Top-seeded Houston defeated No. 8 Maryland in the second round of the 1983 tournament, 60-50. Of course, that was the Phi Slama Jama team that included Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler—and lost to N.C. State in the championship game in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

In the schools’ first ever meeting, Maryland won 69-68 in the Sugar Bowl Tournament in 1965.

Again, the winner of the Maryland-Houston game will face either fifth-seeded Michigan State or No. 12 seed New Mexico State on Sunday in Spokane.

The Midwest Regional semifinals will be played the next weekend in St. Louis.

The postseason appearance will be the 17th straight for the Terrapins. Maryland has won nine straight NCAA first-round games, dating back to 1998 and has reached at least the Sweet 16 in four of its last nine NCAA appearances.

The Terps have now reached the NCAA tournament in three of the last four years after failing to earn bids in 2005, 2006, and 2008.

9:00 p.m. — This marks the fourth time the Terps have been designated as a No. 4 seed, the others coming in 1998 (losing in the Sweet 16 to Arizona), 2004 (falling in the second round to Syracuse), and most recently in 2007 (a second-round casualty to Butler).

Maryland will try to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.

8:55 p.m. — Williams clearly had kind words for Houston head coach Tom Penders who became the eighth coach to take four different schools to the NCAA tournament. Other notable names on the list include Rick Pitino, Lon Kruger, and Eddie Sutton.

Penders also took George Washington, Rhode Island, and Texas to the Big Dance.

8:30 p.m. — Gary Williams also spoke to the media following the news of Maryland being selected as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest.

Opening Statement:
“To make the NCAA tournament is always a great honor. It’s a great feeling as a team because you know you’ve worked very hard to get to the tournament. To be the 4th seed, which means the selection committee felt you were one of the top 16 teams in the country. That is something our players should be proud of.”

“We’re looking forward to playing, and it’s a great opportunity for us.”

On what he said to the team after learning their fate:
“I told them I was proud of the team for what they did. It’s so difficult now, as you see the teams that didn’t make the tournament. To make the tournament is significant.”

On his reaction compared to the seniors’ subdued reaction:
“It’s never subdued for me. . .In my first year (1989-90) during the week of the ACC tournament, we found out we couldn’t go to the NCAA tournament for the next two years and couldn’t play on live television [due to NCAA sanctions], so I’ve never forgotten that.”

On Tom Penders and Houston:
“I really haven’t seen them, but obviously we do a good job of taping games during the year. We have plenty of tape, and we’ll get more tape. Tom Penders has done a good job wherever he’s been. Obviously, he knows how to coach.”

Williams also explained his assistant coaches will focus on preparation for potential second-round match-ups with Michigan State or New Mexico State. He will be responsible for preparing for Houston.

On whether he’s been to Spokane:
“Yes, I have. Mark Few has a big Coaches vs. Cancer dinner. I was out there one year. It’s a beautiful place.”

On going out west:
“In 2001, we got to the Final Four going out west. The tough thing is for the parents of the players. It’s very expensive to get out there on short notice, and our fans. In terms of playing, we’ve done well out west before, so we’ll look forward to it.”

On the selection committee’s job:
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever seen to do.”

On Virginia Tech being left out of the field of 65:
“Yeah, I was surprised. I don’t know the reason. I thought Virginia Tech was a good basketball team, but I’m not in [the room with the selection committee].”

Williams also attributed the struggles of defending champion North Carolina as the main reason for the perception of the ACC being a “down” conference. “That was the picture that was created.”

On Maryland’s chances in the tournament:
“Once you get into the tournament, those seeds don’t mean anything.”

“You go in there with a positive attitude, and [the momentum can] snowball very quickly.”

On where this rates compared to Maryland’s bids earlier in his career:
“As you get older, you appreciate it more. You don’t worry about where you’re being sent.”

On Houston star Aubrey Coleman:
“You get 25 [points] per game, you’re doing something right.”

8:05 p.m. — Here are some highlights from this evening’s press conference. Again, check out the WNST.net Audio Vault for the full press conference.

Greivis Vasquez

On whether there was a difference between this year and last year on Selection Sunday:
“Absolutely. It was fun. You don’t have to worry if you’re in or not.”

On this being his last trip to the Dance:
“It’s time to go. We want these types of games. We want to be on this stage. It’s going to be fun. It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to work extremely hard this week and get ready to win games.”

On moving on from the Georgia Tech game:
“In order for us to be a good team, we have to have a short memory.”

Eric Hayes

On the team’s demeanor during the Selection Show:
“We were definitely more relaxed this year. Last year, we were jumping up and down. We all know we were getting in; just anxious to see where and what seed we got.”

On the aftermath of losing in Greensboro:
“I’m sure we’ve probably already forgotten about Georgia Tech already. Seeing how we’re the 4th seed, one of the top 16 seeds, is a pretty good honor for us.”

On whether he’s ever been to Spokane:
“Never been. This is probably the only situation where I’d ever go also.” (This caused the media room to erupt in laughter. That Hayes is quite the dry comedian.)

Landon Milbourne

On the Terps’ familiarity with Houston:
“We don’t know much. Coach explained a little bit about their coach [Tom Penders], saying that they might shoot a lot of threes and play on the perimeter well. We just have to prepare like we normally do and work on our perimeter defense.”

On the need to start strongly:
“The focus has got to be there. Us three seniors have to take a big pride in that, coming on the court when the jump ball goes up everybody’s on the same page.”

7:50 p.m. — Go to the WNST.net Audio Vault right now to hear from Gary Williams, Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne. Hayes also checked in with Glenn Clark and Chris Bonetti during this evening’s live tournament selection show. It’s all there, so check it out now.

6:38 p.m. — All four regions have been revealed. The ACC sends six teams to the tournament with Duke (1), Maryland (4), Clemson (7), Florida State (9), Wake Forest (9), and Georgia Tech (10).

The Hokies can thank a MISERABLE out of conference SOS for being left out of the field of 65.

6:31 p.m. — Here is my quick reaction to Maryland being a No. 4 seed.

Clearly, a 13-3 record and share of the ACC regular season championship looked very impressive in the eyes of the committee. The quarterfinal loss to Georgia Tech could not have hurt the Terrapins too much in terms of seeding.

That being said, the Midwest is an absolutely BRUTAL region. Kansas, as the No. 1 seed overall, is rewarded by being placed in a region with the likes of Ohio State, Northern Iowa, Michigan State, Tennessee, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, and Maryland.

Easily the toughest region in the field.

WOW.

6:27 p.m. — Morgan State is the No. 15 seed in the East and will take on No. 2 West Virginia.

6:20 p.m. — As the first two regions are in, it sure looks like Virginia Tech is going to be on the outside looking in. Minnesota and Florida were both on the bubble and received bids in the West region.

6:13 p.m. — Maryland will play as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest, taking on No. 13 Houston in Spokane on Friday. If the Terps can move to the second round, they will take on the winner of No. 5 Michigan State and No. 12 New Mexico State.

6:03 p.m. — Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse are the other three. Very surprising to see Duke move ahead of Syracuse. I suppose the injury to Arinze Onuaku—and the loss in the quarterfinal—moved Syracuse down a spot.

6:01 p.m. — Kansas is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. No shock there.

_____________________________________

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Happy Selection Sunday from College Park as we’ve finally reached the day everyone has been waiting for over the last four months.

Most pundits have played the Terrapins in the No. 4 to 6 range for their tournament seeing, but all of the speculation will be over soon, and we’ll see where Maryland will travel later this week for the first round of the NCAA tournament.

We’ll have reaction from Gary Williams and the Terrapins immediately after they learn their NCAA fate. It’s certainly nice to be comfortably awaiting the news this season after sweating out the verdict over the past few seasons.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) and tune to AM 1570 WNST or live on the web at WNST.net as Glenn Clark and Chris Bonetti are currently hosting WNST’s tournament selection show. Coverage will run until 8 p.m.

Coach Gary Williams, senior leader Greivis Vasquez, and the rest of the Maryland Terrapins were pleased with how they were playing and had every right to be.

Even the program’s biggest detractors from the last several years were acknowledging the possibility of an ACC tournament championship and a No. 3 seed or—if the right teams had lost over the weekend—the outside chance of grabbing the final No. 2 when the NCAA tournament brackets would be revealed Sunday evening.

