Honorable Mention: NBA-Charlotte Bobcats @ Washington Wizards (Wednesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets (Friday 8pm from Houston live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Bobcats (Saturday 7pm from Charlotte live on Comcast SportsNet), Chicago Bulls @ Washington Wizards (Monday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet/NBA TV); Women’s College Basketball: Virginia Tech @ Maryland (Thursday 7pm Comcast Center); Golf: PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open (Thursday & Friday 3pm live on Golf Channel, Saturday & Sunday 3pm live on CBS. All golf from La Jolla, CA); Monster Jam (Friday-Sunday Verizon Center); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Ruslan Provodnikov vs. David Torres (Friday 9pm from Airway Heights, WA live on ESPN2); High School Basketball: Parkville @ Perry Hall (Wednesday 6:30pm), Perry Hall @ Kenwood (Friday 7pm)

10. Miranda Lambert (Thursday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); Matt Nathanson (Sunday 6:30pm Rams Head Live); Marc Broussard (Monday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club); Ryan Adams/Jason Isbell (Tuesday 7:30pm Strathmore); Widespread Panic (Tuesday/Wednesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); FUEL (Saturday 1:30pm Sandy Point State Park)

I feel as though I really shouldn’t admit how much I enjoy this song “Faster” by Matt Nathanson. It’s just that I can’t help it…

Ditto for “Rocksteady” by Marc Broussard…

Ryan Adams has made about a million songs in his life. None top this…

I saw FUEL like five times between 2000-2001. Make fun all you want, but you know you’ll be singing along to this…

9. Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge (Friday-Saturday Sandy Point State Park); Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week (Tuesday-Sunday); “Luck” premieres on HBO (Sunday 9pm); “50/50” and “Real Steel” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

You know who’s part of Restaurant Week? A spot I can’t name (because they’re not a sponsor) but who makes the best salad in Charm City…

You know who it is. And you know it’s fantastic.

Also, did everyone see 50/50? I thought it was one of the best movies of 2011 (Clip NSFW)…

I’ve had the opportunity to make a number of radio appearances throughout the country during the last few weeks while the Baltimore Ravens marched along in the National Football League playoffs.

In virtually every conversation, I was asked a question about how the outcome of the next game could alter the future of Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron in Charm City.

It always felt a little strange to be asked about Cam Cameron. Usually I only hear Cam Cameron’s name when a listener/caller screams at me about him. It’s never in the form of a question.

After the Ravens’ 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots Sunday in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium, it didn’t take 30 minutes for the screaming to start again. It was a bit odd considering there was really no way Cameron could be blamed for the loss in Foxborough.

The reality is that as the team’s offseason officially got underway, Cameron sits at the forefront. His future can only be labeled as “to be determined”, as his contract expires with the end of the season.

Head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens’ coaching staff are headed to Mobile, AL this week for scouting at the annual Senior Bowl. It would seem as though the team wouldn’t want the situation with Cameron to linger far into the offseason, especially if they ultimately decide not to retain Cameron after four playoff trips in four seasons and have to find a new coordinator without a likely replacement on staff.

(That’s not an endorsement for either decision. It’s just a fact. I’m actually indifferent towards the situation, as I believe any coordinator in 2012 would need more offensive talent to work with.)

The next pressing situation remains on offense. The team’s Most Valuable Player in 2012 (RB Ray Rice) becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) at a time where NFL teams have been particularly unwilling to invest in long term deals for running backs. Also hitting unrestricted free agency is LG Ben Grubbs, who has never reached a Pro Bowl but has certainly played at a Pro Bowl level. (Monday update: Grubbs will in fact be making his first trip to Hawaii this season as a replacement for Patriots G Logan Mankins.)

There is a likelihood that the Franchise tag will come into play with one of the above players, as it did with DT Haloti Ngata last season before a long-term deal was reached.

