Deadspin
Maryland Terrapins (24-8) vs. Davidson Wildcats (29-4)
When: Thursday, 12:20 p.m.
Where: Buffalo
MARYLAND TERRAPINS
1.We Burn Couches Better Than You. We Burn Couches....YES we do! Maryland has a history of causing town riots up and down Route 1 in College Park after meaningful victories (and losses). The most famous was in 2002, with 18 arrests, $10,000 worth of damage and eight trips to the hospital after the National Championship.
2. I'm Mike Jones! Because of his shared name with Rapper Mike Jones, Terrapins senior guard Mike Jones gets a giant "Who?!" yelled when his name is announced after a made basket. Jones also set the Maryland record for 3-pointers made in a game early this season with nine.
3. The Italian ACC. Maryland hoops alum, and gun aficionado Lonny Baxter has made it to Italy after serving a two-month prison sentence. He is currently averaging seven points and four rebounds for the Italian League's Mens Sana Basketball. The 2004 League Champions are frequently referred to as Montepaschi Siena (due to the sponsorship from a Siena bank), and the team starts three former ACC standouts in Baxter, Terrell McIntyre and 2001 ACC Player of the Year Joseph Forte. — Awful Announcing
DAVIDSON WILDCATS
1. OK, let's get it straight now — Steph-en. If you pay attention to this team over the next week, you'll hear a lot about Stephen Curry, who pronounces his name as if it were spelled, "Steffen," not how most people named Stephen say their name. Not a big deal, except it touched off a (very) mini-controversy when some blabberheads got it wrong during one of Davidson's (very) few mentions on a four-letter network. So some Wildcats faithful got a little fired up because Curry has been overlooked most of his career. He is getting some pub now, but only after averaging 21.2 points a game — second-most in the country by a freshman behind some dude in burnt orange named Durant. As the story goes, Stephen wanted to follow in the footsteps of father and former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and go to Virginia Tech. The Hokies didn't want any part of him, so he wound up at little ol' Davidson, where he rewrote a whole bunch of freshman, scoring and 3-point records. At one point, Davidson also was in the hunt for the son of a more famous former NBA star (Jeff Jordan - you might have heard of dad, Michael). Word is that Jeff might be headed to Loyola Chicago instead, but the Wildcats are plenty happy with the son of a former NBA player they have.
2. Time to win one of these games. There's a fairly legitimate theory that schools such as Davidson should be happy just to make the NCAA tournament, but enough is enough. This is the Wildcats' third NCAA appearance since 2002, and they need to win a game. And there is a lot of reason to think that this is the year it will happen. The Wildcats graduated seven seniors off last year's NCAA team so this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Instead, they went 29-4, winning 25 of their last 26 games with winning streaks of 12 and 13 games. They also were hammering people all year, winning by an average of 13.4 points and turning into a virtual cash machine, going 21-8-1 against the spread. This is coach Bob McKillop's fourth NCAA trip, passing Lefty Driesell for the most by a Davidson coach. The Wildcats went to the Elite Eight twice back in the 1960s but have gone 0-5 since. This shouldn't be the year it happens, but with all of this surprising success, maybe it should be.
3. So why not now? Earlier this month, Davidson inducted two of its most seminal sports figures — at least for somebody who might have been enrolled there between, say, 1992 and '96. The inductees were former men's soccer coach Charlie Slagle and basketball star Brandon Williams. Slagle took the Wildcats to the NCAA soccer final four in 1992 — when Davidson happened to be hosting the thing. This is sort of like the Arizona Cardinals reaching the Super Bowl when it is in Phoenix. After all, they put the big game there because nobody expects the home team to make it. The Wildcats got wiped out in the semifinal, but let's just say sobriety was a scarce commodity that weekend. As for Williams, aka Ozone (because he played up in the ozone layer), he was the star for a relatively great basketball run from 1994-96. That included NIT bids in '94 and '96, although the latter year should have been in the Big Dance. That's when the Wildcats wound up 25-5 and went 14-0 in the regular season before choking in the tournament final to Western Carolina. Davidson was crushing people like it did this year. Now that they got past the conference tournament hurdle, an NCAA win should be up next. As for Williams, he wound up buried on the San Antonio Spurs roster a couple years later and won a championship. This is sort of like an Arizona Cardinals player winning a Super Bowl ring. — Matt Pitzer
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Comments
The most famous was in 2002, with 18 arrests, $10,000 worth of damage and eight trips to the hospital after the National Championship.
