COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland men’s basketball team will face the Niagara Purple Eagles in the first round of the 2013 National Invitation Tournament Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Comcast Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Terrapins earned a No. 2 seed, while Niagara (19-13) was seeded seventh. Maryland and Niagara have met just once before – a 100-69 Terrapin victory in the 1972 NIT Championship game.

Maryland, which owns a 22-12 record after advancing to the ACC Tournament semifinals this weekend, is 11-6 all-time in seven appearances in the NIT. The Terrapins last participated in the tournament in 2008.

The winner of Maryland’s first-round matchup will advance to face the winner of the first-round game between Denver (21-9) and Ohio (24-9).

Tickets for the first round are available for $25 to the general public. Students can reserve a free ticket through their online account at www.tickets.umd.edu. Guest tickets will be available for $4.

Honorable Mention: Golf-PGA Tour Tampa Bay Championship (Thursday & Friday 3pm live on Golf Channel Saturday 1:30pm live on Golf Channel 3pm live on NBC Sunday 1pm live on Golf Channel 3pm live on NBC), Champions Tour Toshiba Classic (Saturday 2:30pm Sunday 3pm from Newport Beach, CA live on Golf Channel), LPGA Tour RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup (Thursday & Friday 6:30pm Saturday & Sunday 4pm from Phoenix, AZ live on Golf Channel); Auto Racing: NASCAR Food City 500 (Sunday 12pm from Bristol, TN live on FOX); Tennis: ATP Tour WTA Tour BNP Paribas Open (Tuesday & Wednesday 1:30pm Thursday 1:30pm & 10pm live on Tennis Channel Friday 6:30pm & 9:30pm live on Tennis Channel 4:30pm & 11:30pm live on ESPN2 Saturday 3pm & 5pm live on ESPNNews 8:30pm live on Tennis Channel Sunday 3pm & 5pm live on ESPN2); College Football: Towson Pro Day (Tuesday Unitas Stadium), Maryland Pro Day (Wednesday Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium); Boxing: Timothy Bradly vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (Saturday 10:15pm from Carson, CA live on HBO); Women’s College Basketball: NCAA Tournament Selection Monday (Monday 7pm live on ESPN)

10. Rihanna (Tuesday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); P!nk (Thursday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Trapt (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Drive By Truckers (Sunday 8pm Rams Head Live); Better Than Ezra (Saturday 7pm Power Plant Live); Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Wednesday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Dr. John (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Average White Band (Thursday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Marshall Tucker Band (Sunday 7:30pm Rams Head on Stage); Finch (Thursday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Dropkick Murphys/Carbon Leaf (Friday 7am 9:30 Club), Citizen Cope (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club); George Thorogood & The Destroyers (Tuesday 7:30pm Birchmere); Slick Rick/Rakim (Friday 8pm Howard Theatre); Shamrockfest feat. Sublime with Rome/Virginia Coalition/Carbon Leaf (Saturday 12:45pm RFK Stadium); Sound City: Real to Reel soundtrack available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

You already know damn well I’ll be wandering over to see Better Than Ezra after the Blast game Saturday night.

Despite not particularly enjoying much of anything else in the genre, I really flipping loved “What It Is To Burn” by Finch. I’d go see this show.

Spending a day in the parking lot at RFK Stadium? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Unless Virginia Coalition is involved. (Sorry for the video quality.)

I legitimately CANNOT get enough Sound City in my life. Dave Grohl is a rock God, but you already knew that.

9. Lewis Black (Saturday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Bill Bellamy (Thursday-Saturday  Baltimore Comedy Factory); Pablo Francisco (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “Life of Pi” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 25th Anniversary Edition” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Spring Breakers” and “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” out in theaters (Friday); Glenn Clark’s St. Patrick’s Day plans (Sunday parts unknown)

Yes. We ALL feel the same way about Jessica Rabbit. We just agree not to talk about it so that people don’t talk about us behind our backs.

We CAN however discuss the cast of Spring Breakers if you’d like.

And before we leave this part of the show, BANGERS AND EFFING MASH! ERIN GO BRAGH!

