Westtown School wing Jared Nickens will be joining Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley in College Park in the fall of 2014.

After visiting College Park this weekend, Westtown School small forward Jared Nickens saw all he needed to see. The Pennsylvania wing committed to Maryland on Sunday afternoon after his weekend official visit at the school.

Nickens joins a class that already includes local guards Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley. The class was previously ranked third in the nation according to ESPN. That ranking could get bumped up a tad with the addition of Nickens. The former St. Patrick’s standout is currently rated as a four-star prospect on ESPN and is a three-star on Rivals and 247 Sports. He had scheduled to visit with Wake Forest and Dayton later this month and also had offers from Miami and Oregon State.

The 6-6 small forward brings something that the Terrapins have lacked for many years: a lethal shooter. Nickens is a spot-up shooter that is capable of nailing a jumper from anywhere on the court. In the second half of this past season at the Westtown School, Nickens shot 48 percent from beyond the arc. The Pennsylvania native is a smart basketball player who doesn’t turn the ball over very often. As many know, the Terps were quite a turnover-prone team throughout the 2012-2013 season.

Nickens’ size also is a huge advantage. As much of a strength as his long distance shooting is, he has a strong mid-range game and can bang down low along with post players. Nickens was primarily known as a shooter early in his high school career but has added this very important dimension to his game. The Westtown School wing is not afraid to put his back to the basket and burrow his way inside. Nickens is also a very long athlete, which allows him to play very strong defense. He really is a great all-around prospect.

The addition of Nickens gives Maryland one of the strongest groups of guards around.  Barring any early entries to the NBA Draft or transfer, the 2014 guard/small forward group will consist of Nick Faust, Dez Wells, Seth Allen, Roddy Peters, Wiley, Trimble, Jake Layman, and now Nickens. That is downright scary if you’re an opposing team trying to guard players of this caliber. Now Mark Turgeon will likely turn his attention to adding a post player to round out a phenomenal 2014 class. Trayvon Reed or Goodluck Okonoboh seems to be the most likely targets for the Terps.

We will have more on the addition of Nickens in the next few days.

Memphis transfer Antonio Barton would help stabilize the point guard position for Maryland if he makes his way to College Park.

With Tennessee now emerging as a potential suitor for Antonio Barton, it’s becoming a three-team race for the former Memphis guard’s services. Barton will be eligible immediately and would likely be a starter wherever he lands. The Baltimore native averaged 5.6 points-per-game, 1.3 rebounds-per-game, and 1.1 assists-per-game this past season but saw his playing time decrease every year since arriving at Memphis in the 2010-2011 season. Below are the three teams that are in the running for Barton and what their chances of landing him are.

Maryland – Regardless of the emergence of Tennessee as a possible landing spot for Barton, Maryland still has to be considered the front-runner and stands the best chance of landing the local product. There’s just too many factors that sway in Maryland’s favor. First off, Barton is a Baltimore native and has a four-year old daughter that still lives in the area. He is the godbrother of Terps guard Nick Faust, who has been recruiting Barton to join him in College Park. Having his family close by may be the deciding factor for Barton but obviously, he has to weigh all his options. Barton would most likely start for the Terps right away with guard Pe’Shon Howard transferring back home to California to play close to his sick grandmother. The point guard was a position of instability for Maryland last season and it would be extremely beneficial to have that spot shored up for the 2013-2014 season. Barton’s presence would also allow Mark Turgeon to slowly ease freshman guard Roddy Peters in the point guard role. Barton has been long considered a “layup,” but the emergence of Tennessee makes it a little less certain.

Tennessee – The Volunteers weren’t considered a suitor for Barton but they have now emerged as possibly a premiere destination for the Baltimore native. According to reports, Barton was on Tennessee’s campus for a visit on “Wednesday or Thursday.” It’s pretty clear why Tennessee is interested in bringing Barton to Knoxville. Volunteers guard Trae Golden has decided to transfer and ironically is a player that is on Maryland’s radar if they fail to land Barton. Golden averaged 12.1 points-per-game to go along with 3.9 assists-per-game and 2.9 rebounds-per-game this past season. Now Barton isn’t as complete a player as Golden when it comes to grabbing rebounds and dishing out assists. However, he would still be an adequate point guard for Tennessee. Replacing Golden is essential because the Volunteers are returning their top two scorers in guards Jarnell Stokes and Jordan McRae. Barton would give them a third athletic guard that is capable of running the point. If there’s one team that Maryland should worry about swiping Barton away from them, it’s the Volunteers.

