We’re about 20 minutes from tip-off between the Terps and Badgers in Madison.

Wiscy the favorite but they have really struggled of late, having lost 5 of 6 coming into this one.

Reminder, no tv tonight as the game is streaming on Peacock.

Welcome home!!

I finally put in my FutureCast for Queen last night. All signs are pointing to a commitment as soon as today.

While my gut feeling of late was that he could have been slipping away, the intel continued to stay the same, in that it remained a two-team race with Indiana with the Terps having a slight lead basically throughout.

This would be HUGE on so many levels, as the program really needs a big jolt at the moment and that is exactly what a commitment from Queen would provide. I also believe this commitment really helps them with portal recruiting as the focus can now really be on landing a starter quality point guard and another wing/shooter. They will likely be looking to add another big as well, but it isn't nearly as big of a need as it would have been without Queen.

As for his ability to play WITH Reese on the floor at the same time, I really don't see it as a major issue. The thing that is funny, is that in high school, I would have probably envisioned JuJu as a four and Queen as more of a five at the college level, but I think they can mesh as the exact opposites--Queen as a four and JuJu as a five. Queen has the footwork, vision, hands and shooting touch to face up and play some at the four, especially with Reese as the enforcer in the paint should he get beat on defense. Offensively, I think Queen can operate out of the wing and beat guys baseline.

As for what would be next? I think it is just a matter of time before they land Virginia Tech transfer and former DeMatha guard Rodney Rice. This is one that I figured would happen a couple months ago but he seemed to be taking his time and I was hearing G'town was really trying to make a push. But in the end, it seems his high school coach is going to win this one out.

Thinking out loud about some other possibilities in the portal come March, a few names off the top of my head that could be in play include Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin, LSU wing Tyrell Ward and Michigan point guard Dug McDaniels. I've heard Judah Mintz mentioned as a possibility to enter the portal, but I'm guessing Cuse will pony up to keep him and they actually have a decent young nucleus, still worth keeping an eye on. One other name I'll throw out is Harvard freshman guard Malik Mack. He's a local and has been brilliant this year for the Crimson. Have heard he could maybe be looking to move up to P5 level and Willard has a history of landing Harvard point guards (see Bryce Aiken). But there is enough talent there, you add it to Reese, Queen, and hope for big sophomore jumps from DHS and Kaiser and you could be back to having a pretty good team ready to compete again for an NCAA birth. But the portal will be critical. Have to land some big names and they have to be the right pieces.

But for now, landing Queen would have folks talking about Maryland again nationally in a positive light moving forward as they look to rebuild and get back to where this program should be.

Five years to go!

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The Terps have just landed a commitment from 6-foot-2, 320 pound Allentown Central Catholic two-way lineman Braheem Battles. Syracuse, Temple and JMU were also involved. Defensive coordinator Brian Williams led the way on this one as they recruited him to play along the defensive front. He's the third commit for 2025.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland football team will hold its annual Red-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 27 at Noon at SECU Stadium.Admission to the game and parking throughout most of campus is free of charge in conjunction with Maryland Day. The game will also air live on BigTen+ at Noon and be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network later that day at 6 p.m. Led by Head Coach Michael Locksley, the Terrapins will begin spring practice on Tuesday, March 26. Maryland will hold 15 practices in the spring, culminating with the Red-White Spring Game. The Terps are coming off back-to-back eight-win seasons and over the last two seasons, Maryland has the fifth most wins amongst all Big Ten teams.
Details about the Spring Game and the events surrounding the game are listed below, along with other key spring dates for the media to note. More info on each event will be sent to the media in the coming weeks.

Spring Game Information for Fans:

• SECU Stadium Access: Gate I (South side) will open at 11 a.m. Concession stands will be open on the South side of the stadium. Admission to the game is free and tickets are not needed for entry to the stadium.
• Parking: Free parking is available in Lot Z and throughout most of campus in conjunction with Maryland Day. Fans are encouraged to follow all posted parking signage.
• Clear Bag Policy: While not in effect for the Spring Game, Maryland Athletics will continue its clear bag policy for the 2024 Maryland Football season. For more information click here.
• Donor Appreciation Day: All Terrapin Club donors are invited to a tent on the West Concourse with food and beverages. An invitation from the Terrapin Club with a link to RSVP will be sent at the end of March.
• Select-A-Seat Event: Starting at 11 a.m. fans will have an opportunity to select seats in the premium seating areas, as well as seating areas in the bowl for the 2024 season, which features seven home games at SECU Stadium. A variety of season ticket options are available, starting at just $99. Available seats to purchase as season tickets will be marked throughout the stadium. Click here to learn more about our fan-friendly pricing options for 2024.

