By Marco Romanell, on March 22nd, 2012  The weather is warm, the grills are cooking and the calendar has flipped to spring. Orioles baseball is right around the corner and droves of orange clad Birds fans will be lining the streets outside of Camden Yards in only a couple of weeks.
Baseball season has not been memorable for over a decade in Baltimore, but make no bones about it, if the Birds are competitive there is a buzz in this town like no other. Sadly, this is shaping up to be a season much like the last 14 in Baltimore with a whole lot of questions and not enough answers.
However, there is one major question that if answered properly and successfully could lead to some playoff baseball in Charm City: Who should be in the Orioles starting rotation?
This is the biggest and most important question surrounding the Orioles in 2012. This is also the one that will determine if the Birds have their first winning season in 15 seasons or once again are relegated to the AL East cellar.
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By Marco Romanell, on March 8th, 2012  ACC Tournament First Round
#8 Maryland Terrapins (16-14, 6-10 ACC) VS #9 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-17, 4-12ACC)
Thursday, March 8th: Phillips Arena– Atlanta, GA
Leading scorer: MD- Terrell Stoglin: 21.2 ppg
Wake- CJ Harris: 16.8ppg
Last game: MD- lost to UVA 75-72
Wake- lost to GTech 69-62
Outlook:
The ACC Tournament leaves Tobacco Road and heads south for the first time in a few years, however the change of venue should not really effect who plays in the championship, and unfortunately it’s very likely not going to be either of the teams who play in this game. Both Maryland and Wake Forest need to win the ACC Tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament, and they will take the first step towards trying to reach that goal Thursday. The earlier meeting between these two came down the to the wire with the Terps pulling out a six point win at home, but the neutral court makes this game a toss-up. Both teams have some bad losses, no signature wins, and at times both have looked like the worst in the conference. Despite their records, both teams have players who can fill up the score sheet and are capable of carrying their respective teams to a win. Whoever plays better between Stoglin and Harris will likely lead their team to take on UNC in the next round.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 29th, 2012 
Maryland Terrapins (16-12, 6-8 ACC) At #6 North Carolina Tarheels (25-4, 12-2 ACC)
Wednesday, Feb. 29th– 7pm at Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Leading scorer: MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.2 ppg
UNC: Harrison Barnes 17.7ppg
Last game: MD- lost to GTech 63-61
UNC- def. UVA 54-51
Outlook:
Well, the greatest month in sports is just around the corner and barring every other team in the ACC not making it to Atlanta for the ACC Tournament, the Terps will once again be watching March Madness just like the rest of us, but certainly North Carolina expects to be playing deep into March. Carolina is 3rd in the country in points scored, and to make matters worse for their opponents, they average almost 46 rebounds per game which is 1st in Division 1 play, and you can expect similar numbers like that on Wednesday night. John Henson and Tyler Zeller are total mismatches for the likes of Weis, Pankey and Len, and both should have no problem recording a double double. North Carolina looks to be rolling and their height inside will likely lead to a deep run to the Final Four. It is likely they will be looking past this game, but truthfully it won’t matter as the Tarheels’ ability to turn it on at any second is enough to beat any opponent.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 25th, 2012 
Maryland Terrapins (16-11, 6-7 ACC) At Georgia Tech (9-18, 2-11 ACC)
Saturday Feb. 25 2:30pm Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Leading scorer: MD – Terrell Stoglin 21.3 ppg
GT – Mfon Udofia 9.8ppg
Last game: MD – def. Miami 75-70
GT – lost to Clem 56-37
Outlook:
I have been trying to think of ways to get people to spend two hours of their Saturday to watch this game but I can’t think of any reason anyone would want to. I am sure we all have something better to do right? Why not make it a Saturday funday and just drink every time Terrell Stoglin puts up a shot?
I wouldn’t recommend that if you had to drive anywhere. If you do decide to watch this game you are likely to see some sloppy basketball and poor offensive execution at some points during the game. Georgia Tech lost their leading scorer Glen Rice Jr. and is coming off a stellar 38 point performance at home against Clemson, so there is no way the Terps can go in there and lose, can they?
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By Marco Romanell, on February 23rd, 2012  “Of course, it’s a tough task. It’s a task that needs to be accomplished. I don’t care…we play the Yankees, we play the Red Sox, cool… excuse my French but let’s bust their ASS.” This was the answer that Adam Jones gave on ESPN Radio this week when he was asked about being in the AL East and having to face the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis. That answer reaffirmed one thing I have always known about Jones: he is on his way to being a superstar and needs to be the future of this franchise.
