Former University of Maryland All-American and NBA World Champion Keith Booth has been named an assistant women’s basketball coach, Greyhounds Head Coach Joe Logan announced today.

“We are ecstatic to have Keith Booth join our Loyola women’s basketball program and excited that he is able to return home to Baltimore to continue his coaching career,” said Logan.

Booth, a Baltimore native, spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team at the University of Maryland under Head Coach Gary Williams.

In his time at Maryland from 2004-2011, the Terrapins won no fewer than 19 games and reached the NCAA Tournament three times. Booth assisted with the daily operations of the men’s basketball program, including recruiting, advance scouting, player development and game preparation.

“Keith brings with him a unique perspective, which I am looking forward to and I know our whole program will benefit from,” Logan said.

As a player at the University of Maryland, Booth led the Terrapins to four NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances, and in 1994 began Maryland’s streak of 11 consecutive NCAA berths that ran from 1994 to 2004. Current Loyola head men’s basketball coach, Jimmy Patsos, was an assistant coach at Maryland and helped in the recruiting of Booth.

In his senior season at Maryland, Booth led the Terps in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and steals (2.0 spg) and is still Maryland’s all-time leader in free throws made (576). Booth finished his impressive career at Maryland among the Terps’ all-time leaders in scoring (9th, 1,776 points), rebounding (6th, 916 points), steals (5th, 193) and is one of 15 players to have his jersey honored above the Terps’ home court at Comcast Center.

In October 2008, Booth was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2010, Booth represented Maryland as one of the ACC Basketball Legends honored at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

Booth played his high school basketball locally at Dunbar High School and was considered one of the major recruiting windfalls for Williams and the Terps in the mid-1990s.

As a senior at Dunbar, Booth was a Parade and McDonald’s All-American selection. He also led his team to the Maryland Class “A” State Championship. Booth was named Player of the Year in Baltimore City and the state of Maryland by the Baltimore Sun.

After a stellar career at Maryland, playing alongside Joe Smith, Rodney Elliott, Johnny Rhodes and others, Booth was an AP All-America Third Team selection as a senior in 1997. Booth left Maryland with a host of accolades including All-ACC honors four times, earning first-team honors as a senior, third team as a junior, and honorable mention designation during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Booth’s teams appeared in two NCAA Sweet Sixteens, finishing his sophomore season as ACC regular season co-champions and ranked No. 10 in the country in the final AP poll. That year (1994-95) the Terps compiled a 26-8 record, including a perfect 16-0 record at Cole Field House. Booth finished his Terrapin career with averages of 14.1 points per game and 7.3 rebounds.

After his playing years at Maryland, Booth was a first round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1997, taken as the 28th selection overall. Booth was a member of the 1998 Chicago Bulls NBA World Championship team led by Michael Jordan.

“Keith’s accomplishments speak for themselves,” said Logan. “He has won at every level and we are looking forward to him developing our players into winners both on and off the court.”

Booth joined “The Reality Check” with Glenn Clark Monday on AM1570 WNST.net. You can hear the interview in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Home-and-home match ups with Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia highlight the 2011-12 Maryland women’s basketball schedule, released Tuesday. All five of the aforementioned teams were selected to compete in the postseason in 2011.

The Terrapins will play at least 17 games against opponents that competed in either the NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments in 2011. Ten of those games will be played in College Park.

Eight of the Terps’ games will be televised, including three on the ESPN family of networks. The other five will be shown on RSN, which consists of several regional cable syndicated networks throughout the ACC footprint, including Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports Net South, and New England Sports Network, reaches approximately 24 million households.

Highlighting the early non-conference schedule will be a matchup with Georgetown, who ended the 2010-11 season ranked 14th, on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at Comcast Center.

Six local opponents are on the Terps’ non-conference slate. Maryland will welcome Loyola, Georgetown and Towson to Comcast Center, and will travel to UMBC, American and George Mason.

In the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Maryland will play host to 2011 postseason team Michigan for a 7 p.m. game on Nov. 30. This will mark the first meeting between the two teams and both are undefeated in the first four years of the Challenge.

The Terps, who went 24-8 and finished fourth in the ACC last year, will play their first five league games against 2011 postseason participants, including three on the road. They will play single-games at home vs. Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Boston College, and single road games at Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina State.