With the HoopHall Classic now just a day away, the latest I'm hearing is that five-star big man Derik Queen is likely to NOT announce anything this week and drag this out until at least February.

Honestly, while the latest real intel I've gotten was that it was more of a two-team race versus Maryland and Indiana, the fact that it keeps getting pushed back, along with the fact that Maryland and Indiana continue to struggle, really has me wondering out loud if it is going to be either of these programs he picks.

Indiana just got beat fairly handily by Rutgers last night and there are public calls for the firing of Woodson, who has said some wild stuff of late (he basically flat out said his guards suck after a loss last week).

And the Terps have obviously been struggling, too.

When you look at Houston and Kansas, you've got a pair of top 5 teams/programs and in the case of Kansas, everything runs through their big man. Obviously with Kansas the question becomes whether or not Dickinson comes back for another year.

Botton line, the intel still says Maryland is right there in the thick of things for Queen, but with this decision looking like it will now drag into Feb., it is tougher to keep feeling confident with each passing week.

Televised on Peacock.

Sunday starter weakness rears its ugly head again

Take that Gary

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Wish him luck, he did a great job here

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The Post Game Pressers have gone from 9-12 minutes down to 5-6 minutes. Half the time KW starts answering the question before it is finished. His body language is he does not want to be there and looks to depart ASAP. This could be a result of a team not winning that was projected third in the BIG prior to the season. Could also be he is frustrated by the amount of time it is taking getting use to the new landscape of college hoops with the portal and raising NIL. I am not saying he is looking to leave but he is clearly frustrated by what is transpiring. Maybe some of that has to do with the difficulties he has with working with the Administration (we have all heard that before) as well as the possibility of him waiting another year or two at Seton Hall and taking the Louisville job which packs the stands night in and night out (usually leads college hoop in attendance) and has probably LOADS of NIL waiting in the wings.

Scott, curious how strong the push has been to get Terp Athlete alums, particularly the ones getting paid in the pros, to kick in to the NIL fund. Now that would be "Maryland Proud"

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland football program has set the dates for numerous theme days for the upcoming 2024 season, it was announced on Monday.

September 21 – Family Weekend
October 19 - Homecoming
November 16 – Military Appreciation

Family weekend will occur on Saturday, Sept. 21 when the Terps host Villanova at SECU Stadium for their regular season non-conference finale. Maryland is 9-2 all-time against the Wildcats, but the teams have not played since 2007.
Maryland's annual Homecoming game will be played on Saturday, Oct. 19 when Big Ten newcomer USC visits College Park. It'll be the first all-time meeting between the schools in football.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, Maryland will host Rutgers for its Military Appreciation game. The Terps have won five of their last six meetings against the Scarlet Knights, including a 42-24 victory in Piscataway last season.
Maryland is coming off a 2023 season in which it posted an 8-5 record and defeated Auburn, 31-13, in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The Terps have won a combined 23 games over the last three seasons and have won bowl games in three straight seasons for the first time in school history.

Maryland returns four starters on the offensive side of the ball in 2024, including All-Big Ten selections in running back Roman Hemby and wide receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather. The high-powered Terrapins offense ranked Top 5 in the Big Ten in points per game (29.7), yards per game (387.3) and passing yards per game (278.9) last season.
Seven starters return for Maryland's defense, which allowed just 22.5 points per game in 2023, the fewest points allowed per game for a Terps defense since 2010 (22.2). Returners include Third-Team All-Big Ten selection Ruben Hyppolite II and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection Quashon Fuller.

Maryland opens its 2024 season at home against UConn on Saturday, August 31. The Terrapins full schedule can be found here.

COLLEGE PARK, MD - With great sadness, the University of Maryland mourns the loss of an icon today as it was announced that Charles “Lefty” Driesell (Dec. 25, 1931-Feb. 17, 2024) passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 92. Driesell was a legend in the sport who left an indelible mark on Maryland basketball and the college basketball community as a whole.

“Lefty Driesell was a transcendent figure in college basketball and the man who put Maryland basketball on the map,” said Damon Evans, the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics. “A Hall of Famer, Lefty was an innovator, a man who was ahead of his time from his coaching on the court to his marketing off the court. From starting Midnight Madness to nationally-televised games with sold out Cole Field House crowds, Lefty did it all. He led Maryland to the NIT Championship, eight NCAA Tournaments, multiple ACC Championships and a consistent Top-10 ranking during his tenure, producing tons of NBA players. We are saddened to hear of his passing and send our condolences to his entire family and community of friends. His memory will be forever etched in Maryland basketball history.”

