Terps Terps Terps

Have you seen the preseason college basketball publications? They all seem to agree that the Terps are going to finish in the bottom half of the lig this season. The Sporting News even went so far as to pick Maryland dead last in the ACC. That's nearly unfathomable for a program that finished tied for 5th in the conference last season, even while having its worst team in about 15 years.

It's easy to be pessimistic about the coming season, but I'm not having any of that. And neither is Gary Williams, who will be saying Hi Hater to all the naysayers when March rolls around. Don't believe me? Here are five reasons why this team will dance in March.

5. Adrian Bowie is a year older and a year better.

I'm a big fan of Adrian Bowie to say the least. He can handle the ball, he can score, and he can defend. He's already one of the best finishers in the league, to the point that it's often amazing to see how he contorts his body to score in traffic. The one thing that held him back from a breakout season last year was his complete inability to shoot, but if early indications from scrimmages are correct, Bowie has worked hard to correct that flaw in his game. The threes fell for him in three intersquad scrimmages, and if that continues, he will be an All-ACC player by his Junior season.

4. The ACC sucks
Sure, there's UNC, the prohibitive favorites to win the National Championship, but then what? Duke should be very good, but they're far from a team that imposes fear in the hearts of opponents now that Ratface has stopped recruiting post players. Wake Forest is being picked by many to finish third, but they failed to even make the NIT last season. Miami should be good, but that's a one man show with Jack McClinton and no one else of note. Virginia Tech? Good one. The top two spots should be reserved for UNC and Duke, but the Terps can be better than any of the other teams in the conference this season.

3. Sugar Sean Mosley and Korean Durant
Sean Mosley is good at basketball. I hate to talk about intangibles (except when mocking Cap'n Jetes!), but Mosley has them. What I mean is that I couldn't really explain to you why he's good, at least not properly. Sure, he has certain skills, but more than that, he will be one of those guys that has a knack for making plays and doing what the team needs to win. He's an excellent scorer (second all-time among Maryland HS players) who will also hustle for 40 minutes. He's a "Gary Williams player". Think Juan Dixon. Think Greivis Vasquez.

Korean Durant (a/k/a Jin Soo Kim a/k/a Jin Soo Choi) is the greatest person ever to hail from South Korea, and the first to play DI basketball. He led all scorers (along with Landon Milbourne) with 20 points in the Terps exhibition rout of Northwood. Kim's shot was not falling (1-6 from three), but he poured in 18 points in the second half by taking the ball to the hoop. That's impressive for a guy that was supposed to be a three point specialist. Kim also showed great smarts and passing ability. Combine those attributes with a 6-8 frame and you have a potential breakout star.

2. Matchups

This team does not have good big men. Braxton Dupree shed a ton of weight, and should be much improved, but he won't be Lonny Baxter just yet. After that, things are thin at best. Dave Neal will play, but shouldn't. Jerome Burney is an athletic shot blocker, but he'll need to be more than that to play major minutes. Dino Gregory could be improved and ready to play, but he's small. Steve Goins can't crack the lineup in scrimmages.

Gary Williams has said that this team may play a "four guard" lineup with Landon Milbourne sliding to the four to get more of the team's guard depth on the floor. Now some will wonder if Milbourne can keep up with ACC power forwards, but let's turn it around - can they stay with him? Milbourne didn't have a breakout season last year, but he is a very athletic player at 6'6" or so who can hit the three very well. Going small might have its disadvantages, but ask Duke if it dooms you.

1. Greivis Vasquez

Greivis Vasquez will probably go down in Maryland history as the most under-appreciated star in program history. Coming off a 2nd team All-ACC selection (which should have been a first team selection), Vasquez might be gone after this season. But boy can he play. He hasn't yet got a triple-double, but he will. He drops dimes, grabs boards, and scores in many different ways. People who focus on the turnovers or the missed shots are missing the point like a free throw. Vasquez is skilled floor leader who gives 100% every time out. If this is his last year in the Red & White, I'm going to enjoy it.

Still not convinced?



Maryland Basketball is going to be back on the map (Your boy back in the building, Brooklyn we back on the map / Me and my beautiful beeeeeeeitch in the back of that 'Bach).