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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Best Quote In a While: Cathal Kelly


On rare occasions, the way in which a game is played rises to the level of art.
Not here, of course. North America’s just-win philosophy in all athletic disciplines precludes developing a young talent for its own sake. We are the Spartans of sport, routinely celebrating mediocre players and bad eggs who manage to eke out ugly victories. - Cathal Kelly

The article continues on as to why Americans are considered sport snobs because we don't value talent as much as we value winning. It also highlight's Barcelona's style of play and looks ahead to their game versus Arsenal which is taking place... as I write this post!

 This is one of the first article's I've read and really appreciated in a long time. Go and read the rest of the article here

Friday, February 4, 2011

Opinion: Maryland Will Not Get Into NCAA Tournament

The University of Maryland men's basketball has had a terrible year. They've managed to beat terrible teams, but completely disappear when they play decent teams. Imagine my surprise when I read stories about how the Terps are sitting "squarely in the bubble" or how they'll squeak their way into the tournament if they win out the rest of their season. They are situated very far on the wrong side of the bubble and can't squeak their way to home win against Virginia Tech (who are considered a bubble team).

Maryland's Predicted Final Destination
Wake up to reality, people. The Terps are not even average: they are bad. Plain bad. Look at how they performed in their biggest home game of the season versus Duke on Wednesday... they didn't even show up. It was a nationally televised game and Maryland's players didn't even make a decent effort towards earning a respectable result. Maryland is a one man team and one man teams don't make it into the NCAA tournament; one man teams make it into the NIT. And this Terp team won't even make a decent run in the NIT. Prepare for major embarrassment.

So, stop saying how the Terps will make it into the field of 68. They won't.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pre-Maryland vs Duke

Inside the Comcast Center, home of the Terps
It's that time of year again when you start to see shirts with "Beat Duke"( or worse, "F*ck Duke)" being worn around campus. It's that time to spend 7+ hours being squished between two tall, drunk frat boys outside of the Comcast Center's student entrance.

The administration has taken a preventative approach to the game this year, sanctioning and supporting the "Beat Duke Week" initiative headed up by the Student Government Association (SGA) in an attempt to reduce rioting. You can see the site at BeatDukeWeek.com

Not only will there be a post-game bonfire, but 60 SGA members and about 40 regular students have been given tickets for special admission. They get in a special entrance at 5:00 and have had their seats reserved (plus they each get to save "one" seat for a friend with a regular ticket). These students and SGA members have pledge to not chant any profanities during the game and will therefore be strategically placed to sit near ESPN's microphones (aka strategically placed in the best seats in the house).

Duke is without Kyrie Irving, who they lost to a foot injury earlier this season. With Irving, the Blue Devils looked unstoppable; without him, this is a winnable game if three things happen:

1. Terps successfully defend the 3 point shot: The Blue Devils are traditionally a very efficient team from long range. They are very vulnerable when they are ineffecient from 3 point land as we saw when Duke went 1-13 from the arc in their loss against St. John's over the weekend. Maryland has had issues defending the 3 as we saw in their outing at Cameron Indoor, but if they can be successful at shutting Duke down or if Duke goes stone-cold from the 3 point arc, Maryland has a shot.

2. Duke has limited second-chance point opportunities: If Maryland forces Duke to take tough shots, the Terps have to rebound and convert Duke's misses to Maryland points. The Terps give away second chance points too often and have the losses to show for it.

3. Duke plays man-to-man defense: If Duke comes out playing the zone, I expect a long night for the Terps. It is no secret that Maryland struggles with their outside shooting and the zone forces them to take those long-range shots. The best example of this is the Virginia Tech game; the Hokies played a zone and, as a result, the Terps struggled offensively. Jordan Williams, the Terp's main offensive threat, all but disappeared from the game. If Duke plays man-to-man, Maryland will be able to run an offensive with which they are familiar and comfortable.

The game starts at 9pm and will be on ESPN.