The season is nary two weeks old and the Terps already having me feeling a lot like a drunk step father watching the inherited son he never wanted perform as a cheerleader at the big homecoming game instead of playing on the football team (but, honestly more like this guy). Despite the fact we nearly lost to a glorified D-II team AT HOME in the second game of the season, I was inspired by the fact our players bounced back and felt comfortable enough with themselves to play defense with the intensity of a sleeping baby in front of the leader of the free world and 17,000 other people. Oregon State may now fear actual turtles more than our basketball team. Yet, after watching Belmont take down UNC at home, Michigan lose to Iowa State, and Notre Dame take it on the chin from Indiana State (note: Larry Bird hasn’t played for them in over 30 years), I have decided to hold out some hope for the Terps.

The Paradise Jam tournament offers the Terps a chance to win an early season tournament and generate some positive feelings in a season that has been short on them thus far. For this tournament edition , I will give the people a quick snapshot of the field instead of breaking down individual game match-ups, and of course let you know what to watch for.

The Path to Victory:

This tournament isn’t exactly going to help the Terps RPI. Maryland opens the tournament against 0-4 Marist from the MAAC. Winning tournaments like this depend a lot on keeping players fresh when playing three days in a row. Against a team that lost by over 20 points to Elon, you better blow them out early and hope to rest your players for the “tough” matchup against the winner of Northern Iowa and Loyola Marymount (again, Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers haven’t been there for over 20 years but, they are 4-0).





The bottom half of the bracket contains four solid teams in Providence, Vanderbilt, La Salle and Morgan State (ok, maybe three solid teams). Any of these teams will provide a tough challenge for the Terps should they reach the championship game (and they should). From a growth (and RPI) perspective, it would have been better for us to be in this side of the bracket and face two strong teams. Instead, we get a chance to maybe get a couple blow outs (and they better be blowouts) before playing in the title game.





What to Watch For:

New Starting Lineup – It’s about damn time. – It’s about damn time. Coach Turgeon has all but said Roddy Peters will start at PG for the Terps. His performance thus far this season has been one of the few bright spots for the team. He is a creative playmaker and a terrific penetrator (I’m sure he has tried the Varun Ram on a couple of girls in his dorm room {copyright Elie Berman}). As long as he competes defensively, there is no reason he shouldn’t be playing 30 minutes a game while we wait for Seth Allen to return.

Peters’ presence in the lineup also means Nick Faust will move to the bench . I don’t think I’m alone in wishing that he stay on the bench for most of the game. The “defensive stopper” label hasn’t exactly been one that describes how he actually plays and his relentless jacking on the offensive end completely undermines whatever execution we have in the half-court. Shaq Cleare will continue to start because Turg is afraid of upsetting him and losing whatever production he has been giving us (although, I think the less he plays, the better).

Deeper Rotation – Turg is looking for somebody to step up into the giant gaping hole that is our inside defensive presence. He has hinted at digging a little deeper into his bench to help with this issue. This probably means more minutes for Damonte Dodd and potentially Jon Graham. When it comes to Dodd, I’m all for him getting some experience. He is already more comfortable on the court than Shaq is, and he is only thing that even resembles a shot blocker. Coach has also said that he plans on giving a few more minutes to Varun Ram. When Varun isn’t perfecting his own version of the – Turg is looking for somebody to step up into the giant gaping hole that is our inside defensive presence. He has hinted at digging a little deeper into his bench to help with this issue. This probably means more minutes for Damonte Dodd and potentially Jon Graham. When it comes to Dodd, I’m all for him getting some experience. He is already more comfortable on the court than Shaq is, and he is only thing that even resembles a shot blocker. Coach has also said that he plans on giving a few more minutes to Varun Ram. When Varun isn’t perfecting his own version of the Kamasutra , he is at least trying to play defense. The rotation will be the number one thing to watch during the coming weeks.

Prediction:

Terps do what they do best and come up short in the finals against a very tough La Salle squad.