As you already know by now, Maryland had a tough loss on Friday. They were knocked out of the ACC Tournament by Georgia Tech. It happens.
As Gary Williams and the rest of the team has surely done by now, it's time to move on and think about the NCAA Tournament. Today is Selection Sunday, and Maryland fans should be grateful. The Terps are already a lock for the tournament, which should be thought of as a luxury considering how often the Terps of the last several years were stuck on the bubble.
The Terps have a solid team and a great chance to get to the Sweet 16. Let's hope for some tournament magic and see what happens.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Terps fall to GT, show their weaknesses
Despite Maryland's 69-64 loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Terps are still having a fantastic season. Maryland is now 23-8 overall and 13-3 in the ACC, and ESPN's Joe Lunardi thinks they're a five-seed at the moment. That's pretty solid for a team that at the beginning of the season many thought would be on the bubble all the way until Selection Sunday. A nice run in the ACC Tournament would have been great, and it would have given the Terps a chance at a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Georgia Tech didn't let that happen.
But even though this was just one game, Maryland should be concerned heading into the NCAA Tournament -- but more on that in a minute. Let's get back to last night's game first.
What a strange game. Early on, Maryland couldn't seem to do anything right on offense, and Georgia Tech had everything working on both sides of the ball. Georgia Tech held Maryland to just 25 first-half points and completely shut down the Maryland offense. The Terps had a hard time scoring in general, missing both open and contested shots; the Terps didn't even make a three-pointer until the second half.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech was able to score inside and outside and also owned the boards. Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal were controlling the paint, and Iman Shumpert and bench players Maurice Miller and Brian Oliver seemed to be knocking down jumpers at will.
At halftime, Maryland trailed by 16, 41-25. But then almost immediately after the second half started, Georgia Tech morphed into a different team. They couldn't take care of the ball and struggled to even get the ball past mid-court several times. Sure, Georgia Tech is turnover-prone, but that display of ball-handling and passing was ridiculous. But Maryland wasn't complaining, and they quickly cut into GT's lead.
With about eight or nine minutes to go, Georgia Tech finally stopped messing around and got back to business. They started to get the ball inside again, which also opened up more outside shots for Miller (3-4) and Oliver (3-5). Normally against Miller, that's a good strategy; he's only made 21.9 percent of his threes this season. But Oliver is probably Georgia Tech's best shooting option (38.8 percent three-point shooter), and he made Maryland pay.
Maryland wasted a lot of energy simply getting back into the game, and they just couldn't hit a big shot down the stretch. Eric Hayes missed a few perimeter shots to either give Maryland the lead or just tie the game, and Greivis Vasquez couldn't get some off-balanced shots of his own to fall in crunch time. There's no question that Georgia Tech's length bothered Maryland and forced them into more difficult shots.
Looking at the final game stats, Georgia Tech dominated a few key categories. The Yellow Jackets shot 55.8 percent from the field; Maryland shot only 37.3 percent. Georgia Tech also uncharacteristically made eight of 12 three-pointers, while Maryland made just four of 21. Georgia Tech also outrebounded Maryland by 10 (38-28). Two things kept the game close: Georgia Tech's horrible free throw shooting (13-27) and inability to take care of the ball (25 turnovers and 16 steals for Maryland). If Georgia Tech shoots a little better from the line and doesn't throw the ball away several times, Maryland would never have closed the gap.
As for the Maryland starters, Hayes (14 points on 6-12 shooting) and Landon Milbourne (15 points on 7-14 shooting) led the way on offense. Vasquez scored a game-high 17 points, but it took him 21 shots to do so -- and he made only six of them. Sean Mosley had an awful offensive game, missing all seven of his field goal attempts and finishing the game without any points. Jordan Williams battled foul trouble the entire game but still finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes. He even made five of six free throws, which is definitely an improvement for him.
On a night like this, Maryland could really have used a bench player catching fire and knocking down a few threes, but that didn't happen. Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, and Dino Gregory combined to score 11 points on 5-8 shooting, which is pretty strong. Bowie and Tucker only played 10 and 13 minutes, respectively, though, so they didn't have much of a chance to get into a rhythm and start knocking down shots.
Georgia Tech deserves a lot of credit for taking it right to Maryland and playing inspired basketball for much of the game. I'm sure many people watching the game thought Maryland was going to take the lead for good at some point after coming all the way back, but GT righted the ship and finished the game with the win.
