SB Nation DC: All Posts by Ben Broman

Maryland draws Ohio State in Big Ten-ACC Challenge

2013-05-08T18:26:46Z

Given Maryland's acrimonious departure from the ACC, there was a general line of thought the conference probably wouldn't do them any favors when it came to scheduling, including perhaps lobbying for them to get an unglamorous Big Ten-ACC matchup. I don't know how much I ever bought that latter part. I suspected an Iowa rematch, perhaps, or maybe a mid-range team like Illinois or Minnesota.

But I know I certainly didn't expect this: the Terps will visit Ohio State for their installment of the series, a December 4th road trip to a team located in the top 10 or 15 of most early pundit rankings. They were an elite team last year and return the vast majority of their core, including Aaron Craft (easily hated but a quality point guard), although how they rebound from losing Deshaun Thomas, more or less their only real source of offense, is still unknown.

It isn't quite a perfect matchup, since in an ideal world Maryland would be hosting this game. Columbus still isn't the most imposing atmosphere, but beating a team that good on the road is going to be one heck of a task, whereas a home game would've made a true resumé win a real possibility. Still, the Challenge has done the Terps a real solid here in gifting them a marquee opponent, which will boost their non-con SoS and RPI rather substantially. Not to mention that it's a fun city for those looking to make the trip and is sure to be a game that's majorly watched, as opposed to last year's snoozer in Chicago.

The Buckeyes join George Washington, UConn, and some combination of the Paradise Jam field as the Terps' confirmed high-profile opposition. Per Alex Prewitt, they'll also host Tulsa over winter break, which is a clever decision: they're not likely to pose much of a threat, but they went 17-16 last year despite starting three freshmen. They'll improve, probably not enough to win that sort of game on the road, but they'll threaten in the C-USA. That's the type of game that doesn't really change anyone's mind about a team, but builds a more complete picture and does a lot more to help the SoS/RPI numbers than, say, hosting UMBC.

For my taste, given that the Paradise Jam field is unfavorable and unlikely to produce two quality opponents, perhaps not even producing one depending on how things break, there's still a need for one more high-quality opponent there in a home-and-home. They don't need to be top-15 material, but that schedule could do with one more resumé win opportunity, if possible. Especially because none of those premier games are actually at the Comcast Center.

Also, from that Prewitt tweet above: Maryland will do an international tour in August, like so many programs do. The location? ...the Bahamas, the homeland of none other than Shaquille Cleare. Pragmatic decision, perhaps something that was even hinted at during his recruitment (rumors have surrounded it enough). Maryland needs Cleare in trying to replace Len, and needs him to be focused and clear-headed. If this sort of thing helps, all the better to try it.

Good News: Antonio Barton visiting Maryland this weekend

2013-05-07T18:30:56Z

Maryland's pursuit of at least one immediately-eligible transfer has been obvious for weeks now, and after missing out on Eli Carter, former Memphis Tiger and Baltimore native Antonio Barton has been the obvious fit. And it's one step closer to fruition:

Former Memphis point guard Antonio Barton, Maryland's top transfer target this offseason, is scheduled to visit College Park either Friday or Saturday, an individual with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday morning.

Barton, a Baltimore resident whose four-year-old daughter still lives in the city, recently wrapped up a visit at Texas A&M, the individual said. Syracuse.com reported that Barton's short list included Maryland, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Syracuse. Barton's mother, Karen Bush, told the Post-Standard that her son might visit as many as five schools before deciding on his new home.

A&M and K-State are odd choices that don't worry me much. They're geographical outliers, primarily, and to boot A&M is behind Maryland as a program. K-State can promise playing time, same as Maryland, and is one a similar plane as far as stature goes, but I'd still be moderately surprised if they proved to be a more attractive option.

Syracuse is the worry. They need guard help, so Barton would get minutes - probably not as much as he would at Maryland, but burn nonetheless. And they're probably still the most Baltimore-friendly program in the country, save perhaps UNLV, which lessens the geographical problem. Throw in the fact that they're a big boy in the game right now and Maryland's not, and, well, it's a concern.

