IN-GAME BLOG: Maryland at Georgia Tech
I am blogging LIVE from Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta, where Maryland is playing Georgia Tech:
11:56 a.m.
All of the coaches are wearing sneakers this afternoon in support of Coaches vs. Cancer. In addition to giving a boost to a good cause, it also makes things infinitely more comfortable for Maryland's Gary Williams. I don't know that, but given how much time he spends hunched over on the balls of his feet during a game, sneakers have to be a much preferred choice of attire.
12:07 p.m.
Well, the lids are finally off the peach baskets. Maryland up 7-0, and Georgia Tech burns off a timeout.
Matt Causey is already in for the Yellow Jackets, who are 0-for-the first three minutes.
12:11 p.m.
Discourse friend Bill OB checks in with this comment on the first five minutes: "When did Boom turn into Mark Price?! And Shaq?!"
Indeed, Bambale Osby is 20-for-24 over the last five games at the foul line, and has made his first three at the line day. Gary said recently Osby has slowed down his approach at the line, and it's obviously made a difference. He came into today making 65.8 percent, a number clearly on the rise.
Maryland up 14-4 at the under-16.
12:21 p.m.
Maryland up 22-16 at the under-12, and the lead had expanded to 11 at one point.
The most amazing part for the Terps: Greivis Vasquez and James Gist have two points combined, and both came at the foul line.
12:34 p.m.
Life isn't all that great these days for Braxton Dupree.
The freshman big man's minutes have diminished as the season has progressed, and he just received a tongue-lashing from Gary after not hearing instruction to go into the game.
Jeremis Smith is back in for Georgia Tech, even with two fouls. The Jackets need something from their interior players, most of whom are long on athleticism and short on, well, polished skills.
12:43 p.m.
It's been a little bit of everybody so far.
There's been a stretch of Osby dominance. A few slick Eric Hayes-to-James Gist passes. Landon Milbourne had a little burst. And Cliff Tucker has had a couple baskets as Maryland maintains a 44-34 lead.
One reader just asked how this team lost to American. Another wondered if this was a product of Maryland being good and Georgia Tech being bad.
The reality is, Maryland has a sound starting five, probably better than everyone in the ACC not located on US 15-501 in the 919 area code. When supporting players like Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dave Neal play reasonably well, it isn't impossible to see a strong finishing stretch.
12:53 p.m.
Just had the day's moment of unintentional comedy right before half.
Osby launched a shot from 80 feet or so away. Except it wasn't so much a shot as it was a line drive. And it left 1.5 seconds left for Tech's Matt Causey to nearly hit a 50-footer of his own.
Osby's "who, me?" expression was priceless. If Maryland holds on to its 50-41 lead, I'll make it a point to ask him about it after the game.
12:55 p.m.
Speaking of Osby, a lot of money could have been made by betting someone he would one day score 16 points in a half of an ACC game. And that bet might have still been a possibility a few months ago.
Maryland's funneled it inside, and dealt Jeremis Smith, Gani Lawal and Zack Peacock two fouls in the first half. Peacock, to his credit, is now a much better player than the unskilled enforcer I remember from last season.
Maryland shot 64.3 percent from the floor, and had 32 points in the paint (and also a dozen turnovers). The first number will probably decrease simply because most teams don't shoot at that rate for a full game. But if the Terps continue to punch it into the paint, Georgia Tech doesn't have much of a chance of coming back.
1:21 p.m.
It didn't take too long for the Jackets to make a game of this. Tech yielded a three-point play, but has since gone on a 14-4 run to pull within two (with a Moe Miller free throw pending after the under-16 timeout).
It isn't like Maryland to make it easy for itself, so this isn't too much of a surprise. But it's starting to feel a bit like Sunday's loss to Duke, when the Terps mentally loitered in the locker room for five minutes. By the time they showed back up on the floor, their nine-point halftime lead was gone and was never to return.
1:39 p.m.
There's no chance Maryland could have survived with Greivis Vasquez and any four reserves on the floor at the same time six weeks ago.
In 100 seconds in the stretch leading into the under-8 timeout, that group extended the Terps' lead from six to 10.
True, Vasquez scored all four points in that stretch, but that's a very meaningful stretch nonetheless.
The Yellow Jackets were within 65-63 with 12:11 left. They have one free throw in the last four minutes and change, and the Terps have pushed their lead back to 74-64.
--- Patrick Stevens