A bye in the opening round of the ACC tournament appeared to be the perfect elixir for the Terps’ fatigue—both mental and physical—that was evident when they struggled past Virginia in the regular season finale last Saturday. Five days off was exactly what Maryland needed—or so we thought.

Whether it was a lack of emotion, losing its rhythm after a five-day layoff, a bad quarterfinal draw, or—most likely—a combination of the three, Maryland was humbled in a 69-64 defeat to Georgia Tech on Friday night, particularly in the first half when the Terps fell behind by 19 points and shot only 29 percent from the field.

To be turned away so quickly in Greensboro was a reality check that the Terps are not the type of team that can simply turn it on at a moment’s notice and overcome a significant deficit, even after having nine opportunities to tie or take the lead in the second half. Very few teams are able to do it, and the Terps fell short despite an admirable second-half effort.

But let’s be clear, the end result against Georgia Tech was disappointing, but hardly surprising. The Terps have struggled all season against teams with length inside, and the Yellow Jackets are as tough in the frontcourt as anyone in the country.

Friday’s loss may have been a missed opportunity to improve its seeding, but the loss should not discredit Maryland’s incredible season nor soil its odds for a solid run in the Big Dance.

Nevertheless, the talk of this being a “good” loss is simply that—talk. Vasquez and fellow seniors Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne talked for weeks about the goal of winning the ACC tournament. Regardless of the Terps’ listless first-half effort, the tournament championship was far more important to these players than most think. The defeat was a painful one in the seniors’ last experience competing in the ACC.

The idea that losing a game early in the weekend will help spark a longer run in the NCAA tournament sounds great on paper for a team with serious NCAA championship aspirations—the 2002 Terps for example—but Maryland’s tournament fate will depend far more on the match-ups chosen by the selection committee than an early exit from the ACC tournament.

You probably wouldn’t expect the Terps to face a team with Georgia Tech’s size in the opening round next week, but if they do, they’ll struggle. And if Maryland manages to avoid teams with imposing frontcourts in the opening weekend, we’ll likely see the Terps in the round of 16.

The reality is championships aren’t won and tournament runs aren’t completed with previous win-loss trends and rhetoric for good talk radio. The cream rises to the top, and it remains to be seen where Maryland lies in that tournament mixture—probably somewhere in the middle. It all hedges on the ingredients lumped together in each region by the selection committee. A “good” or “bad” loss in the conference tournament has little—if anything—to do with it.

What the loss in Greensboro does provide is a higher sense of desperation this week when the Terps will travel to Providence or New Orleans or Spokane to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row—and the final time for a very proud senior triumvirate.

As strange as it was to witness the Terps’ first-half sleepwalk against Georgia Tech, it’s even more implausible to think it could happen again on Thursday or Friday. And the fact that Maryland hasn’t lost consecutive games since playing in the Maui Invitational in late November only supports the theory.

While the Terps lack all of the necessary components to win a national championship, their impressive resiliency increases the likelihood for a Sweet 16 run. The Yellow Jackets provided a not-so-friendly lesson that postseason success isn’t guaranteed, regardless of whether you captured the regular season title or won seven games in a row or have the ACC player of the year leading the way.

If Maryland didn’t get the message on Friday, we’ll likely be talking about the end of the season a week from now.

We see it all the time when a No. 5 or 6 seed enters the NCAA tournament—already with an eye on the second-round opponent—only to find itself pitted against a formidable underdog capable of sending the favorite home early. Williams will undoubtedly remind his team of a few experiences he’s had over the years—both good (see below) and bad.

We’ll see if the ACC regular season co-champions can regroup and put together a strong tournament run. Questions surrounding this team remain, but we’re about to find out.

Can the Terps play a complete 40 minutes on the big stage?

Are both Milbourne and Sean Mosley capable of playing well offensively at the same time?

Will Vasquez take the Georgia Tech loss in stride or put more pressure on himself to do it all?

Is Maryland capable of getting back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003?

Plenty of questions, and plenty of opportunities for excitement—or disappointment.

We’ll soon find out how the Terps respond.

Just moments before their biggest game—and victory—of the season against hated Duke, Greivis Vasquez and Gary Williams stood alone on Senior Night, sharing a brief moment that no one could take away, chastise, or disparage. Despite three up-and-down seasons that saw both men experience intense—and sometimes malicious—scrutiny, the senior guard and veteran coach stood tall on the Comcast floor, basking in the accomplishments of a brilliant 2009-10 season that was about to get even better.

Now, less than a week after clinching a share of the ACC regular season title and currently preparing for the ACC tournament as the No. 2 seed, Vasquez and Williams added to those accomplishments on Tuesday, earning ACC Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors in a slam-dunk vote.

Selected by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association, Vasquez received 39 of 53 votes (74 percent), overwhelmingly besting Duke senior Jon Scheyer (12 votes) and Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney (two).  The Caracas, Venezuela native is the fifth Terrapin to win the award and the first since Juan Dixon in 2002. The three others to win include Joe Smith (1995), Albert King (1980), and the late Len Bias (1985 and 1986).

Winning the ACC coaching honor for the second time in his career (2002), Williams grabbed 42 of 53 votes (79 percent), edging out Mike Krzyzewski (eight), Seth Greenberg (two), and Leonard Hamilton (one).

The juxtaposition of Vasquez and Williams is not only apparent with this year’s accolades but also to anyone that’s followed the tribulations of the Maryland basketball program over the last four years.

One has the “shimmy” and the uncanny ability to incite an entire crowd into a state of euphoria or utter disdain. No player in recent memory has tossed up as many inexplicable shots, only to have them fall at the most critical moments.

The other has the trademark fistpump and frequent eruptions in the direction of his own bench. He’s also been known to perspire a bit while outcoaching some of the finest minds in the college game.

Both were the obvious choices—and clearly the ACC media agreed—but neither man could describe the path traveled over the last four years as harmonious.

Vasquez came to the University of Maryland as a 19-year-old after playing at Montrose Christian, still adjusting to life in a new country when he first stepped foot in College Park. He will leave as one of the finest players in school history, becoming the first ACC player with 2,000 points, 700 assists, and 600 rebounds. His 2010 Player of the Year award was not only deserved for a brilliant senior season but also as a lifetime achievement award for becoming one of the better players in the history of the ACC.

“What he has done for himself—as a person, for his family, what lies ahead for him and his family—is a great story,” the coach recently said about Vasquez. “To see the guy that comes over here and can barely speak English at all and now he is going to graduate.”

But along the way, he was largely underappreciated by much of his own fan base and viciously targeted by opposing fans. The eccentric guard certainly brought much of the disdain upon himself, but not to the level of racist attacks and blatant prejudice encountered at several road venues.

The inconsistency in his play did little to ease the concerns with a struggling Maryland program that now found itself on the bubble annually after winning a national championship earlier in the decade. In many skeptical eyes, Vasquez was the poster child for the fall of the program, despite being the one player keeping it afloat.

It came as no surprise that Vasquez entered the NBA Draft following his junior season, only to return to school after being told again that he wasn’t good enough.

Not good enough.

The same words volleyed at Gary Williams throughout his coaching career. Even after resurrecting a Maryland program from the ashes to win its first national championship in 2002, the criticism had never been louder than in the last few years, culminating last season in a very public spat with athletic director Debbie Yow over recruiting tactics, graduation rates, and the program’s overall performance after missing the NCAA tournament in three of the previous four seasons.

Without drudging up these circumstances, Williams was clearly in a precarious position, needing to prove yet again that he was in fact good enough to lead the program. In one of the finest coaching performances of his career, Williams, with the help of a second-team All-ACC player in Vasquez, led an undersized and undermanned team to the NCAA tournament, appeasing the doubters—at least temporarily—and laying the groundwork for the current championship team.

A year later, there is no talk of being on the bubble as the Terps—and their coach—have no reason to sweat on Selection Sunday. Instead of needing two wins in the conference tournament to avoid the NIT, the Terrapins are eyeing three wins to cut down the nets in Greensboro, for no reason other than simply being good enough to do it—while improving their NCAA seeding in the process.

Williams was the unquestionable choice for the conference’s top coach, molding together a team that finished 13-3 in the ACC and won seven straight games to close the regular season.

Much like Williams turned to Dixon to form a partnership that resulted in a national championship in 2002, Williams and Vasquez coming together in these last four years was the perfect combination, each desperately needing the other, finally resulting in a championship team.