He hasn't visited, though, so Mark Turgeon gets the first crack at him, and Turge has proven to be deadly in those scenarios. (Has he missed in a situation like this yet? Wanted Smo, got Smo. Wanted Aronhalt, got Aronhalt. Wanted Dez, got Dez. Carter was a miss, but he never got on campus.) Barton's tight relationship with Nick Faust, the presence of his daughter, and you'd assume the salesmanship of Bino Ranson are all factors that point to Maryland, not to mention the playing time available. There's a lot to sell here; it just depends on how badly he wants to be on a team that's glamorous. That's not Maryland, at least not yet.

I've been aboard this bandwagon early, mostly because Barton just plain makes sense. He's not a perfect point guard, but he's a lead guard who can shoot from deep, is mostly reliable, and is a one-year stop-gap who won't block the younger guys' progress. The likes of Roddy Peters and Seth Allen may work out at point, but relying solely on them is a gamble. Being able to bring in an experienced option like Barton, especially given his ability to stretch the floor in an Aronhalt-lite fashion, would be a boon to an inexperienced backcourt.

Plus, I'm all for more Baltimore in the program.

Doesn't appear from the outside like a recruitment that gets wrapped up early, but here's hoping it does.

Eli Carter to Florida, and Terps turn their focus elsewhere

2013-04-30T20:16:41Z

Guess we'll never get to figure out how the Eli Carter experiment would've gone down: the Rutgers transfer guard, who was previously down to Maryland and Florida, has chosen the Gators over Mark Turgeon and the Terps.

Rutgers transfer Eli Carter is off the board to Florida, sources told CBSSports.com on Tuesday afternoon.

Carter chose the Gators over Maryland, although several other schools had shown interest after he received his release from Rutgers. He announced his transfer following the firing of head coach Mike Rice.

Not a huge surprise, perhaps, given that he skipped his visit to College Park and always seemed like an odd fit at Maryland anyway. But while I was always a tad bit skeptical about another high-volume, low-efficiency two-guard, it does disappoint a little, for two reasons: first, Maryland still was in need of depth, both overall in the team and also at guard in particular; and second, Mark Turgeon apparently wanted him, and as I've alluded to before, Turgeon has carte blanche until he does something to make you think he shouldn't.

Regardless, it's tough to think that he's going to be comfortable with nine scholarship players and such little depth, so Carter's decision means the search for immediate reinforcements likely continues. Like for, say, Antonio Barton, who, as was mentioned in the MM, is considering Maryland - to what degree is still uncertain, but without Carter in College Park you'd think the playing time he seems to covet would be available.

And Barton does make a lot of sense. He's a lead guard more than Carter was, not a pure point but comfortable running the show, and is an above-average shooter. He's local. He's a one-year stop-gap, so won't bottleneck Roddy Peters or Romelo Trimble. And, of course, he's named Barton, which, to be frank, is probably why most fans like him (and not to mention a surname that, you'd imagine, still carries some weight in Charm City grassroots circles). Not a difference-maker ala Dez, but a potentially clever addition nonetheless.

There are other names, Vertrail Vaughns chief among them. But few seem likely to make an impact like Carter may've or Barton would. The search continues.

Maryland Minute 4.29.13: Terps in Eli Carter's top two, Dorsey goes to Packers

2013-04-29T11:41:36Z

Busy weekend, but the wrapup of all the goings-on is right here.

Eli Carter to decide between Maryland and Florida
No timetable yet, but he didn't visit College Park, which means he's either sold on the Terps completely or is slightly bad news. Either way, looking like solid odds there's going to be another big-name addition this offseason.

Does Eli Carter make sense at Maryland? - BSun
Mark Turgeon knows best until he proves he doesn't, so for now, yes, Carter makes sense. Somehow. Maryland needs guards and scorers, I suppose, and Carter is both. But Markus brings up a few of the doubts I have about this ordeal to begin with: Carter's not a stop-gap, as a player with two years left (whose immediate eligibility isn't a full-on guarantee); he's a wing, potentially a lead guard but really at his best off the ball, same as Dez Wells and Nick Faust and probably Seth Allen; and he basically shares Terrell Stoglin's profile of a high-volume, low-efficiency, turnover-prone chucker. (Except he's not even as efficient as Stogs was in his heyday.) That said, Turgeon has a plan, you'd think, and I'm very curious to see what it is should this turn out.