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Maryland (20-9, 8-8 ACC) vs. North Carolina (21-8, 11-5 ACC)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 • 7 p.m. ET

Game #30 • Home Game #19 • College Park, Md. • Comcast Center

TV: ESPN – Dan Shulman (Play-by-Play), Dick Vitale (Analyst) & Jeannine Edwards (Sidelines)

Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst) & Walt Williams (Sidelines)
Storyline

• Maryland concludes the home portion of the 2012-13 regular season when it plays host to North Carolina Wednesday at 7 p.m. Prior to the game, the Terps will honor their two seniors, Logan Aronhalt and James Padgett.

• Last Saturday, Maryland got its 20th win of the season with a 67-57 victory at Wake Forest. Dez Wells continued his strong play on the road by pouring in a game-high 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting. The sophomore is averaging 16.6 points per game in nine road contests this season and is tied with Alex Len for the overall team lead with 12.0 points per game.

• For the first time since the Delaware State game on Dec. 29, Maryland used a starting lineup of Pe’Shon Howard, Nick Faust, Dez Wells, James Padgett and Alex Len. The Terps, who are 10-1 with that group starting, held Wake Forest to 32.7 percent shooting while recording a season-high 11 steals and forcing 18 turnovers. Maryland is allowing its opponents to shoot just 37.7 percent, which leads the ACC and ranks 10th nationally.

• The Terps have been at their best at home this season, accumulating a 16-2 record including wins over then-No. 14 NC State on Jan. 16 and then-No. 2 Duke on Feb. 16. Maryland is shooting 50.5 percent in Comcast Center and averaging 17.5 assists per game, and four players are averaging at least 9.0 points per game: Alex Len (12.8), Seth Allen (9.3), Dez Wells (9.3) and Nick Faust (9.0).

• With snow in the forecast for Wednesday and with the Terps wearing “White Ops” Under Armour uniforms, Wednesday’s game is being billed as a “White Out,” with fans encouraged to wear white to the game.

Maryland-North Carolina Series History

• Maryland trails the all-time series 57-119, which dates back to 1924. North Carolina has a 46-37 advantage in College Park, though Maryland has won six of nine at Comcast Center. The Tar Heels have won five straight overall in the series. Maryland’s last win came on Feb. 7, 2010.

• The series has seen a variety of streaks over the past 10 years. Maryland won five of six from 1/9/2002 to 1/14/2004, and then Carolina won five straight from 2/15/2004 to 2/26/2006. The Terps then won four of five from 2/25/2007 to 2/7/2010 before the Tar Heels started their current five-game winning streak.

Honorable Mention: Tennis-ATP Tour WTA Tour BNP Paribas Open (Friday-Monday 2pm from Indian Wells, CA live on Tennis Channel); Women’s College Basketball: ACC Tournament-Maryland vs. Georgia Tech/Wake Forest (Friday 6pm from Greensboro, NC live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS); Boxing: Tavoris Cloud vs. Bernard Hopkins (Saturday 9:30pm from Brooklyn, NY live on HBO), Friday Night Fights: Victor Cayo vs. Emmanuel Taylor (Friday 9pm from Atlantic City live on ESPN2); MMA: Bellator MMA (Thursday 10pm from Temecula, CA live on SpikeTV)

10. Stars (Thursday 8pm Rams Head Live); Ballyhoo! (Saturday 7pm Recher Theatre); Machine Gun Kelly (Sunday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Oak Ridge Boys (Friday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage), Leon Redbone (Saturday 8:30pm Rams Head on Stage), Standing in the Shadows of Motown feat. Peabo Bryson & Leela James (Monday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage); Joe Nichols (Saturday 7pm Rams Head Center Stage); Rusted Root (Saturday 6pm 9:30 Club), Dropkick Murphys (Sunday & Monday 6:30pm 9:30 Club); Scott Weiland (Monday 8pm Howard Theatre)

If you like music and live in Charm City, you’ve probably seen Ballyhoo! at some point in the last 24 months.

