Maryland at Virginia, 6 p.m. ESPNU
Both the Wahoos and Terrapins face must-win situations today in Charlottesville. There are lots of analysts out there saying different things about the NCAA tournament and the bubble, but in my opinion, Maryland probably needs a win today and at least an appearance in the ACC tourney final to get a bid. Virginia probably needs to win today and beat N.C. State in the ACC quarterfinals (in other words, make an appearance in the semifinals) to feel good. Some fans seem to think Virginia could make it by winning today and putting up a good fight vs. N.C. State but I think that is shaky territory.
Let me back up a bit. The Wolfpack lost to Florida State on Saturday, meaning they finish 11-7 in the ACC. The Cavs are 10-7 and a win vs. the Terps would make them 11-7 and they would finish fourth in the regular season standings because they would win the tiebreaker over the Wolfpack by virtue of beating them in the teams' only meeting. Then, in the ACC quarterfinals next Friday, the 'Hoos would presumably play N.C. State (assuming the Pack wins the No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed matchup in the first round).
Prognosticators and fans are looking ahead to the ACC/NCAA tourneys, but the team better not. All this jibber jabber means nothing if the Wahoos don't win against Maryland, which is 20-10 and 8-9 in the ACC. A loss in this one pretty much sinks the ship barring a run to the ACC title game and even then, a win in the championship might be the only thing that seals a bid. A win or loss for Maryland doesn't matter ACC-wise, it is locked as the No. 7 seed in the ACC tourney and will face the No. 10 seed Thursday.
Virginia downed Maryland in College Park in the first meeting of the year in early February -- one of only two ACC road wins, the other being Va. Tech -- quite handily, 80-69. Four Cavs scored in double figures as UVa reached the 80-point mark for just the fifth time this season. Joe Harris led all scorers with 22 points while Justin Anderson had 17 in a homecoming of sorts for him, Akil Mitchell added 13 and Paul Jesperson posted 12.
The 'Hoos are 17-1 at home this season and I'm sure they are looking forward to being back in John Paul Jones Arena after two gut-wrenching losses to Boston College and Florida State away from Central Virginia. A basket here and there in both games, I really think Virginia would be playing for seeding at this point (in the Big Dance and ACC tourney, as they would have a chance to reach the No. 3 seed since UNC lost to Duke on Saturday). As it is, though, Virginia is in a tough spot and must come up with a win, and an impressive win at that it can show off to the committee.
Maryland has gone 3-3 since losing to Virginia. It followed up the loss with a huge home victory over Duke, then lost to BC, then beat Clemson, then fell to Ga. Tech, then defeated Wake Forest, then lost to North Carolina. The Terrapins' have been unable to follow up the Duke win, much like the Cavs. If either team had won another couple games somewhere, both could be solidly in the NCAA tournament.
Sophomores Dez Wells (a transfer from Xavier) and Alex Len lead the Terps in scoring, putting up 12.2 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Wells also grabs 4.9 rebounds per game while Len nabs 8.1 per game. Sophomore Nick Faust (8.7), freshman Seth Allen (7.4), and senior Logan Aronhalt (6.2, transfer from Albany) are the other players that score at least six points per game. Aronhalt leads the team in 3-point shooting at 45.5 percent, but he only plays about 14 minutes per game.
Maryland was No. 1 in rebounding when it played Virginia in College Park and the Cavs ended up being the first team all season to outrebound the Terrapins. They have slipped to No. 3 in the nation in that category. Maryland does not do anything else spectacularly well, but it does have a good defensive field goal percentage and a lot of assists. It turns the ball over a lot, though.
Virginia scored 80 points on Maryland in the last meeting and shot 54.2 percent from the field, making 11 3-pointers. As I also mentioned, the Cavs outrebounded the Terps, a rarity for any team this year. I would like to think UVa has the edge at home after already beating Maryland on the road by double digits but it will be interesting to see how much fight the Terps put up and if they play a more physical style after getting handled quite easily at their home by the Wahoos. The 'Hoos have looked deflated the last pair of games after beating Duke in Charlottesville last Thursday. Hopefully that was just a Duke hangover and the team is rejuventated to get back home.
