It took until a few hours later than usual because of some internet connection trouble, but here are some observations from the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s 81-59 win over Miami.

1. The Terps continue to show incredible hustle, heart and desire.

Not only were the Terps the significantly more talented team tonight, they also tried a lot harder. Guys were diving all over the floor for loose balls — including on one play when three Terps hit the deck in the same sequence – and really just making the extra effort whenever they could. The Terps outrebounded the Hurricanes 35-29 and forced 17 turnovers. Gary Williams has said repeatedly the key to the Terps maintaining their recent success is to continue to play as hard as they have been playing. Losses will happen, but this certainly does not look like a team that is going to get outworked. “Once you get a couple guys making that commitment, it’s usually the older guys that make that commitment, then it’s everybody else kind of has to do that or else you are going to look bad,” Williams said.

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As a sidebar to Tuesday’s article on the bubbly status of the Terrapin women’s basketball team at this point in the season, how about a lesson on the value of a name?

Last season, the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, one of the proudest programs in women’s college basketball and an annual fixture in the NCAA Tournament, were on the ropes. After an early exit from the SEC Tournament capped their regular season, the ‘Dawgs were a mediocre 18-13 overall and 7-7 in conference.

According to RPI records from last year, Georgia’s RPI probably hovered somewhere in the mid-50s on Selection Monday. When you consider there are only 31 at-large bids up for grabs, you had to believe the ‘Dawgs weren’t exactly sitting pretty.

Yet when the brackets were unveiled, there they were, checking in as a No. 11 seed. (They would lose in the first round to No. 6 Arizona State, 58-47). That bit of luck came at the exclusion of a team like Boston College, who finished No. 40 in the RPI after a 20-11 overall record and a 7-7 league finish in a statistically superior conference.

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The question coming into this one was whether the Terps could continue to ride their current momentum through tonight’s game against Miami.

So far, the answer is a resounding yes.

The Terps have dominated in all phases of the game en route to this 17-point lead that was as large as 21 at one point in the first half.

The Terps continually harassed the Hurricanes, forcing 14 turnovers and turning them into 16 points.

Landon Milbourne and Greivis Vasquez have shouldered the scoring load with 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

The Terps, who have just four turnovers of their own, have the rebounding edge 17-11 as the Terps have continually frustrated Miami leading scorer Dwayne Collins, who came off the bench for the first time this season. Collins has just two points and three turnovers, though he does have eight rebounds.

The Hurricanes are shooting 50 percent, but they have gotten off just 16 shots because of the turnovers and just two offensive rebounds.

The Terps looked tough to stop as they gained confidence throughout that first half. The Hurricanes have their work cut out for them in the second half to crack into this deficit.

Right now, the fan is being treated to a performance by a group of youngsters from Minnesota doing basketball tricks–the Alexandria Aces. The tiny Pete Maraviches are getting quite the reception from the sold-out Comcast Crowd.

Check back for more later, here, on the Twitter at www.twitter.com/DBKSports and at www.diamondbackonline.com.

Eric Detweiler is The Diamondback’s Terrapin Men’s Basketball Team beat writer. He can be reached at edetweilerdbk@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/edetweiler.

If you didn’t let your children see Avatar, it’s time to put the kiddies to bed. This beat down is too violent for young, impressionable eyes.

The Terps have done just about everything well and enter halftime with a 48-31 lead. The crowd is enjoying it. The Terps are enjoying it. Miami is not.

Follow the jump for some early observations. If you’re a Terps fan, you’ll like what you read.

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We’re about 30 minutes from tip here at Comcast Center, and while the students aren’t exactly out in full force, this game definitely has the makings of the most well-attended game of the season up to this point. Parking was 10 minutes away from a personal nightmare, and fans are flocking in by the dozens down most of the stairwells.

While I have the time, I might as well empty my notebook from some interviews yesterday with center Lynetta Kizer and guard Dara Taylor.

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