It all added up to a loss that first-year coach Mark Turgeon still insists wasn’t as lopsided as the final score indicated.

No. 10 Duke beat the Terps 73-55 on Saturday behind double-doubles from both Miles and Mason Plumlee.

Miles had 13 points and a career-high 22 rebounds — the most of any player in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 37-year career. Mason had 16 points and 10 rebounds. They combined for 32 rebounds — or, one fewer than the entire Terrapins team.

“The Plumlee brothers were dominant,” Turgeon said. “Their big guys kicked our big guys’ tails.”

Nick Faust scored 15 points but Terrell Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer, finished with 13 — nine below his average — on 4-of-16 shooting with some questionable shot selection for the Terps (14-10, 4-6).

“They just weren’t going to let Terrell beat them,” Turgeon said. “That’s the reason (Krzyzewski) has won 900-something games. He’s not a dummy. They weren’t going to let Terrell beat them, and he can’t handle it, and then we get frustrated because he throws out of the double team, and guys aren’t making plays.”

Turgeon sat Stoglin with 10:04 remaining after he picked up his third foul, and without him, the Terps cut an 11-point deficit to four before he re-entered at the 8:28 mark. He checked out again with 6:24 to play and didn’t return until the 2:17 mark and Maryland was down by double figures for good.

“His shot selection wasn’t great. It was hurting us,” Turgeon said. “We cut it to four without him, so we took him out. We’ve got to learn from it. We can’t shoot shots like that and be a good team on the road. But he has carried us. … So, it is just one game. Hopefully we will learn from it and be better (against Boston College) on Thursday.”

Playing their first game since starting point guard Pe’Shon Howard was lost for the season with a torn right knee ligament, they were just 1 of 14 from 3-point range, missing their first 10, and lost their third in four games.

Still, they kept themselves in it for much of the way. Faust’s jumper in the lane with 5 minutes left pulled Maryland to 60-53, but the Terrapins managed just one field goal the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Austin Rivers countered with a free throw and a deep 3, Curry had a pretty drive down the lane and Miles Plumlee followed Curry’s missed jumper with an authoritative slam that made it 68-53 with 1:30 left.

“We played with energy, we played hard and when we do that, we’re going to play hard on offense and defense,” Miles Plumlee said. “It showed up in the little things. We got loose balls, offensive boards and we just put the game away.”

Mason Plumlee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Miles had the most rebounds of any player in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 37-year career.

“And I told Miles, `I’ve coached some pretty good players,”‘ Krzyzewski quipped.

It was the first time both Plumlee brothers had double-doubles in the same game during their three seasons together at Duke. Their 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team.

Seth Curry scored 19 points to help the Blue Devils (21-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) pull away. They followed up their last-second victory over rival North Carolina with their fifth straight victory in the series. Austin Rivers, whose buzzer-beating 3 gave Duke an 85-84 victory over the Tar Heels, finished with 11 points for the Blue Devils.

Mychal Parker added 12 points for Maryland.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Yet another school is embroiled in a debate over their mascot name . The University of South Dakota Fighting Sioux are keeping the mascot name despite the possible backlash from the NCAA.

Is anyone else sick of this trend? How is naming a university after warriors of any type offensive? We have Spartans, Trojans, Braves, Warriors etc etc Why are we so over sensitive? How about asking those allegedly impacted and see how they feel ? In Florida the Seminoles came to the rescue of FSU when that name almost went away.

Can we please stop? Until the most offensive mascot name in sports is changed let’s leave everyone else alone.

….Oh yeah and I was talking about the Redskins…c’mon Redskins???? Really?

In Baltimore, Ravens vs Steelers would, I assume, get the lion’s share of the votes (we will test this theory on today’s Vinny and Kenny show).    Yankee vs Red Sox, Celtics vs Lakers, Ohio St vs Michigan football are all good answers as well.

