- Greivis Vasquez is perhaps Maryland's most popular - and criticized - player.

The senior guard enters today's game at Boston College having scored at least 20 points in seven straight contests.

He had 30 points in Maryland's 85-83 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday night, but it was his misses in the final few minutes of overtime that garnered the most attention on fan message boards.

So it goes for Vasquez, who still occasionally forces shots but also makes teammates look better with his passing and all-around game. Vasquez scored or assisted on 10 straight Maryland points during one first-half stretch against the Demon Deacons.

Vasquez is third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring (18.5 points per game) and second in assists (6.1).

Maryland coach Gary Williams had a few theories Friday to explain why Vasquez - who likes to shimmy and pose for Maryland's student section after baskets - seems so often to be a fan target.

"Greivis is a personality that's not afraid to show his emotions. I'm sure that's a part of it," Williams said. "Some people resent that because you're not a cookie-cutter type player. Every player has a way to play to get himself to play the best he can play. Greivis grew up [in Venezuela] playing with lot of emotion, playing with a lot of guys who play with emotion, and that's the way he plays."

Williams believes fans in the area are particularly demanding.

"If he's in some places - Columbus, Ohio, I coached there - it's rah-rah for the [ Ohio State] Buckeyes all the time," the coach said.

Vasquez said he can endure fan criticism if the team is performing well. "It's all about winning," he said.

Maryland (10-5, 1-1 ACC) enters the Boston College game trying to pick up a conference road win sooner than last season. The Terps didn't win an ACC away game last year until beating Georgia Tech in the second week of February but still made it to the NCAA tournament.

The Eagles (10-7, 1-2) have lost their past two games at Clemson and at Duke by 16 and 20 points, respectively.