With ACC Play Looming, All of the Terps' Games Count

Shortly after Maryland cruised to its second straight blowout victory, Terrapins senior forward James Gist stood in front of his locker and struggled to find precisely the right word to describe his team's state. A few moments passed before Gist -- for lack of a better word -- settled on "urgency."

"There's an urgency to work harder, to go as hard as you can," Gist said.

After dropping three straight games, including humiliating home losses to American and Ohio, Maryland regained its footing with two confidence-boosting romps, beating Delaware and Savannah State by a combined 57 points. But starting with a visit to Charlotte today and a difficult home game against Holy Cross on Tuesday, the question of whether the Terrapins' newfound urgency will be enough to turn around their rocky season should be answered soon.

"They're all tough from here on out," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said. "And we'll see what we can do."

Charlotte, which has emerged as a potential player in the resurgent Atlantic 10, has posted a 7-0 record at home this season, which includes wins over Davidson and Wake Forest. This will be Maryland's only true road game of the nonconference season. In Holy Cross (8-3), the Terrapins face a team favored to win the Patriot League.

"It's going to be a battle on Saturday, and it's going to be a battle coming back on Tuesday," Gist said. "We just got to keep working hard. This is the time of the year where it shows who really wants it."

At the very least, Williams said the next two games should provide an accurate barometer of where the Terrapins stand as league play resumes in a week.

"This year, we still have a chance to be a good basketball team," Williams said. "And I'm kind of looking forward to the next couple of weeks to see where we are."

The Terrapins still face several pressing issues, most notably in regard to solidifying a regular rotation. Outside of freshman Cliff Tucker, who has come closest to carving out a niche off the bench, Williams has yet to determine a consistent rotation.

In recent weeks, Williams said he has scrutinized practices more than usual, looking for players to show signs of earning playing time, especially with league play looming.

"You hope that somebody really steps up in practice," Williams said. "Sometimes that doesn't happen. A lot of it is a gut feeling."

But Williams might have decided on a starting lineup. After coming off the bench for six games, center Bambale Osby rejoined the starting lineup the past two games, where he was averaged 13.5 points per game.

"I like the way we're coming out, starting the way we are now," Williams said. "I think you'll probably see that Saturday."

Said Osby, "He just said it's going to be my role from now on."

Over the past two games, Williams said he has seen signs that Terrapins (8-6) have improved. In their two blowout victories, Maryland has broken out of its habit of slow starts, jumping to early leads against Delaware and Savannah State. Meantime, players said there has been a noticeable increase in effort and intensity, factors that have been good for the team's confidence.

"More than anything, I think that our effort is there," Osby said. "We're playing harder and we're executing better on offense and defense."