Syracuse – The Orange are probably running in the third position for Barton’s services but the connections to Barton are there. Barton is close friends with Syracuse forward C.J. Fair and Fair also hails from Baltimore. Barton would fit in nicely alongside Fair except for the one small wrench in the plan. St. Benedict’s (NJ) phenom point guard Tyler Ennis will be coming to Syracuse in the fall and is penciled at the one spot for the Orange. There’s no way that Ennis won’t start so this makes Syracuse a very unlikely spot for Barton. Barton is a graduate transfer and isn’t going to want to spend his last season of collegiate basketball coming off the bench. So Syracuse is probably a long shot to land Barton.

As many various analysts and other basketball people predicted, Alex Len is leaving Maryland to enter the NBA Draft after two seasons with the Terrapins. The Ukrainian big man came to College Park as a relative unknown and ended up putting together two strong seasons with the team despite several growing pains. As was expected from many national basketball pundits, the Terps center had a much more productive sophomore campaign in which he averaged 11.6 points-per-game and 7.8 rebounds-per-game in 26.4 minutes-per-game. It was clear pretty on this season that Len would be going pro after the season concluded. Len absolutely abused Kentucky in the Barclays Center Classic to open the season, including dominating Wildcats future first round pick Nerlens Noel. The writing was on the wall.

Even though Len’s decision was somewhat expected, now the question becomes: how will Maryland go about replacing the production of the talented big man?

The Terps do have quite a bit of production to replace down low with not just Len leaving, but senior forward James Padgett is graduating. Padgett started a handful of games for Maryland and was a key leader for the squad. However as much as both Len and Padgett will be missed, they are definitely replaceable and won’t be missed nearly as much as many people might think.

From a depth standpoint, the Terps definitely have the personnel to have a strong frontcourt next year. First off, I’d imagine that Shaquille Cleare will step into the center role that will be vacated by Len. Cleare was a highly touted prospect coming out of The Village School (TX) and was expected to be strong contributor in terms of rebounding and defense. However, it was a season of ups and downs for the Bahamas native. Playing time seemed to be the deciding factor to Cleare’s season. He averaged 3.7 points-per-game to go along with 2.7 rebounds-per-game in about 12 minutes a game. The production wasn’t exactly mind-blowing but I think the potential is definitely there for Shaq to tell in and be a productive starter next season. He has the size at 6-9 to be effective in the ACC and can alter shots much like Len did. His size is arguably his biggest asset as Cleare was able to hold his own against some of the ACC’s premiere competition this past season. In relief of Len against Duke on February 16, Shaq absolutely stifled Blue Devils superstar Mason Plumlee and the senior forward was held to a mere four points in 33 minutes. Cleare will play a much different role that he did this past season. He was merely another body to help bring toughness and size down low when Len spent time on the bench. Cleare’s main objective was to alter shots and be a force in the low post. He did a solid job of that at times but will be looked at to produce in many different ways next season. It’s a challenge that I think he is ready for.

The transfer route has been very kind to Mark Turgeon so far in his tenure at Maryland. Prior to last season, Turgeon landed a commitment from Michigan transfer forward Evan Smotrycz. Smotrycz is expected to be a huge piece at the four next season. It’s unclear if Smotrycz or Charles Mitchell will get the starting nod at the power forward position. Either way, Smotrycz proved to be a strong asset in the low post for the Wolverines in his two years with the school, especially on the offensive end. In his sophomore campaign (2011-2012 season), the Reading, Ma. native averaged 7.7 points-per-game and grabbed 4.9 rebounds-per-game in 21.1 minutes a game. Smotrycz also proved that he didn’t force bad shots most of the time as he was a 48.1 percent shooter for the Wolverines. In watching tape on Smotrycz, the first thing that jumps out is that he is an exceptional shooter. He is very effective from beyond the arc (43.1 percent in his sophomore season) but can also put the ball on the floor and hit a mid-range shot as well. Smotrycz has the height but definitely could stand to put on a little more weight, just like Len did last offseason. Having a big like Smotrycz that can shoot the ball is going to be a major bonus for the Terps next year since Len was the only big that could sufficiently shoot the basketball this season. He may not be the shot-blocker that a guy like Cleare is, but Smotrycz should be a welcome addition on the offensive end.

