WASHINGTON — For being the shortest month on the calendar, February can sure feel long for some of the local teams. Expectations are slashed and then downgraded. Bubbles are burst, and fans chant for the coach — even if they have a Final Four and three conference titles under his leadership. Rivalry pecking orders are reversed in favor of Foggy Bottom and Blacksburg (although nobody in Charlottesville will acknowledge that the Hokies are actually a rival of the Cavaliers). And for second-tier schools in one-bid leagues, the long march to March is over. As Girl Scout Cookies arrive and McDonald’s rolls out the Shamrock Shake, prepare for March to get a little mad.
Maryland (22-7, 10-6 Big Ten) Wasn’t this team once 20-2 and on the cusp of holding off Purdue in a showdown for first place? Now the Terps have to get their act together to stay in the conference’s top four and claim a coveted double-bye. Coach Mark Turgeon’s team is at its best when it defends, and they allowed Minnesota to shoot 54 percent in the second half before watching Iowa hit 62 percent from three-point range. The offense is grinding its gears, with Melo Trimble hitting 2-for-15 from three-point range over the last week, and the Terps as a team getting to the line just nine times against the Hawkeyes. They’ve also been out-rebounded in five of their last seven games. CBS has the Terps a No. 6 seed in the South with a first round game against Providence. ESPN, USA Today and Bleacher Report give the Terrapins a No. 7 against UNC-Wilmington (Bleacher Report) or Syracuse (the others).
Georgetown (14-15, 5-11 Big East) Since winning the regular season conference title in 2013, the reconstructed league (aka no Syracuse, Louisville, etc.) has not been kind to the Hoyas (27-27 the first three years) but at least they were able to semi-dominate St. John’s and DePaul (10-2 against the Red Storm & Blue Demons). Not so this winter, as two losses to those schools last week effectively drop-kicked John Thompson III’s team out of the far fringes of the NCAA bubble and on the precipice of NIT elimination. I guess there’s always the CBI? Saturday’s loss to the Red Storm saw Georgetown turn the ball over 22 times while committing 26 fouls; the Hoyas are at the bottom of the Big East in both categories, and that’s two reasons why they’ve clinched a first-round game for the third time in four years of the new tournament format.
Virginia (20-9, 10-7 ACC) What a difference one weekend can make. Last Tuesday morning the Cavaliers were lamenting a four-game losing streak where they scored under fifty points in consecutive games for the first time since 1969. This week it’s morning again in Charlottesville after Monday’s 53-43 upset of No. 5 North Carolina. This time it’s UNC who was handcuffed, held to 32 percent shooting (and 25 percent from three-point range). U.Va. also tallied 18 points in the first half off of 12 Tar Heel turnovers. London Perrantes has been looking for some scoring help — and they may have finally found the Guy. After averaging under 10 minutes on the floor during the four-game slide, Kyle Guy logged 35 and 32 minutes in wins over the Tar Heels and NC State. The freshman scored 19 points against the Wolfpack before netting a team-high 17 against UNC. Man-bun and all, Guy’s hitting 10-of-14 from three-point range during the two game streak (hey, after losing the four straight the way U.Va. did, I was calling the NC State win “a streak”). Heading into the game with North Carolina, Bleacher Report had the Cavaliers a No. 4 seed in the East with a first round game against Vermont; CBS and ESPN had U.Va. as the 5th seed in the East with games against Texas-Arlington and UNC-Wilmington. USA Today ticketed the Cavs to the Midwest as a No. 5 with a game against the Wichita State/USC winner.
Virginia Tech (21-8, 10-7 ACC) Somehow the Hokies continue to sneak on the rest of the league. Last year they closed the regular season with five straight wins while this February, coach Buzz Williams’ team finishes the month with four wins in five games. Monday’s 66-61 win over No. 25 Miami (not calling it an upset because the two teams owned the same record and are now tied in the league standings) saw Ty Outlaw go off for 24 points while the rest of the team shot 11-of-26 from the field. They did get to the line 26 times against a very pesky Hurricanes D that allows the second fewest points per game in the ACC. Before their game with the Hurricanes, CBS had the Hokies a No. 8 seed in the East, meeting Michigan State. USA Today tickets them to the West as a No. 9 seed, with St. Mary’s their first round foe. ESPN and Bleacher Report gave them a 10th seed in the Midwest and Minnesota (ESPN) or Wisconsin (BR).
George Washington (16-13, 8-8 Atlantic 10) Three straight wins haul the Colonials away from dreaded first-round territory for the upcoming A-10 tournament. Sunday’s win over George Mason completed their fourth straight regular-season sweep of their new neighbors in the league … and continued a final fine lap for Tyler Cavanaugh. The senior is averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds during the current winning streak. The Colonials could wind up anywhere from 5th to 9th when the dust settles on the regular season.
George Mason (18-11, 8-8 Atlantic 10) One local A-10 school feasts while the other experiences a famine. The Patriots have dropped three straight with the common thread being lack of ball security: they’re averaging 15 turnovers per game and their foes have been turning those miscues into points. Mason can finish anywhere between 6th and 9th in the A-10; meaning for the first time since joining the conference they’ve avoided the dreaded double-bye.
American (8-21, 5-13 Patriot League) The Eagles enter the Patriot League Tournament on a two-game winning streak, and even though they’re the 9th seed, let’s remember that last year’s 9th seed (Holy Cross) won four road games to advance to the NCAA’s (yes, it was the “First Four”, but that’s another issue for another day). AU in its wins over Navy and Loyola (Maryland) shot 56 percent from the field while holding their foes to 21 percent from three-point range. While the future of the program is in the freshman duo of Mark Gasperini and Sy’eed Nelson, senior Charlie Jones came through one more time with a go-ahead three-pointer against the Greyhounds with 3.2 seconds left in regulation. As the No. 9 seed AU visits Army Tuesday evening, they split the regular-season series with each school winning on the road.
Howard (8-22, 5-10 MEAC) The Bison are bound for the first round of their conference tournament, but that’s next week after the regular season finale at Delaware State. A win plus help can deliver the No. 9 seed, while a loss plus the wrong things can push this team down to 12th in the league. On what was supposed to be James Daniel III and James Miller’s senior nights, Tyler Stone scored a career-high 19 points as Howard beat Maryland Eastern Shore 79-69. For the record, the Hawks are 8-4 against the rest of the conference and 0-2 against Howard. Go figure.
