Road to the Dance: Maryland Terrapins Back on Track

The Maryland Terrapins have come a long way since early in the season and are playing the type of ball which should land them in the NCAA Tournament. 

Okay, so the Terps couldn’t knock off Duke at Cameron.  Nonetheless, without any of the Maryland starters having their best game, the Terps did well to hang in there and nearly come back from an early second-half 16 point deficit.

So, how did the Terps get where they are and where are they going from here?

The season so far has been a tale of two teams.  Early in the year, there were several problems.  With all of the newcomers, Greivis Vasquez certainly was feeling pressure to lead the team.  This was causing him to force and try to do too much.  James Gist was still adjusting to his role as the senior leader of the team.  Bambale Osby was still growing into where he would get his points on a regular basis and was struggling with catching the ball.  Combine this with Landon Milbourne seeing his first appreciable minutes on the college level, and you had a team going through some growing pains.  While the losses to UCLA and Missouri weren’t so bad, the three losses to mid-majors VCU, Ohio, and American were the real low point.  (Having said that though, it should be noted that all three of these mid-majors are having great years and have all at some point been picked to make the tournament from their respective conferences).

Suddenly things changed.

Vasquez and Gist both met with Coach Williams.  Gist told Williams he realized he wasn’t showing the leadership he needed to.  Williams told Vasquez he needed to trust him teammates more.  Both players changed their game.  Add to this that Osby has been a man possessed since December.  There aren’t any college basketball players who have the strength Osby has, and he’s finally decided to flex those muscles.  Any rebound that is near Osby, Osby is going to get….just get the heck out of his way or you’re going to get hurt.  Add to that a much improved low post offensive game, and the difference with Osby is night and day.  Milbourne, while not as consistent yet as he’s capable of, has been flashing signs of major improvement too, including 16 points in front of his home crowd at Georgia Tech.\