Finally, we come to Charles Mitchell. Mitchell wasn’t a highly sought-after recruit out of the Atlanta-area. The guy that many have compared to Charles Barkley, had a pretty impressive freshman season at Maryland. Mitchell averaged 5.5 points-per-game to go along with 5.4 rebounds in only 15.7 minutes a game. It was clear early on that Mitchell was a very strong piece in the low post for the Terps. The Georgia native grabbed an astounding 10 boards in only 16 minutes against Kentucky in the season opener. One of the biggest positives about Mitchell is his clear passion for the game. On every possession, you can see just how much Mitchell loves to be out there. He gets fired up after making a shot and smacks the floor when he commits a bad foul on the defensive end. He is an absolute bull in the post and his game will only improve after gaining experience of an entire season against the tough ACC. Mitchell can score the ball more than many people thought he would. In limited minutes, he was able to replace double figures in points in six games over the course of the season. Mitchell may be the first big man off the bench once again in his sophomore season, but clearly is essential to Maryland’s success going forward.

A player that is coming into the season a bit under the radar is freshman Damonte Dodd. Dodd was a guy that not many people had heard of when he committed to the Terps. Dodd was a kid that hailed from Maryland’s Eastern Shore and decided to gain more experience by going to prep school for a year. The Centreville, Md. native starred at Massanutten Military Academy this year and is continuing to gain experience by playing AAU ball this summer. After being a relatively unknown prospect last summer, Dodd is now a three-star recruit for Maryland and caught the eye of several recruiting analysts. Dodd is definitely a longways away from being a huge contributor at the collegiate level but I think if he puts on a little of weight, he can play 10-15 minutes a game in relief of some of Maryland’s bigs.

The departure of Len is a big deal but doesn’t leave Maryland in as big of a hole that many people may think. The Terps now won’t have to worry about Len being double and triple teamed by opposing defenses and may see many teams defend them man-t0-man next year. The depth is definitely there with Cleare, Smotrycz, Mitchell, and Dodd. Three out of the four have at least one season of experience at the collegiate level and should be able to provide strong defense and consistent offense as well. Only time will tell how talented this group really is, but it’s definitely a strong core to build on.

Adam Zagoria of SNY confirmed the time of the announcement earlier today via his Twitter. Morgan had originally planned to make his announcement on April 5th, however, it turns out that St. Frances Academy will be closed that day. Since his announcement is likely to be aired on ESPNU, Morgan’s mother wanted him to make his announcement in front of a packed house of students, faculty and media. While the March 27th announcement date has been known for some time now this is the first I had seen any sort of time attached to the decision.

2014 F Dwayne Morgan plans to commit at 1 p.m. on March 27 at Baltimore St. Frances. Down to Maryland, UNLV & Georgetown.

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 19, 2013

One other intersting tid bit that was tweeted out by Zagoria this afternoon came from Dwayne Morgan’s AAU coach, Dwayne Wise, who suggests all three of Morgan’s finalists are still in the ball game.

“All three have a really equal chance,” Dwayne Wise, Morgan’s AAU coach, told @snytv

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 19, 2013

When it comes down to the final stretch in the recruitment of a highly coveted prospect such as Dwayne Morgan it can be difficult to decipher what is real information and what is not as the majority feel this is a two horse race between the Terrapins and the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV for Morgan’s commitment on the 27th. Be sure to stay tuned to TerrapinStationMD.com and to follow us on Twitter @TerpStationMD for any and all Dwayne Morgan news as it happens.

The full NIT bracket can be found here and as you can see the Terrapins are matched up with the winner of the 3/6 game between Denver and Ohio. Should the Terrapins take care of business against Niagara tomorrow night the winner of that Denver vs Ohio match up would then travel to College Park, presumably for a Thursday game, in the NIT’s round of 16. As the #2 seed in order to get to the semifinals in New York City the Terrapins could potentially have to travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a tilt against Anthony Grant’s Crimson Tide for the right to advance to Madison Square Garden.

The NIT wasn’t what fans, coaches and players alike were hoping for at the end of the 2012-2013 regular season however this tournament presents the Terrapins the opportunity to continue to play more games. With a roster consisting of as much youth as this Maryland one as currently constructed the chance to play in meaningful games despite the tournament setting is worthwhile.