The Orioles have been the doormats of the AL East for the last three years and have not had a winning season in fourteen years, but Jones clearly does not have that losing mentality. In the beginning of the interview Jones was asked about his mindset this spring after coming off a career year and said, “ I want to win. It’s a team sport, winning is all that matters.” Having this attitude is the only way the Orioles will be able to beat the Red Sox and Yankees in their head-to-head match-ups this season. Jones’ attitude is very refreshing and it is the precise mindset he needs to emerge as the leader on this team. READ MORE >>>
By Marco Romanell, on February 22nd, 2012  There is a huge bottle of champagne on the shelf at Pickles Pub with a note that says, “This will be opened, and on the house, the day that the Orioles win the World Series.” I want nothing more than to be there when that happens. Born in August of 1983, two months before the Orioles won the World Series, my baseball fandom has been filled with nothing but disappointment as my beloved O’s have been relegated to the laughing stock of the league. Certainly this season I am hoping Kevin Lynch is right and that the Orioles can contend, but the prognosticators think differently and expect another last place campaign for the Birds.
With pitchers and catchers already in Florida and the postion players heading there soon, there is optimism, as there always is, but also many questions about the 2012 Orioles. Here is my take on some of the burning questions regarding the Orioles coming into the season.
Who will be in the starting rotation?
They say there is no such thing as too much pitching and the Orioles certainly have a lot pitching, albeit not a ton of household names. Certainly the “locks” in the starting rotation, if healthy, are Zach Britton and Brian Matusz. That’s two spots filled if those players can stay injury-free. But who takes the other three?
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By Marco Romanell, on February 17th, 2012 
Maryland Terrapins (15-10, 5-6 ACC) At #22 Virginia Cavaliers (19-6, 6-5 ACC)
Saturday Feb 18th John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, VA
Leading scorer: MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.7 ppg UVA- Mike Scott 16.9ppg
Last game: MD- def. Boston College 81-65 UVA- lost to Clem 60-48
Outlook:
Thursday night during the Terps 7 for 9 start from 3 point range Tim Brando who was calling the game said “ I haven’t seen the Terps shoot this well all season”, that may be the understatement of the year as I haven’t seen them shoot that well in about two years. Maryland couldn’t seem to miss against Boston College and showed that if they shoot like that they are a tough team to beat, however few Terps fans expect the same against the Cavaliers on Saturday. Despite losing two games in a row the Cavaliers are still a staunch defensive team, that, and their size should present problems for the Terps shooters. Even though they beat maybe the worst team in the conference, there is something to be said about coming into this game off a win, so the Terps should have confidence heading into Charlottesville. Will the hot shooting continue? If it does the Terps will be tough to beat.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 15th, 2012  Boston College Eagles (8-17, 3-8 ACC) at Maryland Terrapins (14-10, 4-6 ACC)
Thursday, Feb. 16th, 9pm at the Comcast Center: College Park, MD
Leading Scorer: BC- Matt Humphrey 10.4ppg MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.6ppg
Last game: BC- lost to VTech 66-65 MD- lost to Duke 73-55
Outlook:
Quick, can anyone name one Boston College player? What if Kate Upton agreed to go out with you if you could? While that would be an amazing reward, it is one that I doubt anyone receives because this Boston College team is just that bad. The Al Skinner days of recruiting the likes of Jared Dudley, Troy Bell, Craig Smith, etc. are over and the Eagles have been one of the conference’s doormats this season. The most shocking thing about this Boston College team is that they somehow have won eight games including one against Florida State a couple games ago. The Eagles average only 58 points per game and have lost every conference road game this season. The only chance they have of coming in and winning in College Park would be if they had this guy on their team…although maybe not even he can save them.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 10th, 2012  Maryland Terrapins (14-9, 4-5 ACC)
At
#9 Duke Blue Devils (20-4, 7-2 ACC)
Saturday, February 11th, 4:00 pm at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
Leading scorers: MD: Terrell Stoglin– 22.0ppg Duke: Austin Rivers 15.1ppg
Last game: MD def. Clemson 64-62 Duke def. UNC 85-84
Outlook:
For 39 minutes and 59 seconds, it looked like the Duke Blue Devils would be dead and buried and on their way their second consecutive ACC loss, however Austin Rivers had other plans. Rivers three pointer at the buzzer lifted the Blue Devils to an 85-84 road win over North Carolina, a win that may have changed their season. By no means does the buzzer beater mask the fact that Duke was dominated inside and that they continued to be the worst team in the ACC in field goal percentage, and they continuously get out rebounded. One thing they do well that has always been a staple is their ability to shoot the three, which single handedly won the game against UNC. With their confidence now back after a win against their fiercest rival, Duke should be ready to play against the Terps.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 7th, 2012  Maryland Terrapins (13-9, 3-5 ACC) AT Clemson Tigers (11-11, 3-5 ACC)
Tuesday 7 PM Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC
Leading scorer: MD – Terrell Stoglin 21.7ppg CLEM – Andre Young 13.6ppg
Last game: MD- Lost to UNC 83-74 CLEM: Lost to Virginia Tech 67-65
Outlook:
Any educated ACC fan knows that despite their record, Clemson is always a tough team to beat at home, and that Little John Coliseum is one of the loudest venues in the conference. The Tigers are 11-11 and have lost to the likes of College of Charleston, Utep and Costal Carolina, but by no means can the Terps sleep on them… just ask Florida State, who was handed a 20 point loss by the host Tigers earlier this season. The Tigers five losses in conference play this year have been by a combined 18 points, so they are by no means pushovers. The Tigers certainly have some talent. Andre Young can light it up from the outside, and Devin Booker can provide a mismatch on the inside. The Terps go into Littlejohn looking for their first road win against a team who on paper they are “supposed” to beat. However, every Terp fan has to be worried about this game. The Tigers will be tough, and if they do lose, they will sure go down fighting.