Now, back to what I was talking about earlier: Maryland should be a little worried heading into the tournament. Every team has weaknesses, but Maryland has two that are pretty obvious. Let's take a look:
1) Teams with big, athletic frontcourts present major problems for Maryland. This obviously isn't any kind of secret, but Maryland usually struggles against bigger and longer inside players. Last night, Favors and Lawal each had 11 rebounds and altered several shots in the paint. Besides Williams and Gregory, the Terps don't really have any other options to defend big guys. Case in point: For one long stretch in the second half when Maryland went small, Mosley (6'4) was defending Favors (6'10). Normally, this would have been a huge matchup advantage for Georgia Tech, but Favors, a freshman, doesn't quite understand yet how to make Maryland pay for doing something like that. Now, Maryland only had to do that because of Williams's foul trouble, but a situation like that could certainly occur in the tournament. If Maryland's opponent has experienced big men, and the Terps are in foul trouble again, there could be a huge mismatch inside.
2) Maryland hasn't really been that good at defending the three-point line this season. The Terps are ranked 10th (third-to-last) in the ACC in three-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 33.3 percent. That isn't terrible, and defense like that would have been helpful in possibly completing the comeback against Georgia Tech last night, but a team like Duke (first in the ACC) holds opponents to just 27 percent from behind the line.
Now, problem No. 1 has a large part to do with problem No. 2. Because Maryland is relatively small in the frontcourt, sometimes they double down on post players, or at least try to give some help to their forwards. And since most of their concern is in trying to stop opponents from getting easy buckets in the paint, sometimes shooters are left wide open. I actually thought Maryland did a pretty good job with this against Georgia Tech -- I mean, who thought Miller was going to turn into a great three-point shooter last night? Leaving Oliver wide open several times, though, wasn't a good idea.
The good thing is that the Terps knows what their problems are. Williams absolutely has to stay out of foul trouble if Maryland is going to advance far in the tournament, and Maryland must defend the three-point line better than they did last night. Vasquez also can't have any more performances like last night's, or Maryland may be in big trouble heading forward.
But even though this was just one game, Maryland should be concerned heading into the NCAA Tournament -- but more on that in a minute. Let's get back to last night's game first.
What a strange game. Early on, Maryland couldn't seem to do anything right on offense, and Georgia Tech had everything working on both sides of the ball. Georgia Tech held Maryland to just 25 first-half points and completely shut down the Maryland offense. The Terps had a hard time scoring in general, missing both open and contested shots; the Terps didn't even make a three-pointer until the second half.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech was able to score inside and outside and also owned the boards. Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal were controlling the paint, and Iman Shumpert and bench players Maurice Miller and Brian Oliver seemed to be knocking down jumpers at will.
At halftime, Maryland trailed by 16, 41-25. But then almost immediately after the second half started, Georgia Tech morphed into a different team. They couldn't take care of the ball and struggled to even get the ball past mid-court several times. Sure, Georgia Tech is turnover-prone, but that display of ball-handling and passing was ridiculous. But Maryland wasn't complaining, and they quickly cut into GT's lead.
With about eight or nine minutes to go, Georgia Tech finally stopped messing around and got back to business. They started to get the ball inside again, which also opened up more outside shots for Miller (3-4) and Oliver (3-5). Normally against Miller, that's a good strategy; he's only made 21.9 percent of his threes this season. But Oliver is probably Georgia Tech's best shooting option (38.8 percent three-point shooter), and he made Maryland pay.
Maryland wasted a lot of energy simply getting back into the game, and they just couldn't hit a big shot down the stretch. Eric Hayes missed a few perimeter shots to either give Maryland the lead or just tie the game, and Greivis Vasquez couldn't get some off-balanced shots of his own to fall in crunch time. There's no question that Georgia Tech's length bothered Maryland and forced them into more difficult shots.
Looking at the final game stats, Georgia Tech dominated a few key categories. The Yellow Jackets shot 55.8 percent from the field; Maryland shot only 37.3 percent. Georgia Tech also uncharacteristically made eight of 12 three-pointers, while Maryland made just four of 21. Georgia Tech also outrebounded Maryland by 10 (38-28). Two things kept the game close: Georgia Tech's horrible free throw shooting (13-27) and inability to take care of the ball (25 turnovers and 16 steals for Maryland). If Georgia Tech shoots a little better from the line and doesn't throw the ball away several times, Maryland would never have closed the gap.
As for the Maryland starters, Hayes (14 points on 6-12 shooting) and Landon Milbourne (15 points on 7-14 shooting) led the way on offense. Vasquez scored a game-high 17 points, but it took him 21 shots to do so -- and he made only six of them. Sean Mosley had an awful offensive game, missing all seven of his field goal attempts and finishing the game without any points. Jordan Williams battled foul trouble the entire game but still finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes. He even made five of six free throws, which is definitely an improvement for him.