The Terrapins open league play at Florida State on Jan. 2 with a 7 p.m. game, then return home for an 8:30 p.m. televised game vs. Georgia Tech on Jan. 6. Two days later, the Terrapins hit the road against to play at North Carolina at 1 p.m. Continuing its road trip, Maryland will take on Miami, who finished second in the league last year, in Coral Gables on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.

Maryland’s last three home games include a Feb. 12 matchup with Miami, which will be shown live on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. A week later, the Terrapins will play host to Duke for a 3 p.m. game on Feb. 19, which will also be shown on ESPN2. The Terps close out their home slate with a Feb. 24 game vs. North Carolina at 8:30 p.m. shown on RSN.

The 2011 ACC Tournament will be held March 1-4 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The ACC Semifinals will be shown on ESPNU and the ACC Championship game will be shown on ESPN2.

Maryland will play host to the 2012 NCAA First and Second Rounds March 17 and 19 at Comcast Center.

The Terps will make their first appearance of the season at Maryland Madness on Oct. 14 at Comcast Center. They will play host to Messiah College for an exhibition on Nov. 1 and Holy Family for an exhibition on Nov. 6. Both exhibition games will be at 7 p.m.

2011-12 Maryland Women’s Basketball Schedule

Day Date  Opponent    Location  Time

Tues. Nov. 1  Messiah College (Exhib.)   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 6  Holy Family (Exhib.)   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 11  LOYOLA (Md.)    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 13  GEORGETOWN    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 2 p.m.

Wed. Nov. 16  TOWSON    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 19  UMBC     Baltimore, Md.  7 p.m.

Tues. Nov. 22  SAINT JOSEPH’S    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Florida International Thanksgiving Classic

Fri. Nov. 25   at Florida International   Miami, Fla.  6 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 26  Cal State Bakersfield   Miami, Fla.  2 p.m.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Wed. Nov. 30  MICHIGAN    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 4  at American    Washington, D.C.  1 p.m.

Thurs. Dec. 8  DELAWARE STATE   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 11  at George Mason    Fairfax, Va.  2 p.m.

Terrapin Classic

Wed. Dec. 28  LAFAYETTE    COLLEGE PARK, Md. Noon

Thurs. Dec. 29  DELAWARE/ECU    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Mon. Jan. 2  at Florida State*    Tallahassee, Fla.   7 p.m.

Fri. Jan. 6  GEORGIA TECH* (RSN)   COLLEGE PARK, Md.       8:30 p.m.

Sun. Jan. 8  at North Carolina* (RSN)   Chapel Hill, N.C.  1 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 12  at Miami*     Coral Gables, Fla.  7 p.m.

Mon. Jan. 16  VIRGINIA* (RSN)    COLLEGE PARK, Md.       8:30 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 19  WAKE FOREST*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Jan. 22  at Duke* (ESPNU)    Durham, N.C.  3:30 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 26  VIRGINIA TECH*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Thurs. Feb. 2  BOSTON COLLEGE*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Mon. Feb. 6  at Georgia Tech* (RSN)   Atlanta, Ga.  7 p.m.

Thurs.  Feb. 9  at Clemson*    Clemson, S.C.  7 p.m.

Sun.  Feb. 12  MIAMI* (ESPN2)    COLLEGE PARK, Md.       2:30 p.m.

Thurs. Feb. 16  at Virginia*     Charlottesville, Va.  7 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 19  DUKE* (ESPN2)    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 3 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 24  NORTH CAROLINA* (RSN)   COLLEGE PARK, Md.      8:30 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 26  at North Carolina State*   Raleigh, N.C.  2 p.m.

*-denotes ACC game | Home games in BOLD CAPS

Terps play 16 games against postseason participants

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A home-and-home series with Duke and North Carolina, as well as non-conference matchups with postseason participants from the Big East, Atlantic-10 and Big Ten highlight the 2011-12 University of Maryland men’s basketball schedule announced Tuesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Terrapins will play at least 16 games against teams that participated in the NCAA or NIT postseason tournaments a year ago. Maryland is currently scheduled to play 12 times in the regular season on national television.

A limited number of season tickets are available for sale to the general public. Fans can take advantage of a six-month, no-interest payment plan and can become a season ticket-holder for as low as $77 per month per ticket. For more information, fans can call the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

““We have a very challenging schedule set up for this season,” said first-year head coach Mark Turgeon. “The non-conference games will showcase a lot of different styles of play and levels of teams that will help prepare us for the ACC. With a loaded Puerto Rico Tip-Off plus Illinois, Notre Dame and Temple, we should have a solid RPI heading into league play.”

