2008 Maryland Basketball Season Preview & NCAA Predictions
Written October 5, 2008 by Jack Jones
Gary Williams is on the hot seat at Maryland. It seems hard to believe since he was on top of the world only a few short years ago when he took the team to the national title in 2002. For years this Maryland basketball program has been competing with Duke and North Carolina for the ACC crown, but the last four years have seen plenty of disappointments with three years of sitting at home watching other teams playing the tournament and fans are getting fed up. It’s too bad that it looks like more of the same for the Terps in 2008-09 as they most likely will be on the outside looking in when the brackets are formed on Selection Sunday. If you disagree then you can win $10,000 for every $100 you bet on Maryland to win the national championship at BetUS.
The frontcourt is going to feel the loss with the departures of seniors Bambale Osby and James Gist. Gist averaged nearly 16 ppg while grabbing almost eight rebounds and blocking 2.3 shots per game. Osby was solid as well with 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per contest. It will be Jerome Burney and Braxton Dupree whose job it is to fill their void. Burney didn’t see much playing time until late in the year and showed some flashes of promise, while Dupree contributed early on but then was used sparingly as the season wore on. Dave Neal isn’t very athletic, but is a savvy inside presence who will eat up some minutes.
But, it’s the backcourt is where most of the talent is on this team and you’ll see plenty of three and four guard lineups used by Williams this year. It all starts with Greivis Vasquez, who will see a lot more time at shooting guard this year in order to free him up for his offense. He averaged 17 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game as a freshman. The Venezuelan opted against the NBA draft this summer which was good news for Williams and the Terps. At hte point will be Eric Hayes. He is a good ball handler who can shoot from beyond the arc, but he isn’t strong enough or quick enough to guard some of the best at his position. Landon Milbourne is another solid outside threat, but doesn’t penetrate or pass all that well. Freshman Sean Mosley should see some time here as will Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker.
Final Analysis
This program has taken a step back since winning their national championship, and can’t really be considered a contender in our ACC basketball predictions for the conference crown in 2008-09. Williams really needs an NCAA tournament birth this year to quiet his critics, but with the lack of experience we don’t see that happening. This is a team that will finish slightly under .500 in the conference and will be headed for the NIT. If you want to bet on Maryland this year, try BetUS where you can get up to 145% in signup bonuses!
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