“It is with great sadness that we received this news today and our condolences go out to his family,” said Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard. “Words cannot express all that Coach Driesell embodied and the impact he made on the game. Most importantly, however, was his commitment to his players and the depth of relationships he made with all those around him. Maryland and the college basketball world lost one of its monumental figures today.”

One of the most legendary and colorful coaches in college basketball, Driesell led the Terps from 1969-86 posting a 348-159 overall record which is second in program history to only Gary Williams. Under Driesell, Maryland reached eight NCAA Tournaments (1973, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986), won the 1972 NIT Championship title, won the 1984 ACC Tournament Championship, and posted a pair of ACC Regular Season titles. Additionally, Maryland reached the ACC title game six times under Driesell. The Terps were ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in the AP rankings for four consecutive years from 1972-76.

Driesell served as head coach at four different institutions: Davidson (1960-69), Maryland (1969-86), James Madison (1988-96), and Georgia State (1997-03). He held an overall coach record of 786-394 and was named Coach of the Year nine times throughout four different conferences including twice in the ACC with Maryland (1975, 1980).

His 786 victories still ranks 15th all-time among all NCAA Division I coaches and is 23rd overall at all levels of NCAA basketball. He is among 10 coaches all-time to have coached 40 seasons or more along such notables as Adolph Rubb, Mike Krzyzewski, Phog Allen, Ed Diddle, Jim Boeheim, Bob Knight, Jim Calhou, Bob Huggins and Henry Iba. Only Coach Driesell and Cliff Ellis led four different Division I schools to 100 or more wins during their careers.

Driesell was honored in 2018 with induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. That came after his induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also a member of the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the Southern Conference Hall of Fame, and the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame. He was awarded the NCAA Award of Valor for helping save lives from a structure fire in 1973 and in 2010, the Lefty Driesell Award for best defensive player in NCAA Division I basketball was created.
He is also credited with generating the idea for the nation's first "Midnight Madness," a tradition that has largely been inherited by almost every college basketball team in the country and still continues to this day. As the legend goes, Driesell held a one-mile run at the track in front of 1,000 fans around then-Byrd Stadium at 12:03 a.m. on October 15, 1971, the first possible day to begin practice.

A bronze bas-relief of Driesell was unveiled at XFINITY Center on April 16, 2013. A banner honoring Driesell's accomplishments was raised at the XFINITY Center on February 11, 2017.

For those who wish to honor Coach Driesell’s legacy to Maryland basketball, a fund was previously established to provide financial assistance to deserving student-athletes. The Charles “Lefty” Driesell Endowed Scholarshiphonors his legacy in perpetuity by providing a meaningful annual scholarship in his name.

Additional details regarding services to honor Coach Driesell will be announced soon.

*

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Jakia Brown-Turner's career-high 32 points led Maryland women's basketball to avenge its loss to Penn State earlier in the season, thwarting Penn State,77-62, on Senior Day Sunday at XFINITY Center. The win was Maryland's fourth Quad 1 win of the season and it held Penn State to a season-low in points.

Maryland (15-10, 7-7 B1G) honored seniors Brinae Alexander, Lavender Briggs, Faith Masonius and Brown-Turner during its pre-game. Each player was met at center court with the love and presence of family members and accompanied by the scent of a bouquet of flowers.

The Terps facilitated a 47-26 scoring run spanning from 7:02 in the third quarter to the end of the game. The run began with a three-pointer by Brown-Turner to take a lead that Maryland never vanquished. The game featured 11 lead changes before that point.

Brown-Turner scored 28 of her points in the second half and grabbed seven total rebounds. She recorded a career-high with her second-half scoring alone and nearly outscored Penn State's entire offense in the second half.

Shyanne Sellers pitched in with an all-around performance. She scored 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Penn State (16-10, 7-8 B1G) was led by Ali Brigham and Makenna Marissa who scored 14 and 13 points respectively. The Terps held Penn State's leading per-game scorer, Ashley Owusu, to just seven points in her return to XFINITY Center.

The Terps previously lost at Penn State 112-76 on Jan. 28. Maryland flipped the script and has now won three straight games as it looks to make an NCAA Tournament push. The game was also the Terps' annual Red Rush game where fans were encouraged to wear red.


Coach Frese's Take
"Senior Day is always a really special day, a day that's really important to us as a program. Getting to honor these guys that have chose to be here and their commitment is really special to us. Watching them grow during their time here whether it's a long time or just for a year, we don't take it for granted. Today was a really important game for us as we continue to trend in the right direction. We are grateful to come home for these two games and a Top 30 win is really important as we make this push for March."

From The Girls
"Definitely a game I will never forget for the rest of my life - It was senior day and I had a career high. It's very special and I am very grateful that Coach B took me back here and I'm at home." - Jakia Brown-Turner on her career performance.

