• To start things off, SlamOnline pays homage to one of the NBA’s brightest young stars, former Maryland Terrapin Greivis Vasquez. Fans of the Terps know his story, but it’s good for the rest of the world not wearing Gary Williams-shaded glasses to acknowledge how tough his journey has been. As it stands today, Greivis is a major cog in the future of the New Orleans Pelicans, and really did start from the bottom.
• Ah , freedom of information. The Maryland v. ACC lawsuit, which is likely to go up there with McCullouch v. Maryland and Brown v. the Board of Education in terms of landmark court decisions, is revving up now. Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post is providing all the essential documents in case you’re really bored in the offseason. 44 pages of dry.
• Since it only makes sense that Maryland would still get tied to the ACC no matter how far they ran, the Detroit Lions bowl is about to pit the Big Ten and the ACC against one another yet again. They’d be traveling to Detroit…to play postseason..football? My head is on fire.
• Now that Kevin Dorsey is in the NFL, there will be plenty more written about him, as he’s on the national stage. The Journal Sentinel decided to take a look at Dorsey as a human being, and you get the idea the guy is pretty smart when he starts talking about conflict resolution skills during a conversation involving Xbox.
• And finally, even on the Duke end of things, the writers over at Bleacher Report agree that the Terps are going to pose a problem for even an incredibly talented team like the Blue Devils. I like the sound of that, although I am still extremely nervous about facing this team. Sike.
• And finally, Microsoft unveiled their Xbox One today, and that thing is an absolute beast. It actually started lighting Twitter up with its marketing towards sports fans. The whole Snap feature where I can pin my fantasy stats on the screen while watching football is seriously what’s going to push me to pick one of these up. Even if it looks like an Atari. (Joystiq)

Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

• The Detroit Free Press broke down the salaries of assistant coaches in the Big Ten (on the football side of things), and the end result is that they make some serious dinero. It’s also no surprise that the top seven spots are occupied by coaches at some of the best schools in the country at football – Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska. It’s known that to draw in better coaches, you have to draw out your wallet. But where do the Terrapins stack up? Just as WaPo’s Alex Prewitt.
• Any time Maryland can beat Duke, in anything, it’s a good day. Fortunately, the Lady Terps lax team took down the Blue Devils 14-9 Saturday in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Lady Terps are on an absolute tear right now, and don’t look to be slowing down. They get to go up against future Big Ten opponent in Northwestern in the semifinals. They haven’t had the best luck with Northwestern, but even more interesting is that they have a former Terp on the coaching staff. (WaPo)
• Well here’s something interesting that might pique a few people’s interest…if you’re into believing in longshots. The Terps were previously heavy on the trail for the best shooting guard in the 2014 class, Rashad Vaughn, before backing off. Well, it appears Vaughn is hesitant to sign with North Carolina after visiting there over the weekend. He’s opened up his recruitment again, and that means anything can happen between now and National Signing Day. I don’t think Maryland or Vaughn has interest anymore, but we’ll have to see what happens. When a recruit says he’s opened up his recruiting, it usually provides an opportunity to swoop in.
• Well Maryland can probably be a little happier about leaving the ACC now that news has come out that there may not be an ACC network for a long, long time. The ACC has yet to buy back it’s media rights from Raycom and Fox Sports Net, which means unless they figure out a way to do so, they won’t be eligible to do anything until 2027. So what does that mean? Conference realignment talk is going to continue to be talked about, and people may have been too quick in calling John Swofford a genius. (MrSEC.com)
• I’m not entirely certain how I missed this, but Athlon Sports decided to take a stab at Maryland’s potential at getting to a bowl game next year a few weeks ago. Find out their analysis (as well as plenty of others) right here.

Nov 24 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Florida International Golden Panthers wide receiver Wayne Times (5) runs the ball against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks in overtime at FIU Stadium. The Warhawks defeated FIU 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re into gambling, BetOnline.com released the entire slate of week one college football point spreads, and if you’re into Maryland, you’re going to love it.

The Terrapins are a 14.5 point favorite over Week One opponent Florida International University, which is a welcome thing to see considering last year the Terps were a 14.5 favorite over an FCS School (William & Mary). I think Vegas truly believes the Terps are better, and one thing is for certain, you don’t win when you bet against Vegas.

