ACC: Anyone Can Contend

The Terrapins men's basketball team hasn't won on the road this season, or even defeated a team in the upper half of the league standings.

Yet despite their own shortcomings, the Terps can take ample encouragement in the even more unstable conference they call home.

In the convoluted mess known as the ACC, a collection of teams with no real frontrunner or deadbeat, the Terps are fighting a tightly packed middle tier with 10 games left. They face a crucial test tonight against Miami, which shares a near-identical overall and conference record.

"It's big just because it's a road game and because of our record in the ACC," guard Pe'Shon Howard said. "Us, Miami and Clemson are all bunched in there, so it's a win we need."

The Terps (13-7, 3-3 ACC) in all likelihood won't win the conference — that distinction is almost assuredly reserved for national juggernauts Duke and North Carolina, or even Florida State, which has already knocked off the two storied programs.

Still, the Terps' predicted ninth-place finish has served as motivation moving forward. They're tied in sixth place with the Hurricanes (12-7, 3-3), and there's a good chance they won't fall much farther that that. The bottom of the 12-team ACC is filled out with Wake Forest, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, which have combined for a 6-21 conference record, an 0-3 mark against the Terps and ugly nonconference losses against the likes of Saint Louis, Rhode Island and Fordham.

Which leaves the Terps in a race, at least for the moment, with Clemson, Miami and N.C. State for the final month and a half. The Wolfpack have a small lead, with wins against the Terps and Miami, but they also have a bad home loss to Georgia Tech. The Tigers beat Florida State by 20 points at home before going on the road to lose to Boston College. The Hurricanes don't have any impressive wins, but no resumé-killing losses, either.

It all sets up tonight as an important road test for the Terps should they hope to stay in the upper half of the conference.

"Every game matters with all the teams being so close," Howard said.

Coach Mark Turgeon understands the ramifications of a win and a loss, but said yesterday he hasn't looked too much into the conference standings this season.

"I keep up with it, not as intensely as if we were 6-0, 5-1 or 4-2 and right in the middle of it," Turgeon said. "The cream rises every year in leagues. The best teams win games. The best teams win games on the road."

And as of right now, the Terps aren't in that category — at least until they take the next step in their progression.

A win at Miami, which Turgeon said is "much better than I anticipated," would suffice. It would also be a program first, snapping a five-game losing streak in Coral Gables, Fla. The Terps haven't won a road game in their last seven outings.

"For us [to win on the road], it's coming out strong and winning the first four minutes," guard Sean Mosley said. "We have to take care of the ball, and if we do, I think we'll get the win at Miami."

ceckard@umdbk.com