Yay, I was there. That bike store was totally asking for it.
Suggestion: can we get the seeds along with records?
I heard Michael Jordan lost his kid to Loyola in a card game. Sorry Davidson.
Time to win one of these games.
Couldn't have picked a better first round opponent, Wildcats.
So why not now?
Because I choose Maryland...
@Christmas Ape:
Yeah, but I was in the one that started it all - following a win vs. Duke in 2000.
And if the bike store didn't want it, why would it put those $500 bikes right up against the glass like that?
Good ol' Rte 1. I missed that particular riot, but "saw" others....
I'm just glad to be back in the tournament. After 11 straight appearances, it's no coincidence that the beginning of the two previous seasons I announced (to whomever was listening), "I don't like this year's team... and I mean that personally. They're a bunch of punks."
This season, I admitted I liked them. Though, mid-January, it seemed as if it wasn't going to matter. Thank you for going back to Garyball.
Unfortunately, Garyball also includes a refusal to successfully recruit top-notch blue chippers for fear they'll only stay one year.
And if the bike store didn't want it, why would it put those $500 bikes right up against the glass like that?
It was trying to impress the Wa-Wa across the street...
@SteveJeltzFan:
I graduated in '04, the year they won the ACC. As grueling as it's been, there was some fun to be had in ribbing current students about jinxing the program in the years since.
So, Maryland gets the 'dangerous mid-major' gauntlet this year, with Davidson in the first round and the ODU/Butler winner in round 2 should the get there. That's probably not a fun position -- lose and your fans go berzerk, win and they all expected it anyway.
I only wish I could put each and every one of those 'Route One Rioters' in the middle of a real riot so they could take a steel-toed boot to the teeth and see how they brag about that.
I suppose it might be different if you remember what it was like to root for those Evers Burns teams in the Dark Period.
So, I teach at Loyola Chicago. Any suggestions for what to do if Jeff Jordan ends up in one of my freshman composition classes next year?
I'm Mike Jones (WHO?!)
Mike Jones, the one and only you can't clone me,
Got a lot a haters and a lot of homies.
@being sven: Hey, I just like getting drunk and screaming.
@Christmas Ape:
I graduated in 2001 (watched the 22-point breakdown against Duke on live feed at Cole Field House). I too was at the Rte 1 couch burning. I will be wearing both my 'Fuck Duke' and 'Garyland' T-shirts at the same time. I was also at the awesome game when a student bounced a water bottle off Carlos Boozer's mom's head and we got banned from the student section.
I'm picking against Maryland out of spite, which pretty much guarantees the utter obliteration of my bracket. I liked them a lot better when they were bad enough to put Gary's job in jeopardy, rather than beating the shit out of my team. I blame you, Christmas Ape.
Hitting Boozer's mom in the head was a good move, seeing as we were recruiting the younger Boozer at the time.
I'm rather fond of when the student section chanting "D-U-I" everytime Bobby Hurley touched the ball, Momma Hurley turns around to let them have it only to quickly realize her mistake under an avalanche of newspapers.
@MDT:
I liked them a lot better when they were bad enough to put Gary's job in jeopardy
Wait until next year - most students around from the championship year will have graduated, as will UMD's senior frontcourt. Could be a rough ride next year.
It's days like this I almost wish I had gone to a school which had a real sports program.
I blame you, Christmas Ape.
Dad?