Highlighting the non-conference schedule is a home matchup with Illinois on Nov. 29 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terrapins’ next game, on Sunday, Dec. 4, will mark their annual trip to play in the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center in Washington, with this year’s opponent being Notre Dame.

Maryland also faces a non-conference battle with a postseason participant from a year ago on Jan. 21 when it plays Temple at the storied Palestra in Philadelphia.

This year’s early-season tournament is the Puerto Rico Tip-Off from Nov. 17 through 20. The Terrapins open with Alabama in the first round, then will face either Colorado or Wichita State in the second round. All three of those teams reached the NIT semifinals last year.

In addition to Duke and North Carolina, Maryland will also play ACC home-and-home series against Virginia, Georgia Tech and Miami. The Terrapins will play one game each at home against Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Boston College, and will make trips to play their only regular-season meetings with NC State, Florida State and Clemson.

Maryland will play six straight home games between Dec. 7 and Jan. 3 before its conference opener at NC State on Sunday, Jan. 8. The homestand includes a Saturday matinee matchup on New Year’s Eve with Samford University.

Regional broadcast selections for non-conference games will be announced at a later date, with the game times for those contests potentially changing. All conference games carried by either the ACC Network or another regional sports network will also be available on the Internet on ESPN3.com.

The Terrapins make their first Comcast Center appearance under Turgeon on Friday, Oct. 14 when they host Maryland Madness. There will be an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 4 against Northwood in advance of the regular-season home opener against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 13.

2011-12 MARYLAND MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Day Date Opponent Time Television

Fri. Nov. 4 NORTHWOOD (Exhibition) 8:00 –

Sun. Nov. 13 UNC WILMINGTON 8:00 TBD

Thu. Nov. 17 vs. Alabama (Puerto Rico Tip-Off) 5:00 ESPN2

Fri. Nov. 18 vs. Colorado or Wichita State (Puerto Rico Tip-Off) TBD –

Sun. Nov. 20 vs. Third-Round Opponent (Puerto Rico Tip-Off) TBD ESPN/ESPN2

Fri. Nov. 25 FLORIDA GULF COAST TBD TBD

Tue. Nov. 29 ILLINOIS (ACC/Big Ten Challenge) 7:30 ESPN

Sun. Dec. 4 vs. Notre Dame (BB&T Classic, Washington, D.C.) 4:45 MASN

Wed. Dec. 7 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 8:00 TBD

Wed. Dec. 14 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 8:00 ESPNU

Fri. Dec. 23 RADFORD 8:00 TBD

Wed. Dec. 28 ALBANY 8:00 TBD

Sat. Dec. 31 SAMFORD 1:00 TBD

Tue. Jan. 3 CORNELL 8:00 TBD

Sun. Jan. 8 at NC State* 6:00 ESPNU

Wed. Jan. 11 WAKE FOREST* 7:00 RSN

Sun. Jan. 15 GEORGIA TECH* 1:00/4:00 ACC Network

Tue. Jan. 17 at Florida State* 9:00 ESPNU

Sat. Jan. 21 at Temple (Palestra) TBD ESPNU

Wed. Jan. 25 DUKE* 9:00 ESPN

Sat. Jan. 28 VIRGINIA TECH* 2:30 ACC Network

Wed. Feb. 1 at Miami* 8:00 ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 4 NORTH CAROLINA* 4:00 ESPN/ESPN2

Tue. Feb. 7 at Clemson* 7:00 ESPNU

Sat. Feb. 11 at Duke* 4:00 ESPN

Thu. Feb. 16 BOSTON COLLEGE* 9:00 ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 18 at Virginia* 1:00 ACC Network

Tue. Feb. 21 MIAMI* 8:00 ACC Network

Sat. Feb. 25 at Georgia Tech* 2:30 ACC Network

Wed. Feb. 29 at North Carolina* 7:00 ESPN/ESPN2

Sun. Mar. 4 VIRGINIA* 2:00 ACC Network

March 8-11 at ACC Tournament (Atlanta, Ga.)