For my money though the best rivalry in sports is Duke vs North Carolina basketball.  I say this while telling you for the sake of full disclosure that I have a strong dislike for both programs (grew up a Terps fan). Part of it for me is proximity,  these schools are eight miles apart.  It doesn’t hurt that more often than not, the games are great.  Last night didn’t disappoint. Duke beat UNC 85-84 when freshman Austin Rivers hit a three at the buzzer.  Duke ended the game on a 13-2 run.

I can’t wait for the rematch March 3rd.

The Terrapins (14-9, 4-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked like they were in control, ahead 53-39 with 7:55 to go. That’s when the Tigers (11-12, 3-6) went on a 19-6 run to cut the lead to a point on Devin Booker’s two foul shots.

But Alex Len made a bucket and Stoglin followed with two foul shots to put Maryland out front 63-59.

Clemson was down 64-62 with 1.7 seconds left, but Andre Young’s desperation halfcourt heave bounced off the rim and the Terps broke their two-game losing streak with their first ACC road win this season.

Young led the Tigers with 15 points and made four 3-pointers.

Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer, ended 9 of 11 shooting with four 3-pointers. It was the eighth time in nine league games Stoglin’s scored 20 or more points.

Sean Mosley added 16 points.

Young had the opportunity to tie the game with Clemson trailing 61-58, but made only 1 of 3 free throws after getting fouled behind the arc.

The Tigers were still in it when Milton Jennings hit his third 3-pointer of the second half with 2.8 seconds to go to make it 63-62. Mosley, though, made a foul shot and Young’s long-range attempt was off the mark.

Booker and Jennings had 14 points apiece.

Clemson trailed Virginia Tech by 14 points in the final four minutes before rallying in a 67-65 loss this past Saturday. The Tigers have lost three in a row.

Maryland and Clemson were each looking to move up in the ACC after going 3-5 halfway through the league season.

The Tigers expected a boost when Jennings, the 6-foot-9 starting forward, returned after missing the past two defeats because of academic suspension. Little, though, — not even coach Brad Brownell bobblehead night — seemed to help Clemson’s shooting touch in the first half of this one.

The Tigers were a dreadful 6 of 23 shooting at one point and needed to make four of their final eight shots simply to get above 30 percent. Clemson missed all seven of its 3-point attempts and Young, their leading scorer, was 1 of 5 for 2 points in the first 20 minutes.

Plus, Clemson had no answer for Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer at 21.7 points a game. Maryland’s sophomore guard freely drove the lane for baskets and showed his range with an on-target floater for a 3 as the shot clock was winding down.

That 3-pointer with 4:58 left in the half broke an 18-all tie. Stoglin followed with a midcourt steal and breakaway layup. Mosley added a 3-pointer and the Terps took a 26-22 lead into the break.

Clemson struggled to score in every way. The team was just 2 of 6 on free throws, including twice missing attempts to complete three-point plays.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Bad News: The fact that the Terps trailed by 16 and then lost to a team that had three players foul out.

Good News: Terrell Stoglin nailed six three-pointers on his way to a career-high 33 points.

Bad News: Stoglin also missed 14 three-pointers.

Good News: Stoglin leads the ACC in scoring.

Bad News: Sean Mosley (10.1) is the only other Terp averaging in double figures.

Good News: Guard Pe’Shon Howard dished out eight assists against Miami.

Bad News: Howard committed five turnovers against Miami.

Good News: The Terps are win away from getting to .500 at the midway point of the ACC season.

Bad News: Maryland’s next game is against 5th-ranked North Carolina.

Have a good weekend.

BH

The Blue Hens (9-10, 5-4 Colonial Athletic Association) held Towson to one basket over a span of 10:30 during which they outscored the Tigers 20-4.

Towson (0-21, 0-9) lost for the 40th consecutive time, dating to last season, extending its Division I record. The Tigers have been outscored by an average of 20.4 points in conference games.

The Tigers never led but trailed just 24-22 at halftime and 31-29 with 15 minutes left in the game. But led by Jarvis Threatt, who scored nine points in a span of 6:07, the Blue Hens widened their lead to 46-37.

