Was just flipping through the channels late last night and stopped and watched the Oregon-Colorado game for a bit. Colorado and Turge's old pal Tad Boyle won going away late in Boulder. Boyle has a nice mix of returning talent and one of the top five-star freshmen in the country in Cody Williams.

Boyle's roster is still built the usual way coaches have always done it. Bring in a solid freshman class but only relying on one or two of them to actually play while returning a solid nucleus of multi-year starters that have been in the program for 3 or 4 years with an impact transfer in former TCU big man Eddie Lampkin.

Then you've got Oregon. This is the new-school way of creating a competitive roster. They have five-star freshman Kwame Evans Jr. who they paid seven figures for. They have South Carolina transfer Jermaine Couisnard, who they outbid Maryland and others for a couple of offseasons ago. In all, something like 5 or 6 of those in their regular rotation began their college careers elsewhere. And then there is five-star frosh Jackson Shelstad, who is from Oregon and perhaps the team's best player and probably is their best NBA prospect.

So what's my point here?

Well, my first point is that I'm not convinced even in this new age of the transfer portal and guys essentially being free agents that the old-school way of constructing a roster isn't still the best way to win. Boyle's roster pretty much looks like any other top-25ish roster you would see over the years. With a bunch of returning starters, an instant impact five-star freshman and some guys already in the program who continue to improve and some highly regarded freshmen who have time to acclimate to the college level. Colorado has one of the top freshman big men in the country on the roster in Assane Diop but he's only played in a handful of games this season. He was a four-star kid in the Rivals150 but Boyle brought in Lampkin from TCU to play the bulk of the minutes inside, allowing his freshman to come along slowly. There are still plenty of teams building rosters the way they always have and Colorado this year is a prime example of doing just that and proving you can still win games.

My second point is that if you are not a great GM/roster manager, you need to be like Oregon at the bare minimum to be competitive today. What do I mean by that? You need to be bringing in multiple multi-year D1 starters (or P5 backups with significant PT and stats) to fill out your roster at a minimum. Even if they are going to be guys coming off the bench. Georgia transfer Kario Oquendo has been a really nice piece for the Ducks coming off the bench. He's a guy who maybe didn't have efficient numbers at his last school, but part of that was simply the coaching and talent around him. A former multi-year SEC starter, he's thriving in a new environment coming off the bench. Even their backup center was a four-year D1 starter before coming to Oregon.

I guess my point in all of this is to say that no coach should be expecting starter minutes or production from a freshman outside of anyone in maybe the top 20. Of course, there are exceptions, but that is usually a kid who's been committed for a long time who's skillset fits a specific need for an otherwise pretty talented and experienced team. This is why in the offseason I said I thought Kaiser might end up having the biggest impact this season for the Terps. I saw his size, defense and shooting all as priority needs. But even then, I told you guys I saw him as a 15-20 minute per game guy.

The biggest issue with Maryland's roster, IMO, was expecting anything from a guy like Traore. And if you didn't expect anything from him, why take him? In this day and age of the portal, what is the value in helping develop a kid unless you are sure he is a future starter? Then there is the predicament of having two guys on scholarship that you basically have no idea what they are in Chance Stephens and Braden Pierce. A lot of tough decisions that need to be made by a lot of folks this offseason.

He canceled his Penn State official visit this weekend and will visit Maryland instead. He took an OV to Syracuse last weekend and has trips planned to USC (1/22), Notre Dame (1/26) and Florida (2/2)

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Don't know if you have been following, they have about 30 players in the portal. A few days ago it was 2 freshman who played all year, starting safety and starting Oline. Now the #1 qb from this past class. I feel sorry for the new coaches. What surprises me is that the incoming coaches did amazing things at Wash and the existing players are see ya.

Terps are set to take on Northwestern out in Chicagoland in about 20 minutes.

Maryland comes into this one with some momentum, having won two straight including a big-time road win over Illinois.

As someone I think mentioned in another thread, I think Maryland matches up pretty well here. They just need to keep doing what’s worked the last three halves they have played.

Obviously the key matchup will be Boo Buie and Jahmir, two of the best guards not just in the B1G, but in the country.

Friedman and I take a look at whether the addition of AAR should pay immediate dividends for UMD on the recruiting trail.

STORY

Now that the Terps have become more selective with their outside shots, they might as well win another on the road.
BTN has the coverage at 9:00 Wednesday.

Backup DB Gavin Gibson is going into the transfer portal.

