Looking Forward

So almost a week has passed since the Clemson debacle. Any true Maryland fan probably still feels their stomach drop when they think about it, but by this point some of that has subsided. The team can't look back so neither should the fans. The focus is now on winning some upcoming games in order for the Terps to get back to the NCAA Tournament rather than facing the prospect of a third NIT in four seasons.

It starts on Sunday with a game at Virginia that Maryland simply must win. The winning must continue on Thursday the 13th when the Terps tip off the ACC Tournament as either the 5th or 6th seed. And then the next day the Terps will face off in a rematch against either Clemson, Miami, or Virginia Tech, three teams that Maryland went winless (0-4) against in the regular season. Even with a weak field of bubble contenders, Gary & Co. will likely need to win that game to secure an at-large bid to the Big Dance.

But for now, the focus must be on Virginia. The Cavaliers are currently in a three way-tie for 10th (or last, depending on how you look at it) at 4-11 in the ACC. Depending on the results this weekend, UVA could finish anywhere from 10th to 12th in the regular season.

What seems clear is that the Cavs are the best of those three teams, having swept three games against the Wolfpack and the Eagles. Boston College started the year 3-0, but have now lost 11 of their past 12. The Wolfpack started slowly before righting the ship at 4-4; now they have lost 7 in a row. Virginia started out with a ghastly 1-9 record before winning 3 of its past 5. Granted, two of those wins are against the aforementioned 4-11 squads, but improvement is improvement.

The only distinguishing characteristic about the Cavaliers is Sean Singletary. He isn't just the heart and soul of this Virginia team. He's the whole damn body and clothing, too. Singletary will take the lion's share of his team's shots - 27.4% while on the court this season. The next highest such percentage for a regular on the team is Adrian Joseph's 22.7% mark, good for 26th in the ACC.

But yet stopping Singletary has not been the key to beating Virginia this season. When Singletary, who averages 19.6 points per game, scores 20 or more points in a game, Virginia is just 6-7. When he doesn't, Virginia is actually 8-7. I don't think anyone would argue that UVA is better when their star doesn't have a prolific scoring night, but it does illustrate the point that shutting down the team's secondary players might be just as important as shutting down Singletary. He will get his points, win or lose, so shutting down secondary players like Calvin Baker, Adrian Joseph, and Mamadi Diane is just as important. If one of those players scores 16-20 points in addition to Singletary, it will be a long night for the Terps.