Marcus Damas led Towson with 16 points and Robert Nwankwo had nine points and 12 rebounds, ending his streak of three straight double-doubles.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Juan Fernandez added 14 points and Aaron Brown had 12 for the Owls (13-5), who won for the seventh time in nine games. The Owls had a 10-point lead sliced to one in the second half until Wyatt and Moore hit consecutive 3-pointers to give them some needed breathing room.

Terrell Stoglin made a string of big buckets in the second half to rally the Terrapins (12-6) and finished with 20 points. Pe’Shon Howard scored 15. Maryland lost its second straight game.

The Terrapins lost center Alex Len to an ankle injury in the first half. Maryland could not recover from 16 turnovers and missed 12 of 16 3-point attempts.

Wyatt added seven assists and Brown had eight rebounds.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

On Wednesday night, what looked like an easy win turned into a nail-biter as the Terps held on to beat Wake Forest 70-64 at the Comcast Center.

Maryland watched an 18-point lead get cut to four in the second half. But, to their credit, they regrouped to stop the Demon Deacons for the first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the Turgeon era.

Terrell Stoglin scored 20 off the bench to pace the Terps in that category. However, Stoglin, like a few other of his teammates , continues to struggle on defense. As Turgeon has said, Maryland needs to do a better job of getting back on “D”. The guards also have to become more adept at stopping dribble penetration.

What Maryland does do well is hit the offensive glass. Which is nice because it’s shooting at times is , well , offensive.

Freshman guard Nick Faust is a main culprit. The youngster from Baltimore is bricking-it-up to the tune of .306 percent from the field. Fortunately, he has plenty of time to improve.

Just like the team.

The Terps host Georgia Tech on January 15th. Then it’s off to Florida State and Temple.

We’ll start finding out what this squad is made of in the coming weeks.

As for now, 11-4 overall and 1-1 in the ACC isn’t that bad.

BH

The Greyhounds (11-4 overall, 4-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) took a 15-point lead 4:05 into the second half on an Anthony Winbush offensive rebound and layup. But Canisius scored 21 of the next 31 points to close within four, 57-53, on an Alshwan Hymes 3-pointer with 10:14 on the clock.

Olson scored the game’s next seven points, however, building Loyola’s advantage back to double-digits, 64-53, with a 3-pointer at 7:28.

Loyola never led by less than 11 from that point forward.

The Greyhounds scored 20 second chance-points compared to just five for Canisius and outrebounded the Golden Griffins 42-24.

Loyola’s bench contributed 17 points in the win, holding Canisius’ bench to just four points.

Washington and Chris Manhertz led Canisius with 15 points each, and Gaby Belardo added 14.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Jan 2
4 UNIT Penn St +6.5 Vs Houston… Houston’s head coach Kevin Sumlin is leaving, Also they are coming off an awful loss in which they could have finished undefeated. It concerns me that they are playing in Houston’s back yard but Penn St will make them play their style of football.

1 UNIT…. Florida -2 Vs Ohio st…. Speed kills and this game is played in Florida.

5 UNIT… Stanford +3.5 Vs Oklahoma St… Andrew Luck will show why he is the best QB in college football. Stanford will ground and pound, then they will set up the play action passing game. I also believe Ok St feels they should be in the National Championship.

1 UNIT… Nebraska +2 Vs South Carolina… Hate going against the Ole Ball Coach, but Nebraska is a better team.

4 UNIT… Georgia/ Mich State Under 50 pts… Both teams will establish the running game and i believe both defenses are better than the offenses.

2 UNIT… Oregon -5 Vs Wisconsin… Again speed kills. I do believe this game will be close. But if Oregon can get out to an early lead, I believe they will roll Wisconsin. Wilson and Ball are fantastic and will shine against an undersized defense.

Jan 3
2 UNIT… Virginia Tech +2.5 Vs Michigan… I really believed that Virginia Tech is being Undervalued here. Great special teams, solid running game and a very good defense.