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Who was JUJU Reese jawing with, from the Illinois bench, after the game. I think one of their assistants has a connection to the area because some of the local MIAA players have gone there. Maybe Chester Frazier.

We're about 45 minutes from tipoff between the Terps and Illini out in Champaign. The Terps are currently 9.5-point underdogs which is probably about right given how each team's season has gone thus far. The Illini are currently without leading scorer and preseason All-B1G guard Terrence Shannon, who is dealing with sexual assault charges out in Lawrence, Kansas. Still, Illinois managed to beat Michigan State the other night while short handed with sophomore wing Ty Rogers coming up big with 15 points in 20 minutes of action.

The Terps are coming off of a big win over a short handed Michigan squad at home the other night where Donta Scott had probably his best game of the season. If the Terps can get all three of Young, Scott and Reese going in the same game, they are capable of pulling an upset or two, but it is going to take a perfect storm of the big three playing well and the freshmen making shots. Obviously, a road win over the Illini could change the narrative for the remainder of the season, but it is going to be a tall task.

Game can be seen on BTN.

The latest with Queen from national analyst Rob Cassidy who is at the Hoophall Classic. Nothing really new here I hadn't posted already, but good to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. As he says, don't believe this is about money, but truly where they think he's the best fit and will have the most success. The money will be there regardless of where he chooses. Commit Malachi Palmer also at Hoophall with Mt. Zion and looked pretty good. More at the link.

STORY

The Terps will host top JUCO DL prospect Dylan Christley this week. The 6-foot-1, 275-pounder has offers from the Terps, Nebraska and more.

He had 30 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles during an eight-game season at Maricopa Junior College in Arizona this past season.

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My three takeaways from today's road win over No. 10 Illinois. I think this win could start to change the narrative of this team with two huge games coming up in the next seven days. Win both of those, and suddenly the Terps are likely back in the discussion for an NCAA Tourney birth. This team still has a long ways to go, but this was a major step. More at the link.

STORY

awesome choke

COLLEGE PARK, MD - Maryland women's basketball defeated Purdue, 88-66, at XFINITY Center on Jan. 14 during its Annual Black Out Game. The Terps were led by Bri McDaniel and Jakia Brown-Turner. McDaniel scored a career-high and Brown-Turner recorded a career-best as a Terp.

Less than a week after setting a career-high in points at Michigan State, McDaniel shattered her mark again. She scored 25 points and made a difference in all aspects of the game. She also finished with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.

Maryland (11-4, 3-2 B1G) sparked a 34-14 run through the first and second quarters after going down 12-9 early. The Terps knocked down nine straight shots from the floor to begin the second quarter and went to the locker room with a 44-31 advantage. Brown-Turner was the main catalyst during the run as she maintained perfect shooting from both the floor and the free-throw line at halftime. She finished with 18 points, her best in a Maryland uniform on 8-9 shooting from the floor.

The Terps had their way with the Boilermakers' defense with four players reaching double digit scoring. Shyanne Sellers was one of the four and became the 38th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points in her career. The junior guard tallied 12 points and five assists. Sellers even reached another career milestone of 300 career assists in the first quarter.

The Terps extended their win streak at home to 19 consecutive games, a streak dating back to a Dec. 11, 2022 win over UConn. The Terps are now also 17-2 all-time against the Boilermakers and have won 15 of the last 16 matchups.

Purdue (9-7, 2-3 B1G) dropped back-to-back games. Two Boilermakers finished in double figures, but Caitlyn Harper led the Boilermakers with 14 points.

The game was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 6, however, it was postponed.



Coach Frese's Take
"It was one of our most complete games minus the two or three minutes in the third quarter," said Brenda Frese when asked about the team play. "I love that we dominated in every quarter. We had four players in double figures. I thought we were really unselfish. We have to not turn the ball over as much as we did tonight, we need to tune-in there, but overall it was definitely one of our most complete games."

"She's having fun," said Frese about Bri McDaniel's recent play. "She's regulating her emotions and she's confident. She gives us another ball handler, someone who can get downhill. Obviously when she shoots the three like she did tonight, it gives us another weapon from the three point range. Lastly, she's an elite defender for us."

Quotes From The Girls
"First, just taking open shots," said Jakia when asked about her performance. "My teammates and coaches have had confidence in me. Just knocking down open shots. It really started on defense, just giving me energy and it just led to offense."

"I didn't know I was going to get it this game," mentioned Shy when asked about her 1,000 point milestone. "I think it's cool, I'm happy I got it on a win and at home. Obviously, we have a lot more to do. That's just something that's in the books."

