So everyone from the Student Government Association to the Prince George’s County Police are trying to make an effort to prevent the riots that followed last year’s Terrapin men’s basketball win against Duke in College Park.

Hence, “Beat Duke Week.” Montage videos, pep rallies and a post-game bonfire are all part of the festivities to keep students from going overboard with the Duke rivalry.

The activities and buzz regarding the game has had no effect on the Terps and coach Gary Williams, or so they said today during media availability.

“You see it,” forward Dino Gregory said. “But you don’t really pay attention to it. Our plan is just to play the game the best to get the victory. We’re not really worried about what the fans are doing. We’re excited for them but at the same time we’re just trying to win the game.”

Still the memories and the national reaction to the events that unfolded on Route 1 last year are still in the minds of everyone involved.

“You want the college students to enjoy themselves,” coach Gary Williams said. “It’s become a very big game for them. You don’t want to take away from them. Obviously there are things that can happen. Hopefully our students have heard enough about it in the past year. We do have great students here. There have been problems at other places that didn’t get the same attention as ours.”

Aside from the rioting, some questioned the students’ behavior during the game, which included profanity throughout the contest. The SGA has reserved 100 seats in the student section this year for fans that will encourage sportsmanship.

While the language may be picked up by television, guard Sean Mosley said it doesn’t affect his play.

“I just try to focus on the game,” Mosley said. “The things that they do or say are not for me to judge. That’s the way they celebrate. The only thing I hear is the coach or my teammates. The fans, I don’t pay attention to.”

We’ll see if all the extra efforts pay off tomorrow night.

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.

While today will be a day filled with news about football recruits committing to Maryland such as Bowie corner AJ Hendy. But there is an interesting story developing in terms a possible addition to the men’s basketball team: Kansas State forward Wally Judge is transferring.

Judge, a 6-9 sophomore forward, is from the D.C. area. He played AAU ball with D.C. Assault and was recruited by Maryland before choosing KSU. It was reported a few days ago that he would be transferring, and speculation that he might be headed to Maryland started to swirl last night.

Hoops writer Antonio Curro’s tweeted that he heard that Judge would end up at Maryland, but stressed that it was unconfirmed. Shortly after he tweeted to emphasize that it was just a rumor.

Judge was a five star prospect and a McDonald’s All-American in high school. But he has been enigmatic in Manhattan, averaging 3.3 points and 3 rebounds per game as a freshman and not faring much better in limited duty this year.

Maybe he just needs a change of scenery, as his potential and his talent is obvious. Even if he did chose Maryland as his landing spot, he would almost definitely need to sit out a year. But if he did end up in College Park, things could get interesting. Freshmen guards Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin will have two years under their belts, highly-touted recruit Nick Faust in the mix — and if Jordan Williams isn’t yet in the NBA, him and Judge could be a dynamic pair at the four and five spots.

This is all mere speculation until more credible reports about Judge to Maryland surface. But it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

Jeremy Schneider is a staff writer for The Diamondback. You can reach him at schneider@umdbk.com Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/JSchneider_.

The basketball season is finally kicking off for the Terrapin men’s basketball team, albeit in an exhibition. The Terps host D-II program Florida Southern at Comcast Center tonight, one week ahead of the official start of the season against Seattle.

You obviously have to take exhibitions with a grain of salt — keep in mind, Jin Soo Kim scored 20 points and had Comcast going crazy in an exhibition against Northwood in 2008. Who knows if Gary Williams will use the game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season or as a chance to get the younger guys minutes? Either way, here are three things to look for tomorrow night.

1. Is Jordan Williams ready to be the offense’s No. 1 option?

Williams showed great potential last year as a freshman. But he mostly used sheer size to maneuver in the paint, rarely showing any refined technique or post moves. If he is able to diversify his game and do something other than bully his way to the basket, he could develop into a force. With Greivis Vasquez gone, the game plan against the Terps will likely be to first and foremost shut down Williams, making his growth even more important. The Moccasins won’t be a good measuring stick to see how Williams will play as a sophomore, but it will be interesting to see the offense run through him.

2. Who will be the Terps’ starting point guard?

It would be pretty shocking to see anyone other than Adrian Bowie start at point guard tomorrow night, but he has freshmen Terrell Stoglin and Pe’Shon Howard waiting in the wings to take over. Bowie showed flashes of ability last year when Vasquez and Eric Hayes weren’t running the offense, but some think it could be only a matter of time before he’s unseated. Stoglin likely has the most long-term potential for the program, but Howard’s strength and defensive prowess had most recruiting experts calling him the most ACC-ready prospect of the Terps’ 2011 class. Who will be the first guard off the bench once Bowie takes a seat, and how will the two fare in their first collegiate action?

3. Will Cliff Tucker find any consistency?

If Cliff Tucker is able to harness the ability he has shown in bits and pieces, he will become a primary scoring option, help alleviate some of the pressure on Jordan Williams and change the outlook for the Terps’ season. If he continues to show his ability only in sporadic jags as has been his nature thus far, the team could suffer, and he might lose minutes to freshman swingman Mychal Parker. Tucker will get the chance to start, which could change his game, and Monday marks the beginning of his chance to pick which Tucker the Terps will get in his senior year.

Jeremy Schneider is The Diamondback’s administration beat writer. He can be reached at schneider@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jschneider_.

Before the Terrapin men’s basketball team got a look at its revamped uniforms, each player they received another less flashy but even more crucial piece of wardrobe at least according to center Jordan Williams: a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Win September.”

“A lot of teams think it’s important to win in November or January, but we think that preseason’s the most important part,” Williams said.

Preseason preparation translates directly to a successful start, or so the Terps believe.

And according to the players, the team’s own performance last year backs up their claim. Last year, after starting the year with three blowout wins at home against cupcake opponents, the Terps dropped two of three in the Maui Invitational Tournament at the end of November. They then dropped games against Villanova and William and Mary in December before starting the ACC schedule.

While the team went on to lose just three games through final two-thirds of the regular season, the Terps do not want to suffer an early-season slump this year.

“Last year, obviously something went wrong, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, so we started off real bad,” senior forward Cliff Tucker said. “We put those ‘Win September’ shirts on so we would work harder than we did last year and come out and win a bunch of games at the beginning of the year.” (more…)

After a stellar freshman season, it was announced Monday that Terrapin men’s basketball center Jordan Williams was one of 50 players named to the preseason list for the John Wooden Award, given to the best player in the country.

A heralded recruit from Torrington, Conn., Williams made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, averaging 9.6 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. He had five double-doubles in the Terps’ last 10 games, including both NCAA Tournament games.

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Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams was wrapping up his acceptance speech Thursday night after being inducted into the “Hall of Legends” of the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, during which he mostly reflected on the past. But one of the last things he said dealt with the future of Maryland.

“This year is a challenge,” Williams said. “But it’s a challenge I really like. We have six new players, six veteran players, we have to get those guys together. I think we have the right attitude… and I’m anxious to get this thing started.”

Pretty docile coachspeak. But then he let something slip that got me thinking right away.

“Midnight Madness is the 15th,” Williams said, “and there’ll be a special surprise.”

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