6 replies to this topic

[SportsGuy]

http://m.espn.go.com... ... ngs-113012

This guy thinks so...Jay Williams, Bruce Pearl and Seth Greenberg think so.

I think so,...I believe Chris does too.

Do you guys think so? If not, who is #2 and where does MD rank?

[SBTarheel]

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=collegebasketballnation&id=68630&tag=power-rankings-113012

This guy thinks so...Jay Williams, Bruce Pearl and Seth Greenberg think so.

I think so,...I believe Chris does too.

Do you guys think so? If not, who is #2 and where does MD rank?

I'd still say NC State, but not by much..

Oh, Robbi Pickeral is a woman by the way.

[You Play to Win the Game]

By year's end, I have it like this:

Duke
NC State
UNC
Maryland

I am tempted to change my stance and have MD 2nd or 3rd, but am reluctant to do so because it's still early and I'm just not completely sold that this group will compete consistently enough to net a top 2 finish. That said, they are immensely talented, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they were to do just that.

Either way, I'm as excited as I've been in a long time for this season.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Before the season I said 24-7, 12-6 in the ACC, and Sweet 16.
I'll be very disappointed with anything less than that. That should be the expectation.

You've nailed it in recent posts. If Allen and Howard can combine to be an average ish ACC PG, and Faust and Wells can hit some shots (Aronhalt and Layman too against zones), this team is capable of doing real damage.

Grind it out 1/2 court games might be interesting, as MD is still not a great shooting team, and Howard/Allen have to show they can get the ball inside when needed. Still, the Terps are going to get so many 2nd chances on the boards, that will help a lot.

They are legitimately 10 deep. They might have the best big in the country. They've got two wings with an abundance of athletic skill. They can mix and match lineups in a variety of ways. There is a lot to like.

Still, a lot of the confidence is due to how Maryland played against Kentucky, and there are some reasons to think Kentucky might be a bit overrated at-least right now.

Duke is a step-ahead for me right now because of what they've already done on the court.
I think UNC, NCST, and MD should finish 2-4 in a TBD order. Miami, and FSU in the next tier.

[SportsGuy]

Before the season I said 24-7, 12-6 in the ACC, and Sweet 16.
I'll be very disappointed with anything less than that. That should be the expectation.

You've nailed it in recent posts. If Allen and Howard can combine to be an average ish ACC PG, and Faust and Wells can hit some shots (Aronhalt and Layman too against zones), this team is capable of doing real damage.

Grind it out 1/2 court games might be interesting, as MD is still not a great shooting team, and Howard/Allen have to show they can get the ball inside when needed. Still, the Terps are going to get so many 2nd chances on the boards, that will help a lot.

They are legitimately 10 deep. They might have the best big in the country. They've got two wings with an abundance of athletic skill. They can mix and match lineups in a variety of ways. There is a lot to like.

Still, a lot of the confidence is due to how Maryland played against Kentucky, and there are some reasons to think Kentucky might be a bit overrated at-least right now.

Duke is a step-ahead for me right now because of what they've already done on the court.
I think UNC, NCST, and MD should finish 2-4 in a TBD order. Miami, and FSU in the next tier.

Sweet 16 or better should be the expectation..I agree.


But if they went 10-8 in the ACC and still went 16 or later, would that 10-8 record bother you?

[BSLChrisStoner]

But if they went 10-8 in the ACC and still went 16 or later, would that 10-8 record bother you?

If they do well in March, it will be forgotten about, but generally I would be bothered if MD is anywhere around .500 in conference play.

MD needs to perform in the conference schedule (and ACCT) and get a seed which will best allow for success in the NCAAT.

Past that, winning in the NCAAT always comes down to 1 game scenarios. Winning the regular season title would be very satisfying, and should be plausible.

[BSLZackKiesel]

I hate making predictions for the ACC this early in the schedule, but I definitely agree that the Sweet 16 should be where this team can get. They're just going to keep getting better, and I don't think there's any reason that we shouldn't finish the year in the Top 25. It's all going to come down to conference play.