Offensive balance, tenacity on the boards and gritty defense were the key elements in Maryland's 85-75 win over Virginia--a crucial win in the team's quest for an NCAA Tournament berth (3-3 in the ACC with back to back road games up next)...
For the second straight game Maryland shot better than 50%. Four early three pointers gave the Terps a double digit lead and softened the Cavaliers' zone. Five players would finish in double figures while the team committed 9 turnovers after giving up the ball 22 times against Duke.
Although the Terrapins technically lost the battle of the boards (31-30), they outrebounded Virginia 7-3 over the final four minutes--including three huge offensive rebounds turned into baskets by Landon Milbourne (on back to back possessions) and Bambale Osby for the team's only field goals in the final 3:46 of regulation.
Just as important was the Terps ability to nullify Virginia's 3 point shooting--the Cavaliers entered the game leading the ACC in made threes per game but hit just 6 of 21 from outside the arc.
Virginia in the ACC cellar?...hard to imagine after Sean Singletary opted out of the NBA Draft but the Cavaliers-less than a year after tying North Carolina for the regular season title-find themselves bringing up the conference rear.
While covering the Terps and Cavaliers, I kept an eye on the rest of the Beltway Basketball Bonanza:
Sixth rated Georgetown held St. John's without a field goal for the first fifteen minutes in their 74-42 rout of the Red Storm (or is it Redstorm?--much like the Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL)...it was St John's worst-ever loss in Big East play... it's a shame one of the schools that provided the foundation for the Big East is in such bad shape--the league is more compelling when a NYC team is relevant (even when Seton Hall is good, they're still Seton Hall)...
George Washington slips at home to St. Josephs 61-59...despite 20 points and 10 rebounds from Rob Diggs (before fouling out). As has often been the case this winter, many of the pieces of the puzzle were present--it just seemed as though they couldn't get everything to fit for 40 minutes. As we enter the fourth month of the season, GW is still searching for its first road win-- the best shot will come either February 13th at St. Louis (they held the Billikens to 20 points in January) or February 16th at St. Bonaventure (Bonnies are 0-6 in the A-10).
American misses another opportunity to move up the Patriot League standings, losing 77-66 to Navy (first win for the mids at AU since 1991) despite outrebounding the Midshipmen 47-31. The Eagles drop back to back home games to teams below them in the conference--not ideal when you're visiting league leading Lafayette Saturday.
One last thought from the other night's George Mason game with Virginia Commonwealth-- Rams forward Kirill Pishchalnikov, makeshift mullet and all, bears a striking resemblance to Saturday Night Live's "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer" from the late 1980's...
I can almost hear the late Phil Hartman now:
"I am just a caveman and your ways frighten me-I hear a whistle and think 'is that a Pterodactyl?'-if anything you should reward me for attacking the striped shirt man..."
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