But Then Came Frank Haith

What can you say? Sometimes when you watch a team long enough, you feel like you've seen a particular game play out a thousands times over the years. Yesterday was one of those times. For the third straight game, and fourth time in five games, Maryland lost to Frank Haith's Miami club. It wasn't as embarrassing as last season's sweep at the hands of the Canes - Miami is a legitimate NCAA Tournament quality team this season - but Maryland looked just as inept defensively against Miami's shooters and offensively against their physical defenders.

Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Since the ACC expanded prior to the 2005 season, Gary Williams' teams are a combined 5-12 against Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College as compared to 27-17 against the other eight teams in the conference. This year the difference is even more pronounced as Maryland is 1-4 against the newcomers against 6-2 versus the old guard.

The common trait that the three new teams share is a deliberate pace that is in stark contrast to the typical up and down style of the ACC, as well as a certain physical nature more at home in the grind-it-out Big East. The Terps have simply never seemed comfortable against those teams. Once again the big men never got untracked as James Gist threw up his third poor performance in four games including picking up more cheap fouls. The Terps' defense made fans feel like Dorenzo Hudson during a Jason McAlpin free throw. Eric Hayes shot well from the field but was again abused on defense while Vasquez and Milbourne combined to shoot 10-33.

It seemed like the most positive thing to come out of this game was confirmation that Jerome Burney is indeed still alive. With Gist and BOOM both hampered by early foul trouble, Gary Williams called on Burney for the first time since the Savannah State game. Burney responded with a putback dunk to end the first half (and cut the lead to three) before adding another thunderous jam in the second half to go with five rebounds in 12 minutes. Hopefully Coach will use him again before next February.

Next up is the game to decide which way the season will go, at Wake Forest on Thursday night. Go Terps.