Cliff Tucker

COLLEGE PARK — Maryland had just defeated UNC-Greensboro by 43 points, but Jordan Williams wore a sour expression. The sophomore center knew that it was the Terps' 15th straight win at Comcast Center. He was aware that they have avoided the sort of early-season upset losses — such as to William & Mary last season — that rankle Maryland fans. But Williams also knew that the Terps (7-3) lost close games to the three teams — Temple, Illinois and Pittsburgh — that tested them the most.

The evening's only true suspense ended 10 minutes before game time when the bright red numbers on the overhead scoreboard blinked on, revealing the numbers of Maryland's starting five. Dissatisfied with his team's performance in its last outing, Maryland coach Gary Williams had not committed to his usual starters entering Wednesday night's game against UNC-Greensboro. But Williams ended up standing pat, and his lineup -- the one he's used all year -- delivered a 99-56 over a winless UNC-Greensboro team that has lost all eight of their games by double-digit margins.

Maryland coach Gary Williams won't commit to using the same starting lineup after a loss to Temple in which the starters — except center Jordan Williams — came under criticism. The Terps (6-3) host UNC-Greensboro (0-7) on Wednesday night. The lineup "will be clear at about 6:15 [Tuesday night after practice] and I'm not going to tweet it," the coach said Tuesday. "Why would you tell Greensboro who we're going to start? I'm not that nice. " Senior starters Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory and junior starter Sean Mosley all found themselves benched for extended periods of the 64-61 loss to Temple on Sunday night in the BB&T Classic in Washington D.C. "The best message is the second half when we subbed.

As the college basketball season began, Maryland coach Gary Williams seemed to issue a challenge to his three senior starters: Adrian Bowie, Dino Gregory and Cliff Tucker. "As a player, you always want your chance. Well, here it is," the coach said. So how have the seniors -- who entered the season having spent more time as reserves than starters -- answered the call so far? The statistics show that, through the first seven games, the players are all contributing more than last season.

Gary Williams surely knew there would be uncomfortable stretches like this. With his senior guards having graduated, the Maryland coach must have foreseen nights when his new backcourt would struggle and the home crowd would grow fidgety as an underdog opponent threatened to ruin the Terps' evening. One of those anxiety-producing periods occurred Friday night as undersized Elon used 3-pointers to take a halftime lead before succumbing to Maryland's size and athleticism in a 76-57 Terrapins victory.

Maryland (4-2) vs. Elon (2-2) When: Friday, 8 p.m. Where: Comcast Center Television: Comcast Sportsnet Radio: 105.7 FM Last meeting: Maryland won, 76-50, in the only meeting in school history on Dec. 30, 2008. Preview: The Terps are looking for their second consecutive win after beating Delaware State, 72-54, on Tuesday. All four of Maryland's victories have come at home this season and the Terps are unbeaten at Comcast Center in their past 13 games.

After dropping both games of last weekend's 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, the Maryland men's basketball team chalked up its trip to New York as a learning experience. The Terps vowed to fix their poor free-throw shooting, stay out of foul trouble and find a secondary option to lessen the burden on leading scorer Jordan Williams. In Tuesday's nonconference matchup with Delaware State, the Terps made good on all three promises, disposing of the Hornets, 72-54, before an announced 12,178 at Comcast Center.

The Maryland men's basketball team is not sulking after dropping both games of last weekend's 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden. Players are not crestfallen, and coaches aren't panicking. If anything, the Terps are eager to get back into action and correct the mistakes that led to a 79-70 loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh on Friday and an 80-76 loss to No. 13 Illinois on Saturday. Competitive play in both games has Maryland convinced it can beat a top opponent, and when the Terps (3-2)

Are there moral victories in college basketball? Maryland hung in Thursday night against a bigger, experienced Pittsburgh team before falling, 79-70, at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. "You're just trying to find out how good you are as a team," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "We have some guys, this is their first big game and it happened to be at Madison Square Garden. I thought we did a good job overall. " Ultimately, the Terps fell under the weight of Pitt's size -- the fifth-ranked Panthers outrebounded Maryland, 49-28.

Maryland coach Gary Williams was asked this week if his basketball team had the makings of something great. Williams answered quickly. "Not yet," he said. "It's way too early. We haven't done anything yet. I think you're measured by who you play. " By that definition, it will soon be easier to chart the progress of the Terrapins (3-0), who play No. 5 Pitt (3-0) Thursday night in the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer at New York's Madison Square Garden. It will be the first test for the Terps — who have six newcomers this season — against a ranked team.