FIU travels to College Park for the fist time since 2010, when the Terps beat them handily, 42-28 with Danny O’Brien slinging balls to Torrey Smith. The Golden Panthers were one of the worst teams in the country last year, finishing 3-9 and dropping games against teams like Troy and Arkansas…State.

For Maryland to be given two touchdowns against a team like that is more a formality than anything else. The Terps have way more firepower than FIU, and should automatically have a two score advantage. Still, the spread doesn’t illicit a ton of confidence about the team from the bookies, and understandably so since during the Edsall regime there have been let-downs. With a strong preseason and as the season inches a bit closer, I fully expect that spread to widen a bit. Until then, place your bets now!

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) blocks a shot by Iowa Hawkeyes guard Anthony Clemmons (5) during the second half of the NIT Tournament semifinal at Madison Square Garden. Iowa won the game 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Len hasn’t really been able to participate in many of the pre-draft workouts that send college players stock through the roof, so scouts are beginning to pick away at his game in hopes of getting a gauge on his potential. Len’s recent comments in the media about being the “best player in this draft” in ten years is tough talk; it’s a way to implant his toughness into the minds of evaluators without being able to show them first-hand. But all that is, is talk.

Len has been pegged as a lottery pick since the U18 European Championships, way before he stepped foot onto the Comcast Center court. I figured it’d be as good a place as ever to start looking at Len’s abilities, given the NBA players he went up against as a teenager and that’s where all the hype began.

Len played in nine games for the Ukranians, averaging 16 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks while shooting 47% over that time period. By comparison, two hyped up players (one in the NBA and one in this draft), Jonas Valanciunas and Rudy Gobert, averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds and 9.2 points and 9 rebounds per game, respectively. By looking at just his overall statistics you’d presume that Len, at the time, was a lot more like Valanciunas than Gobert. So for that, I think it’s better that you look at their head-t0-head comparisons.

Against Valanciunas, Len got more or less whipped. He only played 16 minutes and scored 6 points and grabbed two boards. Valanciunas, meanwhile, continued his dominance with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jonas is very clearly a good NBA player, averaging around 11 points in the last month of the NBA season, but he is a year older than Len and much has changed since then. But in their first head-to-head, it wasn’t really close, and was only the second time he was held to single digit points the entire European Championship tournament.

But that was back in 2010, and three years later Len is a completely different player. To get a good look at Len as an NBA prospect, it’s even more important to understand his progression and development as a player, which includes analyzing those three years. At the time, Len was a 7’1, 220 lb. boy who couldn’t speak English. By the time he left college park, Len added significant bulk, ending up at 255 lbs. He transformed from a boy to man during the offseason between his freshman and sophomore year, displaying a drive to get better that will serve him greatly in the future.

His freshman year was like most seven-foot big men; that is to say, it was riddled with inconsistency. Len missed his first ten games due to eligibility issues, and had three games to get ready before ACC play. He reached double figures six times the entire season, and only three times during ACC play. Still, Len was efficient, blocked two shots per game, and showed a good (not great) ability to rebound. He also proved he was a competent face-up defender, as the Terps defensive stats while he was on the floor went through the roof.

His sophomore season was similar to his freshman year in that it was clear Len still looked uncomfortable and inconsistent at times, but he also showed flashes of the ability to take over games. His first matchup of the year, on a national stage against Nerlens Noel, was evidence of that: 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Yes, he was inconsistent, but with young big men, scouts look for a few things: the ability to get better, take over games, and evidence that they haven’t hit their ceilings. Len accomplished all three of those things last year, and he did it without a point guard, which is a position that tends to bring out the very best in big men.

Len has a still-developing skill level that rivals some very good big men. Pau Gasol’s name gets thrown around, because they are both smooth, huge, athletes who have a solid face-up game. I think that’s absurd, mind you, because Pau was much better as a rookie than Len will ever be. Others look at Enes Kanter, a young European big who needs more years to develop. That’s also off-base; Len is more athletic than Kanter by far.