Jan 4
2 UNIT Clemson/WVU over 61… Both of these teams can put up points and WVU likes to run the no-huddle.

Jan 6
2 UNIT…. Kansas St +7.5 Vs Arkansas… Kansas St is a tough team, just like their QB Collin Klein. I love watching this guy play. He can run and throw, which will give the Razorbacks defense fits.

Jan 7
5 UNIT… SMU +3.5 Vs Pitt…Huge Coaching issues with the Pitt Panthers and their coach reportedly leaving for Arizona St. SMU is excited to be here and i think June Jones will have his team well prepared.

Jan 8
2 UNIT… Arkansas St -1.5 Vs N Illinois… I believe Arkansas St is a better football team. Everybody was talking about how good the offenses are in the MAC, but Ark St can hang with them.

Jan 9
3 UNIT… Alabama -1 Vs LSU… So Alabama is favored over the Undefeated LSU Tigers. How quickly people forget that this game went into overtime the first time around. Trent Richardson will have a big game.

See how I did with Pt 2 HERE

Len had five dunks on his way to a 14-point night as he helped the Terps to a 83-72 victory over Albany. He also chipped in with eight rebounds as Maryland won their fifth straight game.

Not only did Len impact the box-score, he impacted the whole Maryland lineup. He added size and, along with the return of guard Pe’Shon Howard, has given coach Mark Turgeon some much needed depth.

Turgeon told me last week on The Bob and Rob Show that the freshman from the Ukraine would not start in his first game back from a 10 game NCAA mandated suspension. Well, he started.

Len’s presence means that teams will now have to pay attention to what’s happening in the paint for the Terps. Howard’s return means that Turgeon now has a true point guard to get the ball into the post. Now, while teams are worrying about Len, Terrell Stoglin, who made six three-pointer’s against the Great Danes on Wednesday, will have more freedom to do damage on the perimeter.

With his full compliment of players now healthy and eligible, Turgeon can put these players in their more natural positions and fully implement his style of play.

Maryland is still a work in progress and Len has only played one college game. Keep in mind, we haven’t even made it to ACC play yet.

But the Terps are now more interesting than they were a week ago and maybe not as bad as some of us thought.

“That’s a really good win for us,” Turgeon said after Maryland beat Albany (N.Y.) 83-72 on Wednesday night. “The difference was — and I haven’t said it much this year — we had more depth than their team.”

Terrell Stoglin scored 22 points, Alex Len added 14 in his college debut, and Turgeon made good use of his expanded bench to guide Maryland to its fifth straight victory.

With Len in the middle and guard Pe’Shon Howard playing his second game since returning from a broken leg, Turgeon coached the team precisely the way he wanted. Five players scored in double figures and nine players received at least 12 minutes.

“We’re just a whole different team right now,” Turgeon said. “It was fun to coach. Nick (Faust) shoots two air balls when you got six scholarship guys, it’s like, `Hey, you’re all right, buddy.’ He shoots two air balls when you’ve got nine, it’s, `Quit shooting the ball.’ It’s a big difference.”

Stoglin made a career-high six 3-pointers and Len, a 7’1″ Ukraine native, contributed five dunks and eight rebounds. Len missed the first 10 games of the season as a penalty for having previously signed with a pro team overseas.

Len finished 6 for 9 from the floor in 27 minutes.

“We just picked the wrong time to play them,” Albany coach Will Brown said. “The big fella makes a world of a difference. He alters shots, he blocks shots, he’s a bailout guy offensively. They just throw the ball up in the air and he’ll go get it. He obviously makes them an even more physical and a better rebounding team as well.”

With Len leading the way, the Terrapins finished with a 48-28 rebounding advantage.

Maryland (8-3) trailed 52-50 before layups by Faust and James Padgett sparked a 13-0 run that made it 63-52 with 10:27 left.

After Albany closed to 72-69, Len scored on a follow-dunk to all but assure the Terrapins of their longest winning streak since a seven-game run at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Padgett finished with 13 points and had seven rebounds, but Len was the difference-maker.

