I know that some of you might accuse me of Braxton bashing, but here's the deal:

Five minutes into the first half, Maryland center Braxton Dupree was subbed out for Dave Neal and didn't get back in until the start of the second half. Not that Dupree was totally at fault; he did have two rebounds and two blocks.

But after Neal went out, Dino Gregory came in for 10 minutes -- he didn't score either, but he had three blocks. Neal, by the way, missed two easy layups right after coming into the game. Neither Jerome Burney nor Steve Goins got out of their warmups.

It will be interesting to see how Dupree does before Williams pulls him again. He has been active, just picking up a rebound and nearly making a steal. But he seems to have forgotten how to score.

Oops, Dupree just got stripped going up for a layup and Willams signaled for Gregory, who just went in at 16:59. It was only a coincidence that Dupree picked up his third foul right before. He was coming out anyway.

And, oh yes, neither team has scored for nearly the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second half with Maryland leading by two.

Posted by Don Markus at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Those merry band of Maryland hoopsters got off to their first fast start of the season against Vermont.

Then the Catamounts -- by the way, does anybody know what a Catamount is? -- went zone.

And the Terps zoned out.

Leading 16-7 after hitting six of its first seven shots and scoring on seven of its first eight possessions, Maryland has now scored on only two of its last 10 trips and has watched Vermont take a 26-23 lead.

Greivis Vasquez, who hit his first three shots, hasn't attempted any since Vermont -- coached by former Maryland assistant Mike Lonergan -- put his team in a 2-3.

Wait, the Terps might have figured it out. Cliff Tucker scored inside and Eric Hayes just hit a long three to give Maryland the lead back and sending the Catamounts -- why can't we call them the Ben-and-Jerrys -- to a timeout.

Get back to you a little later. I'm zoning out.

Posted by Don Markus at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Maryland fans might get encouraged at how Boston College ran through the Seminoles for 176 yards last weekend.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden has likened Maryland's offense to Boston College's. Both, he says, are big and physical up front. Boston College is fourth in the ACC in rushing offense, and Maryland is fifth.

But Florida State's defense is good. Its strength is pressure and big plays. The Seminoles rank first in the conference in sacks at 2.9 per game and first in tackles for losses at 8.5 a game. Owing largely to that pressure, the 'Noles are second in the conference in pass defense.

On offense, Florida State averages 192 yards on the ground -- second in the ACC only to run-happy Georgia Tech.

Boston College beat the 'Noles last week not only because of its running attack, but also because the Eagles intercepted Christian Ponder three times.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

When Maryland signed Steve Goins this summer, it barely registered in recruiting circles or even in College Park.

Most looked at the 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from Chicago as a practice body and a project with little hope of making an impact with the Terps this season, and possibly ever. Until his senior year in high school, Goins was either injured or indifferent about playing basketball

At first glance, it didn't appear that Goins would be anything more than an end-of-the-bench body who looked like one of those "All Lobby" players the late Al McGuire would talk about, someone who looked good until he stepped on the court.

But Gary Williams has seen rapid improvement from Goins since the start of preseason practice a month ago.

"I think he's getting it," Williams said this week. "That will really help us. If he can go after Braxton [Dupree] every day, if he can go after Jerome Burney every day, those three guys should be able to push each other and should be able to make each other better players. That's when you get better, that's when your team gets better."

Not that Goins is ready to be more than just a practice player who gets on the court for a couple of minutes at a time.

"He is in development, as we say," said Williams, sounding more like a Hollywood screenwriter than a high-profile coach. "He's not where you want him to be at. I just look at where he's come from since the first day of practice and I'm impressed. The stuff he's done, just in conditioning, he's never done anything like that in his life. He never lifted a weight in his life. It's all new to him."

Williams also sounded like an amateur psychologist in talking about Goins.

"There's a good study out there somewhere about big guys," Williams said. "Remember when you were in seventh grade and the biggest guy in the class how everybody made fun of? I think there's a tendency to be a bully or you try to be this nice guy. I think Steve's really a nice guy. I don't want him that nice."

We all know where nice guys finish.

Posted by Don Markus at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Florida State has designated Saturday night's Maryland game as a "sod game." That means the Seminoles -- if they win -- will bring a sample of Byrd Stadium turf back to Tallahassee.

Only certain away games get selected for this by the 'Noles.

The Florida State Web site explains:
"Sod games still represent road games won when FSU is a significant underdog. However, all bowl games are now considered sod games as well as landmark road wins no matter who was favored. Each piece of sod is buried in the cemetery next to the practice field and a tombstone is placed above it with the score and date of the game."

Maryland has a tradition of its own. The Terps have "tombstones" near the practice fields with the names of Top 10 teams they have beaten.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Florida State has been thinking about the weather. It's supposed to be chilly on Saturday night --- football weather -- and the Seminoles want to be ready.

It might help Florida State that it hasn't exactly been balmy in Tallahassee.

It was "mid-40-degree weather Tuesday night" when Florida State practiced, according to the school's athletics Web site.

You might know that this is Florida State's second straight "blackout game." The Seminoles lost the first one on their own turf last weekend and now will encounter Maryland's sea of black-clad fans.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Maryland’s night games this season haven’t worked out well. The Terps lost at Middle Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Facing another night game – this one at home – did Fridge consider practicing at night?

“Monday nights we do practice and after 4:30 [on the other days] it’s dark anyway,” the coach said.

Is there a reason for the night-game losses?

“I’d like to have a dollar for every guy who says, ‘Can you figure your team out?’ I don’t know what it is, I really don’t,” Fridge said. “They need to be ready to play this week, I don’t know why they wouldn’t be.”

Continue reading "The Terps under the lights" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)