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Maryland
Takeaways from No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball’s 25-point win at Northwestern
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No. 8 Maryland ladies’s basketball rode an entire efficiency in its 79-54 victory over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Enviornment in Evanston, Illinois, on Thursday.
Maryland senior guard Diamond Miller supplied 18 factors, 9 rebounds, seven assists and a pivotal bucket within the second quarter that led to a dominant 10 minutes of play.
The Terps (20-5) moved to 11-3 in Massive Ten play and can return dwelling Sunday for a 1 p.m. conflict with Illinois at XFINITY Middle.
Listed below are three takeaways from Thursday evening’s motion.
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese clinched her nineteenth straight 20-win season.
One other season, one other accomplishment for Maryland head coach Brenda Frese.
Frese gained this system’s first nationwide title in 2006 and has led the Terps to a few Ultimate 4 appearances.
When the 2022-23 Maryland roster was utterly assembled, it was laborious to think about 20 wins this shortly. The Terps had been No. 17 within the preseason AP ballot, however roster turnover triggered uncertainty. Frese — with 9 newcomers and missing ample measurement — has discovered other ways to win significant video games this season.
The Terps victory on Thursday clinched Frese’s nineteenth consecutive 20-win season in Faculty Park.
“I can’t say sufficient about our teaching workers and the job they’ve achieved this season. So simply the buy-in from the gamers and placing all of it collectively is fairly cool to see.” Frese mentioned
Maryland has maintained success in Frese’s tenure, with this yr wanting fairly totally different from yr’s previous.
Frese has experimented with totally different defensive units this season, because the Terps shifted to an prolonged 2-3 zone on Thursday evening. The change in protection triggered havoc for Northwestern and started to show into favorable alternatives in transition.
“I believed it (the 2-3 zone) gave them issues, as you noticed they solely made two threes. I believed we actually acquired higher tonight in our zone.” Frese mentioned
The Terps dismantled Northwestern, and earned one other spectacular milestone below their passionate head coach alongside the best way.
Profitable 20 video games in a season is an accomplishment in itself, however doing it for practically two consecutive many years is worthy of a standing ovation. Whether or not Maryland is within the Massive Ten or the ACC, Frese has set a typical of excellence for her program.
Diamond Miller led a resurgent second quarter.
After a primary quarter the place Northwestern hit first, Maryland performed the next interval with a way of urgency and focus.
With fewer than eight minutes within the second quarter, Maryland senior guard Diamond Miller made a swift spin then proceeded to complete on the rim to trim their deficit 20-19. Miller sprinted again on protection and was noticed yelling ‘Let’s go.’ At that second, the All-Massive Ten guard took over the sport.
Miller confirmed off her playmaking abilities — as her penetration paved a method for a Brinae Alexander layup — leading to a lead it might by no means relinquish.
“I really feel like generally we’re up and down and [I thought] we had been low. I used to be making an attempt to do something to get my crew going.” Miller mentioned
Just a few possessions later, she dribbled laborious in transition earlier than dropping a bounce cross to Abby Meyers for a layup.
The Terps’ offensive ball motion (5 assists) led to a dominant 18-2 scoring margin within the quarter. Whereas their protection held the Wildcats to a 0-for-13 displaying from the sphere and their first factors with below 30 seconds till intermission.
Maryland wouldn’t look again, as they proceeded to win the next two quarters, 45-32. Whereas many might frown at a aggressive first quarter, Maryland’s dominant efficiency is an encouraging signal because it strikes in direction of the ultimate 4 video games.
“Disenchanted in our first quarter, however I believed it was a terrific response after that. The subsequent three quarters we performed extraordinarily laborious and had been extra in tuned to what we wanted to do.” Frese mentioned.
Freshman guard Bri McDaniel continues to flash potential.
Maryland freshman guard Bri McDaniel grew up in Chicago, roughly 20.2 miles away from Welsh-Ryan Enviornment.
With household in attendance, McDaniel scored a career-high 14 factors and drained 4-of-6 pictures from behind the arc, flashing her progress this season in her first collegiate season.
“It felt good to return again dwelling and play. It’s sort of laborious being away from my household, as a result of we’re so household oriented,” McDaniel mentioned. “With the ability to see each final member of the family that I had right here [and to] play for them was wonderful.”
The freshman guard’s motion with out the basketball paved the best way for a powerful efficiency.
With below two minutes remaining within the first quarter, McDaniel drilled a nook 3-pointer for her first factors of the sport. McDaniel’s confidence grew from distance with pictures within the first three quarters.
