Terps Typical Tourney Trip-up - Day 2 - LIVE

6:35 - Alright here we go. Some good news from the bubble. South Carolina lost to Mississippi State about an hour ago. The fact remains that the Terps have to win here tonite. I just cracked a Natural to get the karma goin early here. Maddie is making some Old Bay Shrimp Scampi, which is delicious, and should go great with low cost beer. Everybody is fired up down here.

6:49 - Last time we played Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament....

6:59 - Linda Cohn, while discussing Joe Lunardi's most recent "First 4 Out" just stated that Maryland, along with Arizona, St. Mary's, and New Mexico, lost in it's conference tournament. She's either wildly mistaken, or is having some Desmond Hume like flashes and has seen this game already. Either way, I want to punch her in the face for her mistake.

7:09 - And we're off. I was kind of thinking about dropping Mosley out of the starting lineup tonite, but I think Gary made the right move keeping him in. Hopefully we don't have to wait until 13:00 to get Hayes in tonite.

7:11 - If you're in the ACC Region, you are probably just as excited as I am that we don't have to hear Jimmy Dykes talk about Oklahoma State tonite. Also, Dave Neal just blocked a 7 footer. That just happened.

7:14 - Jimmie Johnson just got called for his second foul. Look at him, always impeccible hair.

7:14 - Dino... comin out firin.

7:17 - First TV timeout. I don't think Wake could be shooting much worse from the field. We really should be creating some seperation here. Definitely Eric Hayes time.

Can someone explain to me why Raycom Sports always force feeds us musical artists all year long? In the Fall it was all about Doughtry, now we've got some other lame guys. Chill out Raycom... Chill out.

7:19 - Wake... 0/3 from the line... I'm an asshole, make that 1/4.

7:22 - Dino.... Magnum.

7:26 - Rumors coming out of Atlanta are that Dave Neal has eaten all his meals since last night's game at the nearby Waffle House. Total meals.... 14.

7:30 - Jimmie Johnson picks up his 3rd foul. Not a single hair on his head moves. Gotta give credit to his hair and makeup guy.

7:32 - First poster dunk of the night. Fortunately, Dave Neal didn't get any grundle sweat on his face this time. He seems happy about it.

7:34 - Milbourne keeps his attempts at shooting in the paint ending up in a blocked shot streak alive. Unofficially it's now at 5.

7:37 - Things we all want less of: pictures of Henrik Steinson playing golf in his underwear, Manny being Manny, and Landon Milbourne being on the floor. He has not come to play at all here in his home state.

7:42 - How long until this commercial...

"Hi, I'm Greivis Vasquez. I once covered Kobe Bryant in an international basketball competition. I must have been getting all the ladies right? Wrong. I suffered from a very awkward skin condition that hurt my confidence on and off the court. Now, I use Proactiv Solution..."

7:46 - Gotta love the intensity here tonite. Greivis just sat on L.D. Williams' face. I'm not kidding.

7:49 - Huge difference from last game. Wake is gettin in a little bit of foul trouble here, and we're getting to the line. Last game, as we know, we didn't shoot a single free throw in the first half. Eric Hayes is gearin up for numbers 11 and 12. In other news, how pumped are Skins fans that Andre Smith opted to do his pro day shirtless? I'm sorry, I'd prefer not to have huge chunky dudes on my offensive line. Thanks.

7:53 - Dino... your work in the Winter '95 International Male Catelog... made me want to be a model.

7:54 - With that Milbourne foul we get to witness the Braxton Dupree project. Never missed a Monday Night Fajita Night at the North Campus Diner. Nobody is more upset they missed the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich years.

7:56 - People I'd rather see on the floor than Braxton Dupree: Ellen Degeneres (she's just good people) , Methodman (I imagine he's decent at basketball since he's from the hood), Prince (same reason), President Barack Obama (obvious reasons), the deaf tennis ball girl from Seinfeld(she can read lips well).

HALFTIME - Terps up 36-31. Terps are lookin strong, but sooner or later Jimbo Johnson has gotta come back on the floor. I think we all feel like the 1-3-1 is gonna come out after halftime. Although, I think that would be a mistake. Teague has basically shut down Hayes (although he's getting points from the line where he's 6 for 6), and going to a crazy half court zone would open up those opportunities a little I think. Who knows what Dino Meatballs has up his sleeves.

Is it still Happy Hour? - Dave Neal seems a little too focused on the two blondes in the third row. He's 0 for 4 from outside.

No Gimme Putts - Why can't we make lay-ups? Drives me to drinking. First I thought it was just that we couldn't finish after getting fouled, now it's clear we just aren't sure how to make the easiest shot in the entire game. Which makes sense because we have had the most trouble with the worst teams on our schedule.

