Korie Lucious

To use Grevis' quote from all post-game interviews this season, "words cannot express the feeling" all MD fans had in the six-seconds between his clutch floater to go up by one and the gut wrenching Lucious buzzer beater.

Vasquez had just put MD ahead by one with 35-seconds left on a difficult leaner. He definitely saved his best for last.

Michigan State's shooting stats: 55% FG; 56% 3PFG.
MD's shooting stats: 44% FG; 47% 3PFG.

MD was outrebounded 42 - 24.

Despite those numbers, there was never a moment where you felt that MD wasn't going to come back and win it - even when they were down 72 - 57 with seven minutes left.

I suspect MD will finish #20 to #22 in the final poll. Looking back on it, that is right where expectations were at the beginning of the season. It was a wild ride from the time they lost to William and Mary through today.

Here is my updated top eleven worst loss list.

1. Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook, 24SEP94.
2. Korie Lucious buzzer-beater, 21MAR10.
3. Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32, 01SEP07.
4. Jason Williams erases a 10-point MD lead with 53 seconds left, 27JAN01.
5. Raiders 38 Skins 9, Super Bowl XVIII, 22JAN84.
6. Duke erases MD's 39-17 lead in the Final Four, 31MAR01.
7. OSU 42 Michigan 39, 18NOV06.
8. Webber time-out, 05APR93.
9. Staubach to Tony Hill to keep the Skins home for the holidays, 16DEC79.
10. Indiana 99 MD 64 - last game for King and Buck, 14MAR81.
11. Miami 31 Michigan 30 - after leading 30 - 14 with 5:40 remaining - 106K fans walked out in absolute silence, 17SEP88 (thanks Kevin for adding that one).

Odds on Stewart to Westbrook moving out of the top spot in my lifetime: 1,000,000 to 1.

All-Time top five Terps:
1. Bias
2. Dixon
3. Smith
4. Lucas
5. McMillan

Vasquez goes into the sixth slot.

This is the best opening two-rounds of the NCAA tournament in recent memory. Jimmer Fredette is my new favorite player. Omar Samhan is a close second.

Next year's team will be pre-season #3 or #4 in the ACC. Predicted minute distribution:

- Stoglin (25)
- Bowie (30)
- Tucker (25)
- Mosley (25)
- Williams (30)

- Gregory (25)
- Padgett (20)
- Mychal Parker (20)

Hayes ends his career as the best outside shooter not named Juan Dixon in the GW era. Milbourne finished the season strongly.

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13035

Glad I Didn't Fly Back

Damn.

Vasquez had a very bad game. Bad to the point of making you say WTF at least four times. Big time forces - especially on the second to last shot (choosing a step-back, off balance three - airball; over a pass to an open Hayes). Vasquez had a little Kelly Leak in him tonight. 2 for 11 from distance.

Silver lining: Milbourne snapped out of his funk. 15 points, 6 boards, and 5 steals. That, along with the extended rest, could bode well for next week.

Unbelievable to lose a game when you have a +13 in turn-overs (25 - 12). If it was a football game, they would have flashed a stat after the first seven minutes in the second-half stating that GT hasn't advanced the ball past midfield yet. I have never seen a half-court game break-out for such an extended period of time.

Mosley (0 for 7 tonight) would do very well in a 6'5 and under league. Come to think of it, he already did very well in that environment in high school. Great defender. He will learn to pick his spots and use his mid-range game. Tonight, he seemed intent on taking it to the rack and getting denied at the rim.

The best thing about the Jordan Williams vs Derick Favors battle tonight was that we know we get three more years from Williams (who will turn into a 15 and 9 guy next year) and Favors will be playing for Golden State in November.

GT has first-round NCAA exit written all over them.

Overall, the defensive intensity was very solid. Vasquez is at his best when he is driving and either dishing inside, shooting the bank shot runner, or kicking out to Hayes or Tucker. He is at his worst when he falls in love with his three. Tonight was one of those nights.

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On a side note, here was the voting for the ACC rookie of the year:

Derrick Favors, Ga Tech 45
Jordan Williams, Maryland 6
Durand Scott, Miami 1
Glen Rice Jr., Ga Tech 1

OK. A few possibilities regarding the Glen Rice Jr. vote.

a. Someone in the media is an idiot, glanced at the ballot, saw GT next to his name, and assumed that he was the guy everyone is talking about.
b. One of the voters saw only one GT game all year (Clemson on 02MAR); Rice went for 17 and 8. He averaged 5 and 1 for the season.
c. Glen Rice Sr. has joined the media.

My guess is c.

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12952

Regular Season Wrap-Up

Havoline Motor Oil has the best synthetic 10W/30 on the market. Not up for debate.

RPI: 17

Projected Seed Scenarios:
--> 23 - 8 (first-round ACC loss): 7 seed
--> 24 - 8 (second-round ACC loss): 6 seed
--> 25 - 8 (championship ACC loss): 4 seed
--> 26 - 7 (ACC Tournament Champs): 3 seed

Entering ACC play, expectations were basically just make the tournament. Now, everything has been slotted up; the final words on the season will be:

- First round NCAA loss: Huge disappointment
- Second round NCAA loss: Disappointing season
- Sweet Sixteen loss: This is the expectation; anything beyond is house money.
- Elite Eight loss: Great season.
- Final Four Appearance: Start campaigning for Gary Williams to be elected into the Hall of Fame immediately. Vasquez will be a top five player in the history of the program.

I can't see any possibility of winning a Final Four game. However, I can see a Final Four appearance as a viable outcome (albeit small; 3% likelihood).

