Game Data

Loyola University Maryland returns to ECAC Lacrosse League action on Saturday, March 16, 2013, when it participates in the Whitman’s Sampler Mile High Classic, an Inside Lacrosse Experience.

The Greyhounds will play the Air Force Academy at Sports Authority at Mile High, home of the National Football League’s Denver Broncos. Faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Mountain time, 4 p.m. Eastern.

Notre Dame and Denver follow the Greyhounds and Falcons with the Classic’s second game, starting at 4:30 p.m. Mountain.

Follow The Action

Fans can watch the game live on ESPN3, the broadband arm of ESPN. Mark Dixon will call the play-by-play, and Jamie Munro will provide the analysis.

Series History

Loyola and Air Force will meet for the eighth time in series history when the teams take the field Saturday, the fourth time in ECAC Lacrosse League action.

The Greyhounds hold a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Falcons after winning the March 17, 2012, contest, 15-8.

Air Force reeled off four-straight second-quarter goals in last year’s game to take a 7-4 lead on Ryland De Pol’s goal with 2:42 to go before halftime. J.P. Dalton, who won 18-of-26 faceoffs in the game, scored off a Scott Ratliff assist 16 seconds into the second half to ignite a 10-0 Loyola run that would put the Greyhounds in control of the game.

Mike Sawyer scored three goals in last year’s game, while Davis Butts had a career-best four assists. Ratliff tallied two goals and an assist while picking up seven ground balls, and Sean O’Sullivan and Chris Layne each scored twice.

Since Air Force joined the ECAC in 2009, Loyola is 2-1 against the Falcons with the lone loss coming on May 19, 2011, when Air Force took an 8-6 decision in Colorado Springs.

In The Polls

Loyola sits at No. 8 in the USILA Coaches and 10th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media polls.

Inside Lacrosse Events

Saturday’s game will be the second Inside Lacrosse-run event that the Greyhounds have competed in.

Loyola lost, 11-9, to Notre Dame, another participating in this year’s Mile High Classic, on March 6, 2010, in the Konica-Minolta Face-Off Classic at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.

It will also be Loyola’s second game at what is now Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Greyhounds played Denver in a regular-season game on May 2, 2010, and lost, 12-4, to the Pioneers.

Last Time Out

Duke scored five goals in the fourth quarter to overcome a deficit to start the period, and the host Blue Devils held off Loyola for a 9-8 non-conference victory in Durham, N.C., last Friday night.

Phil Dobson broke a 4-4 tie with his first goal of the season with 7:28 to go in the third quarter, and the Greyhounds carried the 5-4 lead into the final 15 minutes.

Duke’s Case Matheis took a Jordan Wolf feed from behind and scored with 13:59 left in regulation after Wolf picked up a ground ball when a Duke shot went wide of the cage and directly to him.

Josh Offit then put the Blue Devils in front for the first time since the second quarter with a goal 1:33 later. Sean O’Sullivan tied the game for Loyola with an extra-man goal at 10:36, but Duke tallied the next two goals to go up 8-6.

Justin Ward led the Greyhounds offensively, scoring twice and adding an assist.

Scott Ratliff scored a goal in transition and had game-highs of seven ground balls and four caused turnovers. Joe Fletcher picked up five ground balls, and Pat Laconi scored once, had a pair of ground balls and a caused turnover.

Ratliff Earns ECAC Award

Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, March 11, after scoring a goal, causing four turnovers and picking up seven ground balls against Duke last week.

It was the second time in as many weeks that a Loyola player has earned the league’s Defensive Player of the Week honors after Jack Runkel won the award on March 4 following a week with 18 saves in two games.

Ratliff has now won an ECAC weekly award five times in his career after picking up three last season and one the year before.

Davis Off The Ground

Davis Butts is second on the team this season with 25 ground balls and has picked up five in four of the Greyhounds’ five contests: Delaware, Maryland, UMBC and Bellarmine. He also had two in the game at Towson.

Through five games this season, he is already more than halfway to his total of 40 a year ago. He has also scored at least one point in all but one game this year and has three goals and five assists.

Ward’s Big Night

The foul weather did not slow Justin Ward on Tuesday against UMBC, as the junior finished with seven goals and three assists for 10 points. His goal and point outputs were career-highs.

He became the first player to score at least seven goals in a game since Gavin Prout tallied eight in a 19-11 win at Hobart on April 28, 2001.

Ward’s 10-point effort was the first 10-point game for a Greyhound since Tim Goettelmann tallied the same amount in a 19-9 win on March 25, 2000, against Fairfield. In that game, Goettelmann scored four goals and had six assists. Later that season, he would score seven goals on May 16 in the NCAA First Round against Notre Dame.

His seven goals are tied with Ohio State’s Logan Schuss and Army’s Garrett Thul for the most in a game this season, and his 10 points tie Schuss for game-high honors, as well.

He then chipped in two goals and an assists on Saturday versus Bellarmine.

With 43 career assists, Ward is now tied for 18th in Loyola’s Division I history with Gunnar Goettelmann who registered the same total in 1999-2001 and 2003.

Through six games this year, Ward leads the team with 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points.

Pontrello Puts Up Points, Too

Somewhat lost in Justin Ward’s 10-point night against UMBC were the career-high numbers put up by fellow attacker Nikko Pontrello. The sophomore finished with career-bests in goals (3), assists (3) and points (6).

It was his first career multi-goal game, and his assists exceeded his previous best of two.

Pontrello now has three multi-point games this season after scoring a goal and assisting on two at Towson on February 20 and tallying one of each against Bellarmine. In four games, he has six goals, and his eight assists are second-most on the team.

Back-To-Back Hat Tricks

Mike Sawyer recorded his second hat trick in as many games last week when he tallied three over a six-minute stretch of action against Bellarmine. He also finished with three goals against UMBC earlier in the week.

Sawyer scored with 1:46 to play in the first half and then twice within 20 seconds in the third quarter, his third goal of the day putting Loyola in front, 7-2, with 11:17 left in the stanza.

He now has 20 hat tricks in his career, one of only four players currently active to reach that plateau. Colgate’s Peter Baum leads the nation with 29, while Army’s Garrett Thul has 26. Saywer is tied with Cornell’s Steve Mock with 20 each.

Eighth To 100

With his goal at 9:25 in the third quarter against UMBC, Mike Sawyer became the eighth player in Loyola men’s lacrosse history to score 100 in his career, the seventh in the program’s Division I history.

