March Madness for UMD

March Madness began early this year with some key match ups in the Big East and ACC. In the Big East Georgetown lost of Syracuse in OT. In addition Maryland beat Duke and then lost by three to NC State. As a Maryland fan, I was really excited for the team knowing that they won a big game against Duke. In all truthfulness Maryland did not have a great season. They had a few incredibly sloppy games against FSU and Boston College. They also had two wins against Duke and beat NC State once.

Len dunks in a game against FSU

Maryland has increased their strength as this year has gone on. They have improved greatly. Alex Len gained 50 pounds of muscle which makes him an NBA prospect. Dez Wells improved over the season after facing allegations of sexual abuse before the season started. Wells played amazingly over the last two games and nobody could stop him on his drives. After a sluggish game against Duke, Alex Len woke up and played a much better game against NC State. The fact of the matter is, a team full of freshman and sophomores have somehow managed to be a contender for the NCAA tournament that starts in about a week. 

Dez Wells has come a long way
since the beginning of the season. 

If Maryland did make the tournament, they would be considered the ultimate Cinderella story. This team that started out the season after not making the tournament last year, and after recently losing hall of fame coach Garry Williams, has come forth and played their heart out in the last stretch of the season this year. The have overcome language barriers (Len did not speak any English when he came to UMD). They have also managed to make something of a desolate looking season. Maryland can look forward to the seasons to come. They have a very deep bench and many of the guys on the team are trusted. If they do not make the NCAA tournament this year they should not be too disappointed.

Overall I am excited for March Madness to begin. The bracket should be posted soon and the games will get underway. Best of luck to Maryland and most other teams besides Duke.