It almost feels as if Virginia is due a loss at home. Hopefully it can flip the switch one more time at John Paul Jones Arena, though, because the Cavs really need this one if they want to at least go pick out some dancing shoes, just in case.
Both the Wahoos and Terrapins face must-win situations today in Charlottesville. There are lots of analysts out there saying different things about the NCAA tournament and the bubble, but in my opinion, Maryland probably needs a win today and at least an appearance in the ACC tourney final to get a bid. Virginia probably needs to win today and beat N.C. State in the ACC quarterfinals (in other words, make an appearance in the semifinals) to feel good. Some fans seem to think Virginia could make it by winning today and putting up a good fight vs. N.C. State but I think that is shaky territory.
Let me back up a bit. The Wolfpack lost to Florida State on Saturday, meaning they finish 11-7 in the ACC. The Cavs are 10-7 and a win vs. the Terps would make them 11-7 and they would finish fourth in the regular season standings because they would win the tiebreaker over the Wolfpack by virtue of beating them in the teams' only meeting. Then, in the ACC quarterfinals next Friday, the 'Hoos would presumably play N.C. State (assuming the Pack wins the No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed matchup in the first round).
Prognosticators and fans are looking ahead to the ACC/NCAA tourneys, but the team better not. All this jibber jabber means nothing if the Wahoos don't win against Maryland, which is 20-10 and 8-9 in the ACC. A loss in this one pretty much sinks the ship barring a run to the ACC title game and even then, a win in the championship might be the only thing that seals a bid. A win or loss for Maryland doesn't matter ACC-wise, it is locked as the No. 7 seed in the ACC tourney and will face the No. 10 seed Thursday.
Virginia downed Maryland in College Park in the first meeting of the year in early February -- one of only two ACC road wins, the other being Va. Tech -- quite handily, 80-69. Four Cavs scored in double figures as UVa reached the 80-point mark for just the fifth time this season. Joe Harris led all scorers with 22 points while Justin Anderson had 17 in a homecoming of sorts for him, Akil Mitchell added 13 and Paul Jesperson posted 12.
The 'Hoos are 17-1 at home this season and I'm sure they are looking forward to being back in John Paul Jones Arena after two gut-wrenching losses to Boston College and Florida State away from Central Virginia. A basket here and there in both games, I really think Virginia would be playing for seeding at this point (in the Big Dance and ACC tourney, as they would have a chance to reach the No. 3 seed since UNC lost to Duke on Saturday). As it is, though, Virginia is in a tough spot and must come up with a win, and an impressive win at that it can show off to the committee.
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| Dez Wells |
Sophomores Dez Wells (a transfer from Xavier) and Alex Len lead the Terps in scoring, putting up 12.2 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Wells also grabs 4.9 rebounds per game while Len nabs 8.1 per game. Sophomore Nick Faust (8.7), freshman Seth Allen (7.4), and senior Logan Aronhalt (6.2, transfer from Albany) are the other players that score at least six points per game. Aronhalt leads the team in 3-point shooting at 45.5 percent, but he only plays about 14 minutes per game.
Maryland was No. 1 in rebounding when it played Virginia in College Park and the Cavs ended up being the first team all season to outrebound the Terrapins. They have slipped to No. 3 in the nation in that category. Maryland does not do anything else spectacularly well, but it does have a good defensive field goal percentage and a lot of assists. It turns the ball over a lot, though.
Virginia scored 80 points on Maryland in the last meeting and shot 54.2 percent from the field, making 11 3-pointers. As I also mentioned, the Cavs outrebounded the Terps, a rarity for any team this year. I would like to think UVa has the edge at home after already beating Maryland on the road by double digits but it will be interesting to see how much fight the Terps put up and if they play a more physical style after getting handled quite easily at their home by the Wahoos. The 'Hoos have looked deflated the last pair of games after beating Duke in Charlottesville last Thursday. Hopefully that was just a Duke hangover and the team is rejuventated to get back home.
It almost feels as if Virginia is due a loss at home. Hopefully it can flip the switch one more time at John Paul Jones Arena, though, because the Cavs really need this one if they want to at least go pick out some dancing shoes, just in case.
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