"This game was a lot more personal. We feed off our defense so we needed to get those defensive stops to get our offense going. This game was a lot more personal considering what happened last time. We have a really great strength coach so we're all really strong, too" - Faith Masonius on their defensive game plan.

Breaking Down The Action

• Maryland led 9-7 at the first media timeout. Lavender Briggs made her first two shots from the floor and Brinae Alexander knocked down a three-pointer.
• The Terps keyed a 7-0 run to end the first quarter with a 19-13 advantage. They made three straight shots from the floor, including a second-chance three-pointer by Alexander.
• The Terrapins entered the locker room with a 28-26 lead. Seven different players scored on offense with Shyanne Sellers leading the way with seven. Defensively, the Terps forced 11 turnovers.
• Makenna Marisa broke a tie at 7:54 with a three-pointer and knocked down another a minute later in the third. Jakia Brown-Turner responded with a three of her own as the Terps trailed 36-33.
• The Terrapins facilitated another scoring run midway through the quarter. This time it was a 12-0 run heading into the media break. Brown-Turner scored 10 of the points and gave Maryland a 42-36 lead.
• Allie Kubek gave Maryland its first double-digit lead after converting an and-one. Maryland went on a huge run the rest of the way to knock off Penn State.

Double-Figure Factors

• Jakia Brown-Turner hit the double-figures mark for the 17th time this season, her first with the Terps, scoring 32 points. Overall, she has 84 double-figure scoring games in her career with 67 coming at NC State. Brown-Turner has scored in double-figures in each of her last 10 games.
• Shyanne Sellers (17 points) has scored double-figures in 19 of 24 games she has played this season. It was also the 60th in her career.

Honoring The Seniors

• Sunday's game was part of Maryland's Senior Day celebration where it honored seniors Brinae Alexander, Lavender Briggs, Jakia Brown-Turner and Faith Masonius before tip-off.
• Alexander has been a Terp for the last two seasons after transferring from Vanderbilt. She has become one of the best three-point shooters in Maryland history since then.
• Briggs transferred from Florida at the end of the 2021-22 season and has also been a Terp for the last two seasons. She became a 1,000-point scorer last season and is second on the team in career points.
• Brown-Turner transferred from NC State in the offseason to play for her hometown state school. She was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List and is having one of her best seasons playing in front of her family.
• Masonius is the only senior to spend her entire college career with the Terps. In five seasons from 2019-24, she's been a key player fitting many different roles. She has totals of 765 points, 548 rebounds and 258 assists in her career.
• She received honors such as the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2023), Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2023), Academic All-Big Ten (2021) and Fort Myers Tip-Off All-Tournament Team (2022)

Records & Milestones

• With two made three-pointers, Brinae Alexander has made 125 in her two years as a Terrapin. She passed Ashleigh Newman for No. 13 in program history. She's only three away from passing Katie Rutan (2013-14) who made 127 in her career.
• Maryland has four 1,000-point scorers on its roster. (Brown-Turner - 1,605; Briggs - 1,394, Alexander - 1,371; Sellers - 1,106).

Home Sweet Home

• Maryland has been a dominant home team, especially over the last decade. The Terps are 605-142 all-time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
• Maryland is also 311-47 at home under Brenda Frese. whose first season in College Park was the inaugural season of XFINITY Center.

Terps In The Big Ten

• The Terps are 206-61 all-time against their Big Ten opponents.
• Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, the Terrapins are 164-31 against their conference opponents, including their 20-4 record in the Big Ten Tournament.
• In the 22 years under Frese, the Terps are 175-35 against their Big Ten opponents.
• Frese is 189-40 all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, which includes her time at Minnesota and Ball State.

The Series Vs. Penn State

• Sunday's matchup was the 37th all-time between Maryland and Penn State. Maryland owns the series at 22-15.
• Penn State took the first meeting this year - 112-76 on Jan. 28 in State College.
• Brenda Frese is 14-4 against Penn State in her career.

Numbers To Know

• 5: Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 5 in the country according to Massey Ratings andWarrenNolan.com.
• 4: The win was Maryland's fourth Quad one win of the season.
• 9: Entering the matchup, the Terps were No. 9 in the country and led the Big Ten in free throws made per game.
• 12: Maryland has played 13 Quad 1 games, which is second only to UConn, who has played 14.
• 32: Jakia Brown-Turner scored a career-high 32 points.
• 34: Maryland is currently ranked No. 34 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.

Up Next

• Maryland remains in College Park for a game against Rutgers on Feb. 21. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. from XFINITY Center and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

Although we had been up 5-2 and threatening to add more.

Sad day.

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