March 13 & 14 at NCAA First Round (Dayton)

March 15 & 17 at NCAA Second & Third Rounds (Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, Portland, Louisville)

March 16 & 18 at NCAA Second & Third Rounds (Columbus, Greensboro, Nashville, Omaha)

March 22 & 24 at NCAA Regionals (Boston, Phoenix)

March 23 & 25 at NCAA Regionals (St. Louis, Atlanta)

March 31 & Apr. 2 at NCAA Final Four (New Orleans)

* – Atlantic Coast Conference game

All times and dates subject to change (times for non-conference home games subject to change with regional TV selections);

All times Eastern; Home games played at Comcast Center (17,950) listed in BOLD CAPS

TV Key – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU – national broadcasts; ACC Network, Regional Sports Network (RSN); Comcast SportsNet (CSN); Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) – regional broadcasts. TerpsTV available via live stream on www.umterps.com

Honorable Mention: WNBA-Minnesota Lynx @ Washington Mystics (Thursday 7pm Verizon Center), Chicago Sky @ Washington Mystics (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on NBA TV), Washington Mystics @ Indiana Fever (Sunday 6pm from Indianapolis live on NBA TV); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Demetrius Andrade vs. Grady Brewer (Friday 9pm from Hammond, IN live on ESPN2); Canadian Football League: Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Toronto Argonauts (Thursday 7:30pm from Toronto live on NFL Network)

10. Martin Lawrence (Sunday 7pm 1st Mariner Arena); American Idols Live (Friday 7pm Verizon Center); Ke$ha (Sunday 7:30pm Patriot Center); Slightly Stoopid (Wednesday 5:30pm Pier Six Pavilion), Bill Cosby (Saturday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion), Gipsy Kings (Sunday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); Bob Dylan and his Band (Tuesday 6pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Skullcandy Identity feat. Pretty Lights (Thursday 1pm Jiffy Lube Live), Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow (Monday 7pm Jiffy Lube Live); Beach Boys (Sunday 3pm Wolf Trap); 10,000 Maniacs (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); “Hot August Blues” feat. Tedeschi Trucks Band & Robert Randolph (Saturday 12pm Oregon Ridge); Lynyrd Skynyrd/Doobie Brothers (Saturday 7pm Aberdeen Proving Ground)

I’m sung the praises of Robert Randolph in this blog so many times it’s almost overkill for me to go back to the well.

You know they call me “Dr. Overkill” in some circles…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kccFnAioNAg[/youtube]

I saw the Beach Boys last year at Pier Six. There was a thought process that it might be a bit hokey, but I was quickly reminded that there was no way in hell songs like this could EVER be hokey…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Uc_Gi7gdM[/youtube]

I’m well aware that Michael McDonald isn’t in the band anymore. That being said, I’d still be in on this…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDWGKQcQ8zw[/youtube]

I took my dad to see Bob Dylan years ago at American University in DC (he’s an alum). I didn’t understand much, but I’m pretty sure it was good. Just a shame he couldn’t bring Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers on tour with him…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPYvz9QEqUI[/youtube]

9. Baltimore Comic-Con (Saturday & Sunday Baltimore Convention Center); Baltimore Fashion Week (Thursday-Sunday Harbor East)

I would assume there”s a good bit of crossover between these crowds, no?

While Comic-Con probably ISN’T really my thing, I get this funny feeling it might be more up my alley than I otherwise would have realized.

Plus-Stan effing Lee is going to be there!

Stan Lee!

It’s good news for me-not because I have any comic books I need signed-but more because I’ve been needing some dating advice and the phone lines over at Loveline have been LOCKED…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vJpAXf5wyk[/youtube]

Senior LB was a 2010 first team All-ACC selection at safety

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maryland senior linebacker Kenny Tate has been selected to the 2011 Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, the league announced Wednesday.

Voting for the 25-man team was conducted by media in attendance at the ACC Football Kickoff, which was held July 24-25 in Pinehurst, N.C.

Tate, a 2010 first team All-ACC selection at safety, moved to linebacker prior to spring practice. The Forestville, Md., native led the team with 58 solo tackles last season and ranked second with 100 total, becoming the first Maryland defensive back to reach 100 tackles since Tony Jackson in 2000.

Starting all 13 games a year ago, Tate also added 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. In his career, Tate has made 162 tackles and five interceptions, marks that are first on the team among returning players.

A consensus preseason all-conference selection, Tate is on watch lists for the Lott Trophy, the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, the Bednarik Award and the Butkus Award.

To view the entire 2011 Preseason All-ACC football team, click here.