On a night like this, Maryland could really have used a bench player catching fire and knocking down a few threes, but that didn't happen. Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, and Dino Gregory combined to score 11 points on 5-8 shooting, which is pretty strong. Bowie and Tucker only played 10 and 13 minutes, respectively, though, so they didn't have much of a chance to get into a rhythm and start knocking down shots.
Georgia Tech deserves a lot of credit for taking it right to Maryland and playing inspired basketball for much of the game. I'm sure many people watching the game thought Maryland was going to take the lead for good at some point after coming all the way back, but GT righted the ship and finished the game with the win.
Now, back to what I was talking about earlier: Maryland should be a little worried heading into the tournament. Every team has weaknesses, but Maryland has two that are pretty obvious. Let's take a look:
1) Teams with big, athletic frontcourts present major problems for Maryland. This obviously isn't any kind of secret, but Maryland usually struggles against bigger and longer inside players. Last night, Favors and Lawal each had 11 rebounds and altered several shots in the paint. Besides Williams and Gregory, the Terps don't really have any other options to defend big guys. Case in point: For one long stretch in the second half when Maryland went small, Mosley (6'4) was defending Favors (6'10). Normally, this would have been a huge matchup advantage for Georgia Tech, but Favors, a freshman, doesn't quite understand yet how to make Maryland pay for doing something like that. Now, Maryland only had to do that because of Williams's foul trouble, but a situation like that could certainly occur in the tournament. If Maryland's opponent has experienced big men, and the Terps are in foul trouble again, there could be a huge mismatch inside.
2) Maryland hasn't really been that good at defending the three-point line this season. The Terps are ranked 10th (third-to-last) in the ACC in three-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 33.3 percent. That isn't terrible, and defense like that would have been helpful in possibly completing the comeback against Georgia Tech last night, but a team like Duke (first in the ACC) holds opponents to just 27 percent from behind the line.
Now, problem No. 1 has a large part to do with problem No. 2. Because Maryland is relatively small in the frontcourt, sometimes they double down on post players, or at least try to give some help to their forwards. And since most of their concern is in trying to stop opponents from getting easy buckets in the paint, sometimes shooters are left wide open. I actually thought Maryland did a pretty good job with this against Georgia Tech -- I mean, who thought Miller was going to turn into a great three-point shooter last night? Leaving Oliver wide open several times, though, wasn't a good idea.
The good thing is that the Terps knows what their problems are. Williams absolutely has to stay out of foul trouble if Maryland is going to advance far in the tournament, and Maryland must defend the three-point line better than they did last night. Vasquez also can't have any more performances like last night's, or Maryland may be in big trouble heading forward.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Looking back at Georgia Tech-Maryland I
For a few moments last night it looked like Maryland would be facing UNC in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Instead, Georgia Tech fought back after trailing by 10 at halftime and outscored UNC 38-24 in the second half to earn a 62-58 win and advance to face Maryland for the second time this season.
There's no denying that the UNC-GT game was ugly. UNC shot just 33.3 percent from the field, while Georgia Tech shot just under 43 percent. Neither team shot three-pointers well at all: UNC was 2-16 and Georgia Tech was 5-19. UNC had 16 assists and 10 turnovers, which isn't too bad, I guess, but Georgia Tech had only 11 assists to go with 14 turnovers. Again, neither team played that well, and if it wasn't for ACC Freshman of the Year Derrick Favors -- 18 points (7-8 from the field, nine rebounds, five blocks -- Georgia Tech probably would have lost.
But that game doesn't matter now, as Maryland will face Georgia Tech tonight at 7. In the two teams' first meeting, a 76-74 Maryland win on that Cliff Tucker buzzer-beater, the game was, believe it or not, pretty even. Maryland shot slightly better from the field -- 43.1 percent to 41.2 percent -- but Georgia Tech shot better from three-point range -- 7-15 to Maryland's 8-22 mark. Georgia Tech also outrebounded the Terps by nine -- 44-35 -- which probably can't happen today if the Terps are going to advance to play the winner of Florida State and N.C. State.
Georgia Tech is another team that presents a difficult matchup for forward Landon Milbourne (6'7): Favors is 6'10 and Gani Lawal is 6'9. Milbourne usually struggles against taller and longer defenders because they make it more difficult for him to simply shoot his mid-range jumper over them, which he'd prefer to do. In the first meeting, Milbourne scored just five points on 2-11 shooting. Still, he kept his head in the game, and in 34 minutes he grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots -- and didn't turn the ball over. Those certainly aren't great numbers, but it could have been much worse. But I doubt that Milbourne can have that kind of shooting game again if Maryland is to win.