DE Cory Redding, LB’s Jarret Johnson & Jameel McClain and S’s Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura highlight other Ravens who become Unrestricted Free Agents. LB Brendon Ayanbadejo (who has publicly stated he would like to play another season) is also on the UFA list, as are OL Andre Gurode, TE Kris Wilson, DT Brandon McKinney and LB Edgar Jones.

(CB’s Cary Williams & Lardarius Webb as well as LB Dannell Ellerbe are restricted free agents, all are expected to return.)

Also on the list of Unrestricted Free Agents is C Matt Birk, who denied a CBS report earlier this month that he had already decided to retire at the end of the season. With no “center of the future” clearly on the roster, it may behoove the team to bring the big man from Harvard back for one more season if he’s interested.

While we await Birk’s decision about his future, future Hall of Fame LB Ray Lewis told reporters in New England he intends to return to Baltimore for a 17th season. S Ed Reed’s future isn’t quite as defined, as he did not speak to reporters after suffering his second AFC title game defeat. Nagging back and neck issues appeared to affect Reed’s play at the end of the season, but he came with big plays in both playoff games.

Navy Announces 2012 Football Schedule

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Five home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, a trip to Dublin, Ireland to face Notre Dame, road games at Penn State and Air Force and the annual Army-Navy game presented by USAA in Philadelphia highlight the 2012 Navy football schedule released today.

CBS Sports Network will televise all five games in Annapolis, while CBS Sports will televise the Notre Dame and Army games.

Navy will kick-off the 2012 season on Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland against Notre Dame.  The game will be played at Aviva Stadium, located in the heart of Dublin, and marks the first time the stadium has hosted an American football game.

It will also be the first time in program history that Navy has opened up against Notre Dame and the second time the two teams have met in Dublin.  Navy played the Irish at Croke Park in 1996.

After a week off, the Mids will travel to Happy Valley on Sept. 15 to take on Bill O’Brien’s Penn State Nittany Lions.  It will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1974 when Navy shocked Penn State in State College, 7-6.

VMI comes to town on Sept. 22 for the home opener at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It will be the ninth meeting between the two schools and the first since 2003 when Navy defeated the Keydets, 37-10, in the season opener.

The Mids will have revenge on their minds when San Jose State comes calling on Sept. 29. Last fall, the Spartans eliminated the Midshipmen from bowl contention with a 27-24 victory in San Jose.

Navy will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the first leg of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy on Oct. 6.  The Falcons won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy last year thanks to a 35-34 overtime victory over Navy in Annapolis.

The Mids will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. the following week, as Navy will play at Central Michigan on Oct. 13.  It will be the first time Navy has played at Central Michigan and the first time Navy has played in the state of Michigan since 2006 when the Mids beat Eastern Michigan at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Indiana Hoosiers come to Annapolis the following week (Oct. 20) for Homecoming.  It will be just the third time in school history that the two teams have met and it will be Indiana’s first trip to Annapolis.  The Hoosiers will be the first Big 10 team to play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since Northwestern beat Navy in 2002.

East Carolina will play host to Navy on Oct. 27 in Greenville.  The Pirates knocked off Navy last year in a thriller, 38-35.

Navy and Florida Atlantic will meet on the gridiron for the first time the following week as new head coach Carl Pelini brings his Owls North to Annapolis on Nov. 3.

Navy will make its first trip to Troy, Ala. on Nov. 10 when the Mids take on the Troy Trojans. Navy defeated Troy last year, 42-14.

The home finale takes place on Nov. 17, when Dennis Franchione and the Texas State Bobcats come to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Senior Day.

The 2012 Army-Navy Game Presented by USAA will take place at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 8.  Navy leads the all-time series, 56-49-7, and has won a series-record 10-consecutive games against the Black Knights.

Season tickets, both renewals and new purchases, will go on sale Feb. 1 and are $180.  Those who purchase season tickets will also have an option at that time to buy single-game tickets, as well as tickets for the Navy-Notre Dame game in Dublin.

