Welcome to the Big Ten

Tough way to end the season and exit the ACC.   Can't remember the last time I saw a game end on a dunk off a half-court set.  It might be all the way back to Lorenzo Charles in the 1983 National Title Game.  Horrendous defense on that last play.

The officials gave FSU six points.  MD lost by two.

The Dez Wells dunk was an instant ten-time replay for the four of us watching on DVR tonight.  Got better with each replay.

17 wins and 15 losses.  22 and 10 was the expectation with the talent on this roster.  Significantly underachieved.  Look at the Rivals National Rankings:

48th (2011) - Faust
48th (2013) - Peters
53rd (2012) - Cleare
59th (2010) - Smotrycz
70th (2012) - Layman
76th (2011) - Wells
92nd (2012) - Mitchell

Four solid recruits for next year:

36th (2014) - Trimble (6'3)
49th (2014) - Wiley (6'4)
93rd (2014) - Nickens (6'6)
96th (2014) - Reed (7'1; 210 lbs)

Next year's team will be deep.  Very deep.  Fifth or Sixth in the Big 10.  Projected playing time distribution: 

32 Allen
32 Wells
28 Layman
25 Smotrycz
23 Faust
20 Mitchell
14 Trimble
10 Peters
8 Wiley
4 Cleare
2 Graham

I think we will see at least one transfer in the spring - Cleare seems like a likely candidate.  Would not be surprised if Faust decides to spend his senior year elsewhere after sitting out one year. 7 turnovers today. 

Allen and Wells had very solid seasons.  Wells would have been first-team All ACC if they only counted stats after halftime.

A few things to know about the Big Ten:

- No plans on changing the name to Big 14.  Tradition is more important than math.

- Most difficult arenas to get road wins:  MSU, Wisconsin, OSU, Michigan, IU, and Iowa.

- Also tough:  The barn in Minnesota.

- Nebraska is the most improved team in the league.  Miles has turned that program around quickly.

- Refs err on the side of not calling fouls.  Very physical league.

- "The Journey" will soon be on season-record on your DVR.

- Nobody really cares who wins the Big Ten tournament.  Much different than the tradition of the ACC tournament.

- ACC is a basketball first conference; Big Ten is a football first conference.

- You will soon form a strong dislike for Tom Izzo and Tom Crean.  It will take roughly five minutes of the first game against MSU or Indiana. 

- You will soon be amazed at what Bo Ryan does with the minimal talent he is able to recruit at Wisconsin.  Overachieves every year. 

Regardless of the 8-year contract - I can't see Turgeon in College Park in 2016 if MD doesn't make the tournament next year. 

MD - GT Comments

NCAA Tournament Likelihood:  3.7%
NIT Likelihood:  73%

Jake Layman Stats:  1 for 8 floor (including 0 for 6 from three). . . 1 board (hard not to walk into one when you play 26 minutes - second highest on the team to Wells' 33). . . Not much more to be said.  

Howard:  0 for 4 floor. . . zero points. . . 8 minutes of PT was 8 minutes too many.  

Len:  13 and 9. . .fouled out in 23 minutes.  No blocks.  Actually saw him take a shot not fading away from the basket.  

Faust:  Made 4 of 5 shots. . . had six turnovers because he played out of position at PG due to Turgeon's insistence on watching Layman play and launch ill-advised threes.  

GT had 22 assists on 26 FGs.  Crazy stat.  

OK.  Enough with the negativity.  Let's talk next year.  

Evan Smotrycz.  Remember that name.  He will be MD's best player next year.  6'9, 230, can fill it from three.  

Next year's staring line-up:

PG:  Allen / Peters sharing minutes
SG:  Faust
SF:  Wells
PF:  Smotrycz
C:  Cleare  

Mitchell will be the first off the bench.  
Layman will be the seventh man.  
Dodd will be next.   
Maybe Howard will re-discover his game.  

Odds on either Faust or Layman transferring:  50/50.