With a 48-31 lead in hand, the freshman guard led the cost in transition, in the end receiving the hockey help in Diamond Miller’s easy layup.
The Chicago native leads Maryland’s freshman class with eight minutes a sport and has been taking advantage of her time on the courtroom. She’s energetic within the passing lane and constantly contesting opposing pictures. Thursday’s homecoming was an entire efficiency on each ends for the freshman guard.
“That’s what she’s able to doing. Each single evening she’s taking part in laborious and she or he’s a particular participant as you’ll be able to see.” Frese mentioned.
Maryland has 4 video games remaining within the season, with two being extremely anticipated top-25 rematches. The Terps will look to proceed constructing momentum as quickly as Sunday with a couple of weeks to go till the Massive Ten Match.
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Maryland
Getting to know Michigan State football’s Week 2 opponent: Maryland
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Game two is coming up for Michigan State football as the Spartans hit the road for an early season Big Ten matchup against Maryland. The Terps have had MSU’s number in recent years, but the Spartans’ new-look team is ready to change that narrative this weekend.
Jonathan Smith and his staff have a lot to work on this week after a lackluster 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic, but we’ve become more than used to slow starts for MSU in their first game so it’s not time to panic just yet.
While the team wraps up their preparations for Maryland, let’s take a quick look at the Terps and see what we can learn about them before the big game on Saturday.
Maryland is off and running in their 2024 campaign and had an absolutely dominant week one performance. The Terps took on UConn at home and came away with an impressive 50-7 win. Sure UConn is an awful football program, but we saw how poorly Michigan State just did against a similar opponent.
Not only was the final score lopsided, but ever major statistical category was as well. Maryland doubled UConn in first downs and rushing yards, threw for nearly 400 passing yards and even won the turnover battle 3-0. The Terps also only had five penalties for 45 yards which is significantly better than MSU’s 12 for 140 yards against FAU.
Sure all of this took place against UConn, but it appears that Maryland is in a very good spot heading into this big week two matchup.
One thing that I thought would be a positive for Michigan State in this game is that Maryland is breaking in a new quarterback as well. The Terps’ quarterback, Billy Edwards Jr., went off against UConn and completed 20-of-27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also is a capable runner and added 39 yards on the ground, so Michigan State will have its hands full on Saturday slowing him down.
The Terps don’t have one standout running back in the backfield, so that does benefit MSU. They do however have two solid backs in Roman Hemby and Nolan Ray who both ran for over 60 yards and one score each.
The one player however that Michigan State needs to pay the most attention to is wide receiver Tai Felton. He had one of the best Week 1 performances in the country as he recorded seven receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Thankfully MSU’s defense and secondary looked much improved against FAU, so hopefully that carries over into this weekend’s matchup.
The opportunity in front of MSU on Saturday is massive. The Spartans are big underdogs in this matchup which they probably deserve, but a win would do wonders not just for the overall perception of the team but for their confidence moving forward.
I’ve got a strange feeling that we’re going to be very happy around 7 p.m. ET Saturday night.
Maryland
Maryland makes filing taxes online free for some
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More than 700,000 Marylanders should be able to file their state and federal income tax returns online for free next year, saving residents hours of work and hundreds of dollars on tax software and prep services.
Maryland joined dozens of states Wednesday in a voluntary federal program called Direct File after a test run received positive reviews and showed possible cost savings. Filing paper returns by mail will still be an option.
“It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said at a news conference in Annapolis.
The first-term Democrat called the program a game changer for Maryland taxpayers that will modernize her agency. It targets low-to-moderate earners with relatively simple tax returns, and is expected to expand over time.
Lierman’s office will partner with the nonprofit Code for America to integrate the Maryland tax filing system into Direct File. Eligibility requirements will be announced in January, the comptroller’s office said.
Gov. Wes Moore, State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and nonprofit partners joined Lierman for the announcement.
Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 helped build and test the system. The IRS and Treasury Department then invited states to participate.
The IRS has been considering a free e-filing option for low-income American taxpayers for decades, according to the Congressional Research Service. When tax prep companies pushed back, the federal government agreed not to compete with them if they provided free help and e-filing to low-earning taxpayers.
However, many qualified taxpayers were pushed toward paid services, according to an investigation by nonprofit news outlet ProPublica.
The IRS piloted Direct File in 12 states this year. Filers used a laptop, tablet, cellphone or other device to submit income returns and request certain tax credits offered to low-earning individuals and families.
In a survey, nine out of 10 Direct File users ranked their experience as “Excellent” or “Above Average.”
U.S. Rep Steny Hoyer, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 5th District, called paying taxes the “price of our democracy.”