It’s hard to say how many coaches would have tolerated Vasquez’s inconsistent play and sometimes frustrating decision making before looking elsewhere for help. Would Vasquez have been a conference player of the year had he gone to Duke or Syracuse or North Carolina?

Would other coaches have endured the excruciating lows before enjoying the overwhelming highs?

“That’s part of the appeal [with Vasquez],” Williams said after the Duke victory. “You pull your hair out sometimes.”

That said, Williams desperately needed another player in the mold of Dixon, a diamond in the rough with the ability to blossom into a star through hard work while still maintaining that confidence in his coach. Vasquez was the unquestioned floor general to echo Williams’ message in the final moments of a close game.

“I just love him,” Vasquez said about his coach after the Duke win. “I love him. I will never leave him or anything like that. I will always have his back. And I’m gonna always come back to this place. Always.”

It’s no secret the school’s last ACC Player of the Year (Dixon) and Coach of the Year awards came in 2002, and it will undoubtedly cause Maryland fans to fantasize about the possibilities over the next four weeks, however realistic or unrealistic they might be.

The circumstances are far from identical, but the similarity between the two players’ relationships with Williams is enough to cause anyone to pause. The strong affection between the two is obvious, as seen during their warm embrace on Senior Night.

And while this season probably won’t end with the same national championship witnessed eight years ago, the two of them continue to author a memorable—if not totally unlikely—story with pages yet to be written.

The story may ultimately lack the resolution of the one witnessed in 2002, but the same theme will be prevalent.

Not good enough?

Not anymore.

The senior guard and the seasoned coach knew it all along.

Regular season co-champion Maryland travels to Greensboro as the No. 2 seed with Duke winning the tiebreaker after embarrassing North Carolina on Saturday night. This marks the 10th time the Terps have been the No. 2 seed and the first time since 2003. After receiving a first-round bye on Thursday, the Terps will battle the winner of Georgia Tech-North Carolina at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Here’s the schedule:

FIRST ROUND - Thursday
No. 8 Boston College vs. No. 9 Virginia, 12:00
No. 5 Wake Forest vs. No. 12 Miami, 2:00
No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 10 North Carolina, 7:00
No. 6 Clemson vs. NC State, 9:00

QUARTERFINALS - Friday
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8/No. 9 winner, 12:00
No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 5/No. 12 winner, 2:00
No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 7/No. 10 winner, 7:00
No. 3 Florida St. vs. No. 6/No. 11 winner, 9:00

SEMIFINALS - Saturday
First semifinal (afternoon quarterfinal winners), 1:30
Second semifinal (evening quarterfinal winners), 3:30

CHAMPIONSHIP - Sunday
Semifinal winners, 1:00

Early thoughts:
I’ll have more later in the week, but a second-round meeting against Georgia Tech would be intriguing–if not downright scary–for the Terps. Let me refresh your memory:
Click here to view the embedded video.

The Yellow Jackets have been wildly inconsistent this season despite possessing one of the most imposing frontcourts in the conference with freshman star Derrick Favors (21 points in the game against Maryland) and Gani Lawal (13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game). Despite the tremendous freshman season from Jordan Williams, it’s no secret the Terps have struggled against the bigger frontcourts of the conference. Of course, Maryland would hold the clear advantage in the backcourt over the guard-challenged Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech would also be a desperate opponent, finding itself on the bubble with a 7-9 conference record after losing six of its last nine. A victory over North Carolina would help their cause, but the Jackets would likely need two tournament wins to feel completely safe on Selection Sunday.

Paul Hewitt’s squad would appear to be the popular sleeper pick, finding itself in a similar position to the 2004 Terrapins who, with the same 7-9 ACC record, needed a strong conference tournament run to earn an NCAA tournament invitation and ended up cutting down the nets in Greensboro to gain the automatic bid. Georgia Tech owns victories over Duke, Clemson, and Wake Forest and currently sits 44th in the projected RPI.

That being said, the up-and-down Yellow Jackets could just as easily fall to North Carolina in the opening round as they could win three games this coming weekend. However, if you had the opportunity to see Roy Williams’ Tar Heels in Durham on Saturday night, you probably know why I’m focusing my attention on Georgia Tech. And, no, it’s not because Georgia Tech already has two wins over the Heels this season, though that’s certainly worth mentioning.

In case you didn’t recognize them (I didn’t either after watching that debacle on Saturday night), those guys walking off the court in the Carolina blue uniforms were in fact the 2010 Tar Heels. Stranger things have happened, but it’s hard to envision anything but a quick exit from a lifeless North Carolina team.

Gary Williams will have his team prepared for either opponent, but it looks to be a second-round meeting with his good friend Paul Hewitt on Friday evening and a rematch of one of the best games of the year in the ACC.

Undersized.

Not enough talent.

Unable to hang with the ACC’s elite.

So on senior night, Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne had a final opportunity to silence the critics on their home floor at Comcast Center. They and the rest of their teammates did not disappoint.

In a back-and-forth battle that saw nine ties and six lead-changes in the second half, the Terps imposed their will and used a suffocating defense to outscore No. 4 Duke 10-3 in the final two minutes to secure a 79-72 victory, pulling into a first-place tie with the Blue Devils in the ACC standings with one regular season game remaining.

Despite losing a 14-point first-half lead and falling behind by four early in the second half, Maryland’s defense was relentless, holding the Blue Devils to 33 percent shooting after the intermission.

“Defensively, we won the game,” Williams said. “No one scores a lot of points against Duke, but what we did early, we were really hot and made some great plays. At halftime, we had to come out and fight, and for the first eight minutes [of the second half], no one was scoring and it was two really good teams fighting each other.”

As he has all season, Greivis Vasquez led the effort, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the second half including an acrobatic one-handed runner to put Maryland ahead 73-69 with 37 seconds to go. In addition to Vasquez’s customary heroics, the Terps (22-7, 12-3 ACC) again received contributions from different sources at pivotal moments in the game.

Reserve guard Adrian Bowie scored nine points in the second half, including two field goals that gave the Terps a lead and another that tied the game at 65-65 with 4:18 remaining. It was just another example of a role player stepping up at a critical time, a familiar pattern during Maryland’s current six-game winning streak.

“[Bowie] really saved us in the second half,” said Hayes, who finished with 13 points. “We were struggling to score and he came in there when Greivis and I were on the bench, and he provided us a nice spark of scoring, playing good defense, getting out on the break.”

Rebounding from what could politely be called a learning experience in his first meeting against Duke, Jordan Williams continued to show his maturation, standing his ground—and then some—against the tough Duke frontcourt, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to display just how much he learned from his first trip to Durham. It was just another example of the freshman’s dynamic impact this season.

“When you coach a freshman with the potential that Jordan has, that is really an encouraging sign,” Gary Williams said. “You want players to learn. You don’t mind that they get beat early in their careers; you want them to learn.”

And as we look ahead to Saturday’s regular season finale at Virginia and postseason play, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned from this team over the last three weeks:

It rebounded from a brutal first half in Raleigh and earned an ugly road win at NC State.

It won on a buzzer-beater against Georgia Tech to preserve a perfect home record in conference play.

The Terps endured a three-hour delay because of a water main break and won in double overtime against a Virginia Tech team that hadn’t lost a game in Blacksburg all season.

And now, the Terps have finally gained the signature win for which the critics have waited all season.

This is the type of victory that not only gives this team more confidence entering the postseason, but it causes us to reconsider our own expectations of how far it can advance into March.

Despite its perceived shortcomings, the Terps have answered every challenge thrown their way over the last three weeks and have done so in impressive—not to mention exciting—fashion.

Critics will continue to point to a lack of size as their biggest weakness and yet the Terps have knocked off Duke, Georgia Tech, and Clemson in the last three weeks, three of the biggest teams the ACC has to offer.

For a group of players that weren’t supposed to be this good, they’re doing a lot to convince us otherwise.

Maybe it’s time to start believing them. Perhaps a deep postseason run is far more likely than anyone thought.

“I’m really proud for our seniors and our team,” Gary Williams said. “They got dogged pretty good last year when they didn’t deserve it. They really picked it up this year and to do what they did, I’m happy that they stuck it to a few people who had some things to say.”

Needless to say, the doubts are falling more and more silent.

And the wins continue coming in loud and clear.

- Maryland snapped a six-game losing streak to Duke and finished the season 15-1 at Comcast Center.

“The crowds have been great,” Gary Williams said. “Hopefully that will continue as the years go on.”

- The Terps have now beaten a top-10 team at least once in 14 straight seasons.

