With three buses of Ravens fans flocking to Charlotte this weekend on the Miller Lite Purple Football Roadtrip (check out our Purple Pep Rallies if you’re making the trip), it’s easy to overlook a huge upcoming weekend for Maryland basketball and football.
Tonight, Gary Williams’ Terrapins arrive at the Mecca of Basketball, otherwise known as Madison Square Garden, for the championship rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. After winning their first three games against undistinguished competition, the new-look Terps face a major test against No. 5 Pittsburgh.
Sophomore center Jordan Williams is off to a sensational start (averaging 21.0 points and 13.7 rebounds per game) and will need another big night for the underdog Terps to knock off the Panthers.
The game can be seen at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2, so we’ll have the Turtle Power live chat open at WNST.net to discuss the happenings from the Garden.
The winner faces the victor of Illinois/Texas in the Championship Game Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. while the losers face off in the Consolation Game at 5:00 p.m. (both games airing on ESPN2). Regardless of the Terps’ fate against the Panthers, the Turtle Power chat will be open for business during Maryland’s Friday game.
Despite early optimism surrounding Maryland basketball, neither game will compare to the atmosphere at Byrd Stadium Saturday night as Ralph Friedgen’s surprising Terps (7-3, 4-2 ACC) host Florida State at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj2wJTivzrc[/youtube]
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Freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien (16 TD, 4 INT) has led the dramatic turnaround of a team picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division after a disastrous 2-10 season a year ago. Maryland controls its own destiny in the division with home games against the Seminoles and N.C. State to close the regular season. Should the Terps win both, they advance to the ACC Championship game on Dec. 4 at Bank of America Stadium — a place many of you will be visiting this weekend — in Charlotte.
I’ll be reporting live from Byrd Stadium in College Park, so plan to join us in a BLACKOUT version of the Turtle Power chat at 8:00 Saturday night as the Terps continue their improbable march toward the conference championship game!
If you love the Terps as much as we do, stay with WNST.net throughout the weekend, leading into our coverage live from Charlotte on Sunday when the Ravens take on the hapless Carolina Panthers!