A key factor may be the play of the backcourt tandem of Adrian Bowie and Tucker off the bench. Tucker gives the Terps a spark when he scores a few buckets, and Bowie has played well lately, scoring nine points against Duke (on 4-4 shooting) and eight points against Virginia (on 3-3 shooting). If the Terps starting five isn't as efficient as usual, Maryland's going to need that scoring punch off the bench.
Or Tucker could just hit another game-winner if he has to.
There's no denying that the UNC-GT game was ugly. UNC shot just 33.3 percent from the field, while Georgia Tech shot just under 43 percent. Neither team shot three-pointers well at all: UNC was 2-16 and Georgia Tech was 5-19. UNC had 16 assists and 10 turnovers, which isn't too bad, I guess, but Georgia Tech had only 11 assists to go with 14 turnovers. Again, neither team played that well, and if it wasn't for ACC Freshman of the Year Derrick Favors -- 18 points (7-8 from the field, nine rebounds, five blocks -- Georgia Tech probably would have lost.
But that game doesn't matter now, as Maryland will face Georgia Tech tonight at 7. In the two teams' first meeting, a 76-74 Maryland win on that Cliff Tucker buzzer-beater, the game was, believe it or not, pretty even. Maryland shot slightly better from the field -- 43.1 percent to 41.2 percent -- but Georgia Tech shot better from three-point range -- 7-15 to Maryland's 8-22 mark. Georgia Tech also outrebounded the Terps by nine -- 44-35 -- which probably can't happen today if the Terps are going to advance to play the winner of Florida State and N.C. State.
Georgia Tech is another team that presents a difficult matchup for forward Landon Milbourne (6'7): Favors is 6'10 and Gani Lawal is 6'9. Milbourne usually struggles against taller and longer defenders because they make it more difficult for him to simply shoot his mid-range jumper over them, which he'd prefer to do. In the first meeting, Milbourne scored just five points on 2-11 shooting. Still, he kept his head in the game, and in 34 minutes he grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots -- and didn't turn the ball over. Those certainly aren't great numbers, but it could have been much worse. But I doubt that Milbourne can have that kind of shooting game again if Maryland is to win.
A key factor may be the play of the backcourt tandem of Adrian Bowie and Tucker off the bench. Tucker gives the Terps a spark when he scores a few buckets, and Bowie has played well lately, scoring nine points against Duke (on 4-4 shooting) and eight points against Virginia (on 3-3 shooting). If the Terps starting five isn't as efficient as usual, Maryland's going to need that scoring punch off the bench.
Or Tucker could just hit another game-winner if he has to.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Five O's listed in top 50 AL prospect list
In many cases, MLB prospect rankings are similar to NFL and NBA mock drafts -- they have to be taken with a grain of salt. Obviously they shouldn't be taken as fact; however, people love lists and they're still interesting to look at.
With that being said, Marc Hulet of FanGraphs recently completed his project of ranking the top 10 prospects in every organization as well as going back and looking at draft picks from the last few years (in the first three rounds). According to Hulet, the enormous task took more than five months and 30,000 words, so I'd guess he has a decent idea of what he's talking about, to say the least.
On Friday, FanGraphs is going to post Hulet's top 100 MLB prospects list, but yesterday his top 50 American League prospects list was posted. Here's where O's prospects ranked on his list:
6. Brian Matusz
19. Josh Bell
36. Brandon Erbe
39. Jake Arrieta
42. Zach Britton
Not bad at all. The only real surprise is the high ranking of Erbe, who didn't make Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. But Erbe has a ton of potential and certainly has the talent to keep advancing through the O's farm system.
Anyway, go check out Hulet's complete list, and keep an eye out for his top 100 MLB prospects list on Friday.
With that being said, Marc Hulet of FanGraphs recently completed his project of ranking the top 10 prospects in every organization as well as going back and looking at draft picks from the last few years (in the first three rounds). According to Hulet, the enormous task took more than five months and 30,000 words, so I'd guess he has a decent idea of what he's talking about, to say the least.
On Friday, FanGraphs is going to post Hulet's top 100 MLB prospects list, but yesterday his top 50 American League prospects list was posted. Here's where O's prospects ranked on his list:
6. Brian Matusz
19. Josh Bell
36. Brandon Erbe
39. Jake Arrieta
42. Zach Britton
Not bad at all. The only real surprise is the high ranking of Erbe, who didn't make Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. But Erbe has a ton of potential and certainly has the talent to keep advancing through the O's farm system.