- Vasquez has made 30 consecutive free throws with the streak dating back to the NC State game on Feb. 17.

- Maryland outscored Duke in the paint, 38-26, and held the advantage in fast-break points, 9-0.

Check out the final stats here and the live blog below.

________________________________________

11:03 p.m. — Scheyer misses the layup, and it looks like Maryland will have the opportunity to play for at least a share of the ACC regular season title.

Williams goes to the line and makes them both. Why not?

Andre Dawkins hits the 3-pointer, but it’s all over.

Maryland knocks off No. 4 Duke with a very convincing final few minutes and is now tied for first place in the Atlantic Coach Conference.

Final score: Maryland 79, Duke 72.

And the court is being absolutely mobbed.

11:02 p.m. — Vasquez with the one-handed shot! How did that go in?!

Just a tremendous shot from the best player in the history of Comcast Center.

Following the Duke miss, Mosley is fouled and the native Baltimorean drains a pair of free throws.

Maryland leads 75-69 with 26.2 seconds to play.

11:01 pm. — One minute to play and Maryland up two. Enough said.

11:00 p.m. — Just a HUGE offensive rebound and put-back by Jordan Williams.

Big-time play by the freshman.

10:59 p.m. — After Vasquez has it poked away by Scheyer, Smith’s jumper ties the game.

You get the impression that Hayes could throw the ball toward the rim blindfolded and it’d go in at this point.

10:55 p.m. — At the final media timeout, Maryland leads Duke, 67-65, with 3:26 to go.

What more could you ask for in this one?

10:54 p.m. — Vasquez scores with the running bank shot to give Maryland a 67-65 lead with 3:42 remaining. He now has a team-high 16 points and has absolutely come alive in the last few minutes.

Timeout on the floor.

10:53 p.m. — Despite a slow start, Scheyer now has 17 points after hitting the running left hand in the lane.

Bowie scores on the other end to tie the game.

The pace is just furious in the final four minutes.

10:52 p.m. — Scheyer hits a big triple to put Duke back in front.

And Vasquez answers with his own. His biggest shot of the night by far.

10:51 p.m. — Following another Maryland timeout, Singler goes to the line and makes 1-of-2 to give Duke a two-point advantage.

Mosley maintains his composure and finds a cutting Hayes for the layup. Very calm basketball play right there.

10:50 p.m. — Very quiet night from Vasquez thus far. Does he have one final act in him here at Comcast Center?

10:48 p.m. — Following the break, Vasquez goes to the line and drains a pair to tie the game at 56-56.

The Terps show the press, but Duke handles it.

Following the miss on the other end, Bowie hits the mid-range jumper off the dribble.

10:45 p.m. — We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout with Duke holding a 56-54 advantage over the Terps with 7:43 to go.

10:44 p.m. — Seven unanswered points by Nolan Smith causes Gary Williams to call timeout. He now has 18 for the game.

10:42 p.m. — Thomas just picked up his fourth foul. Bad news for the Blue Devils.

10:41 p.m. — Tough shot by Smith with Bowie right in his face.

Following a Mosley miss, Smith hits another bucket and is fouled by Mosley. He hits the freebie to complete the 3-point play and tie the game with 9:00 to go.

10:36 p.m. — Maryland and Duke go into the under-12 media timeout with the Terps in the midst of a 12-3 run.

The Terps lead 54-49 with 10:43 remaining.

10:35 p.m. — Bowie with ANOTHER huge shot from the perimeter as we’ve seen him do a handful of times over the last few weeks. Despite his shooting struggles this season, he’s really stepped up at some very key times for the Terrapins down the stretch.

10:34 p.m. — Adrian Bowie with the steal and the layup to give Maryland a 49-47 lead. The crowd is once again becoming a MAJOR factor for the first time in the second half.

And it gets even LOUDER as Milbourne throws down a monstrous, one-handed dunk on the next possession!

10:31 p.m. — Too much flare, not enough substance on the last two possessions.

10:30 p.m. — Mason Plumlee goes to the line and makes one of two as Gregory sits down after picking up his third foul.

Williams hits a HUGE jump hook and is fouled on the play. It also sends Zoubek to the bench with his third foul.

The frosh hits the freebie to tie the game as the Comcast crowd comes alive.

10:27 p.m. — The Terps have just four points in the first five minutes of the second half. Fortunately, the Blue Devils haven’t come out on fire either.

Zoubek and the Blue Devils, however, have completely changed the complexion of the game in the paint. They’re just dominating the glass.

10:24 p.m. — At the first media timeout with 15:55 to go, Duke leads Maryland, 46-44.

10:22 p.m. — Very nice to see Williams go to the line and drain two. As I’ve said all year, his form looks too good to be such a poor free-throw shooter.

10:20 p.m. — Scheyer goes to the line and makes two out of three freebies to give Duke a four-point lead.

Really need a bucket here if you’re Maryland.

10:18 p.m. — Not a good decision by Vasquez to try to fit that baseline pass into Hayes.

However, Mosley draws the player-control foul on Smith, Duke’s second team foul of the half.

10:16 p.m. — Vasquez hits the runner in the lane to tie the game. You get the feeling Maryland will need a HUGE second half from Vasquez to pull this one out.

Maybe not “Virginia Tech” big but you get my point.

10:13 p.m. — Scheyer hits a 3-pointer to start the half, and Duke leads 41-40, its first advantage of the night.

Let’s see how the Terps answer.

10:08 p.m. — The teams are back on the court, and we’re about three minutes away from the start of the second half. You have to be impressed with Maryland’s effort on the boards, outrebounding Duke 19-13.

As disappointing as it may have been to lose the comfortable lead, it’s important to keep in mind the Terps were without Milbourne—and to a lesser extent, Gregory— for a significant portion of the half.

9:56 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the first half with Maryland now holding a very slim 40-38 lead over the Blue Devils.

Very disappointing outcome for a half in which the Terps held a 14-point lead with 6:14 remaining. It will be very interesting to see how Maryland responds after losing a comfortable advantage going into the intermission.

9:55 p.m. — Lots of dribbling on that final possession and Mosley comes up well short on the attempt from beyond the arc.

Duke takes a 30-second timeout with 0.8 seconds remaining

9:54 p.m. — After a week attempt by Milbourne matched up against Miles Plumlee, a Scheyer 3-pointer has cut the lead to two points. It was only a matter of time before he connected.

9:52 p.m. — And just like that, it’s a five-point game after a triple by Smith. Much closer than how this one has felt for most of the half, so you have to be concerned if you’re a Maryland fan.

9:50 p.m. — Singler hits the 3-pointer to cut the lead to nine points. His versatility is very impressive.

The Terps answer with a basket inside by Williams.

Tucker picks up his second foul on the other end as Single completes the three-point play. These are two big minutes for Maryland.

9:45 p.m. — Thomas has no problem inside against Padgett and scores inside.

We’ve reached the final media timeout of the first half with Maryland leading Duke, 36-26 with 3:23 to go.

9:43 p.m. — Gregory goes up to challenge Smith’s drive and earns the foul with the body. That’s Gregory’s second, so Padgett will come in to replace him.

Will be crucial for the two freshmen bigs to play well in the final five minutes before halftime.

Hayes scores inside on another fancy shot inside. He’d be a tough opponent in a game of HORSE right now.

9:41 p.m. — Mosley drains a 3-ball to give Maryland a 14-point lead. It’s safe to say his slump is a distant memory at this point.

Miles Plumlee attempts his first 3-pointer of the year and makes it. Go figure.

9:37 p.m. — Hayes hits the triple, but perhaps the even bigger story is the apparent hand injury to Zoubek. Losing him would be devastating for the Devils.

We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout with Maryland leading 30-19 with 6:42 to go before intermission.

9:34 p.m. — That one on Vasquez was very “questionable” to say the least, but I digress.

9:33 p.m. — Two fouls on Lance Thomas does not bode well for Duke’s defensive efforts. He’s a very effective and versatile member of the frontcourt.

Both teams now have five team fouls as Jordan Williams just picked up his first. Very physical game so far.

9:31 p.m. — Singler goes right inside against Tucker. Definitely not a favorable match-up there for the Terps, but Single presents a problem for just about anyone.

9:29 p.m. — Juan Dixon is here and just received a huge ovation. Despite the recent steroid-related news surrounding the Maryland legend, was there any question this place would go nuts anyway?

