Maryland did exactly what it needed to do at the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. UNC Greensboro was a bad 2-10 team that had no business hanging with an ACC school, and the Terps made sure it stayed that way in a 97-63 victory.
Greivis Vasquez led the way with 24 points with Landon Milbourne adding 22, as the Terps shot just under 55 percent from the field to improve their record to 9-4.
It was a nice victory to boost Maryland’s confidence after falling to William & Mary on Wednesday night, but we’ve seen the Terps blow out inferior competition over and over this season.
The real season starts next Sunday. The UNC Greensboros and Florida Atlantics aren’t coming to play anymore (sans a non-conference game with Longwood in a couple weeks). There are no more slam dunks to boost morale and confidence. The ACC schedule is upon us.
The Terps need to maintain the same intensity they showed against the Spartans on Sunday when Florida State and Duke and North Carolina show up to play.
Until we see that, the Terps’ fate in 2010 will remain a mystery.
Maryland believes it’s a better team than the one that overachieved last season.
Now the Terps will need to show it.
Check out the final stats right here, and don’t forget to join WNST.net for our Purple Haze Live Chat during the Ravens-Raiders game this afternoon.
3:07 p.m. — This one is over. Maryland wins going away, 97-63. Back in a little with some final thoughts.
3:06 p.m. — Padgett scores inside with a nice move. 30 seconds to go in this one.
3:04 p.m. — Levent goes to the line and hits one of two, so he’s on the board. Pearman needs to get on the board now. He’s the only Terp not to score in this one.
3:02 p.m. — Jin Soo Choi hits the jumper. 94-60.
3:00 p.m. — We’ve reached the final media timeout. Maryland holding on with a 92-58 lead. “I kid, I kid.”
2:58 p.m. — David Pearman and Ersin Levent now in the game for Maryland. Will they score?
2:55 p.m. — The Terps have 52 points in the paint. Would have been nice to see more of those against William & Mary on Wednesday.
2:53 p.m. — Maryland now leading by 35 points. As Glenn Clark pointed out on our Twitter feed (@WNST), it’s great seeing the Terps beat up on bad teams, but it won’t mean much if they cannot perform against good teams.
And starting next Sunday, the UNC Greensboros and Florida Atlantics disappear and the big boys from the ACC will be showing up night in and night out.
2:46 p.m. — Nice to see James Padgett in the game. I still think he can be a contributor in his freshman year, but the big man needs to produce when he gets opportunities like this.
2:45 p.m. — Bowie with an outstanding take to the basket. He has 11 points.
Following a miss, Bowie leads the break and dishes to Milbourne for the slam!
It’s 80-48 with 10:00 to play.
2:43 p.m. — Mosley with a tremendous wraparound give to Gregory who finishes the basket plus one. The lead is now up to 28 points.
Gregory having a much better afternoon that what we’ve seen from the big man in the last couple games. He’s a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Definitely a good sign for the Terps.
2:40 p.m. — Maryland leads 73-48 with 11:58 remaining. The clock cannot move quick enough in this one.
2:38 p.m. — UNCG is on a 7-2 run as the Terps have missed several easy opportunities to score.
2:37 p.m. — Despite the 27-point deficit, you have to give some credit to Stywall. He’s got a double-double for the Spartans.
2:35 p.m. — The Spartans have one field goal in the last 7:30 minutes, going back to the first half. Ouch.
Bowie finishes with the layup after going the length of the floor. Nice to see him get some points in the paint.
2:31 p.m. — We’ve reached the first media timeout of the second half. Maryland leads by 30 with 15:00 remaining in the game.
2:28 p.m. — With the Terps winning by 28 points early in the second half, you’d love to see Maryland’s bench players get some significant minutes—and build some confidence heading into ACC play.
Maryland has certainly not let up with the intensity despite the huge lead.
2:24 p.m. — Vasquez is absolutely killing UNC Greensboro. The senior already has 22 points and has hit a pair of triples to begin the second half.
2:21 p.m. — Vasquez with a beautiful running jumper in the lane, plus one. Maryland is now up by 20 points.
The Terps use the press, but Greensboro beats it, leading to a foul as Stywall goes to the basket. He makes one of two free throws.
2:19 p.m. — The second half is underway, and following a Spartans free throw, Milbourne hits a shot falling away in the lane to increase the lead to 19 points. You’d love to see Maryland start the half strong and really put this team away, so the Terps can cruise the rest of the way.
2:02 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the first half, and the Terps are in complete control.
Maryland leads UNC Greensboro, 52-34. The Terps are shooting 58 percent after 20 minutes. This is exactly what they DESPERATELY needed.
2:01 p.m. — Jordan Williams can be an absolute force, but he really needs to work on going up for shots under control. Too many wild shots and not playing strong enough about the rim. However, he’s young and has plenty of time to learn. The talent and size are certainly there.
1:59 p.m. — Hayes goes to the line and makes 1 of 2. The sharpshooter has had a very quiet first half with only three points.
I’m sure Gary Williams would like to see him regain his shooting stroke in time for next Sunday’s opener against Florida State.
1:56 p.m. — We’ve reached the final media timeout of the first half with Maryland continuing to lead UNC Greensboro, 47-32.
1:54 p.m. — Williams misses one from point-blank range. The Terps big men continue to miss too many easy shots. While none of them need to be 20-point scorers, they need to be able to finish shots inside the paint.
1:52 p.m. — Nice defense by Kyle Randall to foil that fast break, but the Terps will keep it.
Milbourne misses the three, but the senior provides the defensive play on the other end for the Terps. A beautiful pass from Hayes to Tucker, but good defense cuts off the basket.
