Terps lose to #4 Pitt; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Maryland's Head Coach Gary Williams has often said he believes teams can learn more from winning, than from a loss. While I believe Williams is correct, I think there was plenty learned about the Terrapins in their 79-70 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers tonight. 

We will address the foul-shooting and the missed opportunity below, but the most important takeaway is that this Maryland team showed an ability to play right with a very experienced and quality team on a neutral-court. 

The Good: 

1) Pittsburgh ended the first-half on a 5-0 run, and with 17:33 left in the 2nd-half Coach Williams was already using his 2nd timeout. Down 42-29 at that point, I'm sure many Maryland fans expected Pittsburgh to run away and hide. The fact that the Terps were able to get back into the game bodes very well for the rest of the year. 

2) The turnovers for Maryland have decreased in every-game. The Terps were playing a strong defensive team tonight at Madison Square Garden on National TV, and had just 10 turnovers according to Yahoo.

3) Cliff Tucker had an excellent game tonight, finishing with 17 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards. He made several quality passes that caught the attention of ESPN Commentator Bobby Knight. At times he looked like the most athletic player on the floor. 

4) Stoglin had a couple of questionable decisions/shot-attempts, but tonight was a good indication that nothing is going to phase him. He clearly was not intimidated by the surroundings, and that is impressive. His 9 points off the bench was needed.

5) Bowie had 4 turnovers, but there were things to like as well. He played solid defense on the Pitt guards. He pulled the ball out several-times, and tried to run the offense. He got to the rim enough to help. 9 points, 4 assists, 3 boards, 2 steals is good production for Bowie. 

6) His shot was not falling, but Mosley was far more aggressive tonight than he had been in the previous two games. 7 points is not enough from him, but he was looking for his shot more. Knight pointed out Mosley's hustle, cutting, and decision to pass after a missed shot. 

7) Pittsburgh has veterans everywhere, and is typically very sure with the ball. Due to tempo, Maryland helped force 15 turnovers from the Panthers. 

8) Jordan Williams was dealing with his own foul-trouble and multiple defensive looks from Pitt. He still finished with 14 points (6 for 9 shooting) and 9 boards. 

9) Gregory had a couple of nice jumpers, a huge slam, and 4 blocks. 

The Bad: 

1) Maryland was dominated on the boards, losing 43-23. You can partially attribute that to the time Williams spent on the bench, but the bigger issue was the 2 boards from Gregory in 35 minutes. Weijs had a nice dunk, and it was good to see him get a few minutes. However, he was easily out muscled and let-up several easy baskets. We understand Weijs does not have a lot of strength, but he needs to get his hands-up and being the shot-blocking presence he is capable of.  Padgett was moving well, but he was again not working the boards and that has to be his roll with this team. 

1a) Pankey missed his Senior season of HS, and is likely just as raw offensively as Padgett. He is strong and athletic though and I would like to see him get a chance to help Maryland defensively when they face physically bigger teams. 

1b) Palsson looks capable of helping the MD rotation, but I did not like him as an undersized 4 against that front-line of Pitt. I would just assume push Mosley up to the 4, and bring Parker's athleticism off the bench when you want to go small. 

The Ugly: 

1) There is no getting around the foul-shooting tonight. For the 2nd time in 4 games it was horrible, and tonight it cost MD the game. The Terps were 14 for 30 from the line, with Padgett 0 for 5, and Williams 2 for 7.  Williams is going to continue to go to the line, and simply has to improve. 

Up-Next: 

Maryland will face the loser of the Texas vs. Illinois game tomorrow night. Both teams are talented, and getting a victory would be an achievement for the Terps. I think Maryland is going to win enough games within ACC play that they are not sweating things out on Selection Sunday. Adding a neutral-court victory over either a Big 12 or Big 10 team would help. 

If the Terps lose tomorrow, they will have 3 significant Out-of-Conference games remaining. At Penn State (Big 10), vs. Temple (A-10) at the Verizon Center, and against Villanova (Big East) in Philadelphia. A victory for Maryland tomorrow would take some pressure off of their shoulders before those other O.O.C games.