Padgett turns it over again, sending him to the bench. He’s getting a lecture from Keith Booth as we speak.

9:26 p.m. — James Padgett and Adrian Bowie are into the game. Padgett will probably see a couple more minutes than he normally would have given Milbourne’s foul trouble.

Vasquez scores on the runner to give him seven points.

Following a ticky-tack foul on Gregory, we’ve reached the under-12 media timeout with Maryland leading Duke, 21-8 with 11:43 to go in the first half.

9:24 p.m. — If Tucker’s going to hit THAT shot in the lane, I’m not sure the Blue Devils have a chance in this one.

9:23 p.m. — Nice job by Cliff Tucker to clean up the glass and secure the second-chance points for the Terps.

Maryland leads, 17-7. Cannot ask for much more at this point.

The Terps are also doing a very nice job fighting on the boards.

9:21 p.m. — Gregory with the offensive rebound to keep the possession alive, and Vasquez eventually finds a cutting Hayes for the fancy reverse layup. Hayes has really done a nice job with improving his short game.

On the next possession, Jordan Williams with a MONSTROUS dunk over Scheyer.

WOW.

For good measure, the big man completes the 3-point play.

9:18 p.m. — David Pearman has as many buckets as Duke right now. Let’s see how the delay impacts this one.

And as I type that, Singler drains a triple. Perfect.

9:16 p.m. — Could this have come at a worse time for the Terps? The last thing you want is a delay when you’re playing well, and Duke cannot buy a bucket.

9:13 p.m. — Milbourne picks up his second foul, sending him to the bench. That could spell major trouble for the Terps.

Dino Gregory needs to give them some huge minutes here in the first half.

We have a delay right now as they must fix a torn net. Haven’t seen that one happen very often.

9:11 p.m. — You think the Terps are looking for the long-range looks?

Milbourne rattles in a 3-ball, and it’s 10-2. Duke is just ice-cold to start this one.

9:09 p.m. — Maryland able to get into its press early, something the Terps were unable to do in Durham last month. Let’s see how Duke handles it.

Vasquez takes another 3-point shot in transition and drains it.

Maryland needs 7-0, and this place is a complete madhouse!

9:07 p.m. — Williams absolutely stuffs Kyle Singler, but the Terps fail to convert in transition on the other end. Mosley HAS to make that layup.

Duke still looking for its first points of the night.

9:06 p.m. — After controlling the opening tip, Eric Hayes hits a runner in the lane for the first points of the game. Just an explosive reaction from the crowd.

Wow.

9:04 p.m. — We’re almost ready for the tip. The student section is decked out in a “Gold Rush” as the school passed out t-shirts for students to sport.

Very cool scene here at Comcast.

9:00 p.m. — I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I’m guessing this crowd is not enamored with the Blue Devils. The loudest “SUCKS!” chants I’ve heard all year during the announcement of their starting lineup.

And it’s not even close.

8:55 p.m. — Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Duke
G Jon Scheyer
G Nolan Smith
F Kyle Singler
F Lance Thomas
C Brian Zoubek

Maryland
G Eric Hayes
G Greivis Vasquez
G Sean Mosley
F Landon Milbourne
F Jordan Williams

8:51 p.m. — Greivis Vasquez and Gary Williams embrace in a very emotional moment as the flashbulbs pop, and the senior from Caracas, Venezuela receives the deafening ovation from the Maryland fans.

Just a brilliant career and the greatest player in the—albeit brief—history of Comcast Center.

8:50 p.m. — Milbourne receives another loud ovation. You know he’d love to have a huge night to break out of his recent slump.

8:48 p.m. — Jerome Burney was honored first to a nice hand. Nice to see him get some recognition despite his playing career already coming to an end.

HUGE ovation for Eric Hayes. Well-deserve and one of the best 3-point shooters in school history.

8:46 p.m. — With Maryland set to honor all three of its seniors (and assistant trainer/former player Jerome Burney who will graduate in the spring), it’s a good move to hold off on raising the jersey of Vasquez to the Comcast rafters. It’s clearly only a matter of when the school will do it, not if.

When you have two other seniors in Hayes and Milbourne who have been crucial pieces of the program for the last four years, it’s a smart move to refrain from singling out Vasquez. Everyone knows he will unquestionably go down as one of the finest players in school history, but Hayes and Milbourne deserve the spotlight tonight as well. All three will bask in the adoration before turning their attention to Duke.

I also cannot help but think back to 2001 when Maryland went into Durham and beat Duke on Shane Battier’s senior night, so waiting on the extra honor for Vasquez is probably a prudent move. No need to give the Blue Devils any extra motivation in a hostile environment.

8:37 p.m. — As they have throughout the conference home schedule, the Terps will wear gold againts Duke tonight. Maryland is undefeated in the gold duds this season. Is one more too much to ask?

Just an electric atmosphere at Comcast, and we’re still over 20 minutes away from tip-off.

8:30 p.m. — Greetings from Comcast Center as we await the start of arguably the biggest game in the brief eight-year history of the building. It’s a game that needs no build-up; the circumstances speak for themselves.

Senior Night and the final home game for a triumvirate of seniors in Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne.

A share of first place on the line.

Jon Scheyer and Vasquez facing off in a final grapple for ACC Player of the Year honors.

Mike Krzyzewski and Gary Williams matching wits to possibly determine ACC Coach of the Year.

And oh yeah, DUKE is here.

Need I say more?

There isn’t much more to be said as No. 4 Duke (25-4, 12-2 ACC) comes to Comcast Center to battle the No. 22 Maryland Terrapins (21-7, 11-3 ACC). A win catapults the Terps into a first-place tie with the Blue Devils with one regular season game remaining.

Maryland will try to avenge a humbling 77-56 defeat in Durham on Feb. 13 when the Terps shot only 37.7 percent and were beat up inside by big man Brian Zoubek (16 points, 17 rebounds). It continued a six-game losing streak against the Blue Devils, dating back to 2007 when Vasquez, Hayes, and Milbourne were freshmen and knocked bested Duke twice in the same season.

For Maryland to extract revenge and grab a share of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it will need to find a way to generate more from its half-court offense than it did last month at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke is very tough defensively and does a tremendous job of limiting fast-break opportunities for the opposition—a strength of the Maryland offense.

The Devils also do a tremendous job guarding the 3-point shot, allowing ACC opponents to shoot only 23.5 percent from beyond the arc. Maryland is tops in the conference in 3-point shooting (42.5 percent), and it’s well-chronicled how much better this team shoots in the friendly confines of Comcast.

The Blue Devils hold the edge inside, so the Terps will need a strong effort on the glass to limit second-chance opportunities. Maryland will need big efforts from Jordan Williams, Milbourne, and reserve Dino Gregory to offset the presence of Zoubek and Kyle Singler in the paint.

All of the stars are out tonight on press row as ESPN’s Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Erin Andrews will call the action (9:00 p.m.) on the Worldwide Leader. Terps fanatic Scott Van Pelt is here (wearing a gold Terps polo and looking fired up) as a spectator. I’ve even spotted a few recognizable Baltimore/Washington media members who I haven’t seen at Comcast Center all year.

Must be a big game, right?

Stay with us right here at WNST.net throughout the evening, and don’t forget to chime in with your thoughts in the Comments section at the bottom of the page. As always, don’t forget to track us on Twitter (@WNST) as Glenn Clark and other WNST personalities offer thoughts and analysis throughout the game.

Maryland faced a desperate Virginia Tech team, losers of two in a row and sitting squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble. The Hokies had not lost a game at raucous Cassell Coliseum all season. And still, Vasquez nearly beat them by himself.

Behind a career-high 41 points—three shy of the school’s single-game record and the most by a Terrapin since Joe Smith’s 40 against Duke in 1995—Vasquez led Maryland to a 104-100 victory over Virginia Tech in a double-overtime thriller at Cassell Coliseum.

The performance not only locked up the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament for Maryland (21-7, 11-3 ACC) but likely catapulted Vasquez into the driver’s seat for ACC Player of the Year honors.

Amazingly, Vasquez’s night started out slowly as he struggled through 2-of-10 shooting and had only eight at the break as Maryland trailed 37-31. The hostile Virginia Tech crowd jeered him throughout the night, chanting “USA!” and other vicious barbs at the Venezuelan native, but Vasquez fed off the animosity in the second half and got better.

And better.

And even better.