1:50 p.m. — You get the sense that the Spartans are starting to panic now with the lead going to double digits. They are not handling the press nearly as well as they did at the beginning of the game.
1:49 p.m. — Maryland is doing a fantastic job in transition this afternoon, creating plenty of easy scoring opportunities.
Following a miss on the other end, Bowie takes a terrible shot falling away on the perimeter, but Gregory grabs the board and is fouled. The junior nails both free throws, increasing the lead to 13 points.
Maryland is an incredible 14-for-16 from the free throw line.
1:47 p.m. — Vasquez hits both free throws, giving him 11 points in the game.
VanDussen is trapped in the corner by the Maryland press, forcing him to call a timeout.
1:44 p.m. — Maryland continues to have no success with the press. Teams have beaten it over and over this season.
1:40 p.m. — Stywall goes to the line and sinks a pair, shrinking the lead to seven points. The Spartans continue to hang around with eight minutes to go in the first half.
An offensive foul is called on Mosley, turning it back over to Greensboro. We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout.
1:37 p.m. — That is not a good foul on Gregory. You need to be able to guard the paint without pushing in that situation. The Maryland bigs are having trouble with the freshman Cole.
Lots of whistles in this one, no doubt.
1:35 p.m. — Brian Cole just went up right over Jordan Williams without too much trouble.
Following the timeout, Gregory and Williams grab four offensive rebounds but cannot finish any shots. Good grief, that was ugly.
However, I will point out that it’s interesting to see Gregory and Williams on the floor at the same time. Haven’t seen that big of a lineup on the floor very often this season.
1:32 p.m. — Mosley fouls the driving Stywall, and the forward sinks a pair of free throws, making in a nine-point game.
Mosley’s pass inside to Gregory is errant, and it’s another turnover.
1:30 p.m. — Bowie with the quick hands to grab the steal and takes it all the way for the bucket…and one! He completes the three-point play to make it a 27-16 game. Reghi saying Bowie has struggled “a little bit” is the understatement of 2010 so far.
1:26 p.m. — We’ve reached the second media timeout with Maryland leading Greensboro, 22-16. The Terps are shooting a blistering 71 percent, but have also committed six turnovers.
1:23 p.m. — Nice job by Gregory to defend the basket and erase that shot. The Terps need to get more from the junior forward than what they’ve seen since his return.
1:21 p.m. — Bowie scores with the one-handed flip shot. There hasn’t been nearly enough of that from him this year.
Following a miss on the other end, Milbourne hits the baseline jumper, making the Terps 90 percent from the field.
As Cal Bowdler astutely pointed out, the Spartans have to feel fortunate only being down six.
1:19 p.m. — Maryland leads 15-12 at the first media timeout. Following the break, Vasquez completes the three-point play after an unbelievable finish in the paint.
1:15 p.m. — Evans misses the three, but Stywall grabs the offensive board and scores. Way too much of that this season.
Vasque scores on the other end, continuing his very fast start.
Mikko Koivisto hits the triple for the Spartans. Great name.
1:13 p.m. — Vasquez goes end-to-end for the layup. It’s clear the senior has come to play today in the early going.
However, following a Maryland turnover, Vasquez fouls Evans on the 3-point attempt. The guard sinks all three from the line, making him 5-for-5 from the charity stripe already.
1:11 p.m. — Vasquez with another beautiful assist, this time to Mosley for the layup and the foul! However, Mosley cannot complete the three-point play.
On the other end, Williams picks up his first foul, and Evans goes to the line. Evans makes both freebies.
1:09 p.m. — Maryland controls the tip but turns it over.
On the other end, Vasquez gets the steal and feeds Milbourne for the MONSTER dunk on the fast break. 2-0, Terps.
1:07 p.m. – We’re ready for tip-off from the Greensboro Coliseum!
Once again, we see a starting lineup of Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley, Landon Milbourne, and Jordan Williams. After a two-game hiccup for the return of Dino Gregory and his placement in the starting lineup, Williams appears to have solidified his spot with solid play. Then again, it’s not too tough to top what Gregory has provided (yes, he IS back from suspension).
1:02 p.m. — If you’re looking for a couple names from the Spartans to keep an eye on, look no further than senior forward Ben Stywall and senior guard Brandon Evans. Both players are averaging 12.3 points per game, leading Greensboro in scoring. Stywall leads the Spartans with 9.5 rebounds per game.
Is it just my TV sound, or does it sound like Michael Reghi is trying to impersonate Dick Vitale?
12:50 p.m. — Good afternoon to you, and greetings from my couch in southern Pennsylvania as we’re ready to watch the Terps take on UNC Greensboro. Maryland (8-4) is clearly looking to rebound with a strong performance following Wednesday’s humbling 83-77 defeat to William & Mary. Today’s game marks the last non-conference game before the ACC schedule tips off against Florida State next Sunday.
The Spartans (2-10) figure to be the perfect remedy for the Terps who will clearly be looking to regain some confidence after shooting 4-for-25 from beyond the arc in their loss to the Tribe. Today’s game also gives Maryland the opportunity to play at the Greensboro Coliseum, site of the 2010 ACC Tournament.
While it appears odd that the Terps would play Greensboro on the road, three other ACC schools have followed suit in traveling to take on the Spartans. Clemson, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State have all defeated Greensboro at the Coliseum. In all, the Spartans are 0-5 against the ACC this season, losing on the road to Duke and Virginia Tech.
Clearly, UNC Greensboro is not a good basketball team, but Maryland needs to come out of the gate with energy and confidence to put this team away early.
Today’s game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet with Michael Reghi and Cal Bowdler providing the call.