Kevin Dorsey selected by Packers in 7th round of NFL Draft
Bit surprised Dorsey got the call and not Furstenburg, but regardless, the Packers are one of those destinations you're always happy to see someone land. Anybody in the 7th is going to have trouble sticking, at least immediately, but they tend to know what they're doing up there.

Furstenburg signs with Ravens
Was hoping he'd get picked in the seventh, but getting a look-in with the Ravens is an enviable position. Aside from their success, always happy to see hometown schools give Terps a look.

Others to catch on so far: A.J. Francis in Miami, and Darin Drakeford in Kansas City. Incredibly, Kenny Tate and Joe Vellano's futures are still undecided.

(Oh, and I do hate moralizing, but the next time you criticize a player leaving early, especially in football, let Tate's tale be a precautionary one about getting out while the getting's good. The game is one thing; someone's life and livelihood is another.)

Maryland self-reports minor violations
Yawn-worthy, except that basketball had not a single secondary violation. Squeaky clean.

Rowe, Brown progressing, will be healthy for fall
Good news there. Also of note: Daniel Adams, Nick Klemm, and Bradley Johnson all had surgeries post-spring, but will be healthy come fall. Ditto Levern Jacobs, Wes Brown, and Marcus Leak, who sat out the spring with injuries of their own.

MLax: Terps fall to Virginia in first round of ACC Tournament
A bit disappointing, given that a win would've been a death blow to UVA and instead Maryland lost in a rather one-sided game. They'll still be a tourney favorite, though - third time's the charm for John Tillman?

WLax: #1 Maryland wins fifth-straight ACC title
And preserves their undefeated year. Hugely impressive.

Maryland Minute 4.24.13: Terps visit with Rutgers transfer Eli Carter

2013-04-24T15:50:57Z

A hodge-podge of recruiting and realignment links for you on this fine Wednesday.

Terps went in-home with Eli Carter, Rutgers guard
Carter was Rutgers' top scorer last year, averaging 15 points per game in just under 30 minutes. I'm a bit surprised that Maryland's indicating interest; they need guard depth, true enough, but Carter's more Terrell Stoglin than Romelo Trimble. A 6-2 two-guard who never met a shot he didn't love, hitting 38% from the field and 32% from deep last season, he'll put up points but he'll also frustrate Turgeon. Perhaps he'll become more efficient when surrounded with more talent - the ol' Stoglin Theory - but maybe not. (Also, he looks about 35 in the face.)

I suppose beggars can't be choosers, though. Carter has received his release from Rutgers and may be eligible to play immediately, but there's plenty of competition for his services (Florida chief among them). ALL THE COMBO GUARDS.

ACC grant of rights deal might weaken ACC’s exit-fee lawsuit against Maryland
This has been discussed in the comments a bit already, but in case you've missed it: it's apparently a marginal factor at best, but the ACC Grant of Rights deal still may have a factor in making the exit fee more difficult to uphold, with Alex Prewitt quoting a source saying the same.

ACC deal makes Big Ten expansion unlikely, Jim Delany says
If there's anything I've learned about this process, it's that I don't believe it's ever settled. It very well may be, but that's not a limb I'm comfortable going out on. But it seems that if further B1G domination is going to happen, at least it's not coming at the expense of the ACC. Shame, to some degree, but hardly a game-changer for how I view the move.

What each ACC team gave Florida State for the grant of rights deal, probably - SBNation.com

"Maryland just drove off in a cloud of Old Bay, blasting "Turtle Power" in their Honda Civic CRX."

Damn straight.

From the weekend: Trimble impresses at Jamfest
Lead guard who rarely turns the ball over, can score, is vocal, and makes smart decisions? Sign me up yesterday.

Maryland's going to have to drop an non-con football opponent in 2016
Sorry, Florida International. It would've been fun.

NFL.com mocks Furstenburg to Redskins in seventh round
Haven't seen too many mocks with any Terp getting picked, so any is notable. I'd love to see Furst Down in DC.

Alex Len was at the Caps game
So was MC Hammer, but we know which one really matters.