2012 Navy Football Schedule
Sept. 1              vs. Notre Dame (Dublin, Ireland)
Sept. 15            at Penn State
Sept. 22            VMI
Sept. 29            San Jose State
Oct. 6               at Air Force
Oct. 13             at Central Michigan
Oct. 20             Indiana (Homecoming)
Oct. 27             at East Carolina
Nov. 3              Florida Atlantic
Nov. 10            at Troy
Nov. 17            Texas State
Dec. 8              vs. Army (Philadelphia)

Georgia Tech (8-8, 1-1) at Maryland (11-4, 1-1)
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 | 4 p.m. | Comcast Center
ACC Network-WNUV 54 locally in Baltimore
Terrapin Sports Radio Network

Maryland plays host to Georgia Tech in the second of back-to-back home games early in the Atlantic Coast Conference season. The Terrapins and Yellow Jackets are in a pack of league teams in the middle of the standings at 1-1. Each team won their most recent outing with Maryland winning at home 70-64 on Wednesday over Wake Forest and Georgia Tech winning Wednesday at NC State, 82-71.

The Terrapins are finishing a run of home games that had them playing only two games away from Comcast Center over a long period. The Terps played at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C., in a win over Notre Dame on Dec. 4, 2011, and traveled to NC State on Jan. 8, 2012 to open their ACC schedule. Surrounding those two trips, Maryland played 10 home games, and comes into this afternoon’s matchup with the Yellow Jackets with a 9-1 mark at home this season. The schedule evens out over the next 1-1/2 months as eight of Maryland’s next 13 games are away from Comcast Center.

Maryland has won eight of its last nine games in a stretch dating back to the 78-71 win over Notre Dame on Dec. 4. During that time, the Terrapins have been playing considerably more of a Mark Turgeon-style by concentrating on defense and rebounding. Maryland has held opponents to just 67.3 points per game and .420 shooting from the floor. The Terps have held a plus-8.3 per game edge in rebounding and have out-boarded eight of their nine opponents in that streak.

Maryland is also taking strong advantage of the addition of sophomore point guard Pe’Shon Howard and redshirt freshman center Alex Len. Howard leads the team with a 4.8 assists-per-game average and has been on the floor an average of 31.8 minutes per game since his return. In his five games, Len has missed only eight shots from the floor (.729, 21-for-29), averaged 11.8 points per game, grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game and blocked 2.4 shots each outing.

Junior forward James Padgett continues to lead the ACC in offensive rebounding and is sixth in the nation in that category. Among his 96 rebounds in 15 games this season, 63 have come off the offensive glass (66 percent). Padgett had 11 points and eight boards (six offensive) in 19 minutes on Wednesday in the win over Wake Forest.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin led the Terrapins in Wednesday’s win over Wake Forest with 20 points. It marked the 11th time in 15 games this season that Stoglin has hit the 20-point plateau. He remains the ACC’s leading scorer with a 21.3 points per game average. Stoglin has 38 3-pointers this season, already tied for sixth with Duane Simpkins (1994) on the sophomore list of 3FG. Greivis Vasquez hit 64 treys in 2008 to hold the school record by a sophomore.

The matchup with the Yellow Jackets is the first of two this season. Maryland returns the home game in a Feb. 25 trip to Atlanta. Maryland, which holds a 38-34 edge in the all-time series with Georgia Tech, has won 10 of the last 11 in the series. Maryland had a nine-game winning streak against the Yellow Jackets snapped in the 2010 ACC Tournament in a 69-64 loss before winning in Atlanta, 74-63, in last season’s only meeting between the teams.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech is 8-8 with a 1-1 mark in the ACC after picking up an 82-71 win at NC State on Wednesday… The Yellow Jackets had lost four consecutive prior to the win over NC State, dropping games to Mercer, Fordham, Alabama and Duke… Brian Gregory is in his first season as head coach after spending the previous eight seasons at Dayton.