Contract Year - Ok I figured it out. Dino Gregory is freaking out because we have two large players coming in next year. It's shit or get off the pot time, and it seems as if he's gonna need some toilet paper.

8:19 - And we're back. I just noticed that it looks like we're wearing Chucks tonite. Interesting.

8:20 - 3 more missed layups until Bowie shows his NBA Street moves, and Mosley finally finds the bottom of the net. Terps up 9.

8:22 - Bubble News - Illinois is putting away Michigan. Xavier and Temple are going down to the wire. Need the X-men there.

8:24 - Teague on the bench which helps. Jimmie Johnson gets back in the book with an easy lay-up, and here's the 2-1-2 zone, but Mosley with his season high for easy lay-ups with 2.

8:26 - Huh? Mosley 4 for 18 from outside on the year just stepped up and knocked a big one down. Terps up 15.

8:28 - Still don't feel comfortable with a 15 point lead with 16:00 left here. This is like morning in Cancun. "Ok... will 2 chewable Pepto Bismols be enough here? I dunno. Let's go with 5. Better safe than sorry here."

8:36 - Jeff Teague gets his first points."The seal is broken for Jeff Teague." If this was a bladder buster party, a lot of people would be very upset.

8:41 - Here we go. Everybody knew Wake was gonna get their run. Greivis with a horrible shot, but Dave Neal, fresh off a Denny's Grand Slam on the bench, cleaned up the trash and added two.

8:43 - What just happened? Some Wake guy shot the ball straight behind him somehow. Tucker missed a fast break layup. Allegedly it was a block. Sounded like a foul. Awful camera angle. In other news. Last TV Timeout I mentioned "hey... feels like we've really taken care of the ball here tonite." Since... 5 turnovers.

8:47 - Vasquez finally pump fakes from outside... easy lay-up.

8:47 - Hayes. Stickin with the Mike Jones ACC Championship impression knocks down his first 3 of the game.

8:50 - Vasquez picks up his fourth. Do you sit him now? Conventional wisdom says yes, but he has been our best option and Wake is grabbing momentum. I think you sit him, but you could argue to keep him out there. Now it gets interesting.

8:51 - Alley-.... ooo the old blocked by the rim play. Nice, but Dupree blows it with a lame offensive foul. 6 minutes.

8:53 - Dave Neal is starting to remind me too much of Sean Battier. Awful attempts at drawing the charge everytime down the floor. He goes to the bench with 4.

8:55 - 4:37 left. Gotta get Vasquez back in there. Salts me right up that Dino gets a rebound, the shot clock resets and he goes to the hole. Sophomore mistake. Gotta milk that shot clock Dino. Milk it. Terps by 8.

8:56 - Dave Neal halfway through a double meat chipotle burrito knocks down a big three.

8:57 - Greivis... 2 straight missed 3s. Awful, but Milbourne on the floor for the loose ball! Big hustle play. Maybe the first of this career. Shades of his look alike, D.J. Strawberry.

9:01 - ...Ok.. Starting to believe here. 2:21 left. Neal with a huge rebound and draws a big foul. He stayed at a Holliday Inn Express last night.

9:03 - Start the Bus. Hayes with an epic pass to Mosley. 69-60 1:26 left. "Let's Go Maryland!" Love to hear the Terp fans gettin fired up.

9:05 - Ok I've waited a long time to share this because I didn't think it would hold up, but as Joe Barron pointed out to me about half an hour ago... Gary doesn't look like he's gonna need to dry clean his suit after this one. I really feel like between going on an actual recruiting visit the other week, and telling the team before the tourney that we were going to need to win two that we could be looking at a New Gary.

9:08 - Wow. Is this actually happening? Clearly we aren't in the Tourney yet but... tough to see us falling short now. By the way, Greivis with 22-9-8. Really hope Duke pulls this one out because I want a piece real bad.

Take the kids to you mother's Alice! We're goin Dancin'!

Go Terps!

Terps Typical Tourney Trip-up - Day 2

Special thanks go out to Natural Light for propelling the Terps to victory last night. I'll have to pick up some for the game this evening.

Here are the afternoon headlines...

• Terps Win! And on a serious note, Eric Hayes was motivated by a unexpected death of a family friend. Not sure how that affects his play again tonite, but I'm sure he's under some intense strain.
• Bubble Teams Vtech and Minnesota failed to grab big wins today over UNC and Michigan State, respectively. Helps.
• Lunardi has the Terps as the 5th team out in Bracketology right now. Bottomline, we need this game or we're hosting a couple NIT games at the cable box. Really can't see both San Diego State and New Mexico (who lost to the Wyoming Cowboys last night) sneaking in the backdoor though...
• Couple teams we're pulling for before tip-off: Mississippi State (vs. South Carolina), Illinois (vs. Michigan), and Xavier (vs. Temple).