When do we get to start reading the funny Pants Party previews?
This one goes to...Davidson, cause the Maryland guy kinda phoned it in. Gotta update my bracket...
Back then ho's didn't want me
Now I'm hot ho's all on me
*Looks at my bracket and remembers the College of Charleston/Maryland debacle*
*Shivers*
I think I lost the word-count battle, but Maryland WILL WIN THE WAR!!!!!!!!
Hey didn't Lefty Driesell coach both these teams? and Jerome Bettis is from Pittsburgh.
Dear Mr. NCAA Commissioner,
There are too many Wildcats nowadays. Please eliminate three.
P.S. I am not a crackpot.
Terps all the way. I was also at that 2002 riot, and I remember that damage estimate figure being much higher. They burned a Comcast cable trunk line for God's sake. It was great, though. You never forget your first taste of pepper spray.
Maryland WILL WIN THE WAR!!!!!!!!
YARG! We're all going to...Bentley's? Cornerstone? The Fe? Town Hall? Shit, is that all the bars we have?
@SteveJeltzFan:
With Eric Hayes and Hot Sauce Vasquez maturing rapidly and James Gist comming back, we will be fine with veteran leadership. We don't have an impressive recruiting class, but no one had heard of Joe Smith, Keef Boof, Juan Dixon, Lonnie Baxter, or Terrance Morris either. We're going to be FINE next year, especially after going 30-8 this year.
@Christmas Ape:
I'm down for Town Hall.....they served me when I was 15.
R.I.P. The 'Vous
Cornerstone?! Please god don't tell me the Green Turtle is no longer around..
@AwfulAnnouncing:
My favorite bar in CP.
Also, my favorite liquor store in CP.
@AwfulAnnouncing:
Good thing about town hall, besides pitchers are still less than 9 bucks, is you can stroll over to the liquor store if you need a bottle to chug pregame to settle nerves
When did this become a MD chat room? I mean I'm all for it, but can someone please tell me I suck at previews all ready?
You're going to preview all 32 games before Thursday? That's ambitious.
@Christmas Ape: Town Hall. It's a roadhouse for the ages. Three generations of vomit on those concrete floors.
Algiers4:
No more Greene Turtle...Cornerstone is what the Vous used to be, speaking of generations of vomit...
The best thing about Town Hall is that the attached liquor store is open 30 minutes after the bar closes.
(Obligatory: I was at all of the riots, MD class of '04)
I find it impressive Town Hall is still there... My Dad used to drink there back in the 60's and I was glad to carry on the tradition...
My fondest memory being the purchase (after being shocked to find it actually existed) a bottle of Brass Monkey in the package store at age 17.
ok, fine. i am going to spend the next two days tracking down at least four cases of natty boh to carry me through the first two rounds. there must be some way to find it in the boston area..
No mention of Maryland alumna Bonnie Bernstein? For shame.
Maryland had much bigger riots following their 2001 loss to Duke in the NCAAs. It's just much less fun to say "We had our most famous riot after blowing a 22 point lead and losing to Duke."
And really, Michigan State has you beat when it comes to aimlessly destroying shit. Anacostia and N.E. look like Shangri-La compared to downtown Lansing.
As a sophomore at Maryland its sad that the only riot that we have had while I have been here was when the Woman's BBall team beat Duke in the championship last year.
BTW with Gist Hayes Vasquez and Boom coming back next year it should not be too bad.
Didn't a lot of Terp fans think Gary Williams should be on the chopping block after last season? Maybe they should spend less time burning couches and more time perusing Maryland men's basketball stats books.
only $10,000 in damage? that's child's play. back in my days at Penn State we would tear down entire blocks.
but yes, I think Michigan State has us all beat. they really know how to riot.
I remember that goddamn soccer final four. Davidson beat No. 1 NC State at Method Road in the regional final. If we were ever gonna do it, that was the year.
I remember that year too... Rob Ukrop (sp?) leading the charge for Davidson that year.