Maryland Men’s Basketball

[abdcskins]

Random thought I just had while looking at the Raptors box score - Bruno Fernando is still in the league and he is only 26 years old. I would have thought he was at least 28. Loved watching that guy play at Maryland, was maybe the strongest C/PF I've ever seen play as a Terp. Seemed like anywhere near the rim he dunked it. Blocked tons of shots too. Kudos to him.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Random thought I just had while looking at the Raptors box score - Bruno Fernando is still in the league and he is only 26 years old. I would have thought he was at least 28. Loved watching that guy play at Maryland, was maybe the strongest C/PF I've ever seen play as a Terp. Seemed like anywhere near the rim he dunked it. Blocked tons of shots too. Kudos to him.

Thanks for this, I had no idea he was still in the league. He was one of my favorite Terps, what a surprise as when they signed him he was not that well regarded. I posted this pic on Facebook with the comment that this was the game winning tip with the entire Iowa 5 surrounding him.

 

[abdcskins]

Best game of the year! Reese and Queen were scoring at will near the rim. Maybe the best game I've ever seen Reese play- 27 points 17 rebounds. Interior passing was fantastic, guards were feeding them all night. Ball movement all over the place, high low game, pick and roll...guards hit some big shots too. Guys got out and ran. Defense was solid, lots of steals. Fantastic!

 

[Slotball]

Great win! Took advantage of Illinois’ big guy being sick, and dominated the paint. Terps weren’t settling for threes, and working the ball inside whenever they could. Excellent defense all over the court, played hard, and played smart.

Hopefully this will build some momentum going forward!

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I came looking for a Maryland thread and could not find it, until I got an notification about a new post in the thread. Agreed that was the best game of the year because they finally won on the road, against a good team. Can't remember the last time I saw a Maryland team dominate inside the way our Terps did last night. I got pretty cocky and loud near the end, apparently I woke up the wife when I screamed "Sit down!" to the Illinois fans.

 

[Chris]

I came looking for a Maryland thread and could not find it, until I got an notification about a new post in the thread. Agreed that was the best game of the year because they finally won on the road, against a good team. Can't remember the last time I saw a Maryland team dominate inside the way our Terps did last night. I got pretty cocky and loud near the end, apparently I woke up the wife when I screamed "Sit down!" to the Illinois fans.

There is a search button at the top right of every page in the navigation bar. Hope that helps you in the future.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

So since the football game was brutal, I can at least come here and post about the MD win today. Really good win again. It’s hard to know what the coach is and isn’t telling players, but when they got up 10, I was hoping they would go inside instead of settling for threes. It would have mitigated Indiana’s run that eventually gave them the lead down the stretch. They just kept shooting threes and went cold for a while. But they pulled it out in the end and that’s what matters. Back to back road wins after a couple of bad losses early in conference season on the road.

 

[abdcskins]

Yeah I watched it too. It was an evenly matched game. We had spurts of playing really well, but then guys would play 1-1 and force bad shots. Miguel stepped up and hit some huge 3s that second half. So did Rice, who ultimately drilled the game winner on what was kind of a busted play, Gillespie managed to maintain possession and find him on a curl. Queen disappears for stretches, but I liked his defense. Generated some steals and held his ground for the most part.

 

[Slotball]

Any win on the road in the B1G this year is huge. 15 of the 18 teams in the top 75 NET rankings. Terps winning back to back on the road is massive. Indiana is huge, and Terps had to get solid games from their backcourt to win this one, unlike dominating the paint against Illinois, with their big out. Having 3 guys who can knock down 3s at any time is something Maryland has not ever had.

This backcourt can carry Maryland pretty far, but they’re going to need Juju and Queen to step up night in and night out if they want to realize their dreams. It’s a shame Long has not made it back healthy, as he would have been a great guy off the bench to give Gillespie, Rice, or Miguel a blow. DHS has been a major disappointment…he looked so ready to step right in when I watched him senior year of HS, and Young is just a good defensive player, doesn’t give you much offensively. I love Gapare’s athleticism, but he isn’t the smartest basketball player, but if he and Geronimo can give Willard some quality minutes in spurts, this team has a chance to play with anybody. Especially if the three guards can continue to hit 3s at a 40% clip.

I’m looking for them to win 4 of their next 6 games, before facing the Spartans. That will put them in a good place in the B1G, with a shot to get a first round bye. Wisconsin, at Xfinity Wednesday night will be a battle, and should be a really fun watch!

 

[abdcskins]

The three shooters (Gillespie, Rice, Miguel) is definitely cool to see. Hit three swishes in a row from beyond the arc yesterday, and a couple were contested I'm pretty sure.

I agree Harris-Smith has not shown much offensively. He doesn't shoot well, occasionally he will drive hard to the basket and score, but he is mostly a defensive guy at this point. Gapare is the only guy off the bench who can score somewhat consistently.

 

[Slotball]

A third B1G win in a row! Team showed a lot of heart and grit tonight. Again, everybody contributed, and DHS and Gapare gave them solid minutes off the bench.

