Maryland certainly had their struggles during the season, but will have the best player on the floor today when the Terps meet California in the first round of the West Region.
If you look at season-long numbers, it’s not hard to make a case for Cal here. The Bears have been real overachievers this season. They are the best 3-point shooting squad in the country, hitting 43% from beyond the arc as a team. I’ll give head coach Mike Montgomery all the credit in the world.
Remember, the Bears lost two NBA draft picks from a team that went 6-12 in the Pac-10 last year and lost in the first round of the NIT, but improved to 22 wins overall and 11-7 in conference play this year.
But Cal did not play their best basketball down the stretch. They lost four out of six entering the Big Dance, and won only twice in their final eight non-home games, with one of those wins coming against hapless Oregon. The Bears do not play much defense and they consistently get beaten on the boards; this is a team with limited size and depth inside.
A season-long look at Maryland leaves them squarely in the mediocre category, but the Terps have most assuredly played their best basketball of the season in recent weeks. Maryland will have the best player on the court, unselfish leader Greivis Vasquez, who lit up both North Carolina and Wake Forest in upset wins over the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons.
Maryland had problems with bigger teams all year long – they don’t have much interior size or depth either – but Cal isn’t capable of exploiting that weakness. I’ll take the team playing their best basketball now over the team that peaked a month or two ago.
Free Pick: Maryland +1½ (-110)
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