Don Markus has provided some bloggy comments, but I couldn't help but offer a few of my own. It's what I do!
You just knew that Mark Turgeon was going to be all about defense. I think he can forgive a lot if his players are hustling on defense and are improving. He seemed to believe his guys passed those two tests tonight.
It was interesting that he said he expects improvement when the Terps head to Puerto Rico for three games. You get the sense he will keep raising the bar for this team. He is realistic enough to know this isn't a top team. But he needs to see an upward arc.
Some more thoughts:
*I missed Pe'Shon Howard's passing. You too? He hobbled out on crutches before the game. Alex Len walked out with him. Countdown on Len's suspension: one game down, nine to go.
*Berend Weijs had a big dunk but played in foul trouble and was limited to 11 minutes. So we didn't really see the new, improved Berend yet in all his glory.
*Interesting comment from James Padgett about playing an extended period -- something that happened rarely in previous seasons. You'll also see this quote in my updated game story.