Two of the best offensive teams in the conference, yet they played a quality defensive battle. Maryland defense was really good all night, and they got a couple big runs off that and banging down more 3’s. Made the last run later in the second half, then continued the strong defensive play, and Wisconsin never had a chance to get back into it.

Was impressed by Queen tonight. He struggled on the offensive end much of the game, but his defense and hustle paid big dividends. He was also big hitting free throws down the stretch too.

Let’s keep this truck rolling down the highway. 3 of the next 5 are at home, with away games at Ohio State and Nebraska. I’m sure the Buckeyes will be fired up to get revenge for the butt whipping they took at College Park earlier, but Nebraska could be winnable.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I just couldn't get into the game on Sunday because it was just hours before the real game in Philadelphia. But I was really into the game last night. Great crowd, even the season ticket folks found their way to their seat for a 7:00 tip on a weeknight. This only confirms what I have always believed, the late arriving crowds we've seen for several years now was a function of apathy not traffic.

DHS hitting the 3 to turn around the game, one possession after he missed out of a timeout and I wanted to strangle him, just shows why sports is so great as you just never know what's going to happen. I thought all night Gilespie was really struggling, then he turns into the team's leading scorer. When he banked in the 3 I knew it was our night.

 

[abdcskins]

Shooters galore!

Queen needs to learn better footwork, shot selection, and body control. Could probably benefit from gaining some muscle and losing some fat as well. But he and Reese provide ample rim protection and rebounding. Reese has shown a lot the last few games offensively.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Shooters galore!

Queen needs to learn better footwork, shot selection, and body control. Could probably benefit from gaining some muscle and losing some fat as well. But he and Reese provide ample rim protection and rebounding. Reese has shown a lot the last few games offensively.

Queen looks awkward and very athletic at the same time which is really weird. One announcer called it "slow motion but very effective" and I agree with that. He was really off offensively but still had a good game.

One thing I've always appreciated about Maryland teams going back to Melo. They make their free throws late in the game. I loved how Willard had them stay with the 3 point shooters and single the post, I'd like to see more of that.

 

[abdcskins]

Bullshit 3 pointer by Thornton

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Bullshit 3 pointer by Thornton

What a crappy way to lose a game. All night I never expected them to lose. I've seen a team get a double digit lead hundreds of times, the other team cuts it down then it gets pusjed back up again.
Back and forth they go, I call it the Yo Yo Effect but the team that had the double digit lead wins nearly every time. Just a game you should never losem you are going to have a few of those during the course of a season. .

 

[Kel Varnsen]

That shot by Thornton was lucky, but Maryland never should have been in that spot. They played so bad offensively for too long in the game. For example, they had 39 points at the 3:30 mark of the first half. With 12:30 left in the game, they had 47. Only 8 points over that 11 minute stretch. Ohio State wasn’t good most of the night either, which is why we all felt like Maryland would still win. They chipped away very slowly, but that happens when you can’t score. Then Thornton just took over the game down the stretch. There were a lot of plays where it just looked like he wanted it more than anyone else on the floor. But when you play with fire and let teams hang around, sometimes you get burned.

 

[Slotball]

I had this as a loss going in. OSU had been playing well, were at home, and had revenge factor from getting smashed at CP in early December. Then, the Terps come out hot, hit shots, and Reese was dominating inside. Got the 17 point lead, and looked like repeating the first game. OSU buckled down, Terps cooled off, and it was only 9 at half.

Second half was more of the same. Terps playing a little flat, not shooting well, and the Buckeyes ratcheted up their defense and hustle. They DID want it more, and they got it. Gillespie, Queen, and Miguel shot a combined 9/27, and Queen went 7/13 from the stripe. That, right there, is why they lost.

Got 3 home games in the next 4, with only away match against Nebraska. Those 4 are winnable, and they need to win at least 3 of those 4. They do that, and they should have a good shot at one of those coveted top 4 spots for the conference tournament.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

That shot by Thornton was lucky, but Maryland never should have been in that spot. They played so bad offensively for too long in the game. For example, they had 39 points at the 3:30 mark of the first half. With 12:30 left in the game, they had 47. Only 8 points over that 11 minute stretch. Ohio State wasn’t good most of the night either, which is why we all felt like Maryland would still win. They chipped away very slowly, but that happens when you can’t score. Then Thornton just took over the game down the stretch. There were a lot of plays where it just looked like he wanted it more than anyone else on the floor. But when you play with fire and let teams hang around, sometimes you get burned.

You hit the nail on the head, and good to see you again by the way. That's what I always scream at the tv when my team's lead is falling. If you keep scoring they can't catch you. Last year's team was the worst shooting team I have ever seen, so it was kind of futile. But this year's team has so many options for getting a few buckets. Usually I look for Gilespie when we need a score but he was MIA last night.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Yeah, this team is so much better than last years team. But they still struggle with consistency. This is probably the most talented team since the 2019-2020 team, but I’m still waiting to see it all come together.