Breaking Down The Action

• Maryland quickly sparked a 7-0 run in the final minute of the first quarter, with the Terps holding a 20-17 advantage. There were a combined 13 turnovers by both teams but the Terps defense shined by forcing four steals.
• The Terps opened the second quarter by rattling off seven points in just 1:30s of action, forcing Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds to burn a timeout. Maryland's hot start continued with it making nine straight shots from the floor.
• The Terrapins entered halftime with a 44-31 lead and were in control of every aspect of the game. They scored half of their points in the paint while posting a +10 advantage on the boards.
• Maryland continued to dominate Purdue throughout and cruised to another victory at home.

Double-Figure Factors

• Brown-Turner hit the double-figures mark for the eighth time this season, her most points with the Terps, scoring 18. Overall, she now has 75 double-figure scoring games in her career with 67 coming at NC State.
• McDaniel tallied 25 points for her eighth game this season and 10th of her career in double-figures.
• Sellers (12 points) has scored in double-figures in 12 of 16 games this season and 53 games in her career.
• Briggs scored 11 points and had her fifth game this season in double-figures. She now has 66 games of double-figures in her career.

1,000 For Shy

• Shyanne Sellers became the 38th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points after tallying 12 points on the night.
• Sellers is leading the Terrapins in points, rebounds, assists and steals this season and is the first to lead Maryland in all four stats since Alyssa Thomas in 2012-13.
• Entering the matchup, Sellers was No. 9 in the country and led the Big Ten in free throws made (81). Sellers' career free throw percentage of 81.1% is No. 3 in Maryland history.

Records & Milestones

• Shyanne Sellers became the 38th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She recorded 12 points to increase her total to 1,000.
• Sellers also reached the 300 career assist mark in the first quarter. She notched five assists on the day to bring her total to 303.
• Brinae Alexander has made 108 three-pointers in her two years as a Terrapin, which ranks No. 17 in Maryland's program history. She passed Diamond Miller (2019-23) and Chloe Bibby (2020-22). Next on the list is Marah Strickland, who made 111 from 2008-09.
• Alexander also eclipsed 1,300 points in her career. She scored eight points and now has 1306 in her career.
• Lavender Briggs eclipsed 1,300 points in her career as well. She scored 11 points and now has 1305 in her career.
• Entering the matchup, Alexander's Maryland career three-point percentage was 43.1%, which is third in Maryland history, behind just Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (45.9%) and Katie Benzan (47.4%). Lavender Briggs' three-point percentage in her Maryland career was 37.9%, which is No. 11.

Terps Dominating The Series

• Sunday's matchup was the 19th all-time meeting between Maryland and Purdue.
• Maryland owns the series, 17-2, and has won 15 of the last 16 matchups.
• The Terrapins took last year's meeting, 77-74, in West Lafayette on Dec. 8, 2022. Shyanne Sellers hit a buzzer-beater to seal the win.
• Brenda Frese is now 16-2 vs. Purdue in her career and 15-1 vs. the Boilermakers at Maryland.

Home Sweet Home

• Maryland has won 19 straight home games, dating back to a Dec. 11, 2022 win over UConn.
• The Terps are 603-139 (.813) all-time in College Park, dating back to the inaugural 1971-72 season.
• Since joining the league in 2014, Maryland is 73-6 (.924) against Big Ten teams at home.
• Maryland is 309-44 (.875) at home under Brenda Frese, whose first season in College Park was the inaugural season of XFINITY Center.

Numbers To Know

• 3: Maryland has a strength of schedule of No. 3 in the nation, per Massey Ratings.
• 8: Entering the matchup, the Terps were No. 8 in the country and led the Big Ten in free throws made per game.
• 17: Maryland owns the series against Purdue, 17-2, and has won 15 of the last 16 matchups.
• 19: The Terps have won 19 straight home games.
• 90: Over the last six seasons, the Terps are 90-6 when they score 80 points or more.
• 160: The Terps picked up their 160th win over a conference opponent since joining the Big Ten.
• 300: Sellers reached 300 career assists during the contest.
• 1,000: Sellers became the 38th Terp to reach 1,000 career points.
• 1,300: Alexander and Briggs reached 1,300 points in their careers during the game.

Up Next

• Maryland remains at home for its next two games starting with No. 17 Ohio State coming to XFINITY Center on Jan. 17. The conference matchup will tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Peacock.

Sellers reaches 1000 points and 300 assists in her career. Bri McDaniel was outstanding today.