Maryland hoops reality check

We'll have hoops updates this afternoon after media day and tomorrow night during "Madness." I blogged before about how I believe that Greivis Vasquez and others are likely to take the next incremental steps in their development, and how Vasquez had been working on his outside shot. But don't get me wrong. I don't believe Maryland will be an offensive powerhouse. This will still be a team that will need to rely on trapping defense, penetration and smarts. Like last year, there will be plenty of teams with more offensive talent than the Terps. But talent doesn't always win out. Consider last season's Wake Forest game in the ACC tournament. Maryland's sagging defense, which seemed to dare the Demon Deacons to shoot the three, was effective as Wake went 3-for-25 from beyond the arc. The Terps beat a talented team through coaching, defense and toughness. That may continue to be a recipe for success. With added maturity and two freshmen post p...