A lot of analysts project him with other European players of the same age, but that’s not fair for Len. They mostly do it because he’s white and somewhat skinny, with a finesse game. Len doesn’t have an entirely European game to him; for starters, he already has two years of American basketball under his belt. He also doesn’t mind contact down low, and while he may not initiate it all the time, he never shies away from it. He has a known mean streak, and actually gets fired up during games, and more importantly (as I said before), shows a clear drive to get better. Oh, and he likes to dunk.

When you compare him to whatever European you can throw out there, it’s an injustice to him unless it’s actually predicated on their games and not their faces. Notice that he is not often compared to someone like Roy Hibbert. Hibbert may be an All-Star center now, but from his freshman through senior year, he was a questionable college prospect. He didn’t run the floor well, didn’t have a complete post-game, and still isn’t a great rebounder for his size. To suggest that anyone knew, coming out of college, that Roy would be an All-Star someday is revisionist history. There were tons of questions upon his arrival into the NBA as to whether or not his game would transition to the NBA. So I’m suggesting that as prospects, not so much in their respective games, the two are similar.

Len is probably a better draft prospect than Roy Hibbert as a sophomore and junior. Want to compare them as prospects? Go right ahead here. It’s very similar, except that Len runs the floor better, is considered to have a better offensive game, and is in much better condition. But make no mistake, Len isn’t Roy Hibbert. He’ll never be that bruiser down low, nor will he likely on a night-to-night basis monster jam over opposing big men and impose his will at a Pau Gasol-type level.

But Len is a very good prospect as an NBA center. If he polishes that face-up game even more, then the worst case scenario is a watered down Brook Lopez. A guy who doesn’t score like Brook, but rebounds similarly and has more upside as a defender. A 10 point, 8 rebound a night guy who can give you some blocks, as well. Or he’s a better offensive Kosta Kofous, who has been in the league for about five years and just last year averaged eight points and six rebounds per game. Kofous was a better college player, to be sure, but Len has a lot more going for him that Kofous in terms of next-level skills.

To say that Len will be someone like Nikoloz Tskitishvili is ridiculous. That’s one of the biggest busts of all time in the NBA, and he played four years in the NBA before getting bounced. Even if you’re hard pressed to compare him to a European bust, then give him the decency of saying Darko Milicic. And quite frankly, most everyone thinks Len will be a lot better than him, too. So if you want to say that Len’s projection is a ten year veteran who didn’t live up to expectations but had a decent career, then go ahead and be my guest.

I’m sticking with something much better.

Mar 15, 2013; Greensboro, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard/forward Dez Wells (32) reaches for the ball as Duke Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly (34) and forward Mason Plumlee (5) are in the background. The Terrapins defeated the Blue Devils 83-74 during the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

• Lately the hubbub is about the Big Ten schedule being announced, and even though it’s an entire season-offseason cycle away from us, people like Tom Fornelli of CBSSports are putting Maryland in the losers column. I’m not sure that anyone in the state of Maryland thinks we’re losers in the scheduling discussion, even if we get to play Ohio State in our first home Big Ten game.
• If you’re curious about how the B1G 2014 schedule came together, this Adam Rittenberg article will pique your interest quite a bit. Apparently the fact that the Terps and Rutgers play both traditional powers (Michigan and Ohio State) on the same day (October 4th) was pure coincidence. And no one believes that except Jim Delany.
• In case anyone was wondering how the Terps fared in previous years against Big Ten opponents, well, it’s not very pretty. But keep in mind that a lot of these games were played before AOL was popular and kickers didn’t wear face masks. So I personally don’t put a lot of stock in this analysis. (The Gazette)
• Former Terp and future NBA player Alex Len might be recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, but he’s still putting in work. Len has been interviewing with NBA teams left and right before the upcoming draft, in hopes of convincing some team that he’s worth taking a flyer on. Even if he won’t be playing for a little while. I just hope the Wizards don’t land him, no matter what, because his career would be derailed before it even began. (Alex Prewitt, Washington Post)
• In other former Terps news, though a bit older, Nik Caner-Medley was hospitalized earlier this month for a heart arrhythmia suffered while playing for his Maccabi Tel Aviv team. Fortunately for you guys, I can speak Spanish, because this article is in complete Spanish. It’s still uncertain as to whether or not he’s going to be able to play again for his team this year, who made it to the quarter finals.
• ACC basketball is a ways away, but so far the verdict on the Terps is less than encouraging from some outlets, including Syracuse.com, who thinks the Terps will be middle-of-the-pack bad. They’re newcomers, so I’ll let it slide just this once, but they are right about one thing: we’re going to miss Alex Len.