Sawyer joined a list that includes Gary Hanley (151), Pat Lamon (133), Gewas Schindler (120), Tim O’Shea (115), Kevin Beach (114), John Carroll (112) and Chris Colbeck (108).

Layne Keeps Tallying Points

Chris Layne had his fourth multi-point game in as many contests this season, recording two goals and an assist for the Greyhounds against UMBC after tallying the same amount three days prior against Maryland.

Through six games this year, Layne has scored nine goals and has five assists.

Last season, he had a total of five multi-point games while finishing with 11 goals and 14 assists. With his two goals against Delaware, Maryland and UMBC, Layne has more than doubled his multi-goal games during his time at Loyola to five. He also had one as a sophomore in 2010 for North Carolina.

At Delaware in the season-opener, Layne tallied the first and last goals of the game for the Greyhounds, the initial coming at 12:17 in the first quarter, and the second with 4.4 seconds left in the fourth. He also assisted on a Scott Ratliff transition goal just over five minutes into the third quarter.

Spreading The Scoring

Nine Loyola players scored goals at Towson with seven recording two or more points, and nine was also the number of scorers versus Maryland and UMBC, and seven had two or more points against the Retrievers. Against Towson, Mike Sawyer and Justin Ward led the way with four points, Chris Layne and Kevin Ryan tallied three, while Nikko Pontrello, Sean O’Sullivan and Brian Schultz each recorded two.

Last season, Loyola had just two games with seven players scoring two or more points (Michigan, Air Force).

Two At The ‘X’

Loyola has had two primary faceoff men in their six games this season. Brendan Donovan started the season at Delaware, and he then took all but two of the 33 restarts against UMBC. He won 19-of-31 against the Retrievers where his 19 wins were the most by a Loyola player since Dan Kallaugher went 27-of-33 in the NCAA First Round at Albany on May 13, 2007. He also went 7-of-14 versus Bellarmine

In the Greyhounds’ other three games, Blake Burkhart took the majority of the restarts, winning 17-of-28, a career-high, at Towson, and 14-of-25 against Maryland. Burkhart then all 21 face-offs at Duke, winning 12.

Acton Active On Defense

Reid Acton tied his career-high on against Delaware with five caused turnovers to lead all players. He also picked up five ground balls, one shy of Scott Ratliff’s team-best six. He was part of a unit that held Delaware’s starting attack to just three goals in the game. Acton also caused five turnovers last season against Ohio State.

Acton has logged at least two ground balls in all but one game (at Towson) this year.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola senior does a lot, as he led the team last year in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7). His 37 caused turnovers were second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official that year.

Ratliff, who was also an USILA All-America Third Team member, an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.

He has scored a goal in three of the Greyhounds’ five games this year, at Delaware and versus Maryland and UMBC to bring his career totals to 20 goals and 10 assists. He is currently second among active long-poles in scoring behind Bryant’s Mason Poli who has 35 goals and 11 assists.

With his game-opening goal against Canisius in the NCAA First Round, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Helmet Stickers

Loyola players are wearing three stickers on their helmets this season to remember those who have passed away. The stickers are in memory of Adam Pomper, a member of the 2012 team who passed away on June 12, 2012, Mandy O’Sullivan, mother of current players Sean and Ryan O’Sullivan who died in March 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and the 26 victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting in December 2012 where Loyola put on a youth lacrosse clinic in January.

Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws.

Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.

Sawyer will be joined in Charlotte by former teammate Eric Lusby who was the top waiver pick after the NCAA season ended in early June. After missing the majority of the MLL season with an injury, the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player made his MLL debut on July 28 at Long Island and scored a goal. He then tallied three goals  in an August 11 win over Rochester.

Newtown Youth Clinic

Fourteen members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team took time from their holiday vacation to travel to Newtown, Conn., for a clinic with the Newtown Lacrosse Association.

Led by freshman Jason Crane, the Greyhounds worked with more than 100 elementary and junior-high school-age players, many of whom attended Sandy Hook Elementary School where the shooting that killed 26 took place in December.

Preseason Accolades

Six Loyola players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America teams: defender Joe Fletcher and short-stick midfielder Josh Hawkins (first team); attackman Mike Sawyer and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff (second); midfielder Davis Butts (third); and, defender Reid Acton (honorable mention).

All six earned All-America honors last season with Sawyer earned Second Team honors and Ratliff was named to the Third Team. Acton, Butts, Fletcher and Acton earned Honorable Mention along with graduate student Eric Lusby.

In his first year as a starter, Fletcher was named to the NCAA and ECAC Championships All-Tournament Teams and earned a reputation as one of the top defenders in the nation. In 19 games as a sophomore, Fletcher caused 26 turnovers, second most on the team, and had 41 ground balls.

Hawkins has continued to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the nation and garnered considerable respect nationally for his play during the NCAA Championships. He earned NCAA All-Tournament honors and helped the Greyhounds limit Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals on Championships weekend. In addition to his six goals and two assists in 15 games last year, Hawkins was second on the team with 63 ground balls.

Sawyer was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player last season when he scored 52 goals and assisted on 10 more and was named the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. During the regular-season, he led the ECAC in goals and goals per game while earning All-ECAC First Team honors. He became the second player to score 50 or more goals in a season and was joined by a third on last year’s team.

Ratliff continued to be one of the top long-stick midfielders in the nation and set a Loyola scoring record for the position last year. He finished with 12 goals and seven assists, exceeding current Loyola Assistant Coach Matt Dwan’s previous record for a long-stick midfielder set in 1995. In addition to his scoring, he tallied 88 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers while earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Championships Most Valuable Player, NCAA All-Tournament Team and team co-defenisve player of the year honors.

Butts was a first-line midfielder for the Greyhounds for the second year in a row. He excelled as a dodger and finisher and ranked fourth on the team in points (35) and third in goals scored (21). A versatile player, Butts also saw plenty of action on the wings of faceoffs and in the defensive midfield where he picked up 40 ground balls.

Acton will enter 2013 having started on the Greyhounds’ defense each of the last three years. He finished the 2012 season with 44 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, while helping Loyola record a 7.21 goals allowed per game average, the fifth-best mark in Division I. The Greyhounds set a pair of defensive records during Championship Weekend, holding Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals in the two games and allowing the Terrapins just three in the title match.

