As ACC Play Begins, Terps Eye Team Effort

Head down, junior guard Greivis Vasquez couldn't notice the more than 15,000 sets of eyes focused on his every dribble, much less his four teammates stationed at different spots on the court. With less than 10 seconds remaining Wednesday night and his team trailing by one in its final nonconference game of the regular season, Vasquez cast aside any thought of displaying a recent point of pride: a growing trust in his teammates.

Vasquez drove toward the basket without hesitation before two Morgan State defenders halted his progress near the free throw line and he was forced to shoot. He later would characterize his play that night as "sloppy," criticizing himself for shooting too much and passing too little.

"That's not my game," he would say in the aftermath of a one-point loss that marred an otherwise successful start to Maryland's season.

The errant floater Vasquez lofted up with 3.7 seconds remaining typified his role on this year's squad. While many Maryland players have boasted of the team's vastly improved cohesiveness, in moments of adversity they have tended to revert to at least one familiar characteristic from last season: a reliance on Vasquez, for better or worse.

En route to an 11-3 record entering ACC play, which begins today when the Terrapins host Georgia Tech, Maryland on several occasions has lacked the necessary focus against outmatched opposition in the first half. The Terrapins, in all but one instance, recovered to win by sizable margins, but only after utilizing intense pressure defense and a fluid transition attack.

In most cases, the catalyst of those emphatic turnarounds, in one way or another, was Maryland's self-proclaimed go-to player, one who has stated his intention to prove that his maturity is emblematic of the team's overall unity.

"I'm really tough on my teammates, but at the same time, I know that they capable to do something that will benefit us, that will be beneficial for the team," Vasquez said the day before the Morgan State game. "I always want to take a lot of responsibility in every aspect of the game. You guys ask me a lot, 'Do you feel like the go-to guy?' Well, who else do you think is going to be the go-to guy in here besides me?

"I mean, it could be a couple people, but it's clear I'm the go-to guy on the team. When I'm not doing well, my team struggle, but when I'm doing pretty good, we've got a pretty good chance to win the game. And that's the way it is."

That's the way it was for a majority of last season, as well, though several Terrapins have said this year's squad better understands and implements the concept of team play. Coach Gary Williams said the trait he likes most about his current roster is its unselfishness.

"They're actually happy in practice if they make a good play and somebody else scores," Williams said.

In games, as well, Maryland's improved cohesiveness has contributed to its ability to awaken after frequent slow starts. The Terrapins needed second-half runs of 10-0 and 21-2 to pull away from American and Elon, respectively. Against Charlotte on Jan. 3, Maryland trailed by 11 points in the first half before utilizing a 20-4 run shortly after halftime to surge ahead.

Junior forward Landon Milbourne said the players' trust in one another is evident in their ball movement. Sophomore guard Adrian Bowie pointed to the increased number of open looks more players have received. Vasquez said on-court communication -- which he claimed was nearly nonexistent last season -- has been a catalyst, as well.

With essentially three point guards in the starting lineup -- Vasquez, Bowie and junior Eric Hayes -- Maryland usually has multiple distributors on the court, which has proven advantageous in sparking transition-oriented runs in the second half.

Wednesday night, the Terrapins led Morgan State by three at halftime and then went on a 16-2 run in the second half, giving them a 14-point lead with just more than 12 minutes remaining, and it appeared as though another nonconference blowout was in the making.

But then, one by one, the factors that have led to the Terrapins' improved teamwide trust eroded. Eight of the team's 21 turnovers came in the final 12 minutes, which diminished Maryland's pass-first mind-set. With less ball rotation, open looks gave way to forced attempts. Meantime, Morgan State chipped away at its deficit until it was no more.

"We can't depend on the second half to win the game for us," Milbourne said. "If we start the game off better, we won't put as much pressure on ourselves in the second half. We were up by 14 points, and we started turning the ball over and taking bad shots."

When Morgan State took the lead with just more than two minutes remaining, Vasquez asserted himself more forcefully on the offensive end. Should similar situations arise over the coming weeks, he'll likely do the same. His teammates understand, he said.

"To be a good team, you know, it's just a matter of if everybody makes the same commitment; there's always going to be one guy that's better than the others," Williams said recently. "But the team's got to get over that. You're doing everything you can to help us win. In other words, for us to win, that guy's got to get those points. Everybody's got to have their role and accept the fact that points aren't the answer to whether a team's successful or not."