Tobacco Road Report

By Michael

Two unbeaten streaks ended today. Clemson, the last remaining unbeaten in Division I, fell to 17-1 overall with a 92-87 loss to Maryland in College Park. The loss drops Clemson to 3-1 in conference and ups Maryland (15-3) to 1-2 in ACC play. That was the first streak...the second deals with James Mays, who was 28-0 as a starter prior to today. Mays gave a valiant effort, scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. However, Maryland's bigs -- Gist, Ibekwe, Bowers, and Osby -- made Mays and Booker (14 points) work hard for their points and a steady stream of Terrapins to the free throw line kept Maryland in control.

For two teams who pride themselves on man-to-man defense and full court pressure, the first half was sloppy as neither defense was particularly effective. I charted 11 Maryland layups and two other close-in buckets in the first half alone, as it appeared to be a lay-up drill for long periods of time. Clemson was just as effective, scoring on 9 lay-ups and converting 4 other close range buckets. At half Maryland led 48-42. The Terrapins shot 64 percent and the Tigers shot 59 percent.

Maryland's offense looked crisp from the outset with the perimeter players maintaining good spacing and making excellent post entry passes. Maryland had success with some high-low with Gist (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Ibekwe (20 points, 10 rebounds) taking advantage of the smaller Clemson defenders.

In addition to creating some easy buckets, Maryland's aggression offensively was rewarded at the free throw line. Maryland's advantage here, 25 made free throws to 5 for the Tigers, was the difference.

If it wasn't for a stretch during the first half where Maryland turned the ball over on 5 straight possessions, the Terrapin lead would've been much larger. Maryland finished the game with 20 turnovers, so Gary Williams will still have something to work on despite notching this first important conference win. Ibekwe (5), Vasquez (3), and Hayes (3) were the main culprits.

On defense Clemson appeared a step slow all game and their offense was not spaced well in the first half. The cuts were not crisp and the screens were not well timed with passing and ball reversal. Several times Clemson players dribbled into what appeared to be an open space, only to find other teammates clogging thier path to the basket. Some good three point shooting -- the Tigers shot 8-17 -- and 15 offensive rebounds were what was keeping it close at times.

When Clemson did get the ball inside to Mays and Booker, Gist and Ibekwe were there to challenge every shot. The two registered 6 blocked shots, and Bowers and Osby picked up 1 apiece.

In the second half, Maryland maintained their lead throughout. Clemson didn't go down easily and fought hard, but the Tigers simply couldn't get any stops when they needed to. Maryland plays well when their front court has the advantage, but struggles against teams that match them up front (i.e. Notre Dame, Boston College). Clemson has a lot to work on defensively, as the help defense was non-existent all afternoon.