No band has greater benefitted from car rentals than Rusted Root. (If you don’t already get it, you will.)

Dropkick Murphys are coming. Let this be a reminder that we’re only days from St. Patrick’s Day.

Recently Scott Weiland was fired by Stone Temple Pilots. It was uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as the meeting his solo project Scott Weiland had the same day where the need to fire Scott Weiland was also discussed…

9. Tom Arnold (Friday & Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); “Wreck-It Ralph” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Oz The Great And Powerful” out in theaters (Friday); Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Sunday 2pm Downtown Baltimore)

With all due respect to Tom Arnold, I’d rather be seeing Chris Farley AS Tom Arnold…

And I like this pre-St. Patty’s Day St. Patty’s Day. So here’s this.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland athletics department welcomed back legendary basketball coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell on Saturday as the Terps hosted the Clemson Tigers.

Driesell, who became Maryland’s head coach in 1969, coached the Terrapins for 17 seasons. During his tenure, he won 348 games, including 28 over Duke and North Carolina.

Prior to his arrival, the Terrapins had won only one Atlantic Coast Conference title and made just one NCAA Tournament appearance. Under Driesell’s leadership, the Terrapins won another ACC title and made the NCAA Tournament eight times, inclduing two Elite 8 appearances.

During halftime of Saturday’s game versus Clemson, Driesell was honored at center court and received a standing ovation from the raucous crowd.

“It’s a pleasure to be back here,” said Driesell. “I coached here for 17 years and I always love coming back to UMD. It’s such an honor to be recognized, but it’s also a great honor for my teams and my players.”

Driesell, who coached at Davidson prior to coming to Maryland and went on to stints at James Madison and Georgia State, compiled a 786-394 record in his 40-plus years as a head coach. He was the originator of “Midnight Madness” to open practice at the beginning of the season in 1971.

He is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame.

In addition to Saturday’s halftime ceremony, Maryland will dedicate and unveil a bronze bas-relief of the storied coach on April 16, 2013.

Maryland (18-8, 6-7 ACC) vs. Clemson (13-12, 5-8 ACC)
Saturday, February 23, 2013 • Noon ET

Game #27 • Home Game #18 • College Park, Md. • Comcast Center
TV: ESPN2 – Carter Blackburn (Play-by-Play) & Jay Williams (Analyst)
Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst) & Walt Williams (Sidelines)

Storyline

• Maryland plays its penultimate home game of the 2012-13 season when it takes on Clemson Saturday at noon. After playing the Tigers, the Terps play three of their last four on the road, with the home finale coming on March 6 vs. North Carolina. 

• Legendary coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell will be honored at halftime of Saturday’s game. Driesell became Maryland’s head coach for the 1969-70 season, when the Terrapins had won only one Atlantic Coast Conference title and had made just once NCAA Tournament appearance. In his 17 seasons at Maryland, Driesell compiled a 348-159 record, won one ACC title and led the Terps to eight NCAA Tournament appearances. 

• Maryland is 18-8 and 6-7 in the ACC after a 69-58 setback at Boston College on Tuesday. Logan Aronhalt poured in a season-high 26 points – the most by a Terp this season – but was the only Maryland player to reach double figures. The Terps led 33-26 at halftime and 50-49 with 5:14 to play, but the Eagles used a 12-0 run over the next 3:19 to take control. 

• The Terps have been at their best inside Comcast Center, where they own a 15-2 record which includes an upset over then second-ranked Duke last Saturday. In home games, Maryland has shot 50.7 percent from the field while holding opponents to a .366 mark, and the Terps have outscored opponents by an average margin of 14.2 points at home. 

• Maryland had a streak of seven straight games shooting at least 40 percent snapped at Boston College, when it hit just 35.7 percent. Still, the Terps rank third in the conference in field goal percentage at .471, behind just NC State (.497) and Duke (.472). Maryland also ranks first in the league and eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense, having held opponents to a .373 mark this season.

