Change in attitude for Terps?
By: Kevin Dunleavy
Examiner Staff Writer
December 1, 2009
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| Landon Milbourne and the Terps can expect plenty of electricity tonight at Indiana. (AP) |
What do you get when you combine games against major conference teams, on back-to-back days, in front of sparse crowds and in a bandbox gym in Hawaii?
In the case of the Maryland Terrapins, it was a recipe for failure last week in the Maui Invitational.
Emotion is the fuel that stokes the fire of defensive-minded Maryland (4-2). To Terps' leading scorer Landon Milbourne, it wasn't there in losses to Cincinnati, 69-57, and Wisconsin, 78-69.
"I think we were a little flat. Now that I've looked at the tape, it seemed like we only had one or two players that were excited to be there," said the senior forward. "The team as a whole didn't have the energy we needed to play hard."
While the low-key atmosphere in Hawaii might have contributed to the Terps' unimpressive showing, there will be no lack of electricity tonight at Assembly Hall as Maryland takes on Indiana (3-3) as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
As former head coach at Big Ten rival Ohio State, Maryland coach Gary Williams knows what to expect. Indiana is asking fans to wear white.
"They have good fans. It's the Midwest. It's Hoosiers. It's the whole thing," said Williams. "It's their life-style to go to Indiana basketball games."
It's not their lifestyle to lose however. The Hoosiers went 6-25 last season, the worst record in the 85-year history of the program. Second-year coach Tom Crean has taken steps toward rebuilding, including acquiring the services of a pair of guards with Washington-area ties.
Freshman Maurice Creek, a 6-6 guard from Oxon Hill, leads the Hoosiers in scoring (16.3 points per game), steals (10) and 3-pointers (14), while junior guard Jeremiah Rivers, a transfer from Georgetown, leads Indiana in assists (4.8 pg).
In its two losses in Hawaii, Maryland was out-rebounded 80-61 as freshmen Jordan Williams and James Padgett showed their inexperience, especially at the defensive end.
"They were very good, polished post players," said the 6-10 Williams. "I think we did a pretty good job, but as you can see from the stats, they did pretty well ... It was a good lesson for me and James to bring it on every single play."
Maryland will need to do that, especially if Crean gets the atmosphere he is asking for.
"We've got to get this crowd just as great as it can possibly be and as nuts as it can possibly be," said Crean Saturday after Indiana handled Northwestern State. "And tell the fire marshal to stay home that night. We'll get him tickets right behind the bench. We'll let him come. Police chief too. We just need them all in here. We need everybody in here to make this place nuts."