The chance to play for a title in the “Mecca of basketball” is a great opportunity for this team to continue to grow and build some momentum heading into the off-season. We will have a full preview of the Terps NIT opener against Niagara tomorrow. Let me leave you with this; there are only a handful of teams that can say they will head into the offseason coming off a win, the Terrapins still have a chance to make that claim with a successful run through the NIT.

In the NIT the higher seeded team hosts their opponent during the first three rounds before the semifinals and finals take place in New York City at Madison Square Garden. However, since the Comcast Center is a host site for the opening round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament the Terrapins could only host two of the possible three games they would play as the higher seeded team so that could be a situation that would have to be addressed.

At the end of the day it was the weak non-conference schedule that kept the Terps out of the Big Dance. The Terps non-conference schedule, according to the popular rankings at Kenpom.com, was ranked 345 out of 347 teams playing Division I basketball. It must be noted though that when this schedule was made Mark Turgeon had no idea he would have Dez Wells, Logan Aronhalt or Charles Mitchell as major contributors. With the recently signed deal with the Barclays Center the Terrapins know that next years schedule will consist of a game against at least one other major conference opponent in the non-conference schedule.

The general consensus appears to be that the Terrapins will fall just short of their NCAA Tournament hopes however there are some projections which have Maryland making it as one of the final at-large bids as well. I have gone ahead and compiled some of the many of the NCAA Tournament projections I could find for you to see where the “experts” place the Terps.

Joe Lunardi (ESPN) – The resident bracketologist for ESPN has the Terrapins listed in the “First Four Out” right behind Virginia.

ESPN BPI Rankings – The BPI (Basketball Power Index) that the people at ESPN created have the Terrapins listed as the last at-large team to make the NCAA Tournament.

CBS Sports - Jerry Palm has the Terrapins listed among the “First Four Out” behind UMASS, Alabama and Kentucky.

College Basketball Talk (NBC Sports) – Their most recent bracket has the Terrapins in the “First Five Out” behind Middle Tennessee State, Virginia and Kentucky.

USA Today (Patrick Stevens) – Fan favorite Patrick Stevens has the Terrapins listed among the “First Four Out” behind Tennessee and Virginia.

Yardbarker – The Terrapins are listed in the “First Five Out” behind Ole Miss, Virginia, UMASS and Alabama.

While it isn’t a clean sweep that the Terrapins will not make the Big Dance the outlook is bleak as 6:00 PM approaches. Maryland has to hope their 22 wins, including two over Duke and one over NC State, are good enough to get them in the tournament as they couldn’t be more on the Bubble.

The Maryland Terrapins are going to be sweating out the next 23 some odd hours until the NCAA Tournament Selection Show has completed on CBS tomorrow evening to find out whether or not they will be heading to the Big Dance after falling to the North Carolina Tar Heels, 79-76, in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament Saturday afternoon.

This marks the Terrapins third loss to the Tar Heels on the season as they fell to 22-12 on the y ear.  Selection Sunday will be more stressful than anyone associated with the program would have hoped; the Terps fate will hinge on whether those 22 victories were good enough to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. I have been fairly steadfast in the fact that, with the non-conference schedule the Terrapins played, 23 wins would be the magic number for this team to make the Tournament. With the loss against North Carolina, clearly they will fall short of that number.

In the two previous meetings between these two conference foes the Terrapins had been bested by the Tar Heels “Big Three” of Reggie Bullock, PJ Hairston and James Michael McAdoo. Despite what looked to be a fairly gruesome hand injury suffered by PJ Hairston last night against Florida State, the sophomore stretch PF was able to play 36 minutes and pour in 13 points. However the real star of the show for the Tar Heels was Dexter Strickland, who finished the game with 15 points on 7/12 shooting. For a player whose career high in a single game is 19 points, Strickland showed all the offensive ability that made him a McDonald’s All-American while a prep player at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, NJ. The foursome of Bullock, McAdoo, Hairston and Strickland accounted for 56 of North Carolina’s 79 points on the afternoon.

Alex Len led the Terrapins with a 20-point effort in the loss despite only taking 7 shots. Len did what a big man with a major size advantage on the court should be doing: getting to the charity stripe for freebies. On the day, Len shot 10/12 from the foul line which certainly helped the Terrapins stay in the game down the stretch. For an opposing coach there is nothing more frustrating than giving up points while the clock is stopped, and Len was able to make use of the advantage he had on the inside to do just that Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Terps, his efforts were not enough to push them over the hump into the conference title game on Sunday.