“He might be a lottery pick one day, just with his frame and skill level,” Brown said.

Gerardo Suero scored 22 for Albany (7-6) and Luke Devlin had 16.

The Danes are 0-5 all-time against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Albany finished with only five turnovers but missed 44 shots from the floor.

“When you play a team like Maryland,” Brown said, “you have very little room for error.”

Len started and made an alley-oop dunk in the opening minute, then added a baseline jumper to give the Terrapins an early 9-4 lead. Although he was charged with goaltending on both ends of the court and had four turnovers in the first half, the lanky center provided the Terrapins with an inside presence that had been missing prior to his arrival.

Maryland’s previous four wins were by a total of 19 points. It was the Terrapins’ first victory by double digits.

“It was real fun because we had more options,” Stoglin said. “The pressure was pretty much taken off of me. With everybody in their right positions, we’re going to be good this year.”

Albany scored the first seven points of the second half to take its first lead of the game, 46-44. After that, neither team led by more than two points until Maryland’s big run.

The Danes got to 74-71 before Padgett made a free throw, Sean Mosley added a three-point play and Faust capped the spree with a layup to make it 80-71 with two minutes to go.

The Terrapins got 14 first-half points from Stoglin and 10 from Len (on 5 for 5 shooting) in taking a 44-39 lead at the break.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Dec 28
2 UNIT…California\Texas Under 47.5… Texas defense is fantastic, but their offense leaves a lot to be desired… Strong running game, but issues at QB.

Dec 29
1 UNIT….Wash +9.5 Vs Baylor… RG3 is fantastic and Baylor puts up points in bunches, But their defense is suspect. I like Washington to keep it close.

2 UNIT… Florida St\ Notre Dame Under46… I believe this game will be played between the twenty’s.

Dec 30
5 UNIT… Rutgers -1.5 Vs Iowa St… This game will be played at Yankee stadium and will be filled with Scarlett Knight fans. Most fans remember Iowa St upsetting Oklahoma State, Rutgers should be a bigger favorite.

3 UNIT…Tulsa -1 Vs BYU…. Tulsa is a tough team to prepare for, I believe they are better than BYU.

2 UNIT… Iowa +14 Vs Oklahoma… Oklahoma is a far superior team, but i don’t think they want to be here and they are a bad bowl team.
Iowa, however will be well prepared and will keep it close.

1 UNIT… Miss St\Wake Forest Over 48… Don’t love this game, but i think both teams can put up points

Dec 31
3 UNIT… Vanderbilt-1.5 Vs Cincinnati… This game is right in Vanderbilt’s back yard. They have been battle tested playing in the SEC and they have Aaron Rodgers younger brother.

2 UNIT…Utah +2.5 Vs Georgia Tech… I cant figure out this Georgia Tech team out. I believe Utah is the better team, Question will be can they stop the option? They have experience in playing Air Force.

1 UNIT… Northwestern +10 Vs Texas A&M… I’ve watched Northwestern play a bunch of times this year. They always seem to be in every game. I’ll roll with the Wildcats plus the points.

4 UNIT… Virginia/Auburn over 49.5… Both teams can put up points in bunches. Virginia played really well down the stretch.

2 UNIT…UCLA/ Illinois Under 47… Both teams are going through coaching changes right now. I was leaning towards taking UCLA in the game but i believe Defenses will show up.

.

See how I did with Pt 1 HERE

1. Location of the game – People tend to look at which team has the better record or was ranked during the season. Western Michigan is a perfect example of this. They Play a school from a big conference and they play them in Michigan. Home crowd will be in favor of the Broncos.

2. Coaching situation – Perfect example of this are Arizona st, Pittsburgh, Houston, and UCLA. Some situations have coaches leaving a good team for a bigger program (teams play down in these situation) and others have talented teams that want to send a message after a coach was fired and they typically show up and play well.