Glen Rice Jr., a 6-foot-5 junior guard, is averaging a team-best 14.4 ppg and is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in the ACC… Rice has come off the bench the last three games and poured in 28 points vs. Duke and 22 against the Wolfpack, making 7 of 10 shots at NC State as Tech shot 51 percent as a team…

Rice was one of five Yellow Jackets to score in double figures in the win over NC State – guards Mfon Udofia (17), Brandon Reed (12) and Jason Morris (10), along with center Daniel Miller (10) helped make up a balanced scoring attack… Udofia leads the team with 40 assists and ranks second with 11.2 ppg, while Miller is averaging a team-best 6.8 rpg and ranks second in the league with 45 blocks…

Georgia Tech is one of the better teams on the boards in the conference, outrebounding its opponents by an average margin of 6.6 rpg, trailing just North Carolina (plus-12) and NC State (plus-6.7)… The Yellow Jackets are also third in blocked shots (5.7 bpg) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.385).

Upcoming

Maryland hits the road for its next two games, having to face a tight turnaround after the Georgia Tech game on Sunday. The Terrapins will practice Monday, then fly to Tallahassee that night in preparation for a 9 p.m. tipoff Tuesday at Florida State… Maryland faces its last non-conference matchup of the regular season on Saturday, 1/21 against Temple in The Palestra…The Terrapins return home for two games the next week, playing host to Duke on Wednesday, 1/25 on the night when Gary Williams Court is dedicated and Virginia Tech on Saturday, 1/28…
Maryland has only three home games and six road contests in the month of February.

So the BCS National Championship might have been one-sided.  It might have been a let-down compared to the regular season OT thriller between LSU and Alabama.  Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, was a non-factor.  LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson looked lost and almost ready to tap out in favor of backup Jarrett Lee, or even Mr. Bentley.  Les Miles looked, well, less of a coach than Nick Saban.

 Don’t misunderstand.  I’m not an LSU fan.  I respect both teams and have rooted for and against both in different situations over the years.  I was just hoping for a little more ebb and flow for a national title game.  The Nov. 6 matchup was riveting, even without the plethora of points that had become all the rage this bowl season (they are still picking up athletic supporters off the Alamo Bowl field from Baylor’s 67-56 win overWashington).

 I actually was looking forward to a defensive struggle.  I wanted field goals.  They were all Alabama’s.  I thirsted for punts.  They, mostly, were LSU’s.  I waited for game-changing plays.  They just never really came.  Trent Richardson’s lone TD came with time running out on LSU in the fourth quarter.

 But there was one truly refreshing quality to the game played out in the Superdome Monday night, the officiating.  What?  You didn’t really notice?  Perfect.  That’s what you want.  That’s just not the norm anymore.  But this game differed from the flag-fests to which I am usually subjected.

 There were 6 flags thrown in the game.  Three were false starts.  You can’t ignore them.  Two were offside penalties.  Again, no-brainers.  No holding flags.  No blocks in the back.  No hands to the face or interference calls.  The only other penalty called was a roughing flag on a punt return where a fair catch was signaled.  No defenseless receiver flags, or illegal hits on quarterbacks.  Not even a replay review (Did they replay the spot on the early fake field goal??  If they did, it must have been all handled during the time out.  I don’t recall any others).

 There were enough bit hits and sideline hits that certainly one or two might be been flag-worthy.  Enough pushing and shoving after whistles.  I thought I saw the LSU fullback land an uppercut at one point.  But the officials never let the hankies fly.  Whistles were swallowed.  And the game was played.  And it was a beautiful game from that perspective.  I’m sure there are some plays where flags may have been warrented but I didn’t see any that had any major affect on how the game would turn out.  And that’s how it should be.