– Terps –

If you’ve been seeking the abridged version of a frustrating season for Maryland, the final 10 minutes of an 87-71 loss to Duke on Friday night revealed everything you needed to know about the Terps.

After an impressive performance over the first 30 minutes against the second-seeded Blue Devils in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, the Terps were in position to challenge the No. 5 team in the country, trailing 63-60 after a Dino Gregory layup at the 10:13 mark.

All-ACC senior Nolan Smith was ineffective throughout the night and left the game with a toe injury with just under seven minutes left. The normally sharpshooting Blue Devils were a paltry 3-for-15 from beyond the arc. And despite a huge night from  all-conference senior Kyle Singler (29 points for the game), the Maryland defense swarmed the ball on nearly every possession, leaving a perimeter-dependent team with few open looks.

Opportunity was sitting right there as Maryland had essentially made it a 10-minute game against one of the best teams in the country. It wasn’t the near-perfect performance they needed to secure the upset, but Duke’s struggles had allowed an energized Maryland team to hang around.

And then, like we’ve seen all too many times this season, the Terps completely crumbled and Duke clutched them by the throat, squeezing the final breath out of their far-fetched NCAA tournament hopes and leaving them to wait for the NIT selection show on Sunday night.

The Blue Devils outscored them by a 24-11 margin over the the final 10 minutes as the Terps would go scoreless for nearly six minutes after Gregory’s layup, failing to bank another field goal until Pe’Shon Howard’s bucket with 4:03 to play. Maryland turned the ball over at crucial times, looking confused and out of its league as Duke seized control.

Poor free-throw shooting (15-for-28) throughout the night was magnified as a manageable deficit became too much to overcome with the Terps turning ice-cold and Duke making its free throws (14-for-15 in the second half) in the final minutes.

Despite 16 points and 16 rebounds from Jordan Williams, the sophomore’s 2-for-10 showing from the line made it a fruitless effort to get him the ball inside to draw contact. Cliff Tucker chipped in 12 points while Gregory and Howard added 10 apiece, but no one could spark the struggling Maryland offense late as the scoring drought grew longer and the deficit wider.

Terrell Stoglin continued his struggles against Duke, scoring six points and turning it over five times. His late-season maturity reverted back to the look of a frustrated freshman for much of the evening, but one would hope better days are ahead for the talented point guard against the Blue Devils.

And just like that, it was over. What had been an entertaining first 30 minutes transformed into a 16-point defeat, Maryland’s third of the season to Duke.

Truthfully, no one expected the Terps to pose much of a threat to Mike Krzyzewski’s group, who is aiming for another No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament and a possible rematch with North Carolina in the ACC tournament championship. Duke will play Virginia Tech in the semifinal Saturday while North Carolina takes on Clemson.

In contrast, Gary Williams will now lead an underwhelming group to the NIT for the fourth time in seven years. A rivalry that was once more competitive than Duke’s storied war with North Carolina — for several years, mind you — has dissipated to the sound of nine losses in the last 10 games to the Blue Devils.

After losing the ACC Player of the Year and two other key seniors who accounted for more than half of the team’s scoring a year ago, the Terps just weren’t good enough to play a full 40 minutes against the better teams in the country this season. The results speak for themselves.

The effort was there Friday night — a refreshing change after lifeless showings against Miami and Virginia to close the regular season — but the talent wasn’t there to finish the job.

As Gary Williams said following last Saturday’s loss to Virginia, “close doesn’t count, especially this time of year.”

It’s a lesson the Terps are painfully familiar with this season.

One they’ll take with them to the glamourless NIT.

***Join us in the Turtle Power live chat as the Terps take on Duke in the ACC quarterfinals***

After snapping their three-game losing streak with a 75-67 win over N.C. State Thursday night, Maryland (19-13, 7-9 ACC) faces No. 5 Duke (27-4, 13-3 ACC) in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at 7:00.

The Terps will try to beat Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils for the first time this season, falling twice in the regular season. A win would place them in the semifinals (against the winner of Virginia Tech-Florida State) for the first time since 2009 when the seventh-seeded Terrapins defeated a tough Wake Forest squad in the quarterfinals, a feat that essentially punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

Tonight’s game will be televised locally on WNUV-TV 54 and on ESPN2 (for those outside the ACC Network region). The Turtle Power live chat will be open beginning at 7:00 and remember to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for the quickest updates and analysis regarding the happenings at the Greensboro Coliseum.