Anyway, go check out Hulet's complete list, and keep an eye out for his top 100 MLB prospects list on Friday.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Roberts's injury is a big deal
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail commented on Brian Roberts's injury (a herniated disc) yesterday and expressed some concern that he may not be ready at the beginning of the season. Here are some of MacPhail's comments, via Jeff Zrebiec's article:
If it's not enough that Roberts is dealing with back pain, he's also now battling stomach problems after the prescribed oral medication made him ill.
There's no question that Roberts is a big part of the Orioles, and he may be the player the team can most ill afford to lose (I'd say either Matt Wieters or Roberts). That doesn't mean that Roberts is the team's best player, but the Orioles aren't exactly well-equipped to lose a quality second baseman like Roberts for an extended period of time. For example, if Nick Markakis or Adam Jones gets hurt and has to miss a few games, the Orioles have other outfielders, Luke Scott and Felix Pie, who can fill in and play competently enough. Hopefully Roberts is healthy enough to start on opening day, but if he's not, the Orioles will face a significant drop-off in production, especially at the plate.
Let's look at some of the possible replacements at second base and how they stack up against Roberts. (All stats are career numbers.)
Ouch. Wigginton hits for more power than Roberts, but he doesn't get on base enough or draw nearly as many walks. And Andino has simply been overmatched at the plate in his time in the majors.
Justin Turner, 25, is another internal option for the Orioles, but he doesn't have much major league experience -- only 12 games and 18 at bats. It is worth noting, though, that last year in Triple-A Norfolk he hit .300/.362/.388 with a 0.92 BB/K ratio, so that's something.
I remember reading an article, maybe on Roch's MASN blog, about how Dave Trembley will give Andino the first crack at the job if Roberts can't play, but I can't find it now. If that's true, that's a pretty good decision in terms of defense. Andino hasn't really played a ton of games at any position, but he had a 2.5 UZR at shortstop (a more difficult position to play) last year in 62 games and a -0.3 UZR at eight games at second as well. Again, those are small sample sizes, but it's not exactly going out on a limb to say that Andino is a better defensive player than Wigginton -- though, believe it or not, Wigginton actually has a career 1.1 UZR at second base in 128 career games. Anyway, Cesar Izturis and Andino would be a dynamic double play combo, but having both of their bats in the lineup certainly hurts the O's.
It's safe to say that the Orioles won't be able to replace Roberts's bat in the lineup, particularly his ability to get on base at the top of the lineup to set the table for Markakis, Jones, Nolan Reimold, Scott, etc. However, Andino could be a defensive upgrade over Roberts (-9.0 UZR at second last year), for whatever that's worth. Again, hopefully Roberts gets healthy soon.
"I talked to Richie Bancells, our head athletic trainer, about it again today, and at this time he still thinks Brian is going to be ready for Opening Day, but you have to be concerned now," MacPhail said. "To me, you get 10 days into spring training before you start really paying attention, but the clock is starting to be an issue. ... By now, we have to start thinking about, 'What if he isn't ready?'"
MacPhail said he might start having his scouts look at who is available on the trade market along with exploring internal options.
If it's not enough that Roberts is dealing with back pain, he's also now battling stomach problems after the prescribed oral medication made him ill.
There's no question that Roberts is a big part of the Orioles, and he may be the player the team can most ill afford to lose (I'd say either Matt Wieters or Roberts). That doesn't mean that Roberts is the team's best player, but the Orioles aren't exactly well-equipped to lose a quality second baseman like Roberts for an extended period of time. For example, if Nick Markakis or Adam Jones gets hurt and has to miss a few games, the Orioles have other outfielders, Luke Scott and Felix Pie, who can fill in and play competently enough. Hopefully Roberts is healthy enough to start on opening day, but if he's not, the Orioles will face a significant drop-off in production, especially at the plate.
Let's look at some of the possible replacements at second base and how they stack up against Roberts. (All stats are career numbers.)
| Player | AVG | OBP | SLG | BB/K |
| Brian Roberts | .284 | .356 | .421 | 0.76 |
| Robert Andino | .213 | .264 | .292 | 0.29 |
| Ty Wigginton | .271 | .328 | .452 | 0.41 |
Ouch. Wigginton hits for more power than Roberts, but he doesn't get on base enough or draw nearly as many walks. And Andino has simply been overmatched at the plate in his time in the majors.
Justin Turner, 25, is another internal option for the Orioles, but he doesn't have much major league experience -- only 12 games and 18 at bats. It is worth noting, though, that last year in Triple-A Norfolk he hit .300/.362/.388 with a 0.92 BB/K ratio, so that's something.
