MD vs. Charleston 5 things to watch tonight

As Maryland prepares for their second game of the 2010-11 season tonight against Charleston, here are 5 things I will be looking for:

1) I want to see Bowie play his game and not attempt to be something he is not. He is going to get about 20 minutes a night, and he has to be productive during that playing time. He is not going to be productive trying to be a true distributing PG. He has to attack the rim in transition and look for his. If he does that regularly, defenses will collapse and he will be able to dish to open shooters. Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-point attempts to end last-year. Supposedly he was showing an improved stroke this Summer. I'd like to see him knock down a couple of shots tonight.

2) Consistency from Tucker. I have little doubt that Tucker will average between 10-12 points per game at a minimum this season. If he can consistently be closer to 15 a game, this is will be a very dangerous MD team. Williams and Mosley are going to get their points. A 3rd option that the Terps can rely on to score has to emerge, and Tucker represents the best option.

3) I expect Padgett will again be the first big off the bench tonight. It is important to see better defensive energy and rebounding from him.

4) In their first games as collegians, Stoglin had 13 points and Howard had 8 assists. What do they do for an encore? I plan on paying more attention to their defensive efforts.

5) The Terps are playing a team who have a Head Coach (Bobby Cremins) that is extremely familiar with Gary Williams and the ACC. Cremins team is expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament birth, and the Cougars coach believes he has 9 players capable of starting. This is the type of team that has been capable of sneaking up on the Terps in recent seasons. Part of the reason Maryland lost games to American, Morgan State, and William & Mary was that the athletic difference between those teams, and the Terps was fairly limited. Each of those teams would go on to post-season play and had solid guard play.

This Maryland team loses the savvy, and experience of Vasquez and Hayes - but is much stronger athletically in the back-court. Even if Maryland struggles in the 1/2 court, and with limiting turnovers; they should be able to create offense from defense and win handily tonight (12 to 15 point margin).

What I will really be looking for is the type of mindset the Terps come out with tonight. The Comcast Center figures to again be half-full, and provide a limited atmosphere. You want to see Maryland focused on taking control of the game early, and not allowing the Cougars to believe they can pull the upset. Maryland's turnovers are going to continue to be an issue for awhile, you just want to see some improvement from Monday.