MBB: Wake Forest 65, Maryland 63

[DukeUsul]

Anyone watching this? MD is up 54-52 with 5 mins left. If Wake loses, I believe we are guaranteed at least 2nd place.

[OldSchool]

Teague just did the exact same post-dunk celebration and stare that G did in the VaTech game - of course, no T on Teague.

[DukeFanInTerpLand]

Umm. yeah. And Teague just threw down one of the nastiest dunks of the year.

Then of course stared down Neal, taunted, and didn't pick up a T. But at this stage in the game, the refs probably swallow the whistle.

[juise]

If Wake wins, it puts Duke in better position to win the tie-breaker if we are able to take down the Heels on Sunday, correct?

[DukeUsul]

If Wake wins, it puts Duke in better position to win the tie-breaker if we are able to take down the Heels on Sunday, correct?

I suppose you are right. If we finished tied with the Heels, then we want Wake as #3 since 1-1 beats 0-1.

[Duvall]

Umm. yeah. And Teague just threw down one of the nastiest dunks of the year.

Dave Neal joins a long line of Terps to be unmanned on the court. Mike Mardesich says hello.

[FireOgilvie]

Good to see Maryland lose. I want them in the NIT.

[78Devil]

Okay, I was hoping that WF would lose, but maybe I have the way the ACC tournament works wrong.

Tonight, Duke, WF and Clemson all won. FS lost.

Assume UNC wins over VT. Assume we lose to UNC this week.

UNC would win regular season ACC championship.

We would be 2 games behind.

If Wake beats Clemson, and Florida State wins against VT, then we will be tied with Wake, and will win the tiebreaker.

But what happens if Florida State loses to VT, which is quite possible? At that point, both FL and Clemson will be 9-7. What happens to us then if we are tied with WF. And remmber pesky Boston College is right behind. Couldn't they end up in that same bunching at 9-7?...

Has anyone done a thorough analysis yet?

[The1Bluedevil]

I was under the impression that if a tie occured the tie breaking procedure started from the team who finished first. So Wake would hold the tie breaker if both Wake and Duke finish 11-5.

Wake will beat Clemsom by the way.

[InSpades]

Being tied w/ Wake is bad... having them in 3rd when we tie Carolina is good.

[camcraz25]

So I have tickets to the ACC tournament and need to *try* to work on Thursday and just head up to Atlanta Thursday afternoon. Of course I would not miss it if Duke is playing. Is there any chance at this point that Duke could still play on Thursday, or is that possibly locked up? I'm not too good on the whole strategery of the statistical analyses :-p

[Duvall]

So I have tickets to the ACC tournament and need to *try* to work on Thursday and just head up to Atlanta Thursday afternoon. Of course I would not miss it if Duke is playing. Is there any chance at this point that Duke could still play on Thursday, or is that possibly locked up? I'm not too good on the whole strategery of the statistical analyses :-p

Duke will not be playing on Thursday. With a win over UNC and a Wake win over Clemson, Duke will be the #1 seed. With a loss to UNC and a Wake loss to Clemson, Duke would be the #2 seed. With a loss to UNC and a Wake win over Clemson, Duke would be the #3 seed. Duke cannot be seeded lower than #3, and will get a bye in the first round.

[Dukefan03]

So I have tickets to the ACC tournament and need to *try* to work on Thursday and just head up to Atlanta Thursday afternoon. Of course I would not miss it if Duke is playing. Is there any chance at this point that Duke could still play on Thursday, or is that possibly locked up? I'm not too good on the whole strategery of the statistical analyses :-p

Duke will NOT be playing on Thursday no matter what occurs.

[InSpades]

Worst we can finish in the ACC is 3rd, top 4 get byes so... we will not be playing on Thursday.

Didn't watch this game but the stats are WEIRD. Maryland lost by 2 while shooting 27 of 69 from the field (39%) and going to the line twice. Vasquez was 7 for 24 (2 of 8 from 3, maybe he shouldn't have used up his 3 point luck w/ that last second shot?). Maryland also got outrebounded by like 20... how did they only lose by 2?

[camcraz25]

Excellent! Thanks for the info. Now anyone want tix for the Thursday sessions?

[gw67]

Last night was one of those rare occasions when I tried to watch both the Duke and Maryland games at the same time. After watching both teams play several games this year, I’m convinced that the principal difference between the two teams is talent. Both teams are small, well coached and leave it all on the court. As one of the few Maryland fans on this site, my thoughts on the Wake game are as follows:

• For the 4th time this year, the Terps got off to a nice lead at the end of the first half and would up losing the game. Generally, it follows the same pattern, the Terps’ press causes turnovers and they score a bunch of points on the fast break. In the 2nd half, the opposition makes adjustments for the press (and zone in this case), and the Terps need to score in their half court offense. Besides having no inside game, their outside shooting is very inconsistent and as a result they miss a number of shots which were rebounded by Wake and turned into baskets before the Terps defense could get set.
• Rebounding is not a strong point for the Terps but last night reminded me of the game against Gonzaga. Their entire team went to the defensive boards but Aminu, Johnson, Weaver and Woods towered over them and kept many a missed shot in play.
• Williams insists on starting both Bowie and Mosley and both are offensively-challenged. That plus the fact that Milbourne was either not feeling well or is running down like Singler did last year meant that the Terps were playing two on five at the beginning of both halves. Wake changed to a zone and surrounded Vasquez when he touched the ball in the 2nd half leading to very poor shooting when it was needed the most.
• Aside from the above thoughts, the key to the game in my mind was the play of Ish Smith. Like Hansbrough, Teague is the star of the team but the engine, the player who makes their team go, is Smith, IMO.
• One exciting moment for Terps fans was late in the game after Wake took the lead, then increased it. It appeared that the Terps had no legs and their tanks were empty. I apologize if my memory is faulty but I believe on three consecutive (or three of four) forays down court, Vasquez drove toward the basket, drew the Wake defense and threw passes to Neal for three 3’s putting them into a short-lived lead that they were unable to hold.

The Terps play at Virginia this coming weekend. If they win, they go to 8-8 in conference play and have an outside chance at the NCAAT if they play well in the ACC tournament. In recent years, Virginia has delighted in beating the Terps. Maryland is playing to their potential and has a good chance to win but it wouldn’t surprise me if Virginia plays very well and takes the game killing any reasonable chance at the NCAAT. Wake, on the other hand, has a load of talent (although McFarland was hurt in game and Weaver/Woods don’t appears to be as good) and terrific size. The key, as I mentioned above, is getting the ball into Smith’s hands. I expect them to do well in the ACC and NCAAT.

I don't dislike any ACC teams and hope that they all do well except when playinf the Devils or Terps.

gw67