Driesell to be Honored

• The University of Maryland athletics department will dedicate a bronze bas-relief of Charles “Lefty” Driesell in a ceremony at Comcast Center on April 16, 2013. He is also being honored during halftime of Saturday’s game. Driesell, who coached at Davidson prior to coming to Maryland and went on to stints at James Madison and Georgia State, compiled a 786-394 record in his 40-plus years as a head coach. He was the originator of “Midnight Madness” to open practice at the beginning of the season in 1971. He is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame. Maryland-Clemson Series History

• The Terps own the upper hand in the all-time series with Clemson, leading 89-49 since the series began in 1938. Maryland is 52-11 at home vs. the Tigers, including a 5-2 mark at Comcast Center.

• The Terps have won three straight in the series. Last year, Maryland won 64-62 at Clemson.

Is it over? Are they finally gone? Have we seen the last of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team in the state of Maryland? We couldn’t have bid them a finer farewell! The Good (Terps) 83 points, the Bad (refs – relentless grief from the student section) and the Ugly Dukies 81 points - See Ya! The Terps get the Dukies once next year during the regular season and Mark Turgeon probably said it best – “Doubt the ACC is going to do us any favors.” With the Big Ten move, it appears we have seen the last of Duke at College Park. I am old school, I am a Maryland alum, I am sick of Coach K (the Rat Man) and I am sick of Duke basketball.

Hopefully you caught the show Saturday evening. It was quite an event. It was ugly, (26 turnovers), but they won. The young Terps refused to lose. The rested Terps ran circles around los arrogant ones, out rebounded the Dukies 40 -20, shot like 60%  and still barely managed to squeak out a 2-point victory. Carolina refs were present. I had to mute Doris (Dukie) Burke many times throughout the broadcast. Some young smart mouthed kid named Quinn Cook, (Dukie guard) claimed Gary Williams court was ”his city”.  And Lenny ate up Mason Plumlee. “O” that’s right, he was exhausted. Eat it Coach K.

Best part about watching it on ESPN? The crowd played well on the tube. I am not much on the cursing from the student section – I believe they could be more creative. But for once, I was glad to hear and even proud at times of “REF – YOU S…K”! Because they did and a national television audience got a taste of what loyal Terp fans have been getting handed for the past 40 years – lopsided calls. Doris (Dukie) Burke did acknowledge the late game ”charging” call on Dez Wells, ”should have been a no call”, when a Pukie had clearly not established ground. I do not agree with the “Rock n’ Roll Part II” - (Gary Glitter)/ Hey, You S…k chant, when the #2 in the nation is in your house. They are not in the top 10 because they s…k. I really don’t like it against any team. But, since it was Puke and since it was the last time they were going to be here….let ’em have it. I also did enjoy the “B…L S…T”, “You Can’t Do That”, “LET’S GO TERPS”, etc. The place was electric. If you haven’t seen this “flash mob” clip, watch it. Terpland on a high -http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G1qoZxWAsk8  – it was good clean fun.

My daughter was there. She hit me up with text pictures. From the early afternoon pics, 4 hours prior to game time and Terp faithful lined up outside waiting to get in, up until the storming of the court after the final buzzer. Got me all choked up inside. The kids experienced a night at Comcast, that hopefully will never forget.”O” the memories…………..my “stormin’ the court game” was when the Terps beat then #1 ranked UVA and Ralph Sampson (1982), in overtime at Cole. I remember Adrian Branch going off and Mark Fothergill playing Sampson tough. Then I believe Fothergill hit a late game field goal from the corner to ice it. Do you all have a “stormin the court” moment?

I don’t like Duke. I have not liked Duke since Jim Spanarkel and Mike Gminski. I am tired of the arrogance. I am tired of the preferential treatment. I am tired of the money. I am tired of the whining. I am tired of them winning. I am tired of Mike Krzyzewski. And if those weren’t reasons enough, there was the Final Four game in 2001. That loss still gives me chills. I dislike Duke more than any other sports team. I don’t like the majority of Yankee fans, Steeler fans and especially Red Sox fans. The teams…….. I can put up with (well, maybe not the Yankees). But Duke is in a class all by itself. It has always been, “Anybody but Duke”.  I really think that adage originated with Duke basketball. I am not going to miss Terps/Duke basketball. I know my blood pressure will be better for it.