Dez Wells and Nick Faust were the other Terrapins players who helped carry the load today, as they finished with 15 and 17 points respectively. Faust was especially hot from beyond the arc, going 5/9 on three point attempts on the afternoon. And yet despite his hot hand from the outside today, Faust did not get the last shot for the Terrapins as they trailed by three points with little time remaining on the game clock.

This have proven to be a point of contention throughout the social media world. Despite Faust’s exploits from the outside, Logan Aronhalt took the final shot for the Terps on what was a clean, albeit deep look, from three point range. Aronhalt has been the Terrapins most consistent three point shooter on the season, so the decision to draw up a play for him was more than fine by me. However, the shot he elected to take, with the time that was left on the clock, was questionable at best and his attempt didn’t even draw iron. The Tar Heels were then able to successfully drain the remaining time off of the clock, effectively ending the Terps run through the ACC Tournament.

There is nothing left for the Terrapins players and coaches alike to do but wait for their postseason destination to be decided for them by the selection committee tomorrow evening. The overwhelming consensus — at least by those who make a living projecting these brackets — was that Maryland needed to win this game against the Tar Heels to solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament. At this point, they have to hope that a strong showing against a school that could potentially win the ACC tomorrow will be enough to push them over the hump.

Should the Terrapins end up falling short of their postseason dreams and wind up as a high seed in the NIT, hope is not lost. Granted, it would be a disappointment to once again miss out on heading to the Big Dance, but with a team as young as the Terrapins any sort of postseason experience could be paramount in terms of building continuity for the 2013-2014 season which will be here before any of us know it.

While I have said that it would take 23 wins for this team to make the NCAA Tournament for quite some time, I am not completely convinced that they will not sneak their way in tomorrow. The odds are certainly stacked against the Terrapins at this point, but in the words of the immortal Kevin Garnett “Anything is possible” despite how unpromising the outlook may be.

The Time: 3:00 PM

The Place: Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, NC

TV/Radio: ESPN / 105.7 FM/980 AM

The Line: North Carolina -4.5

The Maryland Terrapins find themselves in another must-win situation against the North Carolina Tar Heels this afternoon as they continue to fight for their postseason lives in Greensboro, NC.

Dez Wells provided Maryland with another Herculean effort last night against Duke as he poured in 30 points of 9/13 from the field, including a perfect 2/2 from beyond the arc and 10/10 from the charity stripe in the Terps 83-74 win over the Blue Devils. In Maryland’s last 60 minutes of basketball the sophomore transfer from Xavier has scored 44 points on 13/18 from the field. Wells has been the embodiment of the phrase “putting the team on your back” for the last three halves of Terrapins basketball. It is safe to say that his team would not find themselves in the position they are in today were it not for the show he has been putting on in the Greensboro Coliseum this weekend.

As good as Wells have proven to be to this point in the ACC Tournament the Terrapins could need an even bigger break out game from their star guard today against the Tar Heels. North Carolina beat Maryland like a drum in their two meetings during the regular season winning both games by double digits (62-52 in Chapel Hill and 79-68 in College Park). In the first meeting Maryland had no answer for James Michael McAdoo and Reggie Bullock while when the Tar Heels traveled to College Park it was Bullock and PJ Hairston who did the damage. Bullock’s three point shooting in particular, he is 8/13 from beyond the arc against Maryland this season, has been a thorn in the side of the Terrapins when these two teams have gotten together previously.

It will be extremely important for the Terps to stay home on defense so that they can effectively close out on the Tar Heels three point shooters. There is a chance Maryland could catch a break in this department as well as PJ Hairston, the Tar Heels second best three point shooter by percentage at 39%, is questionable at best for this afternoon’s game after suffering a gruesome hand injury against Florida State last night that required him to receive stitches as you can see from a tweet by David Teel early this morning.

UNC’s PJ Hairston has eight stitches in webbing between fingers of left hand.#ouch

— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) March 16, 2013

Now I am not a doctor, I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but as someone who played the game of basketball for the bulk of their life I just cannot see how Hairston will be anything close to effective, if he can even play, with eight stitches in the webbing of his left hand. This could prove to be a crushing blow for the Tar Heels as they had found great success by going with a smaller line up but if Hairston cannot go this afternoon Roy Williams will be forced to go with some combination of Desmond Hubert, Jackson Simmons, Joel James and Brice Johnson and hope that the rotations which did not work for this Tar Heels team earlier in the season while Hairston was saddled with an injury work to their advantage in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Certainly not the situation that Roy Williams envisioned himself being in this morning while finalizing the game plan for Maryland.

