The best team Maryland (15-12, 7-7) has beaten all year was Florida State (16-11, 7-8). As indicated by their record, the Terrapins aren't having a terrible year, but they'll need a miracle run if they wish to make it to the NCAA tournament. Likely, they already know that's not going to happen (though three of their last four games are at home, including the regular season finale against #12 Virginia, so there is an "if"). Thus, tonight's game (7:00 pm EST on ESPN) could seem like a championship to them, a gift to their rabid fan base. Against a #4 Syracuse team (25-2, 13-2) that's lost its last two, a win here will be extra sweet for the skin crawling college basketball fans of the Comcast Center.

You could picture the opposite scenario: a fired-up Orange blowing the Terrapins out the front door. But I don't see that happening. For one, Syracuse has only beaten one conference opponent by over 20 points all season. Two, teams in recovery mode from a tough loss and/or losing streak typically come back slowly -- more Christian Bale in both "Batmans" than Hugh Jackman in "X-Men." Case in point: Villanova. Remarkably, they've won overtime games following all three of their losses this season (including a 16-pointer to the Orange and two even bigger ones to Creighton). Teams gradually pick up the pieces in college bball, like a college student gradually grasps a lesson in class.

Vegas seems to be following my line of thought by giving Maryland's betters just four points to play with. That's difficult to resist, and I won't. My guess is a seven to eight point win for Syracuse (I'll be surprised if they win by more than 10), but perhaps I'm going against my own advice and rushing things. Maybe it will be a closer win. Maybe it will even be a loss, and the Orange is in need of more soul-searching than anybody thought necessary.

"These games help you," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN of Saturday night's loss to Duke. "This will help you. This was a tournament game. This will help you. We played slow and you see that in tournaments. We've learned a lot and we'll learn a lot more. We know how tough our next few games are."

Such games might also help "you" blow off some steam. Probably, we'll never see such a complete loss of temper again in Boeheim's career. Everyone has those "blue moon" moments, those decades in the making blowups we see coming but can do nothing to stop.

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Record: 19-28 (If this was the NBA's eastern conference a few weeks ago I'd be in the hunt)

Butler @ Creighton: L (picked Butler, +10.5)

UConn @ Memphis: L (picked Memphis, -7.5)

Depaul @ Villanova: W (picked Villanova, -17.5)

Pittsburg @ Syracuse: L (picked Syracuse, -5.5)

Creighton @ Villanova: L (picked Villanova, -6.5)

Baylor @ Kansas: W (picked Baylor, + 10.5)

Indiana @ Michigan State: L (picked Michigan State, -12)

Iowa @ Michigan: L (picked Iowa, + 1.5)

Colorado @ Arizona: W (picked Colorado, + 14.5)

Illinois @ Ohio State: W (picked Illinois, + 11)

Michigan @ Michigan State: W (picked Michigan, + 4.5)

Villanova @ Marquette: W (picked Villanova, -3)

Utah @ Arizona: W (picked Utah, + 15)

Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State: W (picked Oklahoma, + 4.5)

Villanova @ Georgetown: L (picked Villanova, -6.5)

Michigan State @ Iowa: W (picked Michigan State, + 5)

St. John's @ Creighton: W (picked St. John's, + 12)

Iowa State @ Kansas: L (picked Iowa State, + 8.5)

Syracuse @ Wake Forest: L (picked Syracuse, -10)

Purdue @ Michigan: L (picked Michigan, -12)

Florida @ Mississippi State: W (picked Miss. State, + 15)

Duke @ Syracuse: L (picked Syracuse, -3)

Xavier @ Villanova: L (picked Xavier, + 10)

Nebraska @ Michigan: L (picked Nebraska, + 13)

Boston College @ Virginia: L (picked Virginia, -13)

Oregon @ Arizona: L (picked Arizona, -11)

Oklahamo State @ Texas Tech: W (picked Texas Tech, + 6.5)

West Virginia @ Kansas: L (picked WVU, + 14)

Maryland @ Virginia: L (picked Virginia, -11)

Iowa State @ West Virginia: L (picked Iowa State, - 1.5)

Michigan @ Ohio State: L (picked Ohio State, -3.5)

Florida @ Tennessee: W (picked Florida, - 1.5)

Syracuse @ Pittsburg: W (picked Syracuse, + 2.5 -- absurd line)

Villanova @ Depaul: W (picked Villanova, -14)

Creighton @ Butler: L (picked Creighton, -8.5)

West Virginia @ Texas: W (picked Texas, -6)

Florida @ Kentucky: L (picked Kentucy, -2)

VCU @ Saint Louis: W (picked VCU, +4.5)

Villanova @ Creighton: L (picked Villanova, -3.5)

Texas @ Iowa State: L (picked Texas, +6)

Villanova @ Providence: L (picked Villanova, -4.5)

Wichita State @ Loyola: L (picked Loyola, + 13.5)

Creighton @ Marquette: W (picked Creighton, -3)

Gonzaga @ BYU: L (picked Gonzaga, +2)

Duke @ North Carolina: L (picked Duke, -2)

St. John's @ Villanova: W (picked St. John's, + 8.5)

Creighton @ Seton Hall: L (picked Creighton, -13)