Former Bills coach Marv Levy was famously caught by an NFL Films crew scolding a referee by calling him an “over-officious jerk”.  Marv was not one for swearing.  But his point was “quit making up penalties to get on TV, guys.”  I blame replay for most of it and the complexity of rules created by slowing the action down so much.  It’s hard to believe a Rec football game can survive with two officials and no replay.  But is sure is refreshing to see the BCS National Championship game run like one.

Prior to Alabama defeating LSU 21-0 in the National Championship game Monday night, there was much controversy as to who would be crowned as champions following the game.

After all, LSU beat Alabama on their home turf in November. The National Championship game was played on a neutral field (even though LSU may have had a slight advantage with the game being played in New Orleans.)

Furthermore, LSU had five wins agains the top 25 this season, with four of them coming on the road. They won the SEC, including the SEC Championship game over Arkansas. Alabama did not even win their own division.

So, should Alabama beat LSU, say 12-9 in the championship game, who would the champion really be?

Luckily for everyone that supports the BCS, Alabama made a pretty definitive statement as far as who the best team in the country really was on Monday night. It could have been much worse.

Still, there are some writers who said going into the game that they would still vote LSU #1 in the AP poll regardless of the outcome of the championship game.

How crazy is that?

I’m not even talking about the fact that there are voters who would still put LSU over Alabama. I actually see the logic there and agree with those who would want to make a statement for LSU based on their regular season success.

But what sticks out to me is the fact that the multi-billion dollar corporation that is NCAA athletics is still playing under a system that does not crown a definitive champion.

Think about everything that anyone has ever done in life. We all want to be the best at what we do. Personally, from the time I took the mound at age 5 at Colgate Park with my little league team, I wanted to win my division. I wanted to be crowned champion at the end of the year.

MLB has a clear World Series champion. The NFL has a clear Super Bowl winner. Same with the NBA and NHL. Same with the World Cup. Same with NCAA basketball.

Here’s what’s happening today on the MobTown Sports Beat from 10am-2pm here on WNST.net. I hope you’ll join us and add your thoughts too by phone at 410-481-1570, by email at thyrl@wnst.net or on Twitter at @Thyrl or @WNST.

On a side note, if you’re not following WNST on Twitter then you’re missing out on Baltimore’s best and fastest local sports insight. We’re pushing to get to 10,000 followers and are almost there. If you’re on Twitter and not following WNST you’re not as dialed in as you think you are. And if you’re following WNST and haven’t told your friends and followers to do it too then just what kind of a friend or leader are you being?

We’ve got some great guests lined up and maybe a few more who’ll surprise us.

We’ll talk with Paul Kuharsky who covers the AFC South for ESPN about the Texans and this week’s match-up at 10:30

Saints OT and former Towson Tiger Jermon Bushrod will join us at 11:00.

Eric Edholm from Pro Football Weekly will join me at 11:30 to talk about the NFL weekend and what’s next.

Spencer Hall from Everyday Should Be Saturday will join me to pre-cap the National Title Game at 12:00.

Luke Jones will join me for a Ravens Report at 12:30 or when the team’s schedule allows.

Nickel and a Nail

Of course I’m asking for your 2 cents and since I’ve got 4 hours in front of a microphone on tap I’ll offer 5 cents of my own, and a jab for someone who deserves it. Today we’ll talk about:

1 – Ravens and Texans

Of course we’re looking ahead at this weekend’s playoff game and what the Ravens can expect from the TJ Yates led Texans.

2 – Wildcard Weekend…Wish Come True

Maybe the weekend’s events didn’t quite put the wild in wildcard weekend; still there were some pretty interesting and entertaining games, which set the stage for some fun match-ups ahead.

