Skip to main content

Beltway Basketball Beat: Howard’s season ends, Maryland’s bubble residency begins

By Dave Preston

Bye-bye, Bison. The Howard University men’s basketball program canceled the rest of its 2020-21 season on Tuesday after the program had been in pause for over a month and a half — the team hasn’t played a game since Dec. 23.

The highly-anticipated winter where five-star prospect Makur Maker was going to change the landscape as the Bison big man winds up ending with a five game appetizer instead of a meal. Will he return for a sophomore season?

Sadly, over the years we’ve seen plenty of talent depart the District, from the nation’s leading scorer James Daniel III transferring to Tennessee, to MEAC Player of the Year R.J. Cole bolting for UConn. Meanwhile, Maryland is seeing its season of opportunities in the country’s best conference (although there are those who will say the Big 12 is better than the Big Ten) begin to shrink.

Six games remain pending postponements or reshuffles of the schedule, with only one against a ranked foe: naturally, it’s a Rutgers team that’s won four straight. At this point, the Terps are on the underbelly of the bubble in most NCAA Tournament projection models, and while they do play in a loaded league, their 4-9 conference mark needs serious dressing up. At least for Coach Mark Turgeon’s team, there will be an opportunity to prove themselves over the next month.

Wow of the Week: Virginia bounced back from a double-digit loss to post a pair of ACC victories. As is the case during the Tony Bennett era, they’re much more steak than sizzle, and in a year where the blue bloods are bleeding (Duke and North Carolina are both unranked) the Cavaliers are the familiar face atop the conference standings at 9-1. Securing a number one seed isn’t out of the question as long as this team continues to grind and win.

Player Spotlight: Bones Hyland captured Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 over two wins while hitting the game-winning three with five seconds left in regulation. The sophomore has boosted his scoring from nine points per game last season to 19 a game this winter, and while he leads the team in scoring, he’s also tops in steals, second in three-point shooting and third in rebounding and assists.

League Look: The Patriot League is dividing itself into three divisions this winter: the North (Colgate leads with a 7-1 mark), Central (Lafayette is tops at 6-4), and South (Navy’s 8-1 mark is the one to beat) have allowed schools to play in mini-bubbles to a point. As is the case with many one-bid conferences, seniors dominate as Lafayette’s Justin Jaworski leads the Patriot League in scoring (21.2 points per game), Holy Cross’s Austin Butler is tops in rebounding (8.9 boards per game), and Colgate’s Jordan Burns is number one in assists (5.6). Seniors also pace the conference in blocked shots, three point and free throw shooting. While the Midshipmen are beginning to think this is the year the NCAA Tournament drought (1998 their last trip to the Big Dance) American (2-2) remains trying to get ready to resume its schedule.

Ballot Battles: Much like I was uncomfortable with an idle Villanova last month, I’m anxious to see Top 5 Michigan back on the court. Houston dropped in my poll not just because they lost at East Carolina but also because they scheduled “Our Lady of the Lake.” Was Little Sisters of the Poor otherwise occupied? My whiff of the week was keeping Boise State in at No. 23 after two losses to Nevada instead of promoting Colorado State or Utah State. Also getting non-Power 5 high fives: Belmont, Loyola (IL), and VCU.

Starting Five (Games of note involving local schools):

Friday

VCU (14-4, 7-2 Atlantic 10) vs. St. Bonaventure (10-2, 8-2 2), 7 p.m. (ESPN1). First place in A-10 is up for grabs in the Commonwealth. The Rams are coming off of a 76-67 win at Dayton thanks to 19 points from Bones Hyland and Vince Williams Jr. as the duo combined to hit 8-13 from three-point range. The Bonnies bring a balanced attack with five players averaging in double figures and are led by Kyle Foster’s 15 points with five assists per game. They also won the Jan. 20 matchup in Olean 70-54 after beginning that second half on a 20-3 run and then finishing regulation with a 16-1 closing kick. The Rams turned the ball over 19 times that evening and are tied for the most per game (15.2) in the conference.

Saturday

No. 18 Virginia Tech (14-4, 8-3 ACC) vs. Louisville (11-4, 6-3), noon (ACCN). How good are the Hokies? Are they more like the team that beat Virginia by double digits or the one that lost to Pitt by double digits? The Cardinals took the Jan. 6 meeting by two in part because they limited Keve Aluma to 3-10 shooting (0-3 from three-point range). There is an added wrinkle to the rematch: Louisville coach Chris Mack will not be courtside after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Instead, Dino Gaudio (61-31 in three years at Wake Forest from 2007-10 and 1-3 against the Hokies in that time) pinch hits for the Cardinals.

Georgetown (5-10, 3-7 Big East) vs. Butler (7-10, 6-8), 1:30 p.m. (CBSSN). It’s the battle of the Bulldogs and a school that uses a bulldog as its mascot. The Hoyas went 1-2 in its three-game gauntlet against ranked foes, and now have just one game against a Top 25 foe on their schedule (No. 5 Villanova February 17). The Bulldogs are coming off of an overtime win over St. John’s that does severe damage to the Red Storm’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Butler ended a Georgetown four-game winning streak at Hinkle Fieldhouse in January as D.C. native Chuck Harris scored a team-high 18 points for Butler. The freshman is looking to bounce back from a 2-9 (and 1-6 from three-point range) shooting effort against the Red Storm.

No. 9 Virginia (13-3, 9-1 ACC) vs. North Carolina (12-6, 7-4), 6 p.m. (ESPN). Celebrating after a win over Duke? In ordinary times, understood. Celebrating a win over a .500 Blue Devils during a pandemic? Should be somewhat dialed down. Not so for this year’s Tar Heels, whose lack of discretion forced Sunday’s game against Miami to the list of the postponed. The Cavaliers are laser-focused on the court, leading the ACC in scoring defense as well as shooting from the field, three-point range and the line. Are we surprised that this UNC team is second to last in turnover margin and dead last in free throw shooting? They’re also spotty at defending the three. But their talent is enough to cause foes plenty of headaches over 40 minutes.

Sunday

Maryland (10-10, 4-9) vs. Minnesota (12-7, 5-7), 7 p.m. “Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable” — Wizard of Oz. The Terps’ hearts haven’t been broken, but back-to-back losses at Penn State and at home against No. 4 Ohio State haven’t been encouraging to a team that has beaten four ranked teams this season. Both schools have been snakebitten by the pandemic in that each has had a game against last-place Nebraska get postponed (hey, the Cornhuskers are the only guaranteed win this winter). The Terps never trailed in their Jan. 23 win in Minneapolis while holding the Golden Gophers to 30% shooting and a season-low 49 points. Marcus Carr scored 25 points for Minnesota that day and the junior from Toronto has been the team’s leading scorer in their last two games.

2022 ACC Tournament Bracket: How to watch, dates, preview, location

By Matt Weyrich
ACC Tournament Bracket and preview originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe ACC has been one of the most dominant conferences in the history of NCAA men's basketball. With three of the last six March Madness champions calling the conference home, the 2022 ACC Tournament will feature some of the NCAA’s premier men’s basketball programs going head-to-head before the big event the following week.However, this is a bit of an unusual year for the ACC — there are only four teams you could actually claim to be tournament 'locks' at this point in the season. There are three more on or around the bubble and everyone else is in an auto-bid or bust mentality. Duke is projected to earn the best seed for the NCAA Tournament. In head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, the Blue Devils could be anywhere from a No. 2 seed to a No. 4 seed. Where they fall in the ACC Tournament will likely dictate where Duke is slotted. Early season losses put them in a hole, but the unpredictability of the rest of the conference evened the score to help them claim the No. 1 seed.That could create a more competitive field than in years past. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Virginia all have shown they can best the Blue Devils. Three of those losses even came on their own floor. And on top of that, Wake Forest, the Cavaliers, the Seminoles, Syracuse and more are playing for their seasons.How will the 2022 ACC Tournament shake out? Here’s everything you need to know.ACC TOURNAMENT 2021 INFORMATION:  When is the 2022 ACC Tournament?The ACC Tournament will be held from March 8-12. The ACC Championship Game is on Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.Where is the 2022 ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is just the second time the event has been held in Brooklyn.How to watch the 2022 ACC Tournament The First Round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Second Round will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be on ESPN and ESPN2. The ACC Championship will be broadcast on ESPN.All ESPN programming is available for streaming at Watch ESPN with a valid cable subscription.Who is the defending 2021 ACC Champion? Georgia Tech shocked the ACC - thanks to an assist with Virginia missing their semifinal contest due to a positive coronavirus test - to win the 2021 ACC Championship over Florida State. Head coach Josh Pastner became a household sensation with his face shield.2022 ACC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:ACC Tournament First Round (3/8, Times ET) - No. 13 Boston College d. No. 12 Pittsburgh 66-46- No. 10 Clemson d. No. 15 NC State 70-64- No. 11 Louisville d. No. 14 Georgia Tech 84-74ACC Tournament Second Round (3/9, Times ET)- No. 9 Syracuse d. No. 8 Florida State 96-57- No. 13 Boston College d. No. 5 Wake Forest 82-77 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 10 Clemson 76-75 (OT)- No. 6 Virginia d. No. 11 Louisville 51-50ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/10, Times ET)- No. 1 Duke d. No. 9 Syracuse 88-79- No. 4 Miami d. No. 13 Boston College 71-69 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 2 Notre Dame 87-80- No. 3 North Carolina d. No. 6 Virginia 63-43ACC Tournament Semifinals (3/11, Times ET) - No. 1 Duke d. No. 4 Miami 80-76- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 3 North Carolina 72-59ACC Tournament Championship (3/12, Time ET) - No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 1 Duke 82-672022 ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Far and away, Duke is the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils are coached by the best coach in the league, have a top-three NBA Draft pick on their roster and may have a multitude of playmakers - which is rare in the rest of the conference.Yet, the consistency is not there for the team with the No. 1 seed. Quiet nights by ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero paired with off-shooting performances by Wendell Moore Jr. are huge reasons for their four conference losses.Then again, no one in the ACC has shown any level of consistency either. Notre Dame has silently put together a solid year behind Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin. A favorable schedule - where they never played any of the top eight teams more than once - led them here and the Fighting Irish took advantage. The lack of playmaking guards that run an offense, though, and a deep bench are concerning. It's not conducive to winning three games in three days.North Carolina - after their stunning upset in Cameron Indoor over the weekend - and Miami both showed they have what it takes to topple Duke and have a favorable bracket to see the Blue Devils later in the tournament.Injuries are no longer a hindrance for the Hurricanes, following the lead of Kameron McGusty's 17.5 ppg and 36.8% shooting mark from deep.Let's not forget ACC Player of the Year and the conference's second-leading scorer Alondes Williams at Wake Forest. His Demon Deacons are the deepest team in the conference. Can they finally put it all together for one weekend? If so, they may be the darkhorse team to try and make the semifinals.Everyone else, though, is in desperate mode besides those five teams. Virginia Tech and Virginia need a significant win or two to be considered for an at-large bid. The teams behind them just have eyes only on a championship to extend their seasons.Pick: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
Read Next Story

Related News

Howard’s Makur Maker declares for 2021 NBA Draft

Maryland extends women’s basketball coach Frese’s contract

Terps guard Darryl Morsell enters transfer portal, declares for NBA Draft