National Invitation Tournament

Maryland, which struggled to find the answer at point guard this season, will enter 2013-14 with a new starter at the position after the announcement that incumbent Pe'Shon Howard is transferring to another school for his senior year. Howard, a Californian who grew up immersed in celebrity culture as the grandson of a Los Angeles hair stylist, is likely to transfer to a school in California or close to it. His grandfather, Bill Howard, moved to Maryland to be with Pe'Shon Howard during his college years.

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland's last basketball season ended in March at Comcast Center, where the Terps were playing half-heartedly in the National Invitation Tournament for a trip to New York. The destination was the same in last night's region final of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, but the attitude and the team were clearly different. Florida A&M @Maryland Sunday, 7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM

COLLEGE PARK - Maryland freshman forward James Gist is likely out and junior point guard John Gilchrist is questionable for the National Invitation Tournament opener tonight against Oral Roberts at Comcast Center, Terrapins coach Gary Williams said yesterday. Gist bruised his left knee while diving for a loose ball in practice March 7 and did not play in the Terps' Atlantic Coast Conference tournament game against Clemson on Thursday. Gilchrist sprained his left ankle late in the first half against Clemson and played less than three minutes in the second half.

The Maryland men's basketball team will take on Davidson in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday at Comcast Center at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Terps (17-12) advanced to the second round with an 85-72 victory over Mid-Continent conference champion Oral Roberts on Wednesday. The Wildcats (23-8) defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 77-62 last week, then posted an 82-71 victory at SW Missouri State on Saturday. Should Maryland win on Wednesday, they would likely host a third-round NIT game on Saturday afternoon.

COLLEGE PARK -- For a half, the Notre Dame women's basketball team played third-ranked Maryland about as close to the scouting report as could be expected, taking away its interior game and transition offense, daring the Terps to win the game from the perimeter. Maryland took the dare and beat the 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish, 75-59, last night to earn a berth in tomorrow's Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament championship game against No. 4 LSU at Comcast Center. LSU@Maryland Preseason WNIT final, tomorrow, 3 p.m.

The Maryland women's basketball team will open play in the 32-team women's National Invitation Tournament on Thursday at Cole Field House in a 7: 30 game against Georgetown. The Terps, making their Women's NIT debut, were 14-14 in the regular season, a turnaround from the 1998-99 campaign, when they were 6-21. Maryland, however, lost six of its last seven games this season to finish in seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps dropped their ACC tournament opener to Florida State.

Coach -- Gary Williams, 18th season at Maryland (353-191), 29th overall (560-319) Affiliation -- Atlantic Coast Conference 2005-06 -- 19-13, 8-8 in ACC (sixth place); lost to Boston College, 80-66, in quarterfinals of ACC tournament; lost to Manhattan, 87-84, in first round of National Invitation Tournament. Radio -- WHFS (105.7 FM), WJFK (1300 AM) Arena -- Comcast Center (17,950) Consensus ACC favorite -- North Carolina Consensus Maryland pick -- Seventh Starters lost -- One Starting lineup candidates -- G-F D.J. Strawberry; G Eric Hayes; F James Gist; G Greivis Vasquez; G Mike Jones; F Ekene Ibekwe Backcourt -- Don't be surprised to see a four-guard lineup this season, as Hayes and Vasquez bring depth and talent to the position, and could easily be inserted into a lineup with Jones and Strawberry.

With consecutive National Invitation Tournament championships, South Carolina coach Dave Odom and Hall of Famer Joe Lapchick now have something in common. And that's as far as Odom wanted to go with comparing his team to Lapchick's St. John's squads that won back-to-back titles in 1943 and 1944, when the NIT was even more prestigious than the NCAA tournament. "I don't know that our team rivals that, and I certainly don't rival him, but the accomplishment remains the same," Odom said. "We did win two back-to-back, and for that I am thankful and very, very proud."

DOUBLE-DIGIT DOWNFALL This marked the third time in the past six games that Maryland blew a double-digit lead. Losing the 15-point advantage might not have been as bad as the 20-point collapse against Clemson at Comcast Center on March 2, but it was worse than losing the 11-point lead to Virginia Tech on Feb. 20. A SPLIT AT BOBCATS ARENA It's doubtful Maryland will return to this venue. The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament isn't coming back because the arena doesn't have enough seats to satisfy the league's 12 teams.

Maryland's first-round National Invitation Tournament game against Iona on Friday at Comcast Center will be played at 7 p.m. Should the Terps advance, they would play the winner of the Drexel-East Carolina game. "We'll use the WNIT to allow us more practice and game time together to keep improving," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "Every day we play together is a chance to get better. We'll use this season away from the 'Big Dance' to fuel our returning and incoming players during the offseason and next year."