The Virginia athletics department has announced tonight that the game is still on for tomorrow night, as both teams and three officials are all in town despite the inclement weather.

Coach Gary Williams mentioned today that the Cavaliers are a great passing and shooting team and said they “don’t take bad shots.” They’ve suffered some injuries and are without leading scorer Mike Scott, someone who Williams called one of the better players in the conference.

Virginia Cavaliers (11-2, 2-3 ACC)
Scoring – 64.3 points per game
Shooting – FG (.428), 3-pt (.388), FT (.713)
Rebounds – 31.8 per game
Assists – 16.9 per game

Last five games:
Jan. 22 vs. Georgia Tech, W 72-64
Jan. 19 at Boston College, L 67-70
Jan. 15 at Duke, L 76-60
Jan. 8 vs. North Carolina, L 62-56
Jan. 4 vs. Howard, W 84-63

Last game’s starting lineup:
G Jontel Evans – 5.6 ppg, 73 assists
G Mustapha Farrakhan – 13.0 ppg, .395 3-pt FG percentage
G Joe Harris – 10.3 pph, .430 3-pt FG percentage
G KT Harrell – 10.5 ppg, .457 3-pt FG percentage
C Assane Sene – 3.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Recent history vs. Terps:
March 6, 2010 – Terps 74-68 (Charlottesville)
February 15, 2010 – Terps 85-66 (College Park)
March 7, 2009 – Virginia 68-63 (Charlottesville)
January 20, 2009 – Terps 84-78 (College Park)

Maryland leads series 105-67.

With the possibility of 4+ inches of snow on the way to College Park, the Terrapin men’s basketball team bumped up practice and are trying to leave sooner to get down to Charlottesville, Va. for tomorrow night’s game against Virginia.

Because of the changes, coach Gary Williams spoke during a teleconference earlier today about the team’s upcoming game against the Cavaliers. The potential of avenging a home loss against Virginia Tech last week with a uncommon road win is available against Virginia. Right now the Terps are looking for substantial wins to pad their NCAA Tournament resume, but it’s something that Williams never speaks to his team about.

“I never talk about it,” Williams said. “It’s not worth it. You win enough games, you make the tournament. Obviously that’s a goal that you have, but I never in 22 years talk to a team about that. ‘You have to win this game or you have to win these many games.’ I think we’ve proven… like two years ago, its what you do. What’s going to decide it is how many games you win.”

Williams also mentioned the possibility of former Terp Greivis Vasquez returning to College Park in late February.

“I don’t know if it’s finalized yet or not,” Williams said. “We’re trying to do it during All Star weekend when the NBA takes a break. I believe that’s the N.C. State game. That’s when it would happen if it does happen. Nothing’s been decided.”

Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s basketball beat reporter. Reach him at ceckard@umdbk.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ceckard.

As expected, decorated Terrapin men’s soccer midfielder Matt Kassel yesterday joined a slew of teammates to move to the professional ranks when he signed a Home Grown Player contract with the New York Red Bulls.

“We believe that Matt has matured during his three years in college and has the potential to be a solid player for us,” said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Soler. “We are thrilled that we have come to an agreement with him and are pleased to add another former member of our academy.”

Kassel was a three-year starter for the Terps, beginning his career in College Park with a national championship and ending it as one of the most productive players in program history. His 24 assists are tied for sixth best all-time, and his 29 points this season were a team high. Not surprisingly, he joined goalkeeper Zac MacMath as a first-team NSCAA All-American.

Nearly half of last year’s starting 11 now has a spot on an MLS roster. Forward Jason Herrick, midfielder Billy Cortes and MacMath were all drafted in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft earlier this month, and defender Ethan White was signed by D.C. United as a Home Grown Player.

Two Terrapin football defensive linemen have opted to graduate this May instead of using their last year of eligibility next fall, a team spokesman confirmed tonight.

Redshirt juniors Derek Drummond and Ian Davidson will not use a possible fifth year of eligibility next fall, which would have been with new Terps coach Randy Edsall. Drummond redshirted in 2007, while Davidson redshirted in 2008, to allow for five years with the program.

Last season, Davidson played in four games making four total tackles, while Drummond did not make an appearance.

Davidson, from Alexandria, Va., never made a big impact for the Terps on the field, appearing in two games in 2009 and making six career tackles. He was named scout team defensive player as a freshman in 2007.

While Drummond did not play this season, the Pomfret, Md. native showed potential in the program. After four games and a start in 2008, Drummond moved from linebacker to defensive end and played all 12 games, making 16 total tackles and two for a loss.

The Terps’ defense has lost three defenders to graduation, but have a strong group returning including safety Kenny Tate, linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield and defensive tackle Joe Vellano.

Chris Eckard is a Senior staff writer for the Diamondback. Reach him at ceckard@umdbk.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ceckard.

Earlier today, former Terrapin men’s basketball guard and current Memphis Grizzlie Greivis Vasquez posted on his Twitter account about a possible return to Comcast Center for a special occasion.

According to Vasquez, the Terps could honor his No. 21 jersey with a banner hanging from the rafters in the second week of February, which would be the Longwood game (February 9). He then later tweeted that it would be an ACC contest. The most logical candidate would then by the N.C. State game (February 20).

Vasquez was seen cheering on the Terps from the stands at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this year when they fell to the then-No. 1 Blue Devils 71-64. This season Vasquez 13 minutes per game with 3.7 points per game and 2.4 assists per game for the Grizzlies.

He did call out his former team following its worst loss at the Comcast Center ever last Thursday – a 17 point drubbing to Virginia Tech.