***Join us in the Turtle Power live chat beginning at 7:00 as the Terps face N.C. State***

The ACC tournament is underway in Greensboro, N.C. as the Maryland Terrapins (18-13, 7-9 ACC) take on N.C. State in the first round at 7:00 p.m. The winner earns the daunting task of facing Duke on Friday night

As improbable as it is, the Terps will attempt to grab the first of four victories needed in the next four days to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Anything less and Maryland will accept the reality of missing the Big Dance and having to settle for a likely invitation to the NIT.

Tonight’s game will be televised on ESPN2 with Mike Patrick and Len Elmore calling the action from the Greensboro Coliseum. As always, join us in the Turtle Power live chat beginning at 7:00 and follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for the quickest updates and analysis of the happenings in the ACC tournament.

Honorable Mention: NBA-Milwaukee Bucks @ Washington Wizards (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Los Angeles Clippers @ Washington Wizards (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Oklahoma City Thunder @ Washington Wizards (Monday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet); Soccer: MISL-Missouri Comets @ Baltimore Blast (Sunday 5:05pm 1st Mariner Arena); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 36 (Saturday 9pm from Shreveport, LA live on MTV2); Tennis-ATP Tour & WTA Tour BNP Paribas Open (Saturday-Monday 2pm from Indian Wells, CA live on Tennis Channel); Arena Football: AFL-Philadelphia Soul @ Pittsburgh Power (Friday 8pm from Pittsburgh live on NFL Network); Women’s College Basketball: Selection Monday (Monday 7pm ESPN)

10. Get The Led Out: The American Led Zeppelin (Saturday 7pm Rams Head Live); Boyz II Men (Monday 7pm Bourbon Street); America (Monday 8pm Rams Head On Stage); Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club), Apocalyptica (Sunday 10pm 9:30 Club), Pete Yorn (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Shamrockfest feat. Dropkick Murphys and Carbon Leaf (Saturday RFK Stadium); Lupe Fiasco “Lasers”, R.E.M. “Collapse Into Now”, Billy Joel “Live at Shea Stadium” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday); Jackass 3 available on Blu-Ray & DVD (Tuesday)

Kind of a weaksauce week for live music, but there’s some decent stuff mixed in. I mean, what…IN THE WORLD…is better than CooleyHighHarmony???

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHzkICG47LU[/youtube]

I’m a fan of Grace Potter…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHlhOgQ36m8[/youtube]

There’s few better ways to prepare for St. Patty’s Day than Dropkick Murphys…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw[/youtube]

and I freaking LOVE Carbon Leaf…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1zs2yezmkE[/youtube]

And since I’m on a role, it’s about time Lupe Fiasco’s disc finally came out. This song was one of the best of 2010…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U[/youtube]

9. Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Sunday 2pm Downtown Baltimore), Shamrock 5K (Sunday 1:15pm Downtown Baltimore)

A 5k run is a surprising place to bump into Rex Ryan…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPPfCmkfVKY[/youtube]

Not a surprising place to bump into Rex Ryan? The place where we bumped into him in Indianapolis during NFL Scouting Combine weekend…

8. Golf: WGC Cadillac Championship (Thursday & Friday 2pm live on Golf Channel, Saturday 2pm Sunday 3m live on NBC. All golf from Doral, FL); PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open (Thursday 6:30pm, Friday 11:30am, Saturday 6:30pm Sunday 7:30pm from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico on Golf Channel); Champions Tour Toshiba Classic (Friday 6:30pm, Saturday 9:30pm, Sunday 10:30pm from Newport Beach, CA on Golf Channel)

Yeah…I looked up to find out that Rory Sabbatini won the most recent golf event. I honest to God couldn’t tell you anything else going on in the sport, it is what it is.

So I wandered over to some golf blog page for more information about what was going on in golf. Holy hell was that terrible. There was actually information on how to tell two different types of golf balls apart. WHAT THE EFF? They’re golf balls. Hopefully someone put their initials on one of them or something.

Anyway, one of the blogs had an ad for something involving Izabel Goulart. I don’t know what it was, but I don’t care. It was the first interesting thing that happened during my quest for golf information.