There is no way Vasquez doesn't get ACC POY after the events of the past five days. Clutch sequence when the UVA game was getting out of control - Vasquez nailed three consecutive three-pointers to keep MD in the game until the Tony Bennett meltdown. Speaking of which, I agreed with his first complaint (ref never should have called a travel when there was no advantage gained given the game situation). However, his second complaint (which set off Mount Bennett), was a clear block. Nice way to take the game away from your seniors.

Just checked the two preeminent mock NBA draft sites:

DraftExpress.com: Vasquez is not projected among the top 60 (undrafted status).
NBADraft.net: They have Vasquez going #29 in round 1 to Memphis.

I am not sure why Milbourne is still listed on NBADraft.net at #51. They must not have watched the past six games (33% FG, 6 ppg, 4 rpg). He is completely lost mentally. Zero confidence in what once was perhaps the best mid-range game in the ACC. When he is not taking the fifteen-foot jumper, it is debatable if MD is better off with him seeing reduced minutes (if they can afford to go with a smaller line-up; which will not be the case against GT on Friday night).

It is a tribute to Roy Williams that it is a foregone conclusion that UNC will get hammered on Thursday night. It is tough to find a poorer performance by a more highly rated collection of players coming out of high school. They have been "coached down".

It is time to give Bowie more minutes; lots more. He seems to have found his game and is a huge upgrade defensively whenever he is on the court.

Gary Williams will win ACC coach of the year. Only debate is who will finish second.

I am not sure why people are mentioning Jordan Williams as ACC rookie of the year. Favors should be the unanimous selection.

Here are the ACC players in the mock drafts (with overall selection projections; DraftExpress first; then NBADraft.net):

- Favors - GT (3 | 6)
- Aminu - WF (5 | 8)
- Davis - UNC (7 | not listed)
- Alabi - FSU (16 | 26)
- Lawal - GT (30 | 17)
- Singler - Duke (34)
- Booker - Clem (39 | 35)
- Thompson - UNC (48 | 58)
- Collins - Mia (58 | 33)
- Scheyer - Duke (59 | not listed)
- Vasquez (not listed | 29)
- Milbourne (not listed | 51)

Hold on. The fact that Scheyer is included on the DraftExpress list is a clear indication that the author is a Duke grad. There is no freakin' way Scheyer gets selected in June. That explains the omission of Vasquez.

I still have Vasquez's odds at being in an NBA uniform all next year at 85%.

I highly recommend Bill Simmons' Book on Basketball - absolute must read. In his 1974 season review, he wrote about Moses Malone and brought up his 1974 decision to change his mind on Maryland and go to the ABA. Imagine Malone playing with Lucas, Davis, Gibson, Boston, Sheppard, etc. Imagine Malone playing with any four guys on a college level as a senior. A final four appearance would have been a lock. Worst turn of events to happen to Lefty prior to 1986.

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12863

Vasquez - ACC POY

RPI: 25
Record against Top 50 RPI: 4 - 3
Bad losses: William and Mary (60) and Cincy (58)
Seeding possibilities:
- 26 - 7 (win out); 2 seed
- 25 - 8; 3 seed
- 24 - 9; 4 seed
- 23 - 9; 5 seed
- 22 - 9; 7 seed (worst-case scenario)

Albert King (1980)
Len Bias (1985)
Len Bias (1986)
Joe Smith (1995)
Juan Dixon (2002)
Grevis Vasquez (2010)

POY is a lock barring a total meltdown in the final two games.

Here is the first team all ACC (conference game stats) projection:

- Vasquez (22 ppg, 6.9 apg, 44% FG, 83% FT, 40% 3PFG, 2.0 assist to TO ratio)
- Scheyer (19 ppg, 4.6 apg, 39% FG, 85% FT, 38% 3PFG, 2.0 spg, 2.1 ratio)
- Singler (18 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 41% FG, 42% 3PFG)
- Delaney (22 ppg, 4.8 apg, 84% FT, 1.5 spg, 1.4 ratio)
- Aminu (16 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 44% FG, 1.6 spg, 1.7 bpg)

Second team:

- Booker (16 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 52% FG, 1.8 bpg)
- Landesberg (18 ppg, 44% FG, 87% FT)
- Nolan Smith (17 ppg, 43% FG, 81% FT)
- Favors (11 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg)
- Alabi (11 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.0 bpg)

MD has put together impressive team stats:

- First in scoring (78; Duke is next at 73)
- First in FG% (46.3; GT is next at 43.8)
- First in 3PFG (42.5; GT is next at 38.4)
- First in APG (16.8; BC is next at 13.6)
- First in assist to TO ratio (1.4; UVA is next at 1.1)
- Second in FG% defense (39.7; WF is first at 39.5)
- Second in scoring margin (7.6)
- Fourth in FT (73%)
- Fifth in 3PFG defense (30.6; Duke is first at 23.5)

The most surprising stat is the 3PFG percentage. At the start of the season, I would have bet big money that MD would end up considerably south of 40%.

Duke is on a 9 game winning streak in conference. MD has five wins in a row. The key stat tomorrow night will be MD's ability to handle the Duke pressure and deal with the officiating. ACC refs have a Duke bias. Not up for debate. It is a fact.

GW needs to have Gregory and Williams on the court together for extended minutes. One thing we learned 2.5 weeks ago; Milbourne cannot guard Zoubek (who is this year's ACC version of Dave Neal; most improved player).

MD 74
Duke 69

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The Milbourne family would like to send their appreciation to Cory Alexander for giving Mosley the blame for the inbounds pass at the end of regulation on Saturday.

I am guessing that Tim Brandt would like to point out that Vasquez's 41 points against VT were the most he has scored since he had 16 against Miami on January 26.

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