The seniors took the message (if they ever saw it) to heart and powered the Terps to a narrow victory against Clemson Saturday. They travel to Virginia for their third ACC road contest of the season Thursday night.

Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s basketball beat reporter for the Diamondback. Reach him at ceckard@umdbk.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ceckard.

Forward Alyssa Thomas has been named the ACC’s Rookie of the Week for the second straight week and fourth time this season after leading the Terps to victories over Virginia and No. 10 North Carolina.

Thomas led the No. 15 Terps in both scoring and rebounding in each game, putting up 16 points and 13 rebounds Sunday against North Carolina and 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Cavaliers on Friday.

She leads the team in scoring and rebounding and tops the list of conference freshmen in each category.

In addition to the past two weeks, Thomas was also honored the weeks of Nov. 29 and Dec. 20.

The Terps received a day off from practice today after topping the Tar Heels, and will get back to work tomorrow in preparation for Friday’s matchup with Wake Forest.

Despite 17 first-half turnovers, the Terps came out in front of their home crowd and dominated North Carolina on both ends to go into halftime with a 44-32 lead.

The Terps have dominated in the rebounding department, pulling down 25 to the Tar Heels’ 11, and their stingy man-to-man defense has forced the Tar Heels into some poor shots and turnovers.

Freshmen forwards Alicia DeVaughn (12 points) and Alyssa Thomas (six points, six assists) have led a well-rounded attack. The Terps even knocked down three of four 3-point attempts in the first half, quite a feat for a team that’s hitting an ACC-worst 25% on the year.

Guards Italee Lucas (11 points) and She’la White (seven points) have helped keep the Tar Heels alive with their pressure defense and shooting. It’ll be interesting to see if UNC will be able to get it going with halftime adjustments.

The No. 15 Terrapin women’s basketball team will look to harness the momentum it gained from Friday’s thrilling overtime victory at Virginia tonight when it plays host to No. 10 North Carolina.

Unfortunately for the Terps, it will require a better, more well-rounded effort than they brought to Charlottesville, Va., for the Terps to knock off the Tar Heels tonight. UNC comes to Comcast Center with a 17-2 record (3-1 ACC), and their lone losses have come at the hands of No. 2 Connecticut and at Georgia Tech.

The Tar Heels boast the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense, and hold on to the ball very well with the experience of senior guards Italee Lucas and Cetera DeGraffenreid.

The Terps did strike a bit of luck, as Wooden Midseason Top-20 list member Jessica Breland will miss the game with a knee injury, according to ESPN.

North Carolina is one of the few teams in the country that appears able to match the Terps’ unique combination of size and athleticism, so it will be interesting how each team deals with an opponent with similar skillsets.

The Terps topped the Tar Heels in the first round of last year’s ACC Tournament, led by a dominant Lynetta Kizer effort.

I’ll check in at halftime with an update. For timely updates, follow me at http://twitter.com/#!/Conor__Walsh

Just 40 hours after losing to Virginia Tech, 74-57, the Terrapin men’s basketball team is back inside Comcast Center today to face off against Clemson in a pivotal ACC matchup.

The Terps’ 17-point loss to Virginia Tech was their worst margin of defeat at home since opening Comcast Center in 2002, and coach Gary Williams and players expressed their desire to move on from their listless performance against the Hokies as quickly as possible.

They’ll have a chance to do so today against a Clemson team that had won eight straight before falling to North Carolina, 75-65, on Tuesday.

The Tigers (13-5, 2-2 ACC) are without starting guard Tanner Smith, who sprained his knee against North Carolina. Starting in his place will be Bryan Narcisse, a 6-foot-6 guard that is averaging 3.3 points per game.

The Terps (11-7, 1-3) are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since March 2008. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod in the Terps’ starting five. Pe’Shon Howard and Cliff Tucker started for the Terps against Virginia Tech, replacing Adrian Bowie and Terrell Stoglin at the point and shooting guard positions.

With the loss to the Hokies on Thursday night, todays game against Clemson — and the remaining six home games on the Terps’ schedule for that matter — falls into the old cliche of a “must-win game.” The Terps’ NCAA Tournament resume is lacking a signature win, and the team can’t afford to lose to the Tigers.

For in-game coverage follow me on Twitter and don’t forget to check out The Diamondback on Monday for a full recap of today’s action.

Jakob Engelke is The Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s basketball columnist and pseudo beat reporter while Chris Eckard is out of town. He can be reached at jengelke@umdbk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jakob_Engelke.

The Terrapin women’s basketball team seemed to be making a habit of squandering late leads prior to last night’s trip to Charlottesville, Va.

After blowing a late lead to No. 16 Georgetown early in the season, the No. 15 Terps were unable to hold on to second-half leads against No. 3 Duke and Boston College. Last night, it seemed the Terps were going to suffer a similarly heartbreaking loss to Virginia.

Despite leading for much of the game, the Terps found themselves down by three points to the Cavaliers with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock. But forward Diandra Tchatchouang was up to the challenge, knocking down the team’s only 3-pointer of the tilt to force overtime.

Tchatchouang would once again play hero in overtime, sinking a layup with 6.1 seconds remaining to seal the road win for the team.

Freshman forward Alyssa Thomas continued to shine for the Terps, leading the team with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas now leads the team in both scoring and rebounding.

The win brought the Terps to .500 in ACC play after dropping their first two to the Blue Devils and Eagles. They’ll likely need a more complete effort if they hope to get another win on Sunday, when No. 11 North Carolina comes to Comcast Center. The Tar Heels are 3-1 in conference play, and their lone nonconference loss came against defending national champion Connecticut.