“We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities,” he said. “And this system of Direct File does that.”
Robin McKinney, CEO and co-founder of CASH Campaign of Maryland, said easy, free online filing makes the government work more efficiently for citizens and should deliver refunds and credits to taxpayers faster.
McKinney’s nonprofit promotes economic advancement for low- to moderate-income Marylanders and provides free tax help, among other services.
Economic Security Project, a nonprofit that advocates for guaranteed income and economic equity for working families, found that adopting Direct File could mean $355 million in costs and time saved for Maryland’s low- to moderate-earners.
Maryland recently has expanded tax credits for working families, but about $152 million goes unclaimed each year, according to the Security Project’s analysis.
They also estimated that about $148 million could be saved in filing fees and $56 million could be saved in time spent filing taxes.
That money could have gone into Marylanders’ pockets, CASH Campaign’s McKinney said, and it could have gone back into the state’s economy.
Maryland
Maryland joins IRS Direct File program, offering free tax filing for up to 700,000 taxpayers – Maryland Matters
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Some Maryland taxpayers will be able to use a free electronic filing tool for their federal taxes rather than having to pay a tax preparer or buy tax-filing software next year, when Maryland will offer the IRS’s new Direct File service.
The service was tested in 12 states this year, where 140,803 people filed with Direct File, saving an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) estimated Wednesday that as many as 700,000 Maryland taxpayers could be eligible for the program when it debuts in the state next year.
“While we value our relationship with tax preparers and CPAs (certified public accountants), it’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns,” Lierman said at a news conference announcing the program.
The IRS and the U.S. Treasury still have to finalize eligibility rules for the program this fall, but Lierman said it will be a “game changer” for those families who do qualify, which could be as much as 20% of individual taxpayers in the state.
“Taxes are a part of the glue that keeps our state and our nation together, functioning, producing, protecting and thriving,” Lierman said. “Yet in America, we make it uniquely challenging to pay those taxes and file a return — until now.”
According to the Treasury, taxpayers spend “approximately 13 hours and $270 preparing their taxes each year.” Many Americans use tax filing services or software, such as TurboTax and H&R Block, to ensure that their taxes are filed correctly, despite most of the information being readily available state and federal tax collection agencies.
It’s unacceptable that Marylanders should have to pay any portion whatsoever of their refund or paycheck to fulfill a mandatory requirement like filing tax returns.
– Comptroller Brooke Lierman
Direct File launched this year in 12 states for people to file their 2023 federal returns — Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the program is aimed at helping middle-income tax filers with “relatively simple” filings.
“What I can tell you is our goal for us is to build a system that’s going to work for working class and middle class Americans. So you get a W-2, and you’re somebody who’s a teacher, you’re a fireman, you’re a doctor who’s earning most of your money from a W-2, we want to make sure we’re building a system that potentially works for you,” said Adeyemo, who was in Annapolis for the announcement.
“The thing we’re not going to do is build a system that works for big corporations or wealthy individuals. Next year we’re going to expand the system so that more Americans are able to participate in it,” Adeyemo said.
The Biden administration invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join the program next year, when people will be filing their 2024 taxes. The Treasury said that Maryland joins Oregon, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Connecticut, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Maine in taking up Direct File.
“I know to some, this announcement may seem inconsequential — and I know how exciting tax announcements are,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) joked at the announcement. “But the details matter. They matter to the families who are impacted by this work. They’re going to matter to the families, who … dread tax season because it feels complicated. Who dread tax season because it seems expensive, or oftentimes have to deal with the consequences of getting something wrong.”
The Direct File program came out of the Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022, which also secured additional funding to help the IRS modernize and provide better services to Americans.
But Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who chairs a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, said Direct File program and other services under the Inflation Reduction Act could be “under threat.” While his subcommittee wants to fully fund the IRS and keep Direct File going, House leaders want to cut funding for both.
He also said that the industry is lobbying against the free tax filing system.
“There are people who didn’t want us to do this, including a lot of the middlemen” who currently profit from tax preparation, Van Hollen said. “They’re lobbying against this kind of thing.”
In addition to Van Hollen, Moore, Lierman and Adeyemo, Wednesday’s event drew a number of Maryland Democratic heavyweights: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer John Sarbanes and State Treasurer Dereck Davis.
Hoyer put it simply: “Nobody likes taxes.”
“We don’t really get excited about paying our taxes. But we know that it is the price of our democracy,” Hoyer said. “We ought to make it as easy as possible for people to comply with a legal obligation that they have to support their country, their state and their communities.”
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