Honorable Mention: Boxing-ShoBox Luis Ramos Jr. vs. Raymundo Beltran (Friday 11pm from Indio, CA live on Showtime), Friday Night Fights-Dyah Davis vs. Alfonso Lopez (Friday 9pm from Key West, FL live on ESPN2); Soccer: MISL Syracuse Silver Knights @ Baltimore Blast (Friday 7:35pm 1st Mariner Arena), Rochester Lancers @ Baltimore Blast (Saturday 7:35pm 1st Mariner Arena); Women’s College Basketball: Georgia Tech @ Maryland (Friday 8:30pm from Comcast Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Maryland @ North Carolina (Sunday 1pm from Chapel Hill, NC live on Comcast SportsNet)

10. Badfish (Friday 7pm Rams Head Live), Legwarmers (Saturday 7pm Rams Head Live); Pat McGee Band (Friday 7:30pm Birchmere); Carbon Leaf (Friday 7:30pm Saturday 8pm The Barns at Wolf Trap); Johnny Winter (Saturday 8pm Sunday 7pm Rams Head on Stage)

When I heard Badfish was coming to town, I started wondering what my favorite Sublime song of all time was. I’ll probably be killed for it, but how can it not be this?

The Legwarmers are one of those tremendous 80′s cover bands that if you go see you’re guaranteed to have a good time. They do a ton of songs, but none are as good as this song…

I freaking LOVE Pat McGee Band. Here’s Pat doing Crosby Stills  &Nash (although you may be more familiar with Jimmy Buffett’s take)…

I’ve been talking an awful lot about Carbon Leaf this week. Have you taken the hint?

9. Kevin Nealon (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv)

The good news is that if you get your wires crossed at a Kevin Nealon show, he has some experience getting them uncrossed…

Here’s what’s on the agenda for Thursday’s edition of the MobTown Sports Beat. Check us out streaming here from 10am-2pm and chime in by phone (410-481-1570), by email (thyrl@wnst.net) or on Twitter ( @Thyrl or @WNST )  

Great Guests

Terps Color Analyst Chris Knoche will join me at 10:30 to talk about the arrival of Alex Len, the Terps win over Albany on Wednesday and what we might expect of them from here.

Luke Jones will join me at 12:30 to update this week in playoff preparation with a Ravens report.

Nick Minnix from KFFL.com will join me at 1:00 to put a wrap on another fantasy football season and maybe to look ahead at fantasy baseball season too.

…and you never know who else might drop in.

The Big Three Questions

It’s the Miami Heat of radio segments as not only will it be tough to expect it to live up to the hype but also because you’ll never get a 4^th out of me (I might be running out of time to tell that joke).

Question #1: Is Baltimore a Wizards town…or an NBA town at all?

Question #2: Can Turgeon’s Terps make the tourney…or finish in the top half of the ACC?

Question #3: Is it fair to name Alabama the National Champion if they narrowly beat LSU? Does anyone care?

Nickel and a Nail

Five timely topics of conversation for the day and a jab for someone who deserves it.

Ravens Playoff Push Begins

Week 17 and home field and a bye in the playoffs are on the line against an up and coming Cincinnati team that may be knocking on the playoff door a year ahead of schedule. Of course we’re talking Ravens football today.

UMBC faces its first nationally-ranked opponent in over a year when the Retrievers meet Indiana for the first time at famed Assembly Hall on Thursday, Dec. 22. UMBC’s took on 2011 national champion Connecticut on Dec. 3, 2010, falling, 94-61, to the Huskies.  Tip-off time is set for 6:00 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN3 with Steve Andress and Perry Clark on the call.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC staged a furious rally, coming back from 14 points down and seven minutes to play and took visiting Rider to overtime on Dec. 17, but the Broncs prevailed, 73-66 in extra time. In a pair of home losses last week, UMBC amassed 51 offensive rebounds, but shot less than 32 percent from the floor in both setbacks. Sophomore forward Chase Plummer (14.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg) has recorded three consecutive double-doubles and was named America East Conference Player of the Week.