Toomey Receives Morris Touchstone Award

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career, and in December, he received the coaches association’s Morris Touchstone Award as the national coach of the year.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Canisius in the First Round was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .640 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

Big Runs

Last season, runs of three-plus goals were critical in the Greyhounds success, as they had runs of 3-0 or better in all 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions last year.

The Greyhounds have opened the 2013 season in similar fashion as they scored three-straight in the second quarter to take a 4-2 lead against Delaware after trailing, 2-1. They then had two runs of 3-0 or better at Towson.

Against UMBC, Loyola had a 3-0 first-half run before putting together a 10-0 stretch in the third and fourth quarters. The Greyhounds then had a 4-0 run that spanned both halves to help beat Bellarmine

The game against Maryland marked the first time since May 5, 2011, against Fairfield that the Greyhounds did not put up a run of 3-0 or better.

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games, and 123-63 overall in the second half (including overtime), last season. The second-half scoring continued a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

This year, Loyola is outscoring opponents 23-10 in the third quarter and 38-28 overall after halftime.

America East Men’s Basketball Championship Matchups Set After Thrilling Final Day of Season

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The matchups and seeds for the 2013 America East Men’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU are set as the regular-season schedule concluded with a thrilling final day Sunday.

Stony Brook, already the league’s regular-season champion and top seed for the tournament coming into the day’s action, beat Albany, 75-70, while Hartford upended Vermont, 61-58, on Nate Sikma’s buzzer-beating three pointer. The Hawks’ win paired with the Great Danes’ loss gives Hartford the No. 3 seed and Albany the No. 4 seed. Vermont had already secured the No. 2 seed earlier in the week. UMBC toppled Binghamton, 59-49, to lock up the No. 6 seed, while Binghamton is the No. 8 seed. New Hampshire outlasted Maine, 79-74, but lost the tiebreaker to UMBC and is the No. 7 seed. Maine will be the No. 5 seed.

The 2013 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU will be held March 8-10 in Albany, N.Y., at the University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena. The men’s quarterfinal games take place Saturday, March 9 with the first game tipping off at noon. The four winners will advance to the semifinals on Sunday, March 10. The two semifinal winners will play for the America East title and an automatic NCAA bid on Saturday, March 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the highest remaining seed’s home court.

Saturday’s men’s quarterfinals will kick off with second-seeded Vermont (19-10, 11-5 AE) taking on seventh-seeded New Hampshire (9-19, 5-11) at 12 p.m. The Catamounts are seeded second or better for the ninth time in 11 years and will be seeking their second-straight league crown. The Wildcats, winners of two of their last three, are seeking their first league title and championship game appearance.

Third-seeded Hartford (17-12, 10-6 AE) will face sixth-seeded UMBC (7-22, 5-11 AE) at approximately 2 p.m. in a matchup of teams that split their regular-season series. The Hawks, who have their best seed and record since the 2007-08 season, come in having won three straight and six of eight, while the Retrievers have their most wins since the 2008-09 campaign when they reached the league title game.

In the night session, top-seeded Stony Brook (23-6, 14-2 AE) faces eighth-seeded Binghamton (3-26, 1-15 AE) at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal matchup. The Seawolves, who captured their third America East regular-season crown in four years and have their most-ever wins as a Division I program, will try to get to their third-straight championship game and take home their first league crown. The Bearcats will try to win at least one tournament game for the fourth-straight time.

Fourth-seeded Albany (21-10, 9-7 AE) and fifth-seeded Maine (11-18, 6-10 AE) will wrap up the quarterfinal action at approximately 8 p.m. The Great Danes, who carry their most-ever wins into the tournament, will try to get to the semifinals for the second straight year and reach their first championship game since 2007. The Black Bears are aiming to snap a seven-game tournament losing skid.

The Vermont-New Hampshire winner will take on the Hartford-UMBC winner in Sunday’s first semifinal at 5 p.m., while the Stony Brook-Binghamton winner will face the Albany-Maine winner in the second semifinal at approximately 7 p.m.

The semifinal winners will then meet for the America East title on Saturday, March 16 at the highest remaining seed. Game time is 11:30 a.m.

All-session ticket packages for the first two rounds of 2013 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU are already on sale. Single-session tickets championship will go on sale Monday, March 4, at 9 a.m. For more information on how to purchase tickets and the championship, visit Championship Central.

Fans who can’t make it to Albany will still be able to catch all the action. For the first time in league history, all early round games of the 2013 Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets. ESPN2 will televise the championship game nationally on March 16. Postgame press conferences will air on AmericaEast.com approximately 10 minutes after each game.

Stay up-to-date through March 16 by visiting America East Championship Central for all the latest tournament news and information.

2013 America East Men’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU
Quarterfinal and Semifinal Rounds held at University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena, Albany, N.Y.
Title Game at Highest Remaining Seed

Saturday, March 9 – Quarterfinals
#2 Vermont vs. #7 New Hampshire, 12 p.m. (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#3 Hartford vs. #6 UMBC, 2 p.m.* (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#1 Stony Brook vs. #8 Binghamton, 6 p.m. (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#4 Albany vs. #5 Maine, 8 p.m.* (ESPN3/WatchESPN)

Sunday, March 10 – Semifinals
Vermont-New Hampshire Winner vs. Hartford-UMBC Winner, 5 p.m. – (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
Stony Brook-Binghamton Winner vs. Albany-Maine winner, 7 p.m.* – (ESPN3/WatchESPN)

Saturday, March 16 – Title Game
Semifinal Winners, 11:30 a.m. – (ESPN2/WatchESPN)

*time approximate. Second game of session will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the prior game.

Honorable Mention: NBA-Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Denver Nuggets @ Washington Wizards (Friday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Houston Rockets @ Washington Wizards (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors (Monday 7pm from Toronto live on Comcast SportsNet); Soccer: MISL Milwaukee Wave @ Baltimore Blast (Saturday 7:35pm 1st Mariner Arena), Team USA U-20 vs. Costa Rica (Friday 6:30pm from Puebla, Mexico live on Fox Soccer Channel); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Lamont Peterson vs. Kendall Holt (Friday 5pm DC Armory); ShoBox: Art Hovhannisyan vs. Alejandro Perez (Friday 11pm from Cabazon, CA live on Showtime), Cornelius Bundrage vs. Ishe Smith (Saturday 9pm from Detroit live on Showtime); Vyacheslav Glazkov vs. Malik Scott (Saturday 10:30pm from Huntington, NY live on NBC Sports Network); Women’s College Basketball: Duke @ Maryland (Sunday 3pm from Comcast Center live on ESPN2); Tennis: ATP Tour U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships (Saturday 1pm & 4pm Sunday 4pm live on Tennis Channel)

10. Shinedown/P.O.D./Three Days Grace (Tuesday 7pm 1st Mariner Arena); Dirty Heads/Shiny Toy Guns (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Wale (Thursday 9pm Rams Head Live); Imagine Dragons (Friday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Matisyahu (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Matchbox Twenty (Monday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Shinedown is that band you’ve always liked but never fully admitted to it…

I could listen to Wale’s first full record on repeat for like a week straight.