Roll Terps, and congratulations to the graduating seniors!

November 3, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) in action against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Byrd Stadium. Georgia Tech beat Maryland 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Maryland Terrapins not only know who their first opponents in the Big Ten will be, they have the full schedule for the 2014 football season. The Big Ten conference released the 2014 football schedule today for all teams. The 2015 schedule will be the opposite of the 2014 schedule, and then in 2016 the Big Ten will add an additional conference game.

We all knew that the Big Ten would present a challenge to the Maryland football program, and the first schedule shows just how tough it will be. Maryland will be joining the East Division with other new addition Rutgers, Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan. The first two years Maryland will match up with West Division schools Iowa and Wisconsin.

The schedule goes as follows:

9/27 – At Indiana

10/4 – Ohio State

10/18 – Iowa

10/25 – At Wisconsin

11/1 – At Penn State

11/15 – Michigan State

11/22 – At Michigan

11/29 – Rutgers

There is a good balance in the schedule. As tough as it is, there are opportunities at home and on the road for Maryland to grab program boosting wins. Indiana will most likely be one of the easier teams Maryland faces, and Ohio State is a great team to welcome the Maryland fans into the Big Ten. Trips to Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan provide fans with some of the best road experiences in the conference. Penn State is one of the few drivable Big Ten schools, and the Big House is one of the most iconic stadiums in the country.

Rutgers and Maryland don’t have a long tradition rich history, but it appears that the Big Ten is looking to push them together as a new rivalry. The difference between the Big Ten pushing Rutgers as a rival and the ACC pushing Pitt as a rival, is that there is more to build on for Maryland fans against Rutgers. Many Maryland students are from New Jersey, it is an easy drive up I-95, and they are the two newest schools to the Big Ten. Maryland has never had an iconic rival, a game that the whole nation tunes in to see, and neither has Rutgers. It makes sense to place the two schools together as rivals. I understand the gripes Maryland fans have with this, but soon enough it will feel naturally to get excited about the end of year rivalry game against Rutgers.

For season ticket holders and students, this schedule provides fans with a great chance to see some of the best programs in the country. With the talent that Coach Randy Edsall and company have been bringing in, whos to say that Maryland can’t compete with these schools? Sure, they won’t go 8-0 and win the Big Ten, but imagine how great it would be to see Maryland beat The Ohio State at Byrd Stadium or to join many Maryland fans in Happy Valley to see Maryland get their second win against Penn State. Hey, crazier things have happened! For now lets look forward to what the future has in stored and get ready for last hoorah in the ACC!

Bye bye, ACC.

Welcome to the B1G Leagues, Terps.

The Maryland Terrapins had their inaugural Big Ten Schedule for the 2014 season announced Thursday at noon, and it is a stark contrast from the past, 50+ years of college football in the ACC.

At Indiana, vs Ohio State, vs Iowa, at Wisconsin, at Penn State, vs Michigan State, at Michigan, vs Rutgers. That’s the hand we’ve been dealt, and I’ll be the first to say that I love it. I mean our first home game at Byrd is going to be Ohio State and Urban Meyer.

My first thought was that, no matter what, I’m willing to wager the Terps sell out nearly every home Big Ten game in 2014 just based on the fact that everything is so new. Ohio State and Rutgers, they’re guaranteed sellouts. Michigan State, count on it. Iowa is the only team I’d have doubts about at this point, but because it’s the first time we’re playing them it’ll be a packed house. The home slate alone is enough to get excited about, especially playing Rutgers, given how many Jersey people are on campus at any given point in time.

Talk about an upgrade from the 2013 schedule, too. Virginia, Clemson, Syracuse, and Boston College weren’t bringing in squat for fans on a consistent basis. The ACC tends to give Maryland roundhouse kicks to the groin, so this year’s schedule was a bummer. Sure, Iowa is a bit of a downer, but so is having to play our suggested rival Virginia, and a Boston College team that routinely sucks to watch. Add in Cuse, and we might as well have been playing a Big East home slate.