Before Sean Mosley hit the final two free throws to seal the four-point victory in the final seconds of the second overtime, Vasquez had scored 33 points after the break, passing Albert King into third place on the Maryland all-time scoring list along the way.

The senior hit five 3-pointers, was a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe, grabbed seven rebounds, and handed out six assists. He scored inside and out, making countless big shots to lead the second-half comeback.

While Vasquez was the star of the evening—besting fellow ACC Player of the Year candidate Malcolm Delaney who scored 27 points in a losing effort—perhaps the most encouraging sign for the Terps was his teammates’ ability to step up in the extra periods to seal the victory.

Feeling the effects of playing all but two minutes in the double-overtime battle, Vasquez missed a potential game-winning shot at the end of the first overtime and scored just five points in the 10 extra minutes. However, fellow senior Eric Hayes drained 5-of-6 free throws in the extra sessions, two of which tied the score late in the first overtime, and finished with 12 points.

Mosley continued his offensive resurrection with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Six of Mosley’s points came in the second overtime to finally push the Terps to victory.

Maryland made its free throws (22-for-27) and got the defensive stops when needed despite strong efforts from Delaney, Jeff Allen (25), and Dorenzo Hudson (21).

The win improves Maryland’s ACC road record to 4-3 and likely catapults the Terrapins into the top 25 for the first time since November. It was Maryland’s fourth straight comeback win from a second-half deficit and fifth straight win overall.

As much as his teammates may have provided the support in the final 10 minutes, the night belonged to Vasquez and is just another example of what he’s meant to Maryland this season. No player means more to his team in the Atlantic Coast Conference than Vasquez.

If he’s not the best player in the ACC this year, I still haven’t seen who’s better. Not Delaney or Jon Scheyer or Sylven Landesberg.

No one.

Talk about his combustible personality, his tendency to say the wrong thing, or his occasionally suspect decision making all you want, but there’s a reason why his jersey’s going to be raised to the Comcast Center rafters on Senior Night this Wednesday.

Vasquez will go down as perhaps the most under-appreciated player in school history, but he will undoubtedly leave College Park as one of its greatest too.

He’ll have one final act in front of the home crowd on Wednesday night against his nemesis Duke. It’s the one school that’s gotten the best of him in his career, with much of it brought on himself with the claims of Cameron Indoor Stadium being “his house” the last two seasons before embarrassing losses.

Unlike those two contests, Vasquez will actually be in “his house” one last time against Duke on Wednesday, and he’ll desperately seek redemption against the Blue Devils.

And with the way he’s playing right now and knowing it’s his final game in “his house,” I wouldn’t bet against him.

Check out the final stats here and the live blog below.

____________________________________________

9:47 p.m. — Hayes gets the inbound pass and is fouled again. He goes to the line for two and misses the second.

Virginia Tech has it down by two, and Erick Green misses the 3-point attempt. Hard to believe Delaney gave that one up.

Mosley is fouled and goes to the line. He drains them both, and Maryland is going to win it.

Maryland defeats Virginia Tech in double overtime, 104-100.

An EPIC battle.

9:45 p.m. — Delaney gets to the basket with absolute ease with Vasquez offering little resistance and not wanting to give the three-point play opportunity.

Huge possession here for the Terps with 15.9 to go.

9:44 p.m. — Hayes goes to the stripe and drains them both. Who else would you want at the line in that situation? Steady.

Maryland leads, 101-98, with 21.3 seconds remaining.

9:41 p.m. — Allen completes the three-point play after Williams is called for the blocking foul.

One-point game and Hayes going to the line for two shots.

9:40 p.m. — Vasquez fouls Delaney on the shot, sending him to the line for two shots with 39.5 to play.

He misses both free throws. Wow.

Mosley is fouled and makes them both.

9:36 p.m. — Delaney hits the first and, following the timeout, drains the second to cut the lead to two points with 1:16 remaining.

Vasquez cannot hit the runner, but Hudson misses the layup on the other end. Unfortunately for Maryland, the ball goes off Gregory out of bounds and it stays with Virginia Tech.

9:32 p.m. — Critical misses by Allen on that trip to the line with Maryland up by four.

The Terps work some clock, but Vasquez cannot hit the shot off the glass.

Going the other way, Delaney is fouled by Vasquez.

9:30 p.m. — Did Gregory call that one? I don’t care if he didn’t, quite frankly.

9:29 p.m. — Gregory hits both free throws to give the Terps the early lead in the second overtime.

Delaney cannot score inside and Vasquez scores on the other end to give him 41 points.

9:26 p.m. — Having the clock fail to start matches up with everything else that’s gone wrong in this one at the Coliseum.

What a game though!

9:25 p.m. — Sorry for the lack of an update. Clearly we’ve gone to double overtime.

Let’s see what Vasquez and company have left for another five minutes.

9:21 p.m. — Hayes goes to the line for two and makes them both to tie the game.

41.1 seconds to go in this one.

9:20 p.m. — Bell hits the triple to put Tech up by two points with under a minute to go.

UGH.

9:18 p.m. — Gregory cannot hit the jumper, and the Hokies have the ball, down by one.

Great defense by the Terps to force the 35-second violation.

9:17 p.m. — Thompson goes inside and draws the foul on Milbourne, his fifth.

Nice early contribution from him in overtime but a very forgettable night for him.

9:14 p.m. — A vicious pick by Jordan Williams on Delaney gives Vasquez the room to drill the triple.

39 points for Vasquez!

9:12 p.m. — Milbourne hits a shot. He NEEDED that one on so many levels.

9:10 p.m. — Maryland is 0-1 in overtime games this year.

Hope it’s a better outcome than the Wake Forest game.

9:06 p.m. — Hard to tell if his foot was on the line. I’m not watching in high definition, so it’s hard to tell.

9:04 p.m. — How do you just give Thompson an open look like that?

Un-fricking-believable.

9:03 p.m. — 18 seconds to go.

Maryland by 3.

9:01 p.m. — That just CANNOT happen. Milbourne with a critical turnover.

Ugh.

8:59 p.m. — Vasquez draws the blocking foul on Allen, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1.

He hits both to give him 36 points and the Terps a three-point lead.

8:57 p.m. — Vasquez with his BIGGEST shot of the game, a 3-ball to give the Terps a one-point lead.

Unbelievable performance. 34 points.

8:55 p.m. — The Terps desperately need a stop down by two points, and they get it with the Allen miss.

Off the inbound pass, Vasquez finds Milbourne for the layup to tie the game.

Wow.

8:52 p.m. — We’ve reached the final media timeout with the game tied 73-73.

Vasquez with a new season-high of 31 points.

8:51 p.m. — That was a nice, composed possession after throwing up some off-balance shots over the last couple minutes.

8:49 p.m. — Maryland desperately needs someone else to step up on the offensive end as Vasquez is definitely cooling off.

Hudson draws the blocking foul on Gregory and scores the basket.

72-69 Virginia Tech with a timeout on the floor.

8:47 p.m. — Gregory with the nice look inside to Milbourne for the layup.

Vasquez steals the inbound pass but then takes the 3-pointer and misses. Wasn’t necessarily a bad shot, but it gave the Terps no chance at an offensive rebound.

8:41 p.m. — We’ve reached the under-8 timeout. Maryland leads Tech, 67-66.

8:40 p.m. — That shot from Vasquez worries me. He was facing a double team yet still chucked up the 3-ball attempt. Obviously he’s not getting a lot of help, but he cannot do it all by himself.

Allen is absolutely killing the Terps right now.

8:38 p.m. — You can just see Vasquez getting in that frame of mind where he’s looking to score every time down the floor. Virginia Tech has no answers either.

We’ve got a good one in Blacksburg.

8:36 p.m. — Vasquez takes it inside for the finger roll. Making it look easy.

8:32 p.m. — Virginia Tech leads 59-58 with 11:18 remaining at the second media timeout of the second half.

8:29 p.m. — Vasquez with a very ill-advised shot, but then gets the steal and scores on a 3-on-1 disadvantage. Maryland takes a timeout, trailing by one.

8:27 p.m. — Allen with a very smart play going right after Milbourne with three fouls.

The scoring pace has picked up considerably in the first eight minutes of this one.

8:25 p.m. — Vasquez is absolutely torching the Hokies. Maryland is now on an 11-2 run and has regained the lead.

The Tech fans might want to think about leaving the senior from Venezuela alone for a little while.