RIP, Television Realignment Era: 25 memories of college sports' dumbest goldfish
#13 on the list is UMD's official Twitter tweeting out "Goodbye, Carolina bias!" which seems about right. Ah, realignment.

Maryland football: Justin Anderson leaving program, new depth chart released

2013-04-23T23:53:34Z

Two semi-big football notes on the day, sure-to-be overshadowed by the reveal of Maryland's relatively-underwhelming final ACC basketball schedule.

The first: Justin Anderson, who was competing to replace A.J. Francis as the strongside defensive end in Brian Stewart's 3-4 scheme, is leaving the program at the end of the semester. He seemed unlikely to beat out Keith Bowers or Quinton Jefferson at either end, especially with Andre Monroe coming up on him from behind, so in that sense this isn't a huge blow; in all likelihood, he'd have been a rotation player. There are three ends that were ahead of him in the pecking order, so while Maryland now might need to blood in Roman Braglio a bit in Anderson's place, he had little chance of seeing significant snaps unless there was an injury.

The second: the team has released it's post-spring depth chart, with some position battles resolved and others cropping up. Take a gander at it here, but first a few interesting notes:

Maryland's receivers: Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, and Nigel King, with Marcus Leak at the bottom. Leak was suspended for the spring, and so, as he does with most suspended players, Randy Edsall started him off at the bottom of the depth chart. That's not particularly worrisome; as long as he's eligible come fall, you imagine Leak will rocket up the ladder and challenge Long and King for one of the premier sub-Diggs spots. There's enough room in Maryland's spread offense to accomodate all four of them, plus the likes of Levern Jacobs and Amba Etta to really stretch into the depth.

Ricardo Young's battling for second place. C.J. Brown's your starter coming out of spring ball, as already announced, but the hope for some that Young would get out of spring challenging him has proven ill-placed. Instead, Young's in a three-way tie with Caleb Rowe and Perry Hills for the second spot behind Brown, which is something of a disappointment (presuming it's not just coach-speak designed to spur him on even more). Edsall doesn't like to drop players based on injury, so that likely factors into things to some degree, but if Young was going to put up a real fight come fall, you'd think he'd had to have won the second-string spot outright. (Which, in all honesty, he may actually have done privately.)

Three-headed monster at running back. Here's a case of a position battle not being resolved in spring practice but instead created: Albert Reid's hugely successful spring campaign has pushed him into a three-way tie with Wes Brown and Brandon Ross to be the starting running back. Assuming that Mike Locksley is going to make heavy use of the zone-read option with C.J. Brown, the backfield designations are more ceremonial than anything else; each of the three will play quite a lot and receive heavy carries. But the fact that they're all so close is oddly encouraging: there are going to be a lot of options next season.

Maryland's line: Madaras, Arnett, Conaboy, Zeller, Klemm. That five made the most sense from the outside before spring, and they seem to have settled in as the five on the line. I wouldn't expect much movement.

Keith Bowers, Quinton Jefferson start at defensive end. That's a lot of unproven talent and inexperience, compared to Joe Vellano and A.J. Francis, but we always knew that would be the case. Still, expect Andre Monroe to make a case for himself once he's healthy in the fall.

Matt Robinson officially starting at SAM, Marcus Whitfield across him at WILL. Robinson, a coach's favorite, was always going to be tough to move from that spot, but the fact that he's already ahead of Twine officially makes it even more unlikely. Whitfield will be less comfortable; Yannick Ngakoue will be breathing down his neck come August.

Will Likely at the bottom of the depth chart at corner. He's going to receive playing time as a returner almost certainly, but he wasn't able to make too big of an impression, it appears, as a cornerback, at least not yet. That's to be expected to some degree as a freshman in spring practice, and he has plenty more time to make a move, but at least for now Edsall's opting for experience.

And, of course, Brad Craddock still starting at kicker. Hoping for more Aussie, Aussie, Aussie this year, less Oy, Oy, Oy.

Maryland's last ACC basketball schedule revealed, and it's unsurprisingly underwhelming

2013-04-23T23:20:33Z

So the ACC has seemingly finalized the 2013-2014 conference basketball schedule - which will be Maryland's last as a member of the conference - and they've given the Terps more or less the least-appetizing draw possible. Surprised? Us neither.