I remember reading an article, maybe on Roch's MASN blog, about how Dave Trembley will give Andino the first crack at the job if Roberts can't play, but I can't find it now. If that's true, that's a pretty good decision in terms of defense. Andino hasn't really played a ton of games at any position, but he had a 2.5 UZR at shortstop (a more difficult position to play) last year in 62 games and a -0.3 UZR at eight games at second as well. Again, those are small sample sizes, but it's not exactly going out on a limb to say that Andino is a better defensive player than Wigginton -- though, believe it or not, Wigginton actually has a career 1.1 UZR at second base in 128 career games. Anyway, Cesar Izturis and Andino would be a dynamic double play combo, but having both of their bats in the lineup certainly hurts the O's.
It's safe to say that the Orioles won't be able to replace Roberts's bat in the lineup, particularly his ability to get on base at the top of the lineup to set the table for Markakis, Jones, Nolan Reimold, Scott, etc. However, Andino could be a defensive upgrade over Roberts (-9.0 UZR at second last year), for whatever that's worth. Again, hopefully Roberts gets healthy soon.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Terps take down Duke, share conference lead
What a great way for Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne, and especially Greivis Vasquez to cap off Senior Night at College Park: a 79-72 win over No. 4 Duke.
After jumping out to a big lead early in the first half -- and eventually blowing that lead -- Maryland went toe-to-toe with Duke in the second half, trading blow after blow and basket after basket before finally pulling away in the game's final minute. And it was only fitting that Vasquez was the guy to hit an almost impossible running jumper -- over Jon Scheyer, no less -- with about 40 seconds left to go put the game away.
The Terps shot 50 percent from the field (more on their offense in a minute), but this game was won on the defensive end. Maryland held Duke to 39.4 percent shooting and didn't allow another Duke player other than their big three of Scheyer (19 points on 7-21 shooting), Kyle Singler (14 points on 5-14 shooting), and Nolan Smith (20 points on 7-17 shooting) to reach double digits. In fact, the next highest scorer after those three was Andre Dawkins with six points. The Terps played outstanding team defense and didn't let Duke get into much of a rhythm, other than when Duke had a stretch of five straight made three-pointers late in the first half and early in the second half. Want proof? Duke only had eight assists while committing eight turnovers. The majority of their buckets came on isolation drives, rebound put-backs, and drive-and-kicks for threes. Not many of them came easily; Maryland made them work.
The Terps also fought hard in the rebounding department. They held a rebounding edge after an energetic first half but started to get pushed around a bit early in the second half, particularly by Brian Zoubek (13 rebounds). But, as usual, the Terps battled back and started to box out and finished the game with the same number of rebounds as Duke (34).
On offense, Maryland shot the ball extremely well. Every starter except for Milbourne finished the game in double figures, and Adrian Bowie chipped in a much-needed nine points off the bench, making all four of his shots. The Terps had a bit of a lull when Duke switched to a zone defense, which forced Maryland into less efficient possessions and poorer shot selection. But even though the Terps didn't record a high number of assists (14) and turned the ball over a little too much (11 times), they still moved the ball well and ran the flex to perfection at times, particularly down the stretch to get solid looks in crunch time.
Individually, Jordan Williams probably had the best game for Maryland, scoring 15 points on nine shots and grabbing an important 11 rebounds. He also blocked three shots and threw down a monster dunk over Scheyer. Vasquez finished with 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds, and at least three big buckets down the stretch. Hayes had an efficient 13 points (6-8 from the field), and Mosley added 11.
By the way, the Terps hit 17 of 19 free throws, which is really, really good.
As for what happens after this game, Maryland plays at Virginia on Saturday, while Duke ends the season on Saturday at home against North Carolina. If both teams win, they'll be co-ACC regular-season champions. Today's win was awesome, but for it to mean a little more, the Terps need to focus on Virginia and take care of business.
After jumping out to a big lead early in the first half -- and eventually blowing that lead -- Maryland went toe-to-toe with Duke in the second half, trading blow after blow and basket after basket before finally pulling away in the game's final minute. And it was only fitting that Vasquez was the guy to hit an almost impossible running jumper -- over Jon Scheyer, no less -- with about 40 seconds left to go put the game away.
The Terps shot 50 percent from the field (more on their offense in a minute), but this game was won on the defensive end. Maryland held Duke to 39.4 percent shooting and didn't allow another Duke player other than their big three of Scheyer (19 points on 7-21 shooting), Kyle Singler (14 points on 5-14 shooting), and Nolan Smith (20 points on 7-17 shooting) to reach double digits. In fact, the next highest scorer after those three was Andre Dawkins with six points. The Terps played outstanding team defense and didn't let Duke get into much of a rhythm, other than when Duke had a stretch of five straight made three-pointers late in the first half and early in the second half. Want proof? Duke only had eight assists while committing eight turnovers. The majority of their buckets came on isolation drives, rebound put-backs, and drive-and-kicks for threes. Not many of them came easily; Maryland made them work.