8:20 p.m. — Gregory with the offensive board and gets it out to Vasquez for ANOTHER three. You can tell he’s really feeding off a hostile Cassell Coliseum crowd.

Perhaps the Hokies fans should have passed out a cheer sheet like NC State did earlier in the year. The jeers may end up hurting the Hokies’ chances in this one.

8:19 p.m. — Hayes with the active hands and dishes back to Vasquez for the triple to cut the lead to three points. Nice to see Hayes so active on the defensive end.

8:17 p.m. — Hudson continuing to have a big night with 15 points already.

Milbourne misses inside, but Williams fights hard for the offensive board and draws the foul.

Air-balling free throws will not help the cause at all.

8:14 p.m. — Virginia Tech looked much better beating the press that time and has now scored three straight times off the press.

Vasquez looks like he’s starting to get it going and now has 12 points.

Unfortunately, Delaney is heating up as well.

8:12 p.m. — The second half is underway with Hayes hitting a triple right off the bat. Definitely need to get him going after a quiet first half.

7:56 p.m. — We’ve reached the intermission with Virginia Tech leading Maryland, 37-31.

7:54 p.m. — Maryland shows the press and gives the Hokies trouble, but didn’t finish the play. Not enough urgency in going after the loose ball.

7:52 p.m. — Hokies fans displaying their class in chanting “USA!” at Vasquez. I’m as patriotic as the next guy, but I’m not sure I like chanting that at a foreign-born player.

7:51 p.m. — Vasquez doesn’t get a lot of credit for his defense, but he’s doing an outstanding job on Delaney so far in this one.

Maryland is being very sloppy with the basketball over its last few possessions.

7:48 p.m. — Nice feed inside to Padgett from Hayes, and the freshman shows nice control in going up for the basket.

Maryland continues to struggle from the outside with only Mosley having any real success from the perimeter in the first half.

7:46 p.m. — Gregory just ERASED that shot. Unfortunately, Vasquez loses it on the other end.

7:45 p.m. — Two fouls apiece for Milbourne and Williams. Meanwhile, Allen has only one for the Hokies.

Not exactly what you envisioned heading into this one if you’re a Maryland fan.

7:42 p.m. — Think Jordan Williams was padding his stats there?

On the other end, J.T. Thompson scores and is fouled by Jordan Williams, his second.

We’ve reached the final media timeout of the first half with the Hokies leading the Terps, 28-25, with 3:50 remaining.

7:40 p.m. — Once again, Maryland is having serious issues rebounding the basketball. You can understand it against the Georgia Techs and the Clemsons of the conference, but there’s no excuse against Virginia Tech.

7:38 p.m. — Delaney drains the 3-pointer for his first field goal. Hopefully that doesn’t get him going.

The Terps fail to score on the other end, and Allen scores in the paint to take a 24-23 lead for Virginia Tech.

Timeout, Maryland.

7:34 p.m. — Why is Gregory shooting the ball two feet inside the 3-point line? Thankfully, Hayes scores on the second-chance opportunity.

We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout with Maryland leading Virginia Tech, 21-19.

7:32 p.m. — Despite Allen’s reputation, there was clearly no intent there. Good non-call by the officiating crew.

Cliff Tucker with some very questionable decision-making in the early going tonight. Not sure why he passed up an open opportunity in the lane to dish it out to Gregory 15 feet from the basket.

7:28 p.m. — Hopefully the stinger to the neck/shoulder of Mosley is just a minor thing. You’d hate to see something serious, especially when he’s shooting the ball so well.

7:23 p.m. — When asked about his shooting slump after the Clemson game, Mosley said he didn’t think he was in a slump.

Whatever you wanted to call it, it’s clear he’s looking much better offensively.

Jordan Williams scores inside, plus the foul.

We’ve reached the second media timeout with the Terps leading the Hokies, 15-11.

7:21 p.m. — Those are the types of things Mosley does that are so invaluable yet do not show up on the stat sheet. Yes, he’s struggled offensively in conference play, but don’t underestimate his impact.

7:18 p.m. — Seeing Mosley hit some outside shots HAS to excite you as a Terps fan. If he can regain his early-season form from the perimeter, this team becomes that much more dangerous.

7:16 p.m. — We’ve reached the first media timeout with Maryland and Virginia Tech tied 8-8 with 15:24 remaining.

7:13 p.m. — Very nice step-around move by Davila to get by Jordan Wiliams. Don’t see that happen too often to the Maryland frosh.

Allen scores inside against Milbourne to give the Hokies a two-point edge.

7:11 p.m. — You think the Hokies fans dislike Vasquez or something?

Neither teams doing very much offensively in the first few minutes. The energy level has been there for both teams, however. I was curious to see how fast these teams started after a three-hour wait.

7:09 p.m. — I like seeing the Terps take the ball inside on their first few possessions. This team has clearly struggled with its perimeter shooting on the road this season.

Hayes continues to show an improved ability to take the ball to the basket, only improving his chances for open looks from the perimeter.

7:05 p.m. — The match-up between Delaney and Mosley—two Baltimore products that are very familiar with each other—will definitely be one to watch. Mosley did a nice job against his Charm City counterpart a year ago as the Terps earned the victory at Comcast Center.

6:57 p.m. — Here are tonight’s starters:

Maryland
G Eric Hayes
G Greivis Vasquez
G Sean Mosley
F Landon Milbourne
F Jordan Williams

Virginia Tech
G Malcolm Delaney
G Dorenzo Hudson
F Terrell Bell
F Jeff Allen
C Victor Davila

6:55 p.m. — In a contest already being labeled the Outhouse Game, it appears Maryland will finally tip off against Virginia Tech in the next 15 minutes. A water main break earlier this afternoon delayed the game by three hours and has disabled running water in the Cassell Coliseum bathrooms, forcing fans to use nearby facilities (That’s where the outhouse reference comes in. Clever, isn’t it?)

With the delay, I’m sure the Terps (20-7, 10-3 ACC) were able to follow North Carolina’s upset victory over Wake Forest, giving Maryland an opportunity to clinch the No. 2 seed in the ACC with a victory over the Hokies tonight.

On the other side, Virginia Tech (21-6, 8-5 ACC) has lost two in a row and currently sits 47th in the projected RPI, leaving the Hokies with work to do to secure a bid between now and Selection Sunday. The Hokies’ most recent loss came on Wednesday night, an inexplicable 80-60 loss at Boston College.

The Hokies are of course led by Baltimore product Malcolm Delaney who leads the ACC in scoring at 20.2 points per game and is among the top candidates—Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez included—for ACC Player of the year.

In addition to Delaney’s scoring prowess, Virginia Tech has two other players averaging double-digit scoring with Dorenzo Hudson (14.0) and Jeff Allen (11.3). Allen is a formidable threat in the paint, but has been unable to avoid foul trouble, averaging 3.6 fouls per contest.

Virginia Tech does not possess an imposing frontcourt, so it’s critical for Allen to stay on the floor to counteract the presence of Maryland freshman Jordan Williams.

With a delay of this nature, it’s difficult to say who really has the advantage, but Virginia Tech is clearly feeling more pressure at this point in the season, so three extra hours to think about consecutive losses to Duke and Boston College probably didn’t help its mental psyche. On the other hand, the Hokies are undefeated at Cassell Coliseum this season (when the bathrooms actually worked), so it’s clearly a very intimidating atmosphere for the Terps.

Tonight’s game will be televised on WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore despite concerns that it would not due to the delay.

Stay with WNST.net throughout the game, and feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the Comments section at the bottom of the page. As always, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for thoughts from various WNST personalities throughout the evening.

6:00 p.m. — I just received the OFFICIAL word from the University of Maryland the game would be televised on WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore at 7:00 p.m.

The game will also be shown on WDCA-TV in Washington.

5:37 p.m. — Despite more reported issues at Cassell Coliseum, the game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. Apparently the restrooms inside the building are not functioning, and fans will be allowed to use surrounding restrooms.

It’s a good thing there are so many outhouses in Blacksburg.

5:05 p.m. — According to Patrick Stevens (D1scourse), the start of tonight’s game has now been moved to 7:00 p.m. The water issues have been fixed according to Virginia Tech officials.

5:00 p.m. — In an effort to keep this blog going until the start of the game at 6:30, I thought I’d pass along this witty comment from our good buddy Rich.

No truth to the rumor that Tiger Woods was driving the beer truck that hit the fire hydrant outside Cassell Coliseum and caused the water main break.

