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COPYRIGHT 2005 Sporting News Publishing Co.
As the 2004-05 season crossed over that hyphen and into the new year, Maryland, Texas and Iowa were a combined 29-5. Their players were healthy, eligible and blissfully free of legal concerns.
But as quickly as Dee Brown can dribble from one end of the court to the other, their seasons changed. Each is scrambling to hold on to an NCAA Tournament bid. None faces an easy course.
Maryland
Predicament: 15-7, 6-5 in the ACC; has lost four league games by 15 or more points.
Mitigating factors: Injuries hit backup guard D.J. Strawberry (season-ending) and center Ekene Ibekwe (two games).
Background: The Terps' greatest concern has been finding a sense of rhythm and purpose for their offense. When they toured Italy during the summer, hope developed that forward Travis Garrison would provide a consistent post presence. He's still a jump shooter.
That makes the offense, specifically forward Nik Caner-Medley, too reliant on perimeter scoring. He is capable of extraordinary performances but often forces shots.
One move that has helped is making greater use of sophomore guard Mike Jones, who is adapting to the flex offense and becoming dangerous on quick cuts across the lane. Jones has scored in double figures in three straight games, including Saturday's victory over Duke. But nothing is more important than point guard John Gilchrist finding comfort in his role. Earlier, he focused too intently on getting shots for himself; the coaches wanted him to be a playmaker. In two wins last week, he averaged 19.0 points and...
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