Mid-Afternoon Gut Feeling - Terps are getting 6 points, and that feels pretty reasonable. We had our chances last week against this team, but they are just too fast and too athletic. Once we got up 5 against NCST you felt fine because they don't play well coming from behind. Wake, on the other hand can score in bunches, as I saw first hand. So yea, I don't feel good about having to play this team with our season on the line.

I think we will come to play though since Gary has been getting them fired up. The "Win Two" philosophy he's been pushing is interesting too. Another thing we have going for us is that Wake is still a young team. For half their starters this is only their second ACC Tourney game after an early exit last year.

All of that being said, I don't think it will be enough. My head tells me something in the ballpark of 77-70 Wake. It will be tight most of the game, but the 1-3-1 zone and Wake's depth will wear us down. Prove me wrong kids.

I'll have some more thoughts over the course of the day, and will be back to blog LIVE during the game.

Go Terps!

Terps Typical Tourney Trip-Up - LIVE!!!!

Welp here we are. Terps are up against it. Since my entertainment factor heavily increases the more depressed I am, I thought it would be a good idea to give you my feelings, LIVE, and in living color for all to see. So check back periodically to see how I'm coping with Maryland throwing their season away. (If you are reading this tomorrow... you already know how this ends, so this might have a Titanic-esque effect for your enjoyment/disappointment). Hopefully the Terps can be as aggressive and dominating tonite as I am with this burger.

6:43 - Last time we started a ACC Tourney against NC State...

6:44 - Sorry. I singlehandedly just guaranteed we're going to lose tonite. Sorry folks. Put all your money on the Wolfpack. It's a good bet.

6:56 - Gut instinct prediction - NC State 63 - Maryland 62 and only because of this. Love the focus from our star player. Thanks.

6:59 - From the intro two things immediately jump out. 1. We're wearing white finally. 2. We look like we're out there to have some fun today, which is nice. Dave Neal looks like McDonald's just put the McRib back on the menu.

7:03 - LATE BREAKING NEWS!! Greivis Vasquez is a Triple Double waiting to happen! 2nd Team All ACC, which as we've been told by ESPN is a "Gallery of Stars," which is one of the lamest things I've heard all day.

7:05 - For the first time since mid-December, we don't start the game with a Dave Neal attempt for 3. Instead, we settle for a wildly unnecessary Vasquez floater.

7:07 - On the positive front, Bowie and Mosley are workin hard on the offensive boards which is about as important remembering to flush.

7:11 - And DAVE NEAL IS ON THE BOARD!

7:14 - 13 - 8 NCST at the first tv timeout. Does anyone else still feel uncomfortable when Sidney Lowe wears the Red Suit? I feel like I'm watching Dick Tracy.

7:17 - Why is it that every time the Terps see a Zone we look like its the first time we've been up against it. It's like a baby trying to eat solid food for the first time. "... hmm... this is neewwww..."

7:23 - I've been getting a few e-mails about what I'm eating during the game here. Great question. As Gary calls our first timeout after giving up an open shot, dribbling the ball out of bounds, and another open three, I'm eating my own vomit. Keep those e-mails comin!!

7:26 - We've just been introduced to ESPN2's new "Gary-Cam" which brings Gary on the sidelines into splitscreen with game action. The Parental rating just skyrocketed to TV-MA. They should keep it though because Hayes just hit a 3.

7:27 - Alright. Hayes came to play.

7:29 - I've realized the problem. I haven't had a beer yet. Pardon me. I'm on my way to the fridge. Thanks for the reminder.

7:33 - Ok... Eric Hayes loves the split screen 3-pt attempts. He's now 2 for 2 (3 for 3 overall).

7:36 - Terps are on a 13-2 run since I opened a can of Natural. Thanks for comin out!

7:40 - Although I've been dogging our favorite Venezuelan, Mr. Vasquez currently is leading the team in assists - 5, and rebounds - 3.

7:42 - Dino Gregory drains the 18 footer to give the terps the lead. About as unexpected as the colon blow scene in Zach and Miri make a porno... you know what I'm talkin about. Also, the Caps just took a 1-0 lead! (Laich, Backstrom and Ovie with the assist)

7:46 - Vasquez and the NCST PG just shared a moment. A laugh, a butt smack, and everybody's friends. Mosley throws it away. Rookie mistake here.

HALFTIME - Well, I think we're happy to be even here. Clearly, took us a little while to get in gear.

