PressBox: Terps Face Yet Another Must-Win

Terps Face Yet Another Must-Win

By Kevin Heitz

The Terps may be getting tired of hearing the phrase "must-win" before every game, but that's the fate they've played to this season. The only way their 9 p.m. tipoff tonight against Florida State is not a must-win game is if Maryland has decided the NIT is a fine postseason destination -- and we know that's not true.

The Seminoles (19-7, 9-3 ACC) have won eight of their last 10, most recently an 84-66 thumping of Wake Forest on Feb. 19. Florida State has sole possession of third place, a full game behind North Carolina, while Maryland (17-10, 6-6) is tied for sixth place and sits only a half-game out of fifth.

Some storylines, besides the push for the Big Dance, to watch tonight at Comcast Center:

• Jordan Williams is five rebounds away from 600 for his career. Currently leading the league, Williams can become the second Terrapin and seventh player in ACC history to reach that plateau as a sophomore.

• In his last four games, freshman Terrell Stoglin is averaging 19.8 points and 6.5 assists. Last week, the ACC Rookie of the Week scored 25 in two-straight games.

• During the last seven games, Maryland has hit .775 from the free-throw line, including an .898 effort during the Terps' last two meetings.

• Maryland is 13-3 at home the season, winning its last three games at the Comcast Center. Meanwhile, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton has never won at Maryland. The Seminoles have beaten Maryland four times since Hamilton's arrival for the 2002-03 season, but have yet to win at the Comcast Center.

• Junior Sean Mosley has 24 steals during the last 16 games, giving him a team-high 32 this year. His two steals against N.C. State Feb. 20 marked Mosley's 10th game this season with two or more steals.

• Senior Dino Gregory leads the Terps with 38 blocked shots. He has at least one block during 20 of Maryland's 27 games this season.

HOKIES ROLL OVER WAKE

With top-ranked Duke coming to Blacksburg this weekend, some may have worried that Virginia Tech would be looking ahead instead of focusing on Tuesday's game. No need to worry when the opponent is Wake Forest.

Jarell Eddie came off the bench and poured in a career-high 17 points to help the hot-shooting Hokies top the Demon Deacons, 76-62, and put the recent loss to rival Virginia in their rear-view mirror. The Hokies shot 60 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

ON TAP

The Florida State-Maryland game is one of four ACC matchups on tonight's schedule: Miami visits Boston College; Georgia Tech hosts Virginia; and North Carolina goes to Raleigh to face in-state rival N.C. State.

Duke takes a night off conference play, hosting Temple at 7 p.m.

Posted Feb. 23, 2011