Newly Top 25 Terps Play Fairfield

The Terps started the week ranked in the Top 25 in the AP Poll (but not the Coach's Poll, oddly enough). I don't know how Maryland was #26 in both polls, but then the Coaches let Illinois jump over them. I don't know what the difference is, but at least the Terps are ranked in at least one poll. Stupid ESPN, not allowing my team to be ranked when they have every right to be after beating a team by nearly 40 points.

Now to the Fairfield fight... The game has started out ugly. It took nearly three minutes for either team to score. Luckily, it was the Terps, with Hayes scoring a three-pointer, but then it was followed by the same by Fairfield. And then another one. Ugh. I know it's only 6-5, but a team like Fairfield should NEVER be beating the Terps.

Vasquez is making me nervous. He always does this, playing sloppy in the first bit and forcing me to bite my nails, and then he ends up coming through. But at this moment in the game, I am yelling at him like I am Gary Williams, and he is really pissing me off. Turnovers, missed shots... and he was going to declare for the draft?! I love him or I hate him, and there is no in between whatsoever. Right now... well, we won't go there. I think it's the black shoes. They are not giving him good mojo, and this is the worst I have seen him play in a while. He better come through quick, at least in the second half.

Geez, Fairfield is on a freakin' 6-0 run right now. I hope this is the only excitement they see all night. I'd rather them have a slight lead early then turn me red in the face at the end of the game. Now we've managed to come back, but damn, we are still letting them hang around! Thankfully Mosley is a good aggressive player who knows how to take care of his team. He's had a big hand in Fairfield going about five minutes without scoring, and the Terps' 15-0 run.

Eric Hayes, aka Steve Blake Junior, is on fire! He's got two three-pointers and ten points altogether with 6 minutes left in the half. I was just daring to write that I thought Fairfield was floundering, but they have gotten two three-pointers. I hate them when they are scored against me.

There's just a minute left in the half and the Terps are up 28-22. Not the score you thought you were going to see either, huh? I guess since we are winning, I cannot complain, but... it's my blog and I can complain if I want to. I am pissed at this game, and I don't feel like some of these guys are playing the way they should (or the way they played the other night). Jordan Williams is pretty good, but why go for the lay-up when his big self could have dunked the ball? Too many turnovers and too many bricks (VASQUEZ!) have made this half short and ugly. I am hoping Gary will be able to light a fire under their collective Terp butt to get them playing like a Top 25 team in the second half against this nobody team.

Thanks, Sean Mosley, for the last-second basket.