The Terps also fought hard in the rebounding department. They held a rebounding edge after an energetic first half but started to get pushed around a bit early in the second half, particularly by Brian Zoubek (13 rebounds). But, as usual, the Terps battled back and started to box out and finished the game with the same number of rebounds as Duke (34).
On offense, Maryland shot the ball extremely well. Every starter except for Milbourne finished the game in double figures, and Adrian Bowie chipped in a much-needed nine points off the bench, making all four of his shots. The Terps had a bit of a lull when Duke switched to a zone defense, which forced Maryland into less efficient possessions and poorer shot selection. But even though the Terps didn't record a high number of assists (14) and turned the ball over a little too much (11 times), they still moved the ball well and ran the flex to perfection at times, particularly down the stretch to get solid looks in crunch time.
Individually, Jordan Williams probably had the best game for Maryland, scoring 15 points on nine shots and grabbing an important 11 rebounds. He also blocked three shots and threw down a monster dunk over Scheyer. Vasquez finished with 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds, and at least three big buckets down the stretch. Hayes had an efficient 13 points (6-8 from the field), and Mosley added 11.
By the way, the Terps hit 17 of 19 free throws, which is really, really good.
As for what happens after this game, Maryland plays at Virginia on Saturday, while Duke ends the season on Saturday at home against North Carolina. If both teams win, they'll be co-ACC regular-season champions. Today's win was awesome, but for it to mean a little more, the Terps need to focus on Virginia and take care of business.
Could Sproles be coming to D.C.?
(Full Disclosure: As I explained more than a year ago in an NFL playoff picks article, Darren Sproles has been one of my favorite players since his days at Kansas State several years ago. I hoped the Redskins would draft Sproles in the 2005 NFL Draft, but that didn't happen. To see how much of a monster Sproles was in college, check out this video.)
According to PFT, the Redskins are interested in Darren Sproles. That's not exactly shocking news, since Daniel Snyder obviously likes to sign free agents to big contracts. And if Snyder really wants Sproles, he's going to sign him.
Most Redskins fans want Snyder to stop overpaying older players, but does Sproles qualify in this case? Probably not -- he turns 27 in June. And if there's no salary cap in the upcoming season, does it really matter how much Snyder pays anyone? It seems that the most important issue is whether Sproles would improve the Redskins or not. Let's take a look at some numbers.
First, kickoff returns:
In this case, Sproles has the better numbers over Rock Cartwright, the Redskins main kick returner in 2009-2010. However, in terms of kickoff return average, Sproles ranked 18th among qualified players.
Next, punt returns:
Santana Moss also returned 11 punts for 52 yards, for what it's worth. Out of all qualified players, Sproles ranked 22nd in punt return average.
So what do these numbers mean? Well, they show that Sproles is a better returner than what the Redskins had last season -- and he posted those numbers while also receiving a career-high 93 carries (for 343 yards and three touchdowns) and catching a career-high 45 passes (for 497 yards -- an 11.0 average -- and four touchdowns). That increased workload may explain why Sproles's return numbers were down across the board from the previous season.
Since it seems like Clinton Portis will be back next season, Sproles wouldn't have to carry the full load in the backfield, which he probably wouldn't be able to handle for an entire season anyway because of his diminutive frame. The Redskins would be able to use Sproles on returns and almost exclusively on third downs since no other running back on the team comes close in pass-catching ability. Head coach Mike Shanahan also would surely be able to utilize Sproles's strengths in the running game with his zone blocking schemes.
Does it make more sense to draft a shifty running back (like C.J. Spiller) to handle returns and third down duties? Probably. But adding Sproles would help the Redskins in a few key areas and at least make them a little bit better going forward. It also gives Snyder a chance to spend more money.
According to PFT, the Redskins are interested in Darren Sproles. That's not exactly shocking news, since Daniel Snyder obviously likes to sign free agents to big contracts. And if Snyder really wants Sproles, he's going to sign him.
Most Redskins fans want Snyder to stop overpaying older players, but does Sproles qualify in this case? Probably not -- he turns 27 in June. And if there's no salary cap in the upcoming season, does it really matter how much Snyder pays anyone? It seems that the most important issue is whether Sproles would improve the Redskins or not. Let's take a look at some numbers.
