Getting Real.

Tonight, the Terps' 2009 ACC season gets underway as Maryland hosts the 12-1 Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. The Deacons will be looking to rebound from their loss on Tuesday to the Richmond Spiders . . . the same team the Terps played in their last game; but, in that one, unlike Wake, Maryland came out on top.

The Terps, however, cannot afford to focus on that, as there are no easy games or easy teams in the ACC this season, including Wake Forest. As Camille Powell reports in this morning's Washington Post, Maryland will face a number of

" . . . athletic and talented squads . . . in the ACC. Five conference teams -- North Carolina (No. 2), Duke (No. 5), Maryland, Virginia (No. 15) and Georgia Tech (No. 22) -- are in this week's top 25, and Wake Forest (12-1) also received votes. On Monday, unranked Florida State upset third-ranked and undefeated Texas A&M."

Seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman are doing what they can to prepare their younger, inexperienced teammates for the rigors of ACC play. Mike Fratto, in today's Washington Times, tells us that

Toliver is confident the Terps are mentally ready for the upcoming grind. The point guard said the only way for her teammates to get used to the heightened competition is to play in it.

"They've asked, and you can't really explain. They just kind of have to experience it for themselves," she said. "[The ACC is] one of the best conferences in the country, and the players are all athletic and physical and really talented. The best of the best go to the ACC. They'll figure it out pretty soon."

"Soon" starts tonight vs Wake Forest. 7 PM at Comcast.