I’m not buying this, “the rivalry is gone”. Duke is not our rival, people. UVA is our rival. The Duke rival is UNC. Terp fans don’t like Duke. Terp fans want to beat Duke. Terp fans would like to think Duke is our rival……….but they are not. And who should care anymore? We gone. We is going to the midwest. Now watch, Coach K will retire. The 5 Super Conferences are right around the corner. The real intrigue is, who will be following the Terps to the Big 20 or whatever the conference becomes? All I can say is, anybody is welcome, “Anybody But Duke!” GO TERPS!

D.I.Y.

Fedman
 

For what felt like the first time in the Mark Turgeon era, Comcast Center housed an incredible, big-game, “I swear to God I’m not sure the roof will be able to take this” atmosphere Saturday night as the University of Maryland stunned #2 (#1 according to the coaches) Duke 83-81.

It was an incredible night. The game itself was captivating, as the Terrapins completely squandered a late 10 point lead before two Seth Allen free throws saved them. There was controversy in officiating, a high level of intensity and physicality from players and a number of big time shots made by likely future NBA players like Seth Curry, Alex Len and Quinn Cook.

But even more captivating was the atmosphere in the building, which reached a Gary Williams era-esque “fever pitch” at multiple times. Celebrities, dignitaries and former Terps filled the building, students arrived hours early and delivered a charming first half flash mob before emptying onto the floor (and College Park’s Route 1) following the victory.

It was a two and a half hour frenzy, a feeling that remained palpable even as I watched the replay of the game Sunday night on ESPNU.

The victory was emotional for a number of reasons. It was emotional because it was a throwback to a decade ago, when the level of the Maryland-Duke series rivaled even Duke-North Carolina as the best in the entire sport. It was emotional because it gave a major shot in the arm to the fledgling NCAA Tournament hopes of a Terps team in danger of missing out on March Madness for a third consecutive season. It was emotional because there is clearly a renewed level of bad blood between the programs based on Maryland’s decision to bolt the ACC in favor of the Big Ten. In the week leading up to the game Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski made it clear Duke wouldn’t be continuing a series with the Terps after the conference change happened and after the game he continued to fire shots in the direction of a program that helped to put the ACC on the map.

But it was incredibly emotional in particular for head coach Mark Turgeon, who had yet to record a “signature” win as he began the homestretch in his second season in College Park. Students rushed the floor following the Terps’ win over then-Number 14 North Carolina State earlier in the season, but even at the time the win felt a bit flimsy. Maryland had made a habit out of knocking off top ranked teams under Williams but hadn’t made a similar level of national noise yet under Turgeon.

Yet when asked about what the win meant to him, Turgeon offered an unpredictable answer.

“It’s been a hard week”, Turgeon started while fighting back tears. ”I take a lot of pride in my coaching. I don’t do a lot of things well, but I’d like to think I can coach a little bit and I haven’t done a very good job.”

“It’s been a hard week on my family. It was hard on my son. Last week he had to leave the gym because the fans were so hard on his dad.”

The coach then motioned in the direction of his son and noted pointedly “this was for them.” He continued by saying “I got a loyal family. It’s very loyal to me.”

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Turgeon’s postgame press conference was his simplistic “I wanted to beat Duke” statement (which every Maryland fan everywhere echoes at just about all times), but the story about his son was clearly the most emotional.

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University of Maryland students organized quite an impressive “flash mob” performance during the team’s 83-81 win over Duke Saturday night at Comcast Center. The students danced to a medley of songs in the first half, including DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win”. In the second half, the students put together an impressive live take on the viral “Harlem Shake” sensation.

If you weren’t at the game and missed the performances, check them out here…

For more information on how the flash mob came about, check out this story from Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post.

University of Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon got a bit emotional following his team’s 83-81 win over #2 Duke Saturday night at Comcast Center. His family had a tough week dealing with things that were said about the coach a week earlier in the team’s loss to Virginia. Turgeon explains…