First, kickoff returns:
| Player | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
| D. Sproles | 54 | 1,300 | 24.1 | 66 | 0 |
| R. Cartwright | 39 | 868 | 22.3 | 42 | 0 |
In this case, Sproles has the better numbers over Rock Cartwright, the Redskins main kick returner in 2009-2010. However, in terms of kickoff return average, Sproles ranked 18th among qualified players.
Next, punt returns:
| Player | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
| D. Sproles | 26 | 183 | 7.0 | 77 | 1 |
| A. Randle El | 17 | 102 | 6.0 | 43 | 0 |
Santana Moss also returned 11 punts for 52 yards, for what it's worth. Out of all qualified players, Sproles ranked 22nd in punt return average.
So what do these numbers mean? Well, they show that Sproles is a better returner than what the Redskins had last season -- and he posted those numbers while also receiving a career-high 93 carries (for 343 yards and three touchdowns) and catching a career-high 45 passes (for 497 yards -- an 11.0 average -- and four touchdowns). That increased workload may explain why Sproles's return numbers were down across the board from the previous season.
Since it seems like Clinton Portis will be back next season, Sproles wouldn't have to carry the full load in the backfield, which he probably wouldn't be able to handle for an entire season anyway because of his diminutive frame. The Redskins would be able to use Sproles on returns and almost exclusively on third downs since no other running back on the team comes close in pass-catching ability. Head coach Mike Shanahan also would surely be able to utilize Sproles's strengths in the running game with his zone blocking schemes.
Does it make more sense to draft a shifty running back (like C.J. Spiller) to handle returns and third down duties? Probably. But adding Sproles would help the Redskins in a few key areas and at least make them a little bit better going forward. It also gives Snyder a chance to spend more money.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thornton's playing well in Washington
When the Wizards sent Drew Gooden to the Clippers in exchange for Al Thornton, I was pretty happy. Not because I knew a whole lot about Thornton, but because the Wizards received a semi-young (26) player for basically nothing. Not only that, but Thornton is under contract next season for $2.8 million, and he has a team option for 2011-2012 at $3.9 million -- meaning the Wizards acquired a decent, affordable talent.
While no one on the Wizards has been playing as well as Andray Blatche, Thornton has been contributing nicely to the Wizards' somewhat improved play. Of course, Thornton has only been in Washington for six games, but here are his numbers from this season with the Clippers and then with the Wizards:
Again, this is just a six-game sample with the Wizards, but since there hasn't exactly been a ton of positive things to examine this season, I'm still going to look at it. The increase in minutes -- about five more minutes per game in Washington -- has helped Thornton shoot more (about three more shot attempts per game), but he's still shooting the ball more efficiently. He's also been more active in grabbing rebounds, and in those six games he has seven blocks. Thornton will never be a guy who puts up a ton of assists -- he really likes to shoot the ball -- but there's no question that he's brought some energy to Washington along with James Singleton. Sometimes going to a new place and getting to play more will do that.
I doubt that Thornton will ever play 37 minutes per game again like he did last season, when he averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and shot 44.6 percent from the field. But as long as he keeps shooting the ball well and working hard (not to mention staying inside the three-point line since he's a career 30.8 percent shooter from long range), he can be a nice piece for the Wizards -- probably as a scorer off the bench. At the very least, Thornton seems like a better option than Nick Young.
Contract info via HoopsHype
While no one on the Wizards has been playing as well as Andray Blatche, Thornton has been contributing nicely to the Wizards' somewhat improved play. Of course, Thornton has only been in Washington for six games, but here are his numbers from this season with the Clippers and then with the Wizards:
| Team | PPG | Reb | Ast | FG% | TO | Min |
| Clippers | 10.8 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 47.8 | 1.3 | 27.4 |
| Wizards | 15.8 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 52.8 | 1.3 | 32.4 |
Again, this is just a six-game sample with the Wizards, but since there hasn't exactly been a ton of positive things to examine this season, I'm still going to look at it. The increase in minutes -- about five more minutes per game in Washington -- has helped Thornton shoot more (about three more shot attempts per game), but he's still shooting the ball more efficiently. He's also been more active in grabbing rebounds, and in those six games he has seven blocks. Thornton will never be a guy who puts up a ton of assists -- he really likes to shoot the ball -- but there's no question that he's brought some energy to Washington along with James Singleton. Sometimes going to a new place and getting to play more will do that.
I doubt that Thornton will ever play 37 minutes per game again like he did last season, when he averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and shot 44.6 percent from the field. But as long as he keeps shooting the ball well and working hard (not to mention staying inside the three-point line since he's a career 30.8 percent shooter from long range), he can be a nice piece for the Wizards -- probably as a scorer off the bench. At the very least, Thornton seems like a better option than Nick Young.
Contract info via HoopsHype
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