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By Marco Romanell, on February 3rd, 2012  #
6North Carolina Tarheels (19-3, 6-1 ACC)
At
Maryland Terrapins (13-8, 3-4 Acc)
Saturday, Feb. 4th at 4pm– Comcast Center: College Park, MD
Last game: UNC: def Wake 68-53 MD: lost to Miami 90-86, 2 OT
Leading Scorers: UNC- Harrison Barnes– 17.3 ppg MD- Terrell Stoglin– 21.8ppg
Outlook:
After watching SportsCenter all week and hearing the name Rob Gronkowski mentioned over and again, I invented a little drinking game whose rules are simple: every time he is mentioned or shown on television you drink. How does this parlay into the Maryland/UNC game? It’s simple: for every North Carolina fast break that is started from a Terps missed shot you drink. That game is sure to get you intoxicated and is the main reason why North Carolina is one of the favorites to win the National Championship. Not only do they have size and maybe the best player in basketball in Harrison Barnes, they also run up and down the floor on the offensive end putting pressure on their opponents to make shots and match them score for score. Where the Tarheels do struggle, however is against physical teams that can score inside, get the Tarheels in foul trouble, and also can rebound. Florida State was also able to that as well as knock down shots in their rout of the Tarheels earlier this season. While Mark Turgeon and his staff are sure to be watching film of that Florida State game, they will surely realize they don’t have that kind of personnel and will have to take a different approach. The Tarheels looking ahead to the Duke game in a few days might be the only shot, albeit slim, that the Terps have.
Maryland for years has always risen to the occasion and played well against top teams at home; that was their mantra under Gary Williams and one they look to continue. I have been hearing all week from other Terps fans that are saying, “We played Duke tough so that means we should play Carolina tough.” However, that is the furthest thing from the truth. Basketball is about match-ups, and Maryland’s erratic style plays right into the hands of the Tarheels. I love Terrell Stoglin but he is no Greivis Vasquez, and this Terps team is not like one of the teams from the Williams era that were proverbial giant killers. The only way to win this game is to be efficient in the half court offense, working the ball inside ad nauseam and get a lot of second chance opportunities to limit the offensive possessions for the Tarheels. James Padgett, Alex Len and Ashton Pankey will be key inside, and Nick Faust and Sean Mosley will need to knock down outside shots if the Terps want to compete at all in this game. I just think the odds of this happening are about as good as someone on the Wizards not tweeting something ridiculous. Of course, as Terrell Stokes once proclaimed after his Terps knocked off the Tarheels, they could “shock the world”.
Prediction:
I am by no means a hater: I am a loyal Terps fan and would love to see a win, but I tell it like it is. This game will not be close. Tyler Zeller will destroy the Terps on the inside and Carolina’s fast break will be too much to handle. They will run the Terps right out of their own arena.
UNC 89 MD 71.
By Marco Romanell, on January 27th, 2012 Virginia Tech Hokies (12-8, 1-4 ACC) At Maryland Terrapins (12-7, 2-3 ACC)
Saturday 2:30pm Comcast Center, College Park, MD
Leading Scorer: VT- Erick Green 15.8ppg MD: Terrell Stoglin 20.9ppg
Last game: VT- lost to BYU 70-68 MD: lost to Duke 74-61
 Outlook:
Does anyone hear that? Listen closer, we usually hear it around March, it’s the sound of Seth Greenberg pleading his team’s case to be in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe the Hokies have been “snubbed” in the past , but after a 1-4 start in conference play this season, Virginia Tech has a lot of work to do if they want to even be in the conversation come tourney time. Not only have the Hokies lost four games in conference, but they have lost to Boston College and Wake Forest. However, they did beat a good Virginia team in their last ACC game, despite scoring just 47 points. Not many expected the Hokies to be toiling around the cellar of the conference, but things like that don’t happen by accident. It just may be possible that this year’s Virginia Tech team is just not that talented, no matter how much Seth Greenberg wants to dispute the critics. Even after saying all that, it would not surprise anyone if they came into the Comcast Center and left with a win.