3. Teams that are let down – Teams that fall into this category are Oklahoma State, Houston, and Oklahoma. Teams that feel like they should be in a better bowl game but because of the BCS or late season losses cost them an opportunity.

I’ll be posting my picks… so check it out and see how I do.

With President Barack Obama presiding over the first Army-Navy game to be played in the vicinity of the nation’s capital, the Mids (5-7) got a pair of touchdown runs from quarterback Kriss Proctor and one from fullback Alexander Teich to win their 10th straight in the rivalry.

At least this one was close. Navy had won the other nine by at least a dozen points. The Mids needed a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from Jon Teague and a fourth-down stop in their own territory before those in the blue uniforms could start chanting “10 more years!”

Proctor ran 32 times for 97 yards, and Teich — winner of the Campbell Trophy as the nation’s top scholar athlete — carried 18 times for 93 yards for Navy, which completed only one pass in the tussle between run-heavy, triple-option teams.

Raymond Maples and Malcolm Brown ran for 82 yards apiece for Army (3-9), which finished the season with four straight losses.

The Black Knights rushed for 298 yards and completed only four passes.

Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, worked the Navy sidelines before the game, shaking hands and even getting a hug from the Navy mascot — a ram wearing a Santa hat. The president performed a left-handed coin toss at midfield — Army won and elected to receive — then adhered to presidential tradition by spending a half on each side of the field. He switched from Navy to Army with an escorted walk on the 50-yard line from sideline to sideline in a formal halftime ceremony.

As always, the pageantry was breathtaking, starting with the Army Corps of Cadets’ march onto the field three hours before kickoff. Then the Navy’s Brigade of Midshipmen took their turn.

Both sides taunted each other in good spirits — “Why so quiet?” was the Navy chant after the Mids took a 14-0 lead — and beach balls and even an inflatable snake were batted around the lower deck while slick scoreboard videos poked fun at one academy or the other.

But there were also stirring moments of tribute for the 80,789 inside the Washington Redskins stadium, and both sides swayed and sang loudly when Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the U.S.A.” at halftime.

Both teams stuck to their triple option attacks and rarely even bothered trying to put the ball in the air. Navy didn’t throw a pass in the first half, although Proctor was sacked twice. Army quarterback Trent Steelman, starting again after missing time this season with left ankle and right leg injuries, went 1 for 2 in the half.

After the teams traded fumbles in the first quarter, Navy took advantage of a short field to score first on Proctor’s 4-yard run.

Another Army fumble, this one near midfield, led to Teich’s 10-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0.

The Black Knights answered with back-to-back scoring drives.

Steelman had a 34-yard touchdown run, and then showed that a top-notch air attack isn’t needed to execute the 2-minute drill. He completed one pass — for 10 yards — in a 63-yard drive that took only 1:56 and tied the game on Brown’s 5-yard run with 49 seconds to go in the half.

Teich opened the second half with his first kickoff return of the season, plowing 47 yards to give Navy the ball in Army
territory. Proctor gave the Mids a 21-14 lead five plays later with a twisting 2-yard run.

Army responded again, tying the game with the Black Knight’s fifth touchdown pass of the season. Steelman found Brown wide open for a 25-yard strike.

But Army wouldn’t score again.

Navy had committed only 26 penalties all season — fewest in the country — and their first infraction Saturday came at a bad time — a false start on third-and-goal at the 1 with the score tied in the fourth quarter. The Mids had to settle for Teague’s 23-yard field goal to take a 24-21 lead with 12:03 to play.

But Army’s James Whittington fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give Navy the ball at the Black Knights’ 27. Teague, who entered the game having made only 8 of 13 field goal attempts this season for Navy’s beleaguered kicking game, came through again four plays later with a 44-yard effort that made it 27-21 with 10:26 to go.

Needing a touchdown, Army drove to Navy’s 25, but Steelman was stopped on fourth-and-7, stuffed for a 1-yard loss when linebacker Matt Warrick read the triple option perfectly with 4:31 remaining.

——
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)