Another thing that stands out? Six of the eight games were against teams that were bowl eligible based on total wins (even if Penn State and Ohio State were banned.) Things could be tough going early on for the Terrapins in the Big Ten, that’s for sure. Ohio State is probably going to beat the pants off Maryland in the first year, same goes for Michigan. Not to mention playing Wisconsin, a team that dropped 70 points on the #12 team in the nation (Nebraska) in the Rose Bowl…and they didn’t even rightfully win their division since Penn State and Ohio State weren’t bowl eligible. Things aren’t going to be easy, no matter how you want to paint it.

But I’m looking forward to forming some new rivalries. There’s no question that Rutgers and Maryland will be intrinsically tied to one another based on being the new guys and geographical location. But let’s not forget that Danny O’Brien’s quitting connects us to Wisconsin, and recruiting to Penn State, and a national championship game to Indiana. The possibilities make you salivate, and give Terps fans something they haven’t had in awhile: hope.

There will be some ups and downs going to the Big Ten, but it’s the Big Ten. The ACC has this tendency to make good football teams mediocre by association. Look what happened to Florida State and Miami. Playing sub-par competition week-after-week tends to wear on you, and lets you rest on your laurels a bit too much. In the Big Ten? If Maryland takes any games off, they’re going to get completely obliterated by any one of these teams. The Terps are playing in one of the best conferences in the nation now, and they are either going to put up or shut up.

Terps fans are the rare breed that looks forward to being the underdog, so I for one look forward to this schedule. We’re probably not favorites in any game on the 2014 schedule save for maybe Indiana. Fine by me, because Maryland is going to rebound. People have short memories, but I recall just a few short years ago the Terps were 9-4. They’re not some pushover, although they have been the past few years. So let the Big Ten, and everyone else sleep on Maryland. In a couple more years, people will once again Fear the Turtle.

November 3, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive back Dexter McDougle (25) in action against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Byrd Stadium. Georgia Tech beat Maryland 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Even though the Maryland Terrapins had a woeful 4-8 football team last year, the good news is that they definitely improved defensively (albeit marginally.) They only gave up 29.1 points per game against FBS opponents in 2012; in 2011, that number was 37.1 (13th worst in the nation). In terms of YoY improvement, there’s not a whole lot to complain about on the defensive end.

But keeping in mind that the offense left them high and dry with absolutely terrible field position more than a few times, there are still some areas Maryland has to get better in on the defensive side of the football. Here are a few:

1.) First Quarter, First Half Defense

Some teams thrive playing from behind the whole game; the Terps don’t need to be one of those teams. Take a look at the average points scored per quarter (against FBS opponents) for 2011 and 2012:

1st: 10.1/8.25
2nd: 8.1/7.4
3rd: 8.3/7.7
4th: 10.6/5.5

There are two things that really jump out at you. The first is that Maryland is phenomenal in the fourth quarter; they rank 31st in the nation among FBS schools in that regard. Teams in college football don’t really let off the throttle much when they’re playing (even with a lead), so the argument that just because Maryland is down after three quarters, the other teams lets up, doesn’t hold weight for me. Since nine of Maryland’s 12 games were decided be ten or fewer points, and in five of their eight losses the Terps were within ten points at the half, there is clearly somet voodoo magic going on that makes them a really effective fourth quarter team.

The second point is that they have gotten obliterated in the first quarter by comparison; they fall to 101nd nationally in points allowed in that segment. The Terps only held an opponent to three or fewer points in the first quarter three times last year: against Temple (3), N.C. State (0), and UVA (0). Every other game consisted of 6 or more points, with the highest being a whopping 21 v. Clemson. Road or home, it really didn’t matter.

So how do you rectify slow starts? That’s hard to say. Part of the blame lays solely on the coaching staff, as they should have their team prepared for battle from the get-go. Teams have a week (and sometimes more) to comb over film and ready themselves to go up against an offense, so it’s on the coaching staff to further drill those points home. Granted other teams get a chance to do that, too, Maryland should be better at it. The fact that the Terps make second half adjustments is promising (they give up, on average, 3 fewer points in the second half), but they need to be ready to play when they step on the field.

