ok..NC time

Probably only us Terp, and a few acc fans know that we're a lot better than expected, and very close to actually being a damn good acc team. Unfortunately the NCAA or even NIT committee's aren't gonna go back and see how close the Miami game was or how close this one was, or how close the duke game was most of the way.... it's only chalked up an "L". Would have made no difference to them if we lost by 30. I am more frustrated as a fan right now than if we had just outright sucked like some of us had thought. We had em by 9..in the 2nd half. That was the upset I had predicted awhile back and it damn-near happened. AHHHH!

With a clear head let me try to to help you during my Sunday morning sermon terpo. LMAO.

I know you don't get to see all the games out there, but this was the MO for this team whether they played a great team or not so great team, but mostly anyone in a DI BB conference. It did not "damn near happen." It was nowhere close to happening. UNC knew it, and probably today Turgeon knows it as well. We are currenty a team of streaks and bursts because we do have some talented players. Talented players can at times take over a game and if two of them are hot at the same time, then you can stay with or get ahead of anyone. But good teams with a team full of good players also have these guys, and they have better chance of having at least one more streak than you, or playing consistantly better when not in a hot streak, and having fresh legs on their starters (though UNC's starters played more minutes than MD's for once), and they know it. There is no panic and no uncontrolled frenzy.

They have been there before and they know it. 5 minutes into the second half no deficit is too big that they don't think they can come back from it with solid play, and without heroics. maybe down 9 with 3 min left you would see them get nervous but not with 15 left. They don't win every game of course, and there is always a chance, but you have to beat them. They aren't going to wilt at the end, and until MD learns that they don't have to do anything in the last 7 minutes, but play similarly to the way they did the first 33, the other team will simply out-discipline them, wait for them to press and get nervous, and take advantage of their mistakes to the end almost every time.

The problem is that they have not been in a position to win a big conference game often enough to practice it. For the same reason teams seldom rise from not making the playoffs, to winning the championship without making a run in between. Our 2001 team was just as good as our NC team, but they had never been to the final four and when Duke started to come back on them they, and even Gary, didn't know how to handle it (and the zebra's of course).

I will give you one other example, and exactly when MD's fortunes changed on another team. Gary Williams had recruited well and was off probation. He had a young team that included Joe Smith and Keith Booth along with Xree Hipp, Johny Rhodes, and Duane Simpkins, with a cast of role players. Smith was on his way to becoming the ACC freshman of the year but MD lost the the big games most of the year just like these terps are doing by losing their composure at the end. They hadn't learned how to be the good team they could be at the end of games because they didn't expect to be in the position to win against those teams.

Then MD went to UNC. I lived in Charlotte at the time and went to the game. UNC fans and players were confident even though they were losing by 5 with about 5 to go. MD didn't collapse. They ran plays that used the clock and resulted in short jump shots by the right player at the right spot on the court, and they made their shots, and then in the last minute they got a steal, made their FT and won by three. There was no frenzy by either team, just hard discipline play. After that they acted like they knew what they were doing and went to the sweet 16 twice in a row and were poised to go further wiht their whole team coming back, before the defection of Benedict Arnold Smith. All the Tar heel fans were stunned and saying they had no idea Smith and his team had that type of COMPOSURE. Of course it was because they never had, just like this team. The only difference is that team was much deeper with bench players.

This team reminds me very much of that team except we sorely need somone on this team to be a better pass first, playmaking PG. With Shaq, Len and Padgett next year we should have a formidable front court with solid backups, and with Stoglin a premier scorer. It's hard to win without a great PG though. I hoped Faust could be that guy but he really doesn't seem to get it. Howard fills the bill but he also does not seem to be a natural ball handler and has way too many TO and balls taken out of his hands. I think it will be better next year because Turgeon and his staff will hopefully have a healthy player to teach, because lets not forget while he should have been on the court learning the offense, he was rehabbing. I have some hope for him if he is teachable. 

The future is bright, but the sooner you stop believing these closer losses were almost wins this season, the easier it will be on your heart. Save it for next year because I think a whole lot of us are going to need defribulators. We are going to be a lot better, but not better enough to win going away. We are going to be in alot of close games with good teams, and win our share, and then we may be able to call some of them almost wins instead of routine losses like these that were really never in much doubt.

Well I did see the game and it was close, even though NC came back from the 9pt deficit that was still anyone's game a couple minutes out. So there, lol.

