Should the Maryland Terrapins find a way to climb back toward respectability in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, it’s likely the trio of Adrian Moten, Alex Wujciak and Torrey Smith will lead the way.

Those three Terrapins have drawn plenty of preseason attention for a team that lost 10 of 12 games in 2009.

All three have been named to postseason national awards watch lists in recent days.

Senior linebackers Moten and Wujciak are two of 51 players from around the country to be selected to the Butkus Award watch list. It’s nothing new for Wujciak, who also is on the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy, Lombardi Award and Bednarik Award.

Smith has been placed on the Paul Hornung Award watch list; the award presented to the country’s most versatile player. Smith also is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to the nation’s best wide receiver.

Maryland starts its season against Navy on Sept. 6 in Baltimore.

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It wasn’t like the Maryland Terrapins were blown out in all those games during last season’s seven-game losing streak.

The Terps fell by a touchdown or less in four of those games. Still, that didn’t stop the media voting for the predicted order of finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference to display a lot of faith in Maryland.

In the ACC preseason media predictions, the Terps, which finished 2-10 in 2009 and won just once in conference competition, is picked last in the Atlantic Division.

Florida State earned the top pick in the Atlantic, followed by Clemson, Boston College, N.C. State and Wake Forest before Maryland.

In the Coastal Division, Virginia Tech earned the top spot from the media. Miami was second, followed by defending ACC champion Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

Maryland begins the 2010 season with Navy on Sept. 6 at Baltimore.

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There should be little doubting the Maryland Terrapins’ confidence entering the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this weekend.

The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the land, having posted victories in seven straight, nine out of 10 and 13 out of 15 heading into their postseason opener, an ACC quarterfinals matchup with Georgia Tech and Greensboro Colisum.

Maryland has not lost since falling at Duke 77-56 on Feb. 13. Maryland did get revenge for that earlier setback to the Blue Devils last week, beating Duke at home 79-72 on March 3. The Terps ended the season tied with Duke atop the ACC at 13-3.

Georgia Tech reached the quarterfinals by beating North Carolina on Thursday, 62-58. The Terps downed the Jackets on Feb. 20, winning 76-74 on Cliff Tucker’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.

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Cliff Tucker averages less than six points per game. With one shot, the Maryland guard scored half that many, and moved the Terrapins into second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Tucker rolled off a screen and popped a 3-pointer from the left wing Saturday, beating the buzzer and sending the Terps to a heart-stopping 76-74 victory over Georgia Tech.

One of Tucker’s more well-known and accomplished teammates, Greivis Vasquez, broke the 2,000 career point barrier in the game, scoring 18 points. He’s the first ACC player to reach 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds in his career.

Maryland moved all alone into second place in the conference, 1 ½ games behind first-place Duke. It didn’t look like it would happen, though, when Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors scored on a short jumper in the lane with three seconds left to put Maryland down 74-73.

Maryland got the ball to midcourt and called timeout. On the inbounds pass, Tucker got the ball on the left wing and launched his game-winning shot just before the buzzer sounded.

Maryland plays host to Clemson on Wednesday.

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Sitting 1 ½ games out of the Atlantic Coast Conference lead, the Maryland Terrapins need all the wins they can get.

Trying to bridge the gap between where the Terps sit – tied for second with Virginia Tech in the ACC – and first-place Duke, Maryland looks to continue its good work Saturday when Georgia Tech comes to town.

The Terps (18-7, 8-3) have won two in a row, knocking off Virginia 85-66 Monday in a make-up game that was postponed Feb. 10 by snow, and N.C. State on Wednesday, 67-58. Maryland has won four of its past five, its only loss an ugly 21-point defeat at Duke on Feb. 13.

Maryland gets another shot at the Devils, March 3 at home. Three of the Terps’ final five games are at home, where Maryland is 12-1 on the season.

Georgia Tech has rode an up-and-down year to a 6-6 mark in ACC play. The Jackets beat North Carolina Tuesday, 68-51, snapping a two-game losing streak.

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Since losing to Wake Forest by two points in overtime Jan. 12, the Maryland Terrapins have played like a team with a chip on its shoulder.

That attitude was on display again Tuesday night, as the Terps surged into first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Landon Milbourne and Greivis Vasquez each scored 16 points, and the Terps won their fourth in a row, blasting Miami 81-59. The win pushes Maryland to 14-5 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, good enough to nudge the Terps by Virginia and into the ACC’s top spot.

During their four-game winning streak, Maryland has won by an average of 28 points per game. Eric Hayes and Sean Mosley each added 10 points as the Terps shot 50 percent from the floor. Defensively, Maryland held the Hurricanes to just 38 percent shooting.

The Terps are off the next three days before traveling to Clemson for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff on Sunday.

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