Could magic be in the air?

This evening, the Maryland Terrapins will face-off against the Duke Blue Devils in an ACC Tournament quarterfinal match-up. The only shot the Terps have of avoiding an invitation to the NIT for the fourth time in seven years, is to match their improbable ACC Tournament run of 2004 and grab the ACC's automatic qualifier spot by cutting down the net come Selection Sunday afternoon. The Terps were in a similar situation in 2004 (granted in 2004 they were a legitimate bubble team), in that they needed to string together a couple wins to go dancing. The odds were similarly stacked against them in 2004, but John Gilchrist (Tournament MVP) and a supporting cast of Jamar Smith (1st Team All-Tournament Team), Travis Garrison (2nd Team All-Tournament Team), as well as Chris McCray, Nik Caner-Medley, D.J. Strawberry, Mike Jones, and of course the Sky Captain, Will Bowers, came up big.



That ACC Tournament crown is the only one to have been won by a team other than Duke or UNC in the past 15 years. The 2004 Terps provided for a photo rivaled by only the Mona Lisa and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.



The current Terps squad lacks a guard like Gilchrist who has the potential to strap the team on his back and carry them to victory (Jordan Williams is a better player then Gilchrist, but it is tough for a post player to take over a game like guards can). However, Terrell Stoglin is doing his best to impersonate Johnny G of late, averaging 18 points a game over his last 9, and Williams seems to be returning to mid-season form, when he strung together 13 straight double-doubles. If the team can shoot over 40% from three and get a stellar performance from one of a myriad of role players, this team has a chance to equal that magical run in 2004.

I am hoping that the same crying Duke fan that adorned my Cumberland Hall dorm door for well over a month, is in attendance tonight, and even though he is seven years older, the final score still brings a tear to his eye.

Lacking Leadership

Two quick points...

1) The Terps are lacking leadership.

You can't blame this on anyone in particular. Maryland's seniors, Bowie and Tucker, are role players and losing a player like Greivis Vasquez is going to leave any team yearning for someone to step up. The squad's best players are underclassmen, and expecting them to carry the team in both the box score and in the locker room is a little much. The Terps will continue to show flashes of greatness this year, but without a leader on the court, they will be hard pressed to put together a solid 40 minutes night in and night out, especially in must-win games, like this evening's Duke game.

2) We might have an open blogger position for Thursdays, stay tuned.