I love how in mid-March the committee refers to a team's "body of work"... as though it were Al Pacino's film career or Oasis' mind-numbing journey through the 90's and 00's. The expansion of schedules now means 20 wins won't necessarily cut it: and schools are trying to put together resumes high on quality wins or bad losses.
Maryland (12-7, 2-3) dodged a major bullet when Clemson's last-second shot clanged off... but there is still plenty of work ahead for coach Gary Williams' team. In a down year for the ACC, they've got to rack up the gimmes (no offense towards Wake Forest, Miami and NC State) because they don't have that sit-up-and-notice win. Well, there's one more chance: after winnable road games at Virginia and Georgia Tech, the Terps host #3 Duke February 2nd.
ACC in the Dominion-- Virginia and Virginia Tech are both working their way through middling league seasons... and neither has the "signature win" that propels a school into the big dance. Get ready for deja vu-- with the Cavaliers continuing to build towards next year and the Hokies finishing with an impressive record (I guess 21-8 and 11-5 in the ACC) but in the NIT again.
Georgetown (14-5, 3-4) has a major gauntlet ahead with games against St. John's (Red Storm beat the Hoyas at MSG a few weeks ago), #7 Villanova and 19th ranked Louisville. While the Hoyas have proved they can beat ranked teams this winter, the proverbial canary in a coal mine remains Austin Freeman. In their three conference wins, the senior averages 25 points and has shot 65% from the field. In four conference losses Freeman averages 12.5 points on 40% shooting.
Alma Mater Update-- Not awesome. Three straight losses have the Orange looking around wondering what's going wrong and can they get that feeling back in the face of a Big East gauntlet. How do you allow 90 points to Seton Hall? Defensively Syracuse has had issues defending the perimeter... as Villanova sunk 11 3's and Seton Hall went 10-for-17 from outside the arc against the Orange. That is the devil you dance with when you employ the 2-3 zone. And hopefully SU can get their stuff together as three of their next five games are against ranked teams just a little bit better than Seton Hall. Another concern-- the local gamewatching bar has added "Whale Tails" as decoration on their taps... and SU is 1-3 since I saw this "advancement". Just sayin'...
George Washington (10-9, 3-2) had its early conference season exposed with losses to Richmond and St. Bonaventure; with a trip to Xavier does this mean the Colonials are experiencing a hiccup or a freefall? The 300th in the nation shooting team is looking for answers.
George Mason (15-5, 7-2) is winning road games in the CAA--what's going on here? Cam Long, for short. The senior scored 30 points at James Madison and 20 against Delaware. Before going back up against the likes of Hofstra and Old Dominion (combined 14-4 in the league) the Patriots get bottom-feeders Towson plus William & Mary (2-16 composite conference mark).
Maryland Womens' Moment-- from a thriller to a smackdown. The 16-3 Terrapins took an overtime nail biter at Virginia 77-75 thanks to great late play from Diandra Tschatchwong- who knocked down the first Terp three of the game with 14 seconds left to send the game into OT and hit the gamewinning basket in the extra session. Sunday's showdown with #10 North Carolina saw a shorthanded Tar Heel team (Jessica Beland out with a bad knee) tumble to the Terrapins. Alyssa Thomas is likely the runaway freshman of the year in the ACC... doing guard things while having a forward's build. Wake Forest comes to College Park Friday.
American (14-6, 4-1) won consecutive three point games to solidify its status as Patriot League contender... trailing only Bucknell in the standings. The hammer/anvil combo of Lumpkins and Moldoveanu continues to cover the blemish that is AU's three point shooting (4-of-18 against Holy Cross). While they have three straight games against schools with losing league records, recognize that the second half of the Patriot League season often makes no sense whatsoever.
Howard (2-17, 0-7) has a prime opportunity to end its losing streak when Maryland-Eastern Shore (4-15, 1-5) drops by the district. Now there is hope on the horizon-- as sophomores Mike Phillips, Dadrian Collins and Anton Dickerson are all gaining valuable experience.
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