Here are notes on Maryland's 83-72 victory over Albany.
Might this be the game where things turn in the Terps' favor? The players keep saying that having 7-footer Alex Len (14 points, eight rebounds) in the lineup -- along with recently-returned point guard Pe'Shon Howard -- makes it feel like a new team.
With Len on the low block, Maryland's work-in-progress offense more closely resembles a Gary Williams offense to me. Williams liked his offense to go inside-out -- beginning with passes in to the post. Look for the Terps to toss the ball into the post more with Len on the floor. Having Len in the lineup also allows the Terps to gamble more on defense because they've got a big guy protecting the rim. And coach Mark Turgeon sounds like he's hoping Maryland's improved rebounding will allow the Terps to run more.
Is that too ambitious an agenda considering that Len is still young and fairly raw? We'll see.