It’s a potentially big February afternoon at Comcast Center.
Barring a season-low scoring performance, guard Greivis Vasquez will top the 2,000 point mark. The Terps, who have won their five home ACC games by an average of 19 points per game, have a chance to move a step closer to sewing up their second straight NCAA berth. With ACC heavyweights Duke and Virginia Tech playing on Sunday, a win guarantees the Terps will end the weekend either tied for first in the loss column in the conference or alone in second.
Standing in their way is Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets have dropped eight straight to the Terps, the longest losing jag for one ACC team against another. Their last win against the Terps was in this building more than six years ago.
Coach Gary Williams downplayed that stat yesterday, saying the teams are too different to even look at last season’s two Terp wins.
On paper, he’s right. The Yellow Jackets rely heavily on their freshmen. Derrick Favors was considered by many to be among the two best players coming out of high school last year. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Fellow rookie Glen Rice, Jr. (yeah, his son) has come on strong of late, hitting double figures in three of his last six games. In all, the team’s four freshmen have contributed 31 points, 15.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
Georgia Tech also gets a lift from junior forward Gani Lawal, who is its leading scorer and rebounder. Once again, the Terps’ three-guard lineup will be at a disadvantage inside on paper.
So far in ACC play though that hasn’t meant a whole lot. But keep an eye on the Terps’ ability to stay out of foul trouble against the ultra-athletic inside players. It’s also worth remembering that Eric Hayes is still trying to shake an illness that has troubled him through the week. (He went scoreles in Wednesday’s game.)
The Terps just came out of the tunnel, and they’re going through their exercises under the watchful eye of strength and conditioning coach Paul Ricci. For the sixth straight ACC home game, they’re wearing their gold uniforms. Sometimes-gold-wearing Georgia Tech appears to be in white.
Continue to follow The Diamondback’s three-man coverage today, here, on the website and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/DBKSports.
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.
