I am blogging LIVE from Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va....

1:59 p.m.

As mentioned earlier, guard Eric Hayes won't be playing today with his sprained left ankle. Cassell Coliseum has filled up rather nicely; classes start on Monday, and a bunch of students have made it back.

On the Raycom broadcast is former North Carolina player Jason Capel. I officially feel old; a guy whose college career was concurrent with mine has earned an analyst gig.

2:14 p.m.

I'm pretty sure Virginia Tech fans are not fond of Greivis Vasquez.

The Venezuelan guard has received the brunt of the Cassell crowd's attention in the early going. They've been distracted by other things, too, like Maryland having some shots blocked and getting bad looks because of the activity of Jeff Allen, Deron Washington and Chieck Diakite inside.

And although I wrote about this for today's print edition, it really is worth seeing Allen run up and down the floor. It really is a sight.

2:21 p.m.

Maryland just burned its first timeout, down 13-5. That's five points for James Gist and none for everyone else nearly six minutes in. Gary is already irate, and he has every reason in the world to be. Maryland is 1-for-9 from the floor with four ... make that five turnovers.

2:26 p.m.

It's now 1-for-10 for the Terps, who were nearly posterized by human pogo-stick Deron Washington a few moments ago. The fact he missed might be the best thing that's happened all day.

Maryland hasn't scored in 4:34, and is looking like it doesn't belong on the same floor as the Hokies. Vasquez just got a classic frustration foul, earning a charge to head into the under-12 timeout down 15-5.

Allen (eight points) has taken a seat. Tech coach Seth Greenberg told me yesterday one of the few things holding Allen back is foul trouble; the Terps haven't forced him into a situation where he might foul yet.

2:36 p.m.

As if on cue, the Terps have regrouped. Maryland rattled off a 13-0 run to briefly take a lead, and it was no coincidence Virginia Tech has struggled without Allen. Even as a freshman, he's the best player on the floor, and it's clear whatever success the Hokies will have in the long term this season will be predicated on his ability to stay on the court.

With the rotation watch, Maryland has used eight players by the under-8 timeout. Braxton Dupree and Adrian Bowie were the first off the bench, and Dave Neal just checked in a moment ago.

Hokies lead 21-20 after a five-second call on Vasquez delighted the crowd and sent the game into a TV break.

2:46 p.m.

Ah, reader input. Bill OB checks in from the D.C. area to say "Boom is playing pretty well." And indeed, Osby has looked good with five points in 13 minutes.

More impressive is the six rebounds; the Terps have a 20-11 edge on the glass, and as a result have a 27-23 lead to their credit at the under-4 timeout of the first half.

2:55 p.m.

OK, we've just reach halftime in Blacksburg, and three inflatable characters named Shaquille O'Seal, Dennis Frogman and Whale Gretzky have just started dancing to Guns & Roses "Welcome to the Jungle." And somehow, halftime entertainment has reached a new low.

2:58 p.m.

Terps up 33-27, and more reader IMs: "Who did Adrian Bowie switch unis with?" asks one fan. Bowie has six points, two assists and two turnovers in 11 minutes, which is more than serviceable for what the Terps need at this point.

The rebounding edge is 23-14, which is exceptionally glaring for the Hokies. Maryland closed out the half on a 28-12 run, and they did it even though Greivis Vasquez has yet to make a shot from the floor.

Something that should be a boost to the Hokies is the return of A.D. Vassallo, their leading scorer. Vassallo played only six minutes and had two points before picking up his second foul. That foul came when Landon Milbourne finally snapped the Terps' scoring drought.

So quick recap: VT has a 15-7 scoring edge with Vassallo; Maryland has a 26-12 edge without him on the court.

3:09 p.m.

Starters back to begin the second half for both teams.

3:18 p.m.

Sure enough, Vassallo hit a 3-pointer to pull Tech within a point early in the second half. Maryland has it back to 39-37, though Gary just called a timeout after the Terps struggled to get it across halfcourt in time.

Amazingly, Maryland's turnover problems vanished almost instantaneously. The Terps had eight in the first 12 minutes; that's been cut in half in a nearly identical span since then.

3:21 p.m.

No, the Zooperstars aren't gone. In case you wondered what the minor-league ballpark staples did in the offseason, they hang out in Blacksburg. We just got a look at Mackerel Jordan during that timeout.

3:33 p.m.

Remember that rebounding advantage for Maryland? Here's guessing that might have been a point of emphasis at halftime from Seth Greenberg.

The Hokies have nearly doubled their rebounding total in less than nine minutes, and have mauled Maryland 12-5 on the glass since the break. In a related note, the Terps are clinging to a 45-43 lead.

Ugly shooting lines from an ugly game: Vasquez (0-for-7) and Deron Washington (1-for-7). That, friends, is below average.

Shane Walker, meanwhile, just made a couple free throws, his first points since Nov. 23. The Terps have four freshmen on the floor coming out of the under-12.

3:53 p.m.

Virginia Tech's second half rebounding edge: 23-9.

James Gist has four fouls.

Vasquez is 0-for-10.

It's hard to say what the 59-59 tie with 3:20 means for Maryland. The Terps have not played well in the second half. Obviously, the Hokies haven't been much better.

Is this a preview of the 8-9 game in the ACC tournament? There isn't much reason to discount the possibility.

3:59 p.m.

Vasquez is alive. He's made two baskets since the under-4 timeout (a 77-second stretch among the most entertaining of the day) as the Terps take a 65-61 lead.

Gary called a timeout, and coming out of it Washington missed a free throw and forfeited the other on a lane violation.

4:10 p.m.

Final observation No. 1: These teams were very evenly matched. The final score --- a 67-66 victory for Virginia Tech --- reflects that.

Final observation No. 2: That doesn't mean either is all that great.

More in tomorrow's paper on this sucker.

--- Patrick Stevens