2.) Paging All Ball Hawks

It’s not news to anyone that great defenses force turnovers, and that’s a department that Maryland was absolutely horrendous in last year. Their four total interceptions placed them at 122nd in the nation amongst FBS teams in interceptions per game, wedged between Temple and New Mexico State. Then take into consideration that two of those interceptions came from Joe Vellano and Demetrius Hartsfield, and you get the idea that the Terps secondary was far from shut-down mode.

Even though Kenny Tate played in nine games, he was nowhere near the guy who was tied for career interceptions in the ACC and only saw limited action. Combine that with losing Matt Robinson in the secondary (though he is now a linebacker) and you can see it really hurt Maryland in the turnover department. No one else in the secondary was capable of serious highway robbery, but to be fair a lot of that has to do with throwing in two inexperienced guys in at safety and possessing no deep coverage.

So how do they improve? In a way, they may already be. There’s some scary talent and experience amongst the DBs, with Dexter McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson the likely starters. McDougle had 71 tackles last year, and with some more experience at safety, he may be able to get back to his three interception sophomore year. Meanwhile, Johnson is a guy who is just as athletic as McDougle, and was definitively better than McDougle in coverage (though he isn’t as good a tackler.) Those two combined should be shut down, barring injury if..

…the safeties perform up to snuff. Sean Davis and Anthony Nixon are two young fellas, and they’re going to be young next year. They have to have learned the positions better, and can’t be such liabilities on deep balls. That leads back to coaching, film study, and experience — all three of which they should have gotten last year. If that happens, Maryland could be in for a good year in the turnover department.

3.) Strong Down The Stretch

Maryland has gone 0-12 the last two seasons in their final six games, and have been outscored 436-228 combined. While some of that can be blamed on the offense, that’s a culture thing. It’s also a schedule thing, since three of last year’s final six games featured Florida State, North Carolina, and Clemson. But if you think next year will provide any gimmes, you’re wrong. For Maryland, they’ve got to show up every game (even when they might be out of bowl contention.)

———–

Look, it’s tough to pin the blame on the defense for last year considering how admirably they played. But they did get gouged over the last three games (while we had a linebacker at QB), so there are some things to work on. Doing only one of these will likely mean the difference between bowl eligibility and another 4-12 season.

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Sep 08, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) during the fourth quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Maryland defeated Temple 36-27. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

• Jonathan LaMantia over at the ACC Sports Journal gives us his daily link dump, which tends to always have some good Maryland news. In particular, he addresses the disastrous budget woes that the Terps have faced since the evil overlord Debbie Yow vacated the building. But 2017 is expected to bring a lot of hope!
• The Terps have been playing the waiting game for Antonio Barton, putting a lot of stock in the fact that he’s pretty likely to go here. As a result, they’re laying low on talking to other point guard recruits — like Malik Smith. Smith, an FIU scorer who could have come in and helped the Terps right away, announced his intention to play for Minnesota over in the B1G. You have to wonder how much longer the Terps are willing to wait… (StarTribune)
• Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun is already concocting previews of what the Terrapins rotation will look like with or without Antonio Barton in town. You can check them out here. What’s interesting is that, in both of his with or without scenarios, Roddy Peters and Charles Mitchell are not starters. I actually tend to agree with that.
• Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post gives us the Terps non-revenue roundup. For you lacrosse junkies, that includes taking a look at the record-breaking women’s team that’s finally gearing up for the NCAA tournament. There’s also a little mention of some softball in there, and Stefon Diggs being named Mr. Terp.
• ACC commish John Swofford has been made out to be Leonardo Da Vinci lately with this whole “saving college football and killing expansion” thing, and rightly so. Give credit where credit is due, and Andy Staples of SI.com does by calling Swofford a “ninja magician.” But people have short memories, and I still don’t like the guy.
• Back to transfers, because it’s the offseason. Even though Maryland is losing out on some guards, there are still plenty available that the Terps could go after, many whom could play a crucial role not next year, but the year after. Guys like Julien Lewis of Texas, LJ Rose of Baylor, and even Trae Golden of Tennessee. So while we are missing out on players, there are still plenty more available.

Roll Terps