I know there is no such thing as a moral victory, and despite what anyone says, the Terps simply collapsed again Wednesday night. Despite leading the game in the second half, Maryland showed their usual ineptitude running the half- court offense, and failed to make shots for 40 minutes. While Duke couldn’t miss at the free throw stripe, MD couldn’t convert, and had noticeable breakdowns on the defensive end the floor. Alex Len is starting to look to like the second coming of Will Bowers, only weaker. And, Nick Faust has yet to show any sort of ability to make a three pointer. The one bright spot has been Ashton Pankey, who is a menace on the glass, and strong enough to play against players who have more size then he does. If I could not see the name on the back of their jersey, I might mistake Pankey for former Terp Byron Mouton, READ MORE >>>
By Marco Romanell, on January 25th, 2012 
Duke Blue Devils (16-3. 4-1 ACC) at Maryland Terrapins (12-6, 2-2 ACC)
Wed Jan 25th 9pm Comcast Center, College Park, Md
Last game: Duke- lost to FSU 76-73 MD-lost to Temple 73-60
Leading scorer: Duke- Austin Rivers 14.4ppg MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.5ppg
Outlook:
After that, there is likely to be nothing but bad news, as the visiting and sixth ranked Blue Devils come to College Park looking to avenge their first conference loss. No matter what their fans may chant, Duke and Maryland are rivals as the Terps have more success against the Blue Devils then every team in the conference but North Carolina. The crowd is sure to be electric and the crowd is sure to be their loud, taunting selves. The Terrapin faithful is sure to turn the Comcast Center into the home court advantage it has not been all season. Just ask this guy what the Maryland crowd is like. READ MORE >>>
By Marco Romanell, on January 20th, 2012 Believe it or not there is local sports sports action outside of the Ravens. Here is my game preview for the Terps vs Temple.
Maryland Terrapins (12-5, 2-2 ACC)
At
Temple Owls (12-5, 2-2 ACC)
Saturday, Jan. 21st 11 a.m. at The Palestera– Philadelphia PA
Leading scorers:
MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.2 ppg Temple- Ramon Moore 17.0ppg
Last games: MD lost to FSU, 84-70 Temple def LaSalle, 76-70
Outlook:
The Maryland Terrapins played a great 23 minutes Tuesday night against Florida St. The other 17 minutes were the exact opposite as the Terps were run out the gym and the state of Florida. As a reward, they get the ever popular 11 a.m. tip in a hostile environment against a great defensive team. The Palestra is one of the most historic and difficult venues in college basketball, which should bode well for a young, inexperienced visiting Terps team that is winless on the road. Temple was a preseason top 25 team that has beaten Duke, but also has lost some games they shouldn’t have and underachieved so far this season. The Owls have a balanced scoring attack, but their offense starts with guard Juan Fernandez, who is the team’s leader in assists. Fernandez can score but his bigger role will be to distribute the ball to the primary scorers Moore and Wyatt. The Terps will need to shut down those three if they want to win the game. I don’t see it happening.
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By Marco Romanell, on January 15th, 2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-8, 1-1 ACC)
At
Maryland Terrapins (11-4, 1-1 ACC)
Sunday Jan 15th 4pm Comcast Center, College Park, MD
Leading scorer: GT- Glen Rice Jr. 14.4ppg MD- Terrell Stoglin 21.3ppg
Last game : GT- def NC St 83-71 MD- def Wake 70.64
Outlook:
I am sure everyone remembers this from a two seasons ago … I know I do, it caused me to make facebook group(which was later deleted because he is terrible) called “I’m a sucker for Tucker” right after the shot went in, of course the adult beverages I had during the game also contributed. If this game comes down to a buzzer beater it will not make Maryland fans happy, then again, they are the Terps so you know they will make it close. The Yellow Jackets are coming off an impressive road win against NC St in their last game, but given the roller coaster ride that is the ACC, you can’t put too much stock in that READ MORE >>>
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The weather is warm, the grills are cooking and the calendar has flipped to spring. Orioles baseball is right around the corner and droves of orange clad Birds fans will be lining the streets outside of Camden Yards in only a couple of weeks.
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