4:23 p.m. — With the news of North Carolina upsetting Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, Maryland is now in a position to clinch no worse than the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament with a win over Virginia Tech tonight.

A couple weeks ago, Dino Gaudio’s Demon Deacons were looking quite possibly like the second-best team in the ACC, but a three-game losing streak—with the last two coming against the two worst teams in the conference—has dropped them to 8-6 in the conference.

4:05 p.m. — I just got off the phone with WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore, and the network still plans to air the Maryland game despite the start being moved from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.

That should be a major relief to anyone in the Baltimore area.

3:45 p.m. — Good afternoon, and thanks for joining me here on WNST.net to watch the Terps (20-7, 10-3 ACC) take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (21-6, 8-5 ACC) at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

The game was scheduled to tip off at 4:00 p.m. on Raycom (locally on WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore), but a water main break at Cassell Coliseum has pushed the start to 6:30 p.m.

A Raycom Sports official said the game will still be telecast on the network, but it will be up to each individual affiliate as to whether it will carry the broadcast, according to a University of Maryland official.

We’ll be following this story in the coming hours.

With their top three rebounders stuck on the bench with two fouls apiece and Greivis Vasquez struggling through the effects of a stomach bug, the Terps’ perfect home record in ACC play looked to be in serious jeopardy, having already suffered a 15-0 Clemson run as the Tigers capitalized on second-chance opportunities and continued to hit shots from beyond the arc.

Instead of falling further behind (Maryland had trailed by 15 points with 9:29 remaining), a makeshift rotation that included freshman James Padgett weathered the final five minutes of the first half and actually cut the halftime deficit to nine, keeping the Terps within striking distance. Maryland responded with a 49-point explosion in the second half—and held Clemson to just 31—on its way to an 88-79 victory.

“That was one of those games where you find out a little bit more about yourself as you go through the year as a team,” coach Gary Williams said. “It was a good test for us, not that we wanted to be in that situation against a team as good as Clemson. But we were there, and we had to handle it. We did a good job in the second half.”

Receiving contributions from numerous players, Maryland shot a white-hot 60 percent from the field in the second half and made five of seven 3-pointers (8-for-13 overall). None was bigger than Vasquez’s triple to complete the second-half comeback and give the Terps a 70-67 lead with 7:26 remaining. It was a lead Maryland would not relinquish as it improved to 10-3 in the ACC and tightened its grip on second place, a game behind Duke in the loss column.

Four Maryland players reached double-digit scoring, but the most encouraging contribution came from sophomore Sean Mosley who scored 20 points, rebounding from an extended slump and flashing the form he showed in the first two months of the season. Mosley scored the first seven points of the game for the Terps and finished 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

“I got the feel for the game early,” he said. “Every time I touched the ball or got an open look, I let it go. Every time it left my hand it felt like it was going in. It was just me playing aggressive.”

After struggling against the Clemson press in the first half, Maryland settled down and ran the half-court offense efficiently with Vasquez dishing out 13 assists in addition to his 15 points—13 of which came in the second half. On a night when the senior captain was clearly not 100 percent, his vision was brilliant in finding open teammates for high-percentage shots.

Maryland also found the answer in stopping standout forward Trevor Booker who dominated the first half with 11 points and eight rebounds. A combination of Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory held the Clemson big man to just two points and one rebound in the second half.

“Booker’s a great player,” said Jordan Williams, who finished with 18 points and five rebounds despite dealing with foul trouble for much of the night. “He’s a great rebounder and he plays inside-out, so I was chasing him a little bit out to the 3-point line, so it was tough for me to get rebounds tonight.”

As they have throughout the conference schedule at Comcast Center, the Terps played the second half with a higher energy level and overwhelmed their opponent, transforming what looked like their biggest challenge at home to date into a second-half shellacking.

And unlike the way it wilted in the final five minutes after briefly taking a second-half lead in the teams’ first meeting (being outscored 12-3 and losing 62-53), Maryland tightened its grip instead of finding satisfaction with the lead.

“We just wanted to keep trying to push it until it was over,” Jordan Williams said. “We didn’t want to get too excited and lose what we’d done to get there. That’s a sign of a good team.”

Now 20-7 and 10-3 in the ACC, Maryland appears to be an absolute lock for the NCAA tournament and is in outstanding shape for a first-round bye in the ACC tournament in Greensboro. After the game, Gary Williams made it clear just how good of a win he thought it was for his team—and take a shot at the lack of respect the ACC has received this year.

“You can’t tell me that a team like Clemson is not good enough to be in the NCAA tournament,” he said. “It just seems like it’s okay for other conferences to play great games between two good basketball teams. I think Clemson will show down the stretch that they are a worthy basketball team.”

- Vasquez moved into fourth place on Maryland’s career scoring list, passing John Lucas (2,015) and Adrian Branch (2,017) and now has 2,028 points in his career. The basket that moved him past Branch and into fourth place was the same shot that gave Maryland a 70-67 lead with 7:26 to play, the team’s first lead since early in the first half.

The senior guard also matched a season-high with 13 assists, eight coming in the first half.

- Eric Hayes led the Terps with 12 first-half points on 5-for-8 shooting. The senior finished the game with 15 points and three assists.

- Four Terps scored in double figures, making it the 14th time this season that at least four Maryland players had reached double-digit scoring. Mosley led the way with 20, Williams scored 18, and Vasquez and Hayes each chipped in 15 points.

- Maryland improved its record to 3-7 when trailing at the half and 3-3 in ACC play.

Check out the final stats here and the live blog below.

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11:01 p.m. — Maryland leads 88-79 as the students begin to chant “We Want Duke!”

This one’s in the books. After a very rocky first half, the Terps come out and play an outstanding second half.

Final score: Maryland 88, Clemson 79.

Back shortly with the post-game wrap.

11:00 p.m. — Vasquez puts this one in the books with a fallaway jumper to make it a seven-point lead inside a minute to play.

10:59 p.m. — Jordan Williams goes to the bench with his fourth foul. He’s done a great job in the second half staying out of foul trouble after picking up two in the first half.

10:57 p.m. — Maryland absolutely got bailed out by Milton Jennings on that one. Would have been very difficult to create a decent look with the shot clock dwindling.

Vasquez goes to the line and drains both freebies, and Maryland leads 84-77.

10:55 p.m. — Stitt scores to cut the lead to five points, but the Terps beat the pressure across the timeline nicely. Maryland will call a timeout with 2:02 remaining.

10:53 p.m. — Trevor Booker picks up his third foul to send Williams to the line. Despite a very strong night, the frosh continues to struggle at the line, missing two.

10:51 p.m. — At the final media timeout, Maryland leads Clemson 82-75 with 3:38 to play.

10:50 p.m. — Vasquez sinks a pair of free throws to give him 11 points for the game. The Terps now have four players in double figures.

Young hits a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five points. Still plenty of time in this one.

10:47 p.m. — As much as he’s been beaten up lately for his offensive woes, Mosley is having an outstanding game with 18 points and several strong defensive plays. This team could do some special things if he can regain his early-season form from the offensive end of the floor.

10:46 p.m. — What a scene to watch Vasquez mop up the wet floor. What a team player!

10:44 p.m. — As dominant as Clemson looked during its 15-0 run in the first half, Maryland quite possibly looks even better right now.

Just an unbelievable run, and the Tigers are on life support with less than six minutes to play.

10:43 p.m. — This place is going berserk as Hayes hits a three to put the Terps up by eight. Unbelievable energy!

A Clemson turnover leads to a Vasquez dunk.

Timeout, Clemson.

Maryland leads 77-67 with 6:03 remaining.

10:40 p.m. — Not only did Vasquez just put the Terps up by 3 points, but he now sits in fourth place on the Terps’ all-time scoring list.

Talk about GREAT timing.

10:39 p.m. — Jordan Williams makes two freebies while Eric Hayes misses two?

And, oh yeah, the sky is green.

10:36 p.m. — We’ve reached another media timeout with Clemson holding a 67-65 advantage with 7:52 to go.

10:35 p.m. — Hayes continues to show aggression in going to the basket. If teams have to respect the drive, it will create so many more opportunities for the sharp-shooter on the perimeter.

However, are my eyes deceiving me or did Hayes just miss TWO free throws in a row?

Wow.

10:33 p.m. — Not resting on his laurels from Saturday, Tucker is having a very nice game with eight points after a very nice take.

Have to be impressed with the resