Classic Terrapins. Maryland won the Terrapin Classic tonight, beating the Marist Red Foxes by a score of 86-60. For the second night in a row, Maryland was deadly from long range, hitting "only" 10 of 20 three-pointers (they hit 12 last night) against a team that had been holding its opponents to 20.6% from behind the arc.

Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood came off the bench and led all scorers with 17, breaking her previous career high of 13 that she'd set just last night. (Coach Summitt, did you know she could score like that?) For those in the non-Maryland basketball community who wondered whether Sa'de would blend with the balanced Terrapin lineup or disrupt the chemistry, her three games to date have made it pretty clear that she fits in seamlessly. Marissa Coleman, who scored 15 points tonight, was named the Tournament MVP. Kristi Toliver was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

Speaking of awards, the BasketCases would like to nominate Marist Coach Brian Giorgis for the year's Best Post-Game Quotes by an Opposing Coach. Brian had this to say about Maryland after tonight's game:

"Not only do they have a lot of depth, but they are extremely skilled. I've been doing this for five years and I have never seen a team shoot like that and have so many different weapons. They pass so well and they can all hit threes. You can't even sag off one person, and the thing is that they find the open person. It's fun to watch; you kind of sit there in awe and wonder if they can miss. Their X's are quite a lot bigger, better, and more talented than our O's, it's just that simple."

The rest of Coach Giorgis's post-game remarks are also a must-read.

While the BasketCases have enjoyed the Terps' "fall victory tour," we're ready and excited for the real action to begin on Wednesday when Maryland tips off ACC Conference play against NC State.

So that's it for basketball 2006 -- the Year of the Natty. Now all that's left is to pop those corks Sunday night and toast this historic year for Maryland basketball. Happy New Year!!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases