Terps 74, Wake 70

Not very good with a lead, are they?
Not exactly clutch free throw shooters either.
Don't take care of the ball.
Don't have much of a bench.
No killer instinct.
But...
Gist played like a lottery pick, which always helps.
Vasquez abused anyone who tried to guard him.
And...
Terps 74 Wake 70.
Two more to go, vs. Clemson Sunday and at UVa a week later. I still say they gotta win both, not one of two.

Other thoughts on last night's game:

That Ish Smith would not be fun to guard, would he?

Good Gist + Good Vasquez = Maryland win (not exactly calculus).

What a nerve-wracking, borderline annoying bunch of players to care about, this Maryland team. You root for them and enjoy the win, but it is maddening how they refuse to put teams away.

Before the game, Gminski said the "key to the game" for Maryland was bench production because they typically only get 10 points a game off the bench. So if we know the bench stinks, why is production off the bench the key? Wrong answer. The key is Gist and Vasquez playing great and at least a few other guys contributing. It ain't complicated.

I think Maryland is a better team when Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker get some minutes.
These usually come at the expense of Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne, which I can live with.

Gary had laryngitis, insert joke here.

Why exactly hasn't Gary been playing Jerome Burney until now? The sophomore is built like Joe Smith, is clearly a good presence on defense, and can even do a little something with the ball. It would be one thing if this guy were getting like 5 or 6 minutes a game and then Gary started increasing the number to 10 or 12, but he wasn't playing at all. He was almost like a last resort and guess what? He's pretty good. Weird.

I guess I like this team.