The future is bright, but the sooner you stop believing these closer losses were almost wins this season, the easier it will be on your heart. Save it for next year because I think a whole lot of us are yada yada...

Also I wasn't referring to any other game but this one...this was way closer than Duke or Florida St, which I do not believe were near wins. In hindsight, the Miami game also was a near win...how is a 2X overtime game not a near win?
 We were simply out of gas at the very end, possibly even one really good bench player could have been the difference in the outcome. And, for official notice on our board, I am not a big fan of Stoglin in case any of you haven't noticed. It says on the stream he was more, uh "focused" on getting teamates involved. Well it sure didn't look that way to me. Same ol crap even threw a pass right out of bounds to a player that was not even in the game, same bricking up quick shots. Fatigue the annoucer said...hmmm have to hold my tongue there. I agree Skins we need that PG! Can't be too down on Faust he's too young...I think he's gonna be great. Len too...I mean I admit I kinda bashed on him a few posts ago then all of a sudden he's showed significant improvement over the last 2 games. Shows what I know.
  Anyone here a Lions fan?..I'm not but as an NFL fan I remember the 0-16 season...they had a LOT of close games and were not really that bad. What disturbed the fans the most was the close losses and everyone else saying how horrible they were, when if fact they were a few good players away from being legit, and now look at them. Ok forget that as an analogy to the Terps...just a rant. But I'll bet you the NC team and fans were suprised that MD scared them in this one. Oh BTW, where is Whatisis? I thought you guys buried the hatchet.  

 It says on the stream he was more, uh "focused" on getting teamates involved. Well it sure didn't look that way to me. Same ol crap even threw a pass right out of bounds to a player that was not even in the game

See? HE wanted to get his team mates so involved he even wanted the guys on the bench to get in on the action. How can you not like that? LMAO

Ok I am not sure how to explain it any other way but just because the score of a game is close, does not mean we almost won. It looks like it at the end of the year when thats all you have is a box score, but when you watch game after game you see the the same pattern emerges and we are not close and about to maybe win, we are close and the other team is obviously controlling the game, and we are about to probably go up or down a few more and lose by either 4 or 8. We ar always one good bench player or performance away, but we don't have that guy. Now if you are trying to say our team almost has enough to be a good enough team to have had a chance to win a game, then I agree. That was a mouthfull huh? LOL.

The Miami game could have gone the other way for sure because of 3 or 4 or 5 circus 3pters that went in at the end of the game, so if you want to say we almost won that one OK, but what I am saying is if it takes that kind of never happen again in 20 game situations, then you were not almost winning, you were lucky to make it close. Again they could have won that game if at the end of any of those final seconds of any period they set up a play and ran it instead of giving it to Stoglin and standing around watching him create his own shot until he shot a bad shot or they stole the ball from him.

I think next year he will play more under control but this year we have nothing else and remember that while preparing for this season, Md had 7 scholarship players. In the summer they couldnt even play 5 on 5 practices. he ws the only scorer in uniform while they practiced for the season. This team and Stoglin have come a long way. Next year if he doesn't, he will probably get benched, but he is the leading scorer in the country from any major conference. I mean there are a lot of undisciplined one man teams out there but he is the best one. That has to count for something right? LOL.

And it should not fall to Stogling to get his team mates more involved. He is not the PG. It is Howards job to get the SG the ball in position to shoot instead of just throwing it to him anywhere he is open and making him create his shot. Look at the difference in his shooting when he has to dribble around and shoot or when he can just catch and shoot while going to his left. Tha t is on Howard. Same with running plays for other players. Now if the players aren't moving to get to where he can gt them the ball or getting where then can pass it around (they call that ball movement), then that is on Turgeon to get them to do it. 

As for Len. I don't know and I won't know until this time next year. My gut feeling is that he will be about a 10 pt 8 rebound guy the rest of the year, and then next year in the non conference schedule he will be an absolute beast. We won't know what he truly is until next January when he once again plays against guys that are as big as him. As far as Faust goes, yes he gts a one year pass because on any other MD team he would be still warming the bench, but he gets exactly one full off season, and if he plays this out of control and inconsistant next year, then he is what he is, and that is a kid that was a big fish in a little pond becoming a tiny fish in the ocean. He simply looks like someone unprepared to play within an offense because all his life he has been the offense. I hope I am wrong.