7. NHL: Edmonton Oilers @ Washington Capitals (Wednesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Carolina Hurricanes @ Washington Capitals (Friday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Chicago Blackhawks @ Washington Capitals (Sunday 12:30pm from Verizon Center live on NBC)

In hockey news, the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL wore these jerseys for a “Fight Night” promotion this weekend. (Thanks Puck Daddy!)

If the Caps would wear something like this, I might actually have a reason to give a hoot about them for a second or two.

6. Pro Wrestling: TNA Victory Road (Sunday 8pm from Orlando live on Pay-Per-View)

I guess TNA is supposed to be interesting now because 1-Sting is their champion, 2-Bart Scott has joined the fray…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZEFxLp6MQ8[/youtube]

3-Angelina from Jersey Shore is now part of TNA…

Nope. Still not really all that interested.

5. Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga (Saturday 9pm from Las Vegas live on Showtime PPV); Sergio Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk (Saturday 10:30pm from Mashantucket, CT live on HBO); Jimmy Lange vs. Jimmy “The Fighting School Teacher” Holmes (Saturday 7pm Patriot Center)

The Cotto-Mayorga card is a pretty big deal all around, as both Joshua Clottey and Yuri Foreman are on the undercard.

The reason why Cotto-Mayorga is a big deal in Charm City however is because Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski is fighting on the undercard. We don’t know who he’s fighting, but whoever it is HAS to perform better than Robert Bell did five years ago at Madison Square Garden, right?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-8BYolVPVw[/youtube]

By the way, “Rudy” was on Encore Sunday-right after Little Giants. Raise your hand if you ALWAYS hate Notre Dame…right up until the point where Jon Favreau and the folks in South Bend start chanting Rudy’s name.

For the record, as soon as they finish carrying him off the Notre Dame Stadium field, I start hating Notre Dame again.

4. High School Basketball: MPSSAA Semifinals-4A: Eleanor Roosevelt vs. Patterson (Thursday 7pm), Magruder vs. North Point (Thursday 9pm); 3A: Milford Mill vs. Friendly (Thursday 3pm), South Hagerstown vs. Centennial (Thursday 5pm); 2A: Gwynn Park vs. Digital Harbor (Friday 7pm), South Carroll vs. Easton (Friday 9pm); Dunbar vs. Owings Mills (Friday 3pm), Williamsport vs. Pocomoke (Friday 5pm); Finals all day Saturday (All games at Comcast Center)

Unfortunately Monique Bassett couldn’t will my Perry Hall Gators all the way to College Park, but I’ll give her a pass in her first season.

My picks to win the state titles are Patterson, Milford Mill, Digital Harbor and Dunbar-but I don’t really know anything about the subject.

It’s not the only subject I don’t know much about but comment on anyway. For example, I don’t really know much of anything about women’s fashion, but I’d like to note that I approve of what Samara Weaving is wearing here. (Thanks Busted Coverage!)

3. Ed Block Courage Awards (Tuesday 5:30pm Martin’s West); Anquan Boldin “Chalk Talk” (Thursday 5pm Hill Field House-Morgan State)

Kinda tough to weave my way from Samara Weaving to the Ed Block Courage Awards, huh?

I won’t bother trying to be clever or funny here, and I definitely won’t bother trying to post a picture of an attractive gal. Instead I’ll channel Lance Storm and “be serious for a moment.”

If you didn’t read our own Nestor Aparicio’s column about Michael Vick’s night in Baltimore last year, I REALLY encourage you to do so. It will help explain this video…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmp-fMr31c0[/youtube]

2. College Basketball: ACC Tournament-Maryland vs. North Carolina State (Thursday 7pm from Greensboro, NC live on ESPN2), MEAC Tournament-Morgan State vs. North Carolina A&T (Thursday 8pm from Winston-Salem, NC streamed live at MEACHoops.com), Coppin State vs. Norfolk State/Howard winner (Thursday 6pm from Winston-Salem, NC streamed at MEACHoops.com); Selection Sunday (Sunday 6pm CBS)

Just a year ago, I was sitting outside the Greensboro Coliseum on a Friday afternoon thinking about a weekend that would either involve watching the Terps make a run towards an ACC Championship or watching the Morgan Bears try to clinch their second straight March Madness berth.

The Terrapins didn’t keep their end of the bargain, but Todd Bozeman’s Bears certainly did-and my weekend in the Triangle was OUTSTANDING.

This year…I think I’m gonna stick in the mid-atlantic.