Imagine Dragons not only does one of your favorite songs but also MY favorite song from Madden 13…

I will sign up for ANY amount of more Robert Randolph.

9. Joel McHale (Sunday 7:30pm Towson Center); Eddie Griffin (Friday & Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); “Argo” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Snitch” out in theaters (Friday); Baltimore Winter Wine Celebration (Friday-Monday); “The Gathering” (Saturday 3pm The Castle at Keswick Hampden)

I saw Joel McHale after Preakness a few years ago. He was LEGITIMATELY funny. Also there’s this.

(Continued on Page 2…)

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will play its first outside competition of the Spring 2013 season when it takes on the U.S. National Team in the Champion Challenge in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The game is slated for a 11 a.m. faceoff from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at DisneyWorld.

Watch The Action

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, the broadband arm of ESPN, with Mark Dixon (play-by-play) and Quint Kessenich (color) calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

In addition to the live broadcast on ESPN3, the game will air twice in a tape-delayed basis on ESPNU. Those broadcasts will take place at Monday, January 28, at 12 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Champion Challenge

The Greyhounds will take part in the 8th-annual Champion Challenge, an event hosted by USLacrosse in the Orlando area. The U.S. Men’s National Team will take on Loyola, as well as Notre Dame, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at DisneyWorld. Additionally, the U.S. Women’s National Team will play Northwestern and Syracuse.

Exhibition Action

The game against the U.S. National Team will be the first of three exhibition games the Greyhounds will play prior to opening the 2013 regular season.

Loyola will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a Friday, February 2, game at North Carolina, and the Greyhounds will host Harvard on Saturday, February 9, at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Television Dates Announced

In addition to Loyola’s exhibition game against the U.S. National Team, three Greyhound games will be broadcast this season.

Last week, the Greyhounds announced its home opener against Maryland on Saturday, February 23, will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network, the first non-event based men’s lacrosse game the network will air.

The game against Air Force in the Inside Lacrosse/Whitman’s Sampler Mile-HIgh Classic on Saturday, March 16, will air on ESPN3, and the Greyhounds’ Saturday, April 27, game at Johns Hopkins will air on ESPNU.

Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws.

Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.

Sawyer will be joined in Charlotte by former teammate Eric Lusby who was the top waiver pick after the NCAA season ended in early June. After missing the majority of the MLL season with an injury, the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player made his MLL debut on July 28 at Long Island and scored a goal. He then tallied three goals  in an August 11 win over Rochester.

Newtown Youth Clinic

Fourteen members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team took time from their holiday vacation to travel to Newtown, Conn., for a clinic with the Newtown Lacrosse Association.

Led by freshman Jason Crane, the Greyhounds worked with more than 100 elementary and junior-high school-age players, many of whom attended Sandy Hook Elementary School where the shooting that killed 26 took place in December.

First NCAA Championship

Loyola won its first NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, and the school’s first NCAA Division I title in any sport, on May 28 in Foxborough, Mass. The Greyhounds defeated Maryland, 9-3 in the title game, capping a season in which the Greyhounds tied an NCAA record with 18 victories.

Defense Wins Championships

The Greyhounds set a pair of records during their final two games of the 2012 season. Loyola held Maryland to just three goals, a title game record, and combined with allowing only five goals to Notre Dame in the semifinal, the Greyhounds set a Championship Weekend record for fewest yielded.

Returning From 2012

Head Coach Charley Toomey returns eight starters and 34 letterwinners from the 2012 Loyola team that won the NCAA Championship.

Back among the starters are attackmen Mike Sawyer and Justin Ward, first-line midfielders Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan, defenders Reid Acton and Joe Fletcher and goalkeeper Jack Runkel.

The Greyhounds also return their top long-stick midfielder, Scott Ratliff, and their top three short-stick midfielders, Kyle Duffy, Josh Hawkins and Pat Laconi. A pair of second-line midfielders, Phil Dobson and Nikko Pontrello, also return.

The Ranks Of Alumni

Two Loyola starters and six players who played key roles on the NCAA Championship team have departed from a year ago.

Eric Lusby, who was the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player and finished 2012 with a school-record 54 goals, has departed from the attack, while defender Dylan Grimm, who had 42 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers, also graduated.

J.P. Dalton, who along with Lusby, Grimm and current senior Scott Ratliff, were team co-captains last year, took more than 92-percent of the team’s faceoffs last season. He was also drafted in the MLL Supplemental Draft by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in December

Pat Byrnes scored 10 goals and assisted on seven from Loyola’s second midfield. Kevin Moriarty was the team’s No. 2 long-stick midfielder, and Alex Yackery was in the defensive rotation.

Preseason Accolades

Six Loyola players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America teams: defender Joe Fletcher and short-stick midfielder Josh Hawkins (first team); attackman Mike Sawyer and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff (second); midfielder Davis Butts (third); and, defender Reid Acton (honorable mention).

All six earned All-America honors last season with Sawyer earned Second Team honors and Ratliff was named to the Third Team. Acton, Butts, Fletcher and Acton earned Honorable Mention along with graduate student Eric Lusby.

In his first year as a starter, Fletcher was named to the NCAA and ECAC Championships All-Tournament Teams and earned a reputation as one of the top defenders in the nation. In 19 games as a sophomore, Fletcher caused 26 turnovers, second most on the team, and had 41 ground balls.

Hawkins has continued to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the nation and garnered considerable respect nationally for his play during the NCAA Championships. He earned NCAA All-Tournament honors and helped the Greyhounds limit Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals on Championships weekend. In addition to his six goals and two assists in 15 games last year, Hawkins was second on the team with 63 ground balls.

Sawyer was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player last season when he scored 52 goals and assisted on 10 more and was named the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. During the regular-season, he led the ECAC in goals and goals per game while earning All-ECAC First Team honors. He became the second player to score 50 or more goals in a season and was joined by a third on last year’s team.