Guy I want to punch in the face - Sadly, Sean Mosley. I'm a huge fan but he has come out flatter than a single pancake that has yet to be blessed with syrup. He's had one board, one assist, and he's missed two easy shots. Unofficially I've got him at 3 turnovers, including 2 awful passes. Does anyone else think he could easily fill in for Walt on Lost?

First Half's Derek Zoolander - Dino Gregory. Alright, so we found out that he can't go to his left. He's not an ambiturner. But, he hit a surprising 18 footer, and has two blocks, including one at the end of the half that was reminiscent of "Blue Steel."

Who? - Eric Hayes. 3-4 in the first half, and leading the team with 9 points. Dare I say Mike Jones-esque?

8:05 - And we're back. The 1st Half Stats were brought to us by Guinness. Gotta be a good sign for somebody.

8:10 - Dave Neal allegedly is a "beef jerky" kind of guy. Apparently he gets chewed on alot.

8:12 - Actual analysis: We're doing well to get to the line tonite. In the Wake game we didn't take a single free throw in the first half.

8:17 - Bubble Watch - Tulane up on Memphis 32-30. Trouble.

8:18 - Milbourne has gotten blocked attempting to dunk over dudes 3 times. His face is red.

8:26 - Two overweight under sized big guys just traded 3s. Only in America folks. And the more undersized, and slightly more overweight, Neal, just hit another. Look out.

8:29 - Jimmy Dykes, who has been at best, slightly more interesting than listening to my mother, not a basketball fan, try to provide analysis for this game, has just mentioned Oklahoma State twice in the past 5 minutes. Somebody in Atlanta needs to toss a D battery in his general direction.

8:32 - I'm just gonna come out and say it. Dino Gregory just made "The Leap." Seeled off his man, took it straight to the hole, was fouled, and finished. He then threw a man-sized fist pump. The training wheels are officially off in my humble opinion.

8:38 - How awesome is the Jimmy Rollins Dick's Sporting Goods commercial? Almost Terrible Terry Tate Office Linebacker hilarious.

8:42 - Greivis Vasquez - Fifth Time's a Charm. Finally knocks down a very timely three. I also fooped there trying to will that into the bucket.

8:43 - Dino just officially showed us "Magnum", and maybe he turned left I'm not sure. Huge block. Terps up 4 with 2:00 left.

8:48 - My girlfriend, taking one for the team, just informed me that she's been waiting in her car outside listening to the game on the radio until it's over so as not to upset the balance in the force in here. She's a keeper folks. Don't worry ladies, I told her she can come inside. (Only because Terps are up 6 and Hayes is on his way to the line).

8:52 - Start the bus folks. All you Terp Fans, Maryland state law requires you to do whatever you did today at 7 again tomorrow at 7. That is a fact. I will once again be blogging here, and since there's a lot going on tomorrow, I'll probably put up some interesting facts as the action happens. Go Terps!

Terps 0 - Livers 0 - Everybody Else - :)

In Greek Mythology, the Titan Prometheus is credited with stealing fire from the gods and giving it to man (I read it in wikipedia, so it must be true). As punishment for his crime, Zeus had him tied to a cliff where a giant eagle would eat his liver only for it to grow back over night and again be eaten the next day (which for many of us is sooo college).

Let's be honest, the ancient Greeks were some pretty sick fucks right? Not a bad realization of hell.

Welp, here's mine. Every year for the past 4 years I've spent the entire summer/fall leading to basketball season convincing myself that I shouldn't get my hopes up about Maryland Basketball because it's pretty clear that we have a lack of talent and/or general ability. Then, outta nowhere, they bring me back in with a unexpected win. After bringing back down to Earth with the conference schedule, they make a crazy run at .500 complete with a memorable upset against Duke, UNC, or maybe both.

Then something awful happens. Gary's smoke and mirrors fade, and we fall flat. In 2005, as I looked on from my seat in the Verizon Center, it was a never before seen third straight loss to Clemson in the ACC Tourney. 2007 we made the Tournament!!! But then we lost to mid-major Butler on St. Patrick's Day. Not even several carbombs could erase the pain that day.

Now that all my friends are, thanks to Lost...


** LOST SPOILER ALERT***





...pulling a John Locke, looking for extension cords to hang themselves with, let me try to find the silver lining here.

Despite recent history, I'm really trying to tell myself that maybe we can pull this off. One thing is for sure, I won't be present in Charlottesville Saturday afternoon. I was in the Cable Box for the last two losses, and so I'll be taking one for the team and heading to Hoboken St. Patrick's Day. A sacrifice I wouldn't wish on anyone.

It makes me nervous to even mention that we have some games coming up for fear of being responsible for another first week of March fiasco. Hopefully we break out of this month of March funk. If we don't I'm probably just going to simulate an animal eating my entire liver.

I'm sure I won't be alone.