Which Maryland Team Will Show Up?

Hopefully it's the one that wins! In an interview, Vasquz claimed he didn't listen to the rantings of Gary while sitting on the bench and in practice. I am hoping he was just trying to appear manly and as if nothing bothers him, and that he's decided to heed the advice of his all-knowing coach. Will Vasquez do what he did during the Maui Invitational and only step up at the end of the game, when it's too late? Or will he dominate and be the leader he was praised to be preseason? We also need to look for a big night from key players such as Eric Hayes (who really hasn't disappointed yet, in all fairness), Jordan Williams, Adrian Bowie, and Cliff Tucker. And these guys NEED to make their free-throws! Technically, the Terps lost to the Bearcats because of those damn free-throws. I don't expect any team to make 100% of their shots, but 17 out of 31 is not good enough for a team of Maryland's caliber.

I'm going to be bold this evening and go with a prediction. I haven't been successful with this since the 2001-2002 season when the Terps took the National Championship (ironic it was against Indiana, huh?). I am going with the Terps winning by anywhere from 11 to 20 points, scoring in the 60s. I will say that I am betting on the fact that Indiana will score a million and one three-pointers tonight, because that's what they do. It's inevitable. But I still say (hope?) we get the V.

So Jeremiah Rivers gets hurt on a fancy shot, but when Maryland gets the ball on offense, somehow a timeout was called...? I am not sure what ensued for the timeout to be called when Maryland has possession, but I don't think it was allowed. Anyway, Vasquez is stinking up the place, and I hate having to report that every damn game. He made the first basket and has missed three shots. To give Indiana some credit, they are playing very good defense against the Terps.

Indiana took nine straight trips to the basket, and the score is still 9-9. At least Vasquez got the make-your-free-throws memo. These Indiana white boys keep falling on the ground, and it's nice to see the refs telling them to man up and stay on their feet rather than pussing out and flopping on the floor. It's plain to see the ref's side--these boys aren't hurt at all and are just getting in the way of good offense on the Terps' part. Bowie, one of my step-up guys, scored a nice inside basket. The only unfortunate part is that Indiana is still outscoring us and the Terps can't seem to keep from turning the ball over. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It doesn't help that these dumb Indiana fans are acting like they are beating number one Kansas. Geez.

I have to renege on a statement I made earlier. It won't be three-pointers that kill the Terps tonight; apparently it's those pesky jump-shots. Indiana is making them like it's their job, and the Terps just can't reciprocate. With Indiana losing to George Mason in Puerto Rico, I would have thought Maryland was the better team. And they are. But they can't fall into a rhythm, whereas the Hoosiers are making key shots when they need a boost of confidence, sending them further ahead. And Maryland is losing its cool, missing even the most basic layups.

Hayes looks to be the white guy scoring three-pointers; thank God he's on our side! He ended our five-minute scoring drought, making the score 28-24, Indiana. After trading a heart-breaking three-pointer back with the Hoosiers, Vasquez steps up to make another three with Williams getting a good rebound, leading to an and-one by Milbourne. Can he make it? Yes he can! (Think: Bob the Builder theme song.)

The foul-fairies are looking in our direction, and now Indiana is getting a taste of its own medicine, getting stopped in their tracks with stupid calls. Well, that lasted long. We have ELEVEN, read it, ELEVEN turnovers. We are only down by one, and if we didn't have ELEVEN turnovers, we could be winning. Thanks for the three, Vasquez, it helped. Score's 35-33, Maryland, at the half.