Observations and trends stemming from yesterday's Maryland-Virginia Tech game:

* Maryland really hasn't specialized in come-from-ahead losses, but the Terps absorbed one of those yesterday. Unlike some of the season's more disappointing performances, Maryland played well early and then tried to hold on for dear life. Excuse me if I'm tired of covering that storyline; its synonym is "2007 Maryland football."

It wasn't as ugly a loss as some in the past (Ohio, American), but it could be just as costly. At 10-7, the Terps cannot afford to leave any victories on the table; they did so by yielding the final six points yesterday.

* Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg probably said the word "process" about a half-dozen times when I talked to him Friday. And certainly, the Hokies' season will be a process that has a few bumpy moments. But they will be a nasty team to play at Cassell Coliseum, and freshmen like Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen will continue to get better.

Tech barely knocked off a depleted Maryland team at home, so there's obviously plenty of room for growth. Still, there's a sound plan in place.

* Maryland guard Adrian Bowie was sporting a stitched-up cut on his face in the locker room after wearing a bandage throughout the game. Bowie, a freshman who turned in his best game of his short career yesterday, was the victim of a Greivis Vasquez elbow in practice.

* Speaking of Vasquez, his shot in the final seconds wasn't all that great. But the bigger issue is that everyone in the building knew he would take it.

I got this IM from my old college friend Bill OB during the timeout to set up the play: "Live by the Greivy, die by the Greivy?" It really wasn't a question; it was an understanding of what was going to come next.

Vasquez had an off day (2-for-14), without question. But what really happened is he looked like the guy who was tasked with running the offense, looking for his own shot and stuck defending a decent player at the other end. Why is that familiar? Because it happened earlier this season when Eric Hayes was playing the two.

Hayes was out yesterday, so there wasn't a chance to mix things up. Vasquez is the better point guard, but not when scoring and defense remain priorities for him. The loss was a fine exhibit of the trickle-down effect of Hayes' injury, even though Bowie played very well.

* Another freshman worth mentioning is Shane Walker, who scored his first points since Nov. 23. Walker banked in a free throw and also hit a jumper to give Maryland a lift in the middle of the second half and provide a chance for James Gist and Bambale Osby to rest.

* If Maryland had won, plenty of attention would have been paid to Osby's active game. He had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and despite fumbling a few boards out of bounds, just about maximized what he could have done.

The Terps couldn't have dreamed Osby would be collecting a double-double in an ACC game when he signed with Maryland in April 2006. This season has not gone as well as Maryland would have expected, and Osby has disappeared a couple times. But on a whole, he's arguably the least culpable player for the Terps' troubles.

--- Patrick Stevens