet understand how good Williams is.

3) After the poor opening game against Seattle, Adrian Bowie has put together back-to-back solid outings against Charletson, and Maine today. 9 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers today for the Senior.

4) The FT shooting against Charleston was embarrassing, and could have cost MD the game. It was not outstanding today, but the 25 of 33 (75.8%) was still good to see.

5) The play of Stoglin, and Howard so far has been extremely impressive. They are both mature beyond their years, and just exude confidence. Good things happen when they are on the floor, and they are not just looking to defer to their more experienced teammates. They are making plays. Stoglin had 14 points today, shooting 5 of 7 from the floor. In each of the three games, Stoglin has had at-least 2 steals. Howard was a little off today, but he walked into the game and immediately hit a 3. He later made a drive, got contact, and had the strength to hit a runner. It reminded me a lot of the guy that previously wore his number.

6) Hawk Palsson hit all 6 of his foul shots, and also added a short jumper. He also added 4 boards, an assist, a steal, and a block. I’m extremely pleased that Palsson is already showing the capability of being part of the regular rotation in the beginning of his career. It is also interesting seeing how MD looks, when he plays as an undersized 4.

7) Before the game you would have expected MD to dominate the boards, and they did just that winning 46 to 27 on the glass.

8) Maryland only had 14 turnovers today, so again there was improvement in that regard.

9) Due to the rout, Coach Williams was able to get some extended minutes to Parker (11), and to Weijs (10). One of the strengths of this Maryland team is the depth. I hope even as the competition improves, that the Terps continue to have an extended rotation.

10) 5 points, 3 boards (2 offensive) for Padgett today off the bench. Would have liked a couple of blocks, but at-least he was active.

The Bad:

1) Not a lot of bad to choose from when you win by 30 points. I have already commented that I liked that Coach Williams found some minutes for his bench, but hypocritically I will mention that I wish Tucker could have had some additional touches in the 2nd-half. Clearly I am nit-picking here.

2) Dino Gregory played 17 minutes today, and fouled out. 6 points, 3 boards, and a block. I’m going to continue to harp on it, Maryland needs Gregory to clean-up on the glass, and provide strong defense. It appears to me that he has been a little passive in the first 3 games, and looking to contribute through his offense. That is not how Gregory is going to help this team.

The Ugly:

1) There is a lot to like about what we have seen from Maryland during the first 3 games, but the play of Mosley against Charleston and Maine has been disturbing. The Jr. from Baltimore fouled out today in 16 minutes of play, and did not score a point. He has been a player capable of filling-up the stat sheet, but today also had 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. This came off the heels of a 3 point outing against Charleston.

Somehow, in his last 45 minutes of play Mosley has had only 9 FG attempts. Maryland needs Mosley to provide consistent scoring, so him back-to-back games with essentially nothing raises alarm. You would have thought that Mosley (and his teammates) would have consciously been looking to get him some shots today.

Up-Next:

Maryland plays Pittsburgh this coming Thursday at Madison Square Garden in the Semi-Final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The Panthers are currently ranked 4th Nationally, so this will provide a good early measuring stick for Maryland.

Pittsburgh is also 3-0, having won a close game against Rhode Island (A-10 Conference), and beat-up on Illinois-Chicago, and North Florida.

Pittsburgh:
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebooksummershootaround100825/big-east
“Jamie Dixon has a great program. Not good, but great. Every time you think the Panthers will take a step back, they find a way to win and wow you with high-level consistency and fight. With a young and inexperienced team last year, Pitt seemed to will itself to 25 wins and the best scoring defense in the league. This season, Ashton Gibbs returns with the confidence of a star; Gilbert Brown should have his best year, and was very good on a tour of Ireland; Brad Wannamaker brings toughness and leadership; Gary McGhee brings strength and finishing ability; and Dante Taylor will be far better and more productive. Pitt should have the best team in the Big East when it is all said and done.”

On Friday, the Terps will face either Illinois or Texas in the Consolation or Championship Game of the CVC Tournament.