Hey, Fang Mitchell’s Eagles still have a real chance of making the Tournament-but I’m not holding my breath that I’ll be needing to do another Selection Sunday special Sunday night on AM1570 WNST.

But if you have any interest in heading to Carolina for the weekend, I’d still encourage it. Just make sure you do these three things…

1. College Lacrosse: Maryland @ Towson (Saturday 11am from Unitas Stadium live on ESPN3.com), Loyola @ Duke (Friday 7pm from Durham, NC live on AM1570 WNST), Lafayette @ Navy (Saturday 12pm Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium), Lynchburg @ Stevenson (Saturday 1pm Caves Athletic Complex); Inside Lacrosse Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic: Syracuse vs. Georgetown (Saturday 11am) Cornell vs. Virginia (Saturday 1:30pm), Johns Hopkins vs. UMBC (Saturday 4pm) All games from M&T Bank Stadium live on ESPNU

So before we start filling out our NIT brackets in Baltimore, there’s a damn good day of lacrosse Saturday.

I’ll be at Maryland/Towson and Hopkins/UMBC Saturday for sure, and might try to poke in over in Owings Mills in between.

It’s a shame there’s so much going on in town Saturday, because if there wasn’t I would have gone down to Duke with the Greyhounds Friday night and then stuck around for the ACC or MEAC title games Saturday.

Instead, the Glenn Clark household will be torn over a battle of alma maters when the Terps face the Tigers Saturday morning. I want you to look closely at this picture before you decide whose side you’re going to support…

The great part is…I might have her so brainwashed that she mistakenly roots for Maryland on Saturday. HAHAHA!!!

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

On the heels of an alarming three-game losing streak to finish the regular season, Maryland had to wait for Sunday’s conference action to learn who it would play in the first round of the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

With Miami falling to Georgia Tech on Sunday, the Terps (18-13, 7-9 ACC) discovered they would play as the No. 7 seed against N.C. State, who fell to Florida State on Sunday evening. Maryland will play the Wolfpack in the conference tournament for the first time since 2009 when the Terps prevailed in another first-round matchup.

Knowing they have no chance for at-large consideration after finishing with a losing record in a down year for the ACC, the Terps’ mission this coming weekend is quite clear if they want to avoid their fourth trip to the NIT in seven years and advance to the NCAA tournament:

Win the entire thing.

Maryland has not won the ACC tournament since 2004 when John Gilchrist earned Most Valuable Player honors by leading the sixth-seeded Terps to wins over Wake Forest, N.C. State, and Duke to cut down the nets in Greensboro. That 2004 edition would mark the end of the nine-team format that included a play-in game between the bottom two in the league and only three rounds in what amounted to an easier path for lower-seeded teams to make a run to the championship.

“I know no team has ever won four games down there since the expansion [in 2005],” Gary Williams said after Saturday’s 74-60 loss to Virginia. “At the same time, we are going down there to try to win the thing. We will see what happens.”

Maryland won the only meeting between the schools in the regular season, an 87-80 final at Comcast Center on Feb. 20. The Terps have not lost to the Wolfpack since Feb. 5, 2006 and have won eight consecutive meetings.

The last time N.C. State defeated Maryland in the ACC tournament was in 2002 in what was the Terps’ final loss of the season on their way to the national championship.

Should the Terps get past N.C. State on Thursday, they would get a third meeting against Duke who twice beat Maryland in the regular season.

Here’s the schedule for the entire tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Thursday - 1st Round
No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Miami, Noon (ACC Network)
No. 5 Boston College vs. No. 12 Wake Forest, 2:00 (ACC Network)
No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 10 N.C. State, 7:00 (ESPN2)
No. 6 Virginia Tech vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech, 9:00 (ACC Network)

Friday - Quarterfinals
No. 1 North Carolina vs. winner of Virginia/Miami, Noon (ACC Network/ESPN2)
No. 4 Clemson vs. winner of Boston College/Wake Forest, 2:00 (ACC Network/ESPN2)
No. 2 Duke vs. winner of Maryland/N.C. State, 7:00 (ACC Network/ESPN2)
No. 3 Florida State vs. winner of Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech, 9:00 (ACC Network/ESPN2)

Saturday - Semifinals
1st Semifinal, 1:00 (ACC Network, ESPN)
2nd Semifinal, 3:00 (ACC Network, ESPN)

Sunday - Final
Championship, 1:00 (ACC Network, ESPN)