North Carolina potentially being forced to go big and match the size of Maryland instead of playing small ball with Hairston manning the PF position should play right into the Terrapins favor this afternoon. One of the Terps mightiest struggles this season has been matching teams who choose to go small against their great size. In those situations the Terrapins most important big man, Alex Len, has struggled with the Tar Heels playing a front line of Hairston and James Michael McAdoo. As a PF Hairston provided the Tar Heels with a stretch four that they simply don’t have a replacement for on this roster.

I am looking for the Terrapins big men to have a big impact in today’s game with the Tar Heels starting line up in flux and tip off just under four hours away. They will need to for the Terrapins to reach the 23 win mark, which I have stated repeatedly was the amount of wins I felt they needed to get to the NCAA Tournament, and move on for a chance at the ACC crown in Sunday’s title game against either NC State or Miami.

The Terrapins have plenty of work to do to get to that point though and, it just so happens, they will have to go through the crown jewel of basketball in the state of North Carolina to do it. Personally, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The Time: 7:00 PM

The Place: Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, N.C.

TV/Radio: ESPN2 and 105.7 FM/980 AM

The Line: Duke -11

Who doesn’t love a rubber match? That is precisely what we will have this evening when the #7 seed Maryland Terrapins face off against the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils for the third time in the last seven weeks.

The Blue Devils took the first round of this years series by whalloping the Terrapins at Cameron Indoor 84-64 on January 26th on a day where Rasheed Sulaimon made sure all Maryland fans knew the freshman’s name after pouring in 25 points and hitting 6/8 attempts from beyond the arc. The Terps trailed Duke by 8 at the half on that afternoon and never got back in it as Duke ran away from them on their home floor outscoring them 41-29 in the final 20 minutes of action.

The Blue Devils traveled to College Park, MD on February 16th for round II and, not shockingly, the Terrapins proved to play much better on their home floor at a raucous Comcast Center. Alex Len was a different player on this date than he was a few weeks prior when the same two teams met in Durham (8 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes) as he dominated Mason Plumlee the entire evening finishing with 19 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 6/8 from the field.

Even though the Terrapins were able to come away with a memorable 83-81 victory over their rival, in what could have been the last meeting between the two in College Park, Maryland did not make it easy on themselves. As a team, the Terps shot 60% from the field but had to sweat out a Quinn Cook runner from just inside of half court before they could exhale and enjoy the victory as Maryland turned the ball over an astonishing 26 times on their way to the upset win.

Heading into tonight’s match up Maryland will be facing the Blue Devils at full strength for the first time this season as Duke F Ryan Kelly, who averages 14.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG, missed both meetings in the regular season due to injury. As you have read here, or any other website mentioning Duke for that matter, the Blue Devils have yet to lose this season when Kelly is in the line up so the Terps will be facing an uphill battle tonight as they look to be the first team to knock off Duke with their roster intact.  Coming into this evening the Blue Devils are looked at as a fairly heavy favorite as they should have the majority of the crowd at the Greensboro Coliseum behind them in this match up.

The Terrapins have shown they are capable of besting the Blue Devils when they aren’t at the top of their game, it still boggles my mind how they were able to beat Duke after committing 26 turnovers in a single game, but tonight they will need to bring their best effort if they want to survive and advance. Alex Len needs to be the player he was the second time around against Plumlee and Co., while the guards have to take care of the basketball better for Maryland to have a chance to win the season series with Duke. If Seth Allen, Dez Wells and Nick Faust combine for 18 turnovers again it won’t matter how well they are shooting it on the evening they will be hard pressed to walk off the floor tonight with a win under their belts.

Like I stated last night in my recap of the win over Wake Forest the Terrapins will be a team fighting for their postseason lives tonight while Duke is all but locked into being a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps need a win tonight and, more than likely, another win tomorrow if they even want to have a shot at punching a ticket to the Big Dance. If Maryland comes out hungrier for a victory than the Blue Devils are they will be a dangerous team to face, we’ll see who wants the win worse in just under 7 hours time when these two rivals take the floor to stake claim on the season series.