HOOSIER UPDATE:  No. 17/18 Indiana (11-0) has been dominant, opening with a 96-66 win over America East member Stony Brook and, most recently, pounding Howard, 107-50 on Dec. 19. In between, they have wins over N.C. State , Notre Dame and No. 1 Kentucky (73-72). Five Hoosiers average in double figures, led by 6’11” freshman post Cody Zeller at 15.3 ppg.  He is shooting 65.6% (61-of-93) from the floor, while junior guard Jordan Hulls (11.7 ppg) is hitting 58.5 percent (24-of-41) from behind the arc.

Who’s Up Next:  UMBC completes the 2011 portion of the schedule at Niagara University on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

UMBC vs. the big ten: The Retrievers are 1-11 against the current membership of the Big Ten, with the lone win occurring at new member Nebraska in December of 2008.

The 66-64 win over the Cornhuskers on Dec.23, 2008 snapped the nation’s eighth-longest non-conference winning streak at the time.  It still stands as UMBC’s top victory from an RPI perspective, as NU was ranked No. 53 at the time.

UMBC’s most recent contest vs. a Big Ten foe occurred in the 2009-10 season, when they fell at Penn State, 58-42.

* Sophomore Quentin Jones is expected to start his eighth consecutive game at Indiana. The local product (Mount St. Joseph) and junior college transfer (Wallace State-Ala.) is a walk-on to the program and started the season at No. 4 on the depth chart at point guard. But with injuries to freshmen  Jarrel Lane (has not played in eight games to date) and Joey Getz (injured in game No. 3 vs. Loyola) and the departure of De La Rosa, Jones continues to quarterback the team and has produced 4.6 points per game.

* UMBC dropped its third consecutive season opener in the 59-45 loss to Penn on Nov. 11, 2011.

* UMBC did not hit a 3-point field goal vs. Penn, going without a trey for the ninth time in school history. The last time UMBC did not convert from behind the arc was Dec. 30, 2008 at Saint Louis.

* UMBC’s win at Towson on Dec. 10 snapped a 13-game slide dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.  The last victory was a 84-79  decision at Maine on Feb. 6, 2011.  The Retrievers are looking to break a seven-game home losing streak which extends back to a Feb. 3, 2011 victory over visiting Binghamton.

* UMBC has outrebounded eight of its first ten opponents. The Retrievers have collected 156 offensive rebounds through ten games, posting double figures in each.  However, UMBC has only 114 second-chance points off of the extra 156 possessions. UMBC’s +3.9 rebound margin is 31st in the nation entering the week and the 40.4 rebuonds per game is tied with Florida and UCSB for 21st place.

*  The young lineup is taking its toll on UMBC, as the Retrievers committed a season-high 21 turnovers vs. Loyola, exceeding the 20-turnover margin for the third consecutive game. They have 20 or more miscues in four of ten games to date, but did post a season-low eight vs. Morgan State Dec. 14.

*  The Retriever increased their scoring output in each of the first four games, going from 45 to 59 to 63 to 79, but have not reached the 70-point plateau since the 84-79 setback at VMI.

*  UMBC’s 53.8 percent marksmanship from the floor at VMI was its best since hitting 32 of 58 (55.2%) at New Hampshire on Feb. 24, 2010.

*  UMBC was tied with both VMI and Central Connecticut State with 10:00 on the second-half clock, but failed to produce a victory in either contest.

* The combined record of UMBC’s first seven opponents through Dec. 6 was 33-23 (.589).

* The win over Towson snapped a four-game slide to the Tigers in the 53rd meeting between the schools… It also snapped a streak of 10 consecutive losses to Baltimore-area Division I schools dating back to a Nov. 29, 2007 victory over Morgan State.

* UMBC snared a season high 11 steals vs. Morgan State on Dec. 14. It is the most steals in a game for a Retriever team since capturing 13 vs. Goucher on Dec. 8, 2007.

* The 53 rebounds recorded by the Retrievers vs. Rider was the most by a UMBC team since they corralled 55 vs. Monmouth on Jan. 26, 2002.