The conference didn't give Maryland send-off home games against either Duke or North Carolina, both big draws of significant importance; N.C. State, which is a bit of a semi-rival, will also be a road-only contest. The home game against Virginia was the only real bone thrown their way, but it's clear they were looking to do the Terrapins no favors. (Of course, in doing so they likely reinforced the downsides of the new-look ACC - that is, that this type of thing would be happening more and more anyway.) Regardless, as expected, the last year's shaping up to be a grind.

The full breakdown is below:

Home game opponents: Florida State*, Georgia Tech, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt*, Syracuse, Virginia*, Virginia Tech*, Wake Forest

Road game opponents: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State*, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pitt*, Virginia*, Virginia Tech*

The good news: the home-and-away opponents are particularly beatable. Virginia and Pittsburgh are likely tournament teams next season, but they won't be top-tier opponents; Florida State shouldn't challenge the top-end of the conference, either, and Virginia Tech will likely be in the basement. That's not great for RPI, necessarily, but it does mean there's a very good chance of racking up wins in the ACC - especially because, of the road-only opponents, two are games that should be wins anyway - emphasis, obviously, on should. Not getting Duke or Carolina at home, though, will make it tougher to notch any huge resumé win, and puts a bit of added pressure on their non-con schedule.

Mostly, though, this is exactly what was expected: it's a pretty standard ACC schedule, with the three juiciest games happening away from College Park. A conference schedule is only going to affect SOS and the actual wins and losses only marginally; the big story is not getting one more crack at Duke, Carolina, or State in Comcast.

Ah, well. I guess I can live with this being my last memory of a Maryland-Duke game in College Park.

Report: Big Ten switching to East-West divisional alignment

2013-04-20T18:44:51Z

Hallelujah and praise be to Juan: when Maryland officially joins the Big Ten in 2014, we won't have any silly, nonsensical divisional names to memorize. Instead of pushing on with its much-panned Leaders-Legends alignment, the Big Ten will name its new divisions East-West, with a perfectly-georgraphical alignment.

The Big Ten will replace Legends and Leaders with East and West when Maryland and Rutgers join the league in 2014, league sources told ESPN.

The proposed Big Ten West includes the six teams located in the Central time zone -- Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin -- plus Purdue, sources said.

The proposed Big Ten East includes Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers.

"Just take a ruler and a map [and split the 14 teams]," a source said.

I kind of thought this was a necessary eventuality, if not immediately then at least at some point down the road. The Big Ten clearly has its eyes set on being the premier northeastern conference - defining northeastern as "northern and above SEC territory" - and that means more expansion within the foreseeable future. That being the case, any non-geographic alignment was off the table. You can play around with this type of nonsensical strength-based alignment when everyone's pretty much in the same area, but when you start factoring in flights from Jersey and DC to Lincoln, it becomes impossible to maintain for travel (and class) restrictions. I would've assumed Maryland received some assurances that this was at the very least being strongly considered, if not outright decided.

And if Maryland, an athletic department as in the red as any in the country, needed it to jump the ACC's kind-of-sinking ship, you can be sure Virginia or North Carolina would definitely require it. This makes the conference viable for further expansion.

That's good news. So, too, is the fact that Maryland won't have crazy travel. Indiana's a trip but not a killer one, and most of the rest in the East aren't distances any crazier than some of the ACC Atlantic teams (Boston College, anyone?).

The bad news: look at that football lineup. Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State all in the same year? Yikes. The years when the off-teams are Nebraska and Wisconsin are gonna be hell. Of course, it's also a sales point in recruiting, and I'm still of the opinion that an overloaded schedule isn't a big roadblock for the future of the football program: recruits, especially second-tier Midwestern recruits, are going to salivate at that, and there are still going to be six winnable games on the schedule every single year. And that one year that Stefon Diggs hits all the great Midwestern football cathedrals on his Farewell Tour is going to make it all worth it.

I'm just glad we get to avoid the potentially-distressing question of whether Maryland is a Legend or a Leader. (Leader for life, baby.)