Morgan State!?
If I do indeed start posting more blogs in the future, you can thank the Morgan State Bears for bringing me out of hibernation.
Honestly, tonight was supposed to be about the hyped Duke/Davidson match-up, and I missed more than half the Terps' game because, like most NBA scouts, I was tuned into ESPN dissecting Stephen Curry's game and pro potential. As much as I would like to discuss Curry's potential (synopsis, he'll end up being a shorter, more dynamic version of his dad at the pro level), I'd be doing the local fans a disservice if I didn't talk about with this monumental upset.
Thus far, Maryland had been crushing inferior non-conference foes like clockwork. True, they hadn't really played anybody, but it seemed like they had learned not to take "cakewalk" teams for granted. Losing to American and Ohio at home last year will do that to a team, I guess. Anyway, I thought the whole "playing down to your opponent" phase was history.
Nope, apparently not.
On the eve of ACC play, the stretch that will undoubtedly make or break Maryland's season, they came up positively limp against Morgan State. At home. Embarrassing.
I remember switching the channel from the Duke game after the Blue Devils withstood a late run by the Wildcats to escape, and I noticed that the Terps only led by three at halftime. A little troubling, granted, but I figured that Gary would throw a couple "F" bombs at them in the locker room and the good guys in red would finish the Bears off. Maryland's start to the second half confirmed that hypothesis, as they went to the first TV time-out up seven.
More surfing from me. I decided to check in with the Tennessee/Gonzaga game, and at the time the Volunteers were rolling, so I turned back (which, by the way was the first of two mistakes: obviously I missed a great overtime win for the Zags, but I also watched Pineapple Express sober en lieu of the game).
Anyway, I check back in with the Terps, and all of the sudden the Bears are back in the game again. This dude Reggie Holmes keeps jacking threes, and the Terps look absolutely lost in their half-court offense. Suddenly a 14-point lead is cut to one. But, I keep telling myself, "I can't see Morgan State winning this game. I'll believe it when the buzzer sounds."
Oh, but the buzzer did sound, and when it did the CSN camera crew's lenses were fixated on the Morgan State family section, carrying on like they had won the national championship.
It's not like the Bears didn't give the Terps chances to win. But, with Greivis Vasquez taking one abominal shot after another and Landon Milbourne missing clutch free throws, Maryland couldn't come through.
I promised not to rip them, because that would absolutely take away from what Morgan State accomplished. Credit to their coach Todd Bozeman, more infamous than famous in college basketball circles because of his NCAA violations at Cal in the mid-90's, for having his team ready to play. The Bears could have very easily folded when down 14 and said, "Hey, they're supposed to do this anyway. They have significantly more funding than we do and they recruit nationally while we take all the scraps they don't want." Props to the Bears--no sarcasm, no cynicism, just props.
But, where does that leave the Terps? If you think a loss like this just ruins their season, think back to last year. They lost to American and Ohio in non-conference play, but somehow managed to beat the #1 Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. This team might not be better than last year on paper, but so far they've shown me more cohesion (tonight's game not withstanding). I'll put it like this: if the Terps go 8-8 in conference and win a game in the ACC tourney, they should be in. Period. The ACC is going to be very tough this year, and provided Michigan State runs through the Big Ten like I expect them to and Michigan makes the dance, the committee will view Maryland favorably. The Morgan State loss will be a tough pill for the Terps to swallow for now, but it won't doom them. In fact, if Gary Williams is any kind of a coach (which I think he is), I would think they'd respond well to a loss like this. I feel bad for Georgia Tech.
That being said, what a dumb loss (sorry, couldn't help it).
Honestly, tonight was supposed to be about the hyped Duke/Davidson match-up, and I missed more than half the Terps' game because, like most NBA scouts, I was tuned into ESPN dissecting Stephen Curry's game and pro potential. As much as I would like to discuss Curry's potential (synopsis, he'll end up being a shorter, more dynamic version of his dad at the pro level), I'd be doing the local fans a disservice if I didn't talk about with this monumental upset.
Thus far, Maryland had been crushing inferior non-conference foes like clockwork. True, they hadn't really played anybody, but it seemed like they had learned not to take "cakewalk" teams for granted. Losing to American and Ohio at home last year will do that to a team, I guess. Anyway, I thought the whole "playing down to your opponent" phase was history.
Nope, apparently not.
On the eve of ACC play, the stretch that will undoubtedly make or break Maryland's season, they came up positively limp against Morgan State. At home. Embarrassing.
I remember switching the channel from the Duke game after the Blue Devils withstood a late run by the Wildcats to escape, and I noticed that the Terps only led by three at halftime. A little troubling, granted, but I figured that Gary would throw a couple "F" bombs at them in the locker room and the good guys in red would finish the Bears off. Maryland's start to the second half confirmed that hypothesis, as they went to the first TV time-out up seven.
More surfing from me. I decided to check in with the Tennessee/Gonzaga game, and at the time the Volunteers were rolling, so I turned back (which, by the way was the first of two mistakes: obviously I missed a great overtime win for the Zags, but I also watched Pineapple Express sober en lieu of the game).
Anyway, I check back in with the Terps, and all of the sudden the Bears are back in the game again. This dude Reggie Holmes keeps jacking threes, and the Terps look absolutely lost in their half-court offense. Suddenly a 14-point lead is cut to one. But, I keep telling myself, "I can't see Morgan State winning this game. I'll believe it when the buzzer sounds."
Oh, but the buzzer did sound, and when it did the CSN camera crew's lenses were fixated on the Morgan State family section, carrying on like they had won the national championship.
It's not like the Bears didn't give the Terps chances to win. But, with Greivis Vasquez taking one abominal shot after another and Landon Milbourne missing clutch free throws, Maryland couldn't come through.
I promised not to rip them, because that would absolutely take away from what Morgan State accomplished. Credit to their coach Todd Bozeman, more infamous than famous in college basketball circles because of his NCAA violations at Cal in the mid-90's, for having his team ready to play. The Bears could have very easily folded when down 14 and said, "Hey, they're supposed to do this anyway. They have significantly more funding than we do and they recruit nationally while we take all the scraps they don't want." Props to the Bears--no sarcasm, no cynicism, just props.
But, where does that leave the Terps? If you think a loss like this just ruins their season, think back to last year. They lost to American and Ohio in non-conference play, but somehow managed to beat the #1 Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. This team might not be better than last year on paper, but so far they've shown me more cohesion (tonight's game not withstanding). I'll put it like this: if the Terps go 8-8 in conference and win a game in the ACC tourney, they should be in. Period. The ACC is going to be very tough this year, and provided Michigan State runs through the Big Ten like I expect them to and Michigan makes the dance, the committee will view Maryland favorably. The Morgan State loss will be a tough pill for the Terps to swallow for now, but it won't doom them. In fact, if Gary Williams is any kind of a coach (which I think he is), I would think they'd respond well to a loss like this. I feel bad for Georgia Tech.
That being said, what a dumb loss (sorry, couldn't help it).
posted by Justin Cherot @ 12:28 AM
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