Ratliff continued to be one of the top long-stick midfielders in the nation and set a Loyola scoring record for the position last year. He finished with 12 goals and seven assists, exceeding current Loyola Assistant Coach Matt Dwan’s previous record for a long-stick midfielder set in 1995. In addition to his scoring, he tallied 88 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers while earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Championships Most Valuable Player, NCAA All-Tournament Team and team co-defenisve player of the year honors.

Butts was a first-line midfielder for the Greyhounds for the second year in a row. He excelled as a dodger and finisher and ranked fourth on the team in points (35) and third in goals scored (21). A versatile player, Butts also saw plenty of action on the wings of faceoffs and in the defensive midfield where he picked up 40 ground balls.

Acton will enter 2013 having started on the Greyhounds’ defense each of the last three years. He finished the 2012 season with 44 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, while helping Loyola record a 7.21 goals allowed per game average, the fifth-best mark in Division I. The Greyhounds set a pair of defensive records during Championship Weekend, holding Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals in the two games and allowing the Terrapins just three in the title match.

Team Captains Named

Four seniors were named team captains for the 2013 season. Scott Ratliff returns as a captain from last year, and he is joined by Reid Acton, Davis Butts and Mike Sawyer.

Between The Pipes

Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel set a career-high in the NCAA Semifinals with 15 saves against Notre Dame, setting a career-high. He narrowly eclipsed his previous best of 14 set on April 28 against Johns Hopkins.

The game was Runkel’s seventh this season with 10 or more saves in goal. The others came against Duke (12), at UMBC (13), at Fairfield (12), Johns Hopkins (14), at Denver in the ECAC Semifinals (10) and versus Denver in the Quarterfinals (11).

Runkel followed his performance in the Semifinal with a six-save, three-goals allowed performance in the title game against Maryland. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

Runkel played to a 5.22 goals against average and .700 saves percentage in four NCAA Tournament games.

Defense Limits Chances

Loyola’s defense held Notre Dame to just 28 shots, four below the Fighting Irish’s season average of 32.3 heading into the game, and the Greyhounds’ unit helped goalkeeper Jack Runkel make 15 saves by limiting inside chances.

The team then held Maryland to 29 shots, nearly four below their average of 33.7.

50-50

Eric Lusby and Mike Sawyer became the first duo in Loyola history with 50 goals each in the same season. Lusby finished with 54 goals, while Sawyer had 52.

They were two of three players in the NCAA last season to score 50 or more goals, joining Colgate’s Peter Baum (67).

The last time a pair of Division I teammates had 50 or more goals was 2010 when Duke’s Max Quinzani finished the year with 68, and Zach Howell tallied 51.

And, 60-60

Lusby and Sawyer ere also the only Loyola players to reach 60 points in the same season.

With his four-point effort in the Championship Game, Lusby set the school Division I record for points in a season with 71, eclipsing the 66 (29g, 37a) Brian Duffy had during the 1995 season. Sawyer ended the year with 62 points.

Gary Hanley has the top three points marks in school history with 89 in 1981, 86 in 1980 and 83 in 1979 when Loyola played Division II lacrosse.

Seven Earn All-America Honors in 2012

Attacker Mike Sawyer was named to the USILA All-America Second Team, and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned Third Team honors earlier this week from the coaches’ association.

Five other Greyhounds – attacker Eric Lusby, midfielders Davis Butts and Josh Hawkins and defenders Reid Acton and Joe Fletcher – received honorable mention.

The seven honorees are the most for Loyola since seven received plaudits following the 1999 season. Sawyer and Ratliff are also the first Loyola players to receive All-America nods other than honorable mention since Gavin Prout was a first teamer in 2001.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola senior does a lot, as he led the teamlast year  in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7). His 37 caused turnovers were second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official that year.

A Tewaaraton Award semifinalist, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an USILA All-America Third Team member, an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, and he then added a goal in the Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season totals to 12 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff was second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Ward Dishes Out Assists

Justin Ward was credited an assist on an Eric Lusby goal against Notre Dame in the NCAA Semifinal raised his season total to 31. He was the first Loyola player this century to reach 30 assists, and his total is the most since Brian Duffy had 34 in 1996.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Maryland in the NCAA Championship Game was its 18th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

The 18 wins also tied an NCAA Division I record for victories in a season.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (21g, 35p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 27) and Chris Layne (11, 25) combined for 48 goals and 39 assists this season, while the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (10, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (8, 2) added 26 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Toomey Receives Morris Touchstone Award

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career, and in December, he received the coaches association’s Morris Touchstone Award as the national coach of the year.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Canisius in the First Round was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .626 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions this season.

The Greyhounds used two 3-0 runs against Notre Dame in the NCAA Semifinal to advance to the title game.

Loyola then broke a 3-3 tie and held Maryland scoreless for the final 40:40 of the NCAA Championship Game while scoring the last six goals of the contest.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds allowed a run of three or more goals just 12 times this year, with the last coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven in ECAC Semifinal), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games and 123-63 overall last year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

Honorable Mention: Boxing-Friday Night Fights: Rances Barthelemy vs. Arash Usmanee (Friday 10pm from Miami live on ESPN2); Women’s College Basketball: Florida State @ Maryland (Sunday 1:30pm from Comcast Center live on ESPNU); High School Basketball: Perry Hall @ Dundalk (Wednesday 6:30pm), Perry Hall @ Chesapeake-Anne Arundel County (Friday 7pm)

10. Badfish (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live); Ryan Cabrera/Teddy Geiger (Sunday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Wale (Tuesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Delta Rae (Saturday 7pm 9:30 Club); Pat McGee Band (Friday & Saturday 7:30pm Birchmere)

I wish I could say I wasn’t familiar with Ryan Cabrera. I wish more that I could say I didn’t enjoy this song.

Wale is a Redskins fan. As much as that bothers me, I still enjoy this tune.

Delta Rae likely the best band you weren’t listening to in 2012…

I genuinely enjoy Pat McGee.

9. “Looper” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Texas Chainsaw 3D” out in theaters (Friday); Cirque Eloize iD (Saturday 8pm Sunday 1pm & 5:30pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Glenn Clark’s New Year’s Day plans (Tuesday parts unknown)

Honestly, you really don’t want to know what I do to celebrate the New Year. I’ll give you a hint. It doesn’t involve pants.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland returns to action Saturday after a seven-day break for Christmas as it takes on Delaware State at 12:30 in the first of three games to be played at Comcast Center. The women’s team is hosting the Terrapin Classic, with games scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. Maryland has won all six previous matchups against Delaware State, the most recent a 72-54 win on Nov. 23, 2010.

Storyline

• The Terps achieved the 11th winning streak of at least 10 games in school history by defeating Stony Brook, 76-69, on Dec. 21. Since a season-opening loss to then-No. 3 Kentucky, Maryland has reeled off 10 straight wins by an average margin of 17.9 points. In the winning streak, just two opponents have shot better than 40 percent from the field: LIU Brooklyn (.423) and Stony Brook (.422). The Terps were able to hold off Stony Brook by shooting 64.3 percent to build a 13-point halftime lead, and then making clutch free throws down the stretch.

• On the year, opponents are shooting just 34.6 percent, a mark which leads the ACC and ranks third nationally. Meanwhile, the Terps are second in the conference in field goal percentage (49.3) and have exceeded the 50 percent mark in six of the last nine games. Alex Len and Dez Wells both had solid shooting nights against Stony Brook, as each finished with 19 points. Wells made 7-of-9 shots and Len connected on 8-of-14.

• Maryland also had its second best 3-point shooting performance of the year by knocking down 9 of 18 vs. Stony Brook. Seth Allen made 3 of 4, while Pe’Shon Howard and Logan Aronhalt made 2 of 4.

• In addition to field goal percentage defense, the Terps rank highly in rebounding margin and assists. In all 11 games, the Terps have outrebounded their opponent, and they rank third nationally with a plus-14.1 rebounding margin. Pe’Shon Howard ranks second in the ACC with 6.1 assists per game, and as a team Maryland ranks fourth nationally with 18.6 per game.

On a Streak

• Maryland won its 10th straight game on Dec. 21 with a 76-69 victory over Stony Brook. It marks the 11th time in school history the Terps had a winning streak of at least 10 games. The current winning streak is going on 48 days.

• The longest winning streak in school history was a 14-game streak in 1931-32. In the past 30 years, Maryland has put together a 10-game winning streak on six occasions (including this year). Each of the previous seasons, they’ve gone on to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Field-Goal Percentage Defense

• Opponents are shooting just 34.6 percent against Maryland, a mark which ranks third nationally. That’s a major improvement over last year, when opponents shot 42.8 percent and were held under 35 percent on just four occasions. The Terps had a streak of six straight games holding the opponent under 35 percent shooting snapped when Stony Brook connected at a .422 mark.

• Since 2000, five Terrapin teams have held the opponent under 40 percent shooting. Of those five, four went on to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Quick Hitters

• Maryland’s three primary ball handlers rank in the top 10 in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Pe’Shon Howard is first at 3.2,Nick Faust is t-6th at 2.1, and Seth Allen is t-10th at 1.7.

• When Seth Allen, Jake Layman and Shaquille Cleare drew starts against UMES, it marked the first time Maryland started three true freshmen since Dec. 28, 1993, when Keith Booth, Matt Kovarik and Joe Smith did vs. Hofstra.

• In Maryland’s 10-game winning streak, the Terps have assisted on 188 of 275 field goals (68.4 percent).

• The Terps have made more free throws than the opponent has attempted this season (174 to 148).

• At least eight players have scored in 10 of Maryland’s 11 games this year. The exception is vs. George Mason, when just seven players scored.

Dominating the Paint

• Maryland has enjoyed an advantage in points in the paint throughout the year. The Terps have outscored the opponent in nine of 11 games; the exceptions are Morehead State (28-28 tie) and Stony Brook (28-32). On average, Maryland is scoring 38.5 points in the paint while holding its opponent to 22.4 points.

Super Subs

• Maryland’s bench has been an asset all season, as the Terps’ non-starters have outscored the opponents non-starters in nine of 11 games (exceptions are Kentucky & George Mason).

• On the year, Maryland’s bench has a 290-139 advantage over the opponent. The biggest advantage Maryland has had this season was against UMES on Dec. 5 (55-7).

• Seth Allen (6.4 ppg), Logan Aronhalt (5.9 ppg), Shaquille Cleare (5.4 ppg), and Charles Mitchell (5.3 ppg) have been the biggest contributors.

• Aronhalt is the long-range specialist. He hit all four of his 3-point attempts vs. Georgia Southern and made 3 of 5 at Northwestern. Against UMES, Aronhalt scored a season-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. On the year, he has hit 20 of 35 from 3-point range (.571).

Sophomore Jump

• After averaging 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, Alex Len has developed into Maryland’s most consistent scoring threat as a sophomore. Len is averaging 14.4 points per game, which ranks first in the ACC among centers and 10th overall. His 8.8 rebounds per game rank fifth. Len also ranks second in the league with 2.5 blocks per game. He has three double-doubles this season: against Kentucky (23 & 12), Northwestern (13 & 13) and Monmouth (14 & 10).

More on Assists

• Maryland ranks fourth nationally with 18.6 assists per game behind North Carolina (20.1), Pittsburgh (19.6) and Notre Dame (19.5).

• Pe’Shon Howard, who ranks second in the ACC with 6.1 assists per game, would be in some rare company if he can average 6.0 assists per game this season. In the past 25 years, just three players have averaged more than 6.0 assists per game at Maryland: Terrell Stokes in 1998-99, Steve Blake from 1999-2003, and Greivis Vasquez in 2007-08 and 2009-10.

• Maryland’s 28 assists against LIU Brooklyn were nine more than the team’s season-high of 19 last year. In fact, the last time a Maryland team had more assists in a game was in the 2002-03 season, when the Terps had 29 on two occasions. The Terps also had 28 assists in a game on 2/9/11 vs. Longwood and 12/31/05 vs. VMI. The school record for assists in a game is 37.

• Howard’s 13 assists vs. LIU Brooklyn are tied for the fourth-most in a single game by a Terp. The only better performances are: Greivis Vasquez (2008) and Terrell Stokes (1998) with 15; and Steve Blake (2002) and Terrell Stokes (1996) with 14.

Force on the Boards
• Maryland leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks third nationally in rebounding margin at plus-14.1 per game. Just Colorado State (plus-14.6) and Missouri (plus-14.2) rank above that.

• The Terps have built advantages on the boards in all 11 games this season.

• Alex Len and Charles Mitchell are the biggest factors in that; Len averages 8.8 rpg and Mitchell averages 6.3. Len ranks fifth in the conference and Mitchell ranks 14th, including second among freshmen. There are five Terps averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game (also Dez Wells, James Padgett and Nick Faust).

• Len leads the conference with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game, and the Terps are averaging 14.0 offensive rebounds per game as a team, second in the league behind North Carolina (16.8).

• Mitchell made an impressive debut by grabbing 10 rebounds in his first career game, against No. 3 Kentucky. That’s the most rebounds by a Maryland freshman in his debut since Buck Williams had 13 against Bucknell in 1978. Williams went on to lead the ACC in rebounding that year (10.8 pg) en route to capturing ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

Honorable Mention: Women’s College Basketball-Terrapin Classic: Brown @ Maryland (Friday 12pm Comcast Center), UMES/Hartford @ Maryland (Saturday 4:30pm Comcast Center)

10. Killswitch Engage (Thursday 7:30pm Rams Head Live), Kix (Saturday 9pm Rams Head Live); Crack The Sky (Saturday 8pm Recher Theatre); Colouring Lesson (Friday 8pm 8×10 Club); Halestorm (Monday 9pm Baltimore Soundstage); Stephen Kellogg (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), O’Malley’s March (Thursday 6:30pm & 9:30pm Rams Head on Stage); The Roots (Monday 9pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Clutch (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Rebirth Brass Band (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club), Jane’s Addiction (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Drive-By Truckers (Saturday 8pm Sunday & Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Martha Reeves & The Vandellas (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); G. Love & Special Sauce/Grouplove (Monday 9pm Washington Hilton Hotel & Towers)

I heart everything about The Roots…

Is this the real Martha Reeves? Holy cow!

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the phrase “I really don’t like G. Love” in my life…

Nice little 2012 for the Grouplove gang…

9. Cedric The Entertainer (Saturday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Louis C.K. (Friday 7pm & 10pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); Robert Kelly (Monday 6:30pm & 10:15pm Magooby’s Joke House); “Django Unchained” out in theaters (Friday); Baltimore New Year’s Eve Spectacular (Monday 9pm Inner Harbor); Glenn Clark’s Christmas plans (Tuesday)

There couldn’t possibly be enough Tarentino in this world. In fact, I almost wish Django was just Inglorious Basterds II…

Glenn’s Christmas plans always include one important thing since my family is Italian…

Big pressure in the Glenn Clark household though, as my girlfriend made the shells for the first time ever. Will they live up to mom’s? Story at 11.

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Honorable Mention: Boxing-Tomasz Adamek vs. Steve Cunningham (Saturday 4pm from Bethlehem, PA live on NBC); MISL Soccer: Baltimore Blast @ Chicago Soul (Friday 8:30pm from Hoffman Estates, IL live on MISLtv.com), Baltimore Blast @ Milwaukee Wave (Saturday 7pm from Milwaukee live on MISLtv.com)

10. Dave Matthews Band/Lumineers (Tuesday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); The Killers (Tuesday 7:30pm Patriot Center); Mike Ruocco (Sunday 7pm Recher Theatre); Grace Potter (Tuesday 7pm Baltimore Soundstage); Carbon Leaf (Tuesday & Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Los Lobos (Thursday 6:30pm & 9:30pm Rams Head on Stage); Grouplove (Tuesday & Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Virginia Coalition (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Chatham County Line (Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere)

Still can’t believe Dave Matthews is playing Charm City. First time since 1994. Going to be an exceptional evening.

And they brought Lumineers? Outstanding.

I remember the summer after “Hot Fuss” was released I saw The Killers at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The place was a mobscene. It was a fine damn night. This is one of the greatest rock and roll songs of the 21st century…

I beat Andrew Poliakoff from VACO in “Everybody Beats Glenn”, but I lost a bet to him on the Ravens game and had to Tweet out “HTTR” which was the most painful thing EVER.

9. Paul Mooney (Thursday 8pm Howard Theatre); “This is 40” & “Jack Reacher” out in theaters (Friday); Glenn Clark’s annual holiday party (Friday “In The Corn”)

Once again I’ve partnered with ABC Rental Rosedale for my own Christmas Party. I DEFINITELY picked up one of these…

But I could definitely still use a few of these before the party…

And I REALLY want to serve THESE…

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In the midst of an eight-game winning streak that is Maryland’s longest since the 2006 season, the Terps continue their December homestand as Monmouth visits Comcast Center Wednesday at 8 p.m. Maryland and Monmouth have met twice in school history, in 1988 and 2001, with the Terps winning both games.

Storyline

• The Terps have tinkered with the starting lineup in each of the last two games, as Shaquille Cleare, Seth Allen and Jake Layman drew their first starts against UMES, and Charles Mitchell and Logan Aronhalt drew their first starts vs. South Carolina State. Maryland’s depth has been an asset all season, as 10 players are averaging double-figure minutes and eight are averaging at least 6.0 points per game.

• The win over South Carolina State extended Maryland’s winning streak to eight games, which is the longest since the Terps opened the 2006-07 season on an eight-game win streak. A win over Monmouth would give the Terps their longest winning streak since 2002, when they won 13 in a row between January and March.

• In each of the past two games, Maryland was able to clear its bench, with all 14 eligible players seeing action. Twelve Terps scored at least one point against UMES, and 10 scored against South Carolina State. The Maryland bench outscored its opponents 82-16 over the past two games and on the season has a 252-108 advantage.

• Maryland’s biggest advantages have come in rebounding margin, assists and field goal percentage defense. In all nine games, the Terps have outrebounded their opponent, and they rank second nationally with a plus-15.2 rebounding margin.Pe’Shon Howard leads the league with 5.9 assists per game, and as a team Maryland ranks third nationally with 18.8 per game. The Terps have held their opponent under 35 percent shooting in five straight games, and are tied for 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.354) on the year.

Quick Hitters

• Maryland’s three primary ball handlers rank in the top 6 in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Pe’Shon Howard is first at 3.31,Nick Faust is fifth at 2.33, and Seth Allen is sixth at 2.26.

• When Seth Allen, Jake Layman and Shaquille Cleare drew starts against UMES, it marked the first time Maryland started three true freshmen since Dec. 28, 1993, when Keith Booth, Matt Kovarik and Joe Smith did vs. Hofstra.

• In Maryland’s eight-game winning streak, the Terps have assisted on 152 of 222 field goals (68.5 percent).

• Six different players have led Maryland in scoring during the eight-game winning streak. Nick Faust had 12 vs. Morehead State, Seth Allen had 19 vs. LIU Brooklyn, Alex Len had 16 vs. Lafayette, Charles Mitchell had 13 vs. Georgia Southern, andDez Wells had 23 vs. Northwestern and 25 vs. George Mason. Logan Aronhalt was then the high scorer vs. UMES with 17, and Alex Len was with 13 vs. S.C. State.

• The Terps have made more free throws than the opponent has attempted this season (148 to 127).

• At least eight players have scored in eight of Maryland’s nine games this year. The exception is vs. George Mason, when just seven players scored.

Dominating the Paint

• Maryland has enjoyed an advantage in points in the paint throughout the year. The Terps have outscored the opponent in eight of nine games, with the exception being the Morehead State game when each team had 28. On average, Maryland is scoring 39.8 points in the paint while holding its opponent to 22.2 points.

Super Subs

• Maryland’s bench has been an asset all season, as the Terps’ non-starters have outscored the opponents non-starters in seven of nine games (exceptions are Kentucky & George Mason).

• On the year, Maryland’s bench has a 252-108 advantage over the opponent. The biggest advantage Maryland has had this season was against UMES on Dec. 5 (55-7).

• Seth Allen (6.3 ppg), Shaquille Cleare (6.3 ppg), Charles Mitchell (6.0 ppg) and Logan Aronhalt (6.0 ppg) have been the biggest contributors.

• Aronhalt is the long-range specialist. He hit all four of his 3-point attempts vs. Georgia Southern and made 3 of 5 at Northwestern. Against UMES, Aronhalt scored a season-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. On the year, he has hit 17 of 28 from 3-point range (.607).

Sophomore Jump

• After averaging 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman, Alex Len has developed into Maryland’s most consistent scoring threat as a sophomore. Len is averaging 13.9 points per game, which ranks first in the ACC among centers and tied for 11th overall. His 8.7 rebounds per game rank fifth. Len also ranks third in the league with 2.3 blocks per game. He has two double-doubles this season: against Kentucky (23 & 12) and Northwestern (13 & 13).

More on Assists

• Maryland ranks third nationally with 18.8 assists per game behind North Carolina (20.1) and Pittsburgh (18.9).

• Pe’Shon Howard, who leads the ACC with 5.9 assists per game, would be in some rare company if he can average 6.0 assists per game this season. In the past 25 years, just three players have averaged more than 6.0 assists per game at Maryland: Terrell Stokes in 1998-99, Steve Blake from 1999-2003, and Greivis Vasquez in 2007-08 and 2009-10.

• Maryland’s 28 assists against LIU Brooklyn were nine more than the team’s season-high of 19 last year. In fact, the last time a Maryland team had more assists in a game was in the 2002-03 season, when the Terps had 29 on two occasions. The Terps also had 28 assists in a game on 2/9/11 vs. Longwood and 12/31/05 vs. VMI. The school record for assists in a game is 37.

• Howard’s 13 assists vs. LIU Brooklyn are tied for the fourth-most in a single game by a Terp. The only better performances are: Greivis Vasquez (2008) and Terrell Stokes (1998) with 15; and Steve Blake (2002) and Terrell Stokes (1996) with 14.

Force on the Boards

• Maryland leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks second nationally in rebounding margin at plus-15.2 per game. The only team in the nation with a better margin is Colorado State (plus-16.1).

• The Terps have built advantages on the boards in all nine games this season. Against Northwestern, Maryland built a 47-19 advantage on the boards, the largest margin this season.

• Alex Len and Charles Mitchell are the biggest factors in that; Len averages 8.7 rpg and Mitchell averages 6.9. Len ranks fifth in the conference and Mitchell ranks 13th, including first among freshmen. There are five Terps averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game (also Dez Wells, James Padgett and Nick Faust).

• Len is tied for second in the conference with 3.3 offensive rebounds per game, and the Terps are averaging 15.6 offensive rebounds per game as a team, second in the league behind North Carolina (16.6).

• Mitchell made an impressive debut by grabbing 10 rebounds in his first career game, against No. 3 Kentucky. That’s the most rebounds by a Maryland freshman in his debut since Buck Williams had 13 against Bucknell in 1978. Williams went on to lead the ACC in rebounding that year (10.8 pg) en route to capturing ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

Honorable Mention: College Football-New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona (Saturday 1pm from Albuquerque live on ESPN), Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. Utah State (Saturday 4:30pm from Boise live on ESPN); High School Basketball: Western Tech @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), Perry Hall @ Edgewood (Monday 6:30pm)

10. Trey Songz (Sunday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Wednesday 7:30pm Verizon Center); O.A.R. (Friday 8pm Strathmore), Mannheim Steamroller (Saturday 4pm & 8pm Strathmore); AWOLNATION (Thursday 8pm Rams Head Live), Hinder (Friday 8:30pm Rams Head Live); New Found Glory (Tuesday 6:30pm Recher Theatre); Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe presents A Tribute to the Beastie Boys (Thursday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Matisyahu (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club); Jose Feliciano (Friday 8pm Howard Theatre), Ronnie Spector (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Tuesday 7:30pm Birchmere); Dropkick Murphys (Tuesday 7pm U Street Music Hall); Local H (Sunday 8pm Rock N Roll Hotel); Green Day “Tre” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday); Rolling Stones “One More Shot” (Saturday 9pm from Newark, NJ live on Pay-Per-View); 12.12.12-The Concert for Sandy Relief feat. Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, The Who (Wednesday 7:30pm from New York live on AXS tv, AMC, others)

Mock me all you want…I’m an UTTER nerd for some TSO…

You can be sure I’m trucking to Bethesda as soon as the show is over Friday for OAR…

This Karl Denson Beastie Boys thing is really quite dope…

The Dropkick Murphys did a holiday tune for a record that doesn’t hit stores until after the New Year. Why? Because it’s freaking awesome…

9. Alonzo Bodden (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “Ted” and “The Bourne Legacy” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); Hampden Holiday Gathering (Friday 5pm Keswick & 34th Street); Holiday Gathering (Friday 5pm McHenry Row); “A Christmas Carol” (Sunday 6:30pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric)

We could discuss these things, but I’m afraid if I don’t use this space to post the video of the freakout scenes from “Christmas Vacation.” I can’t mess with tradition…

Ehh….”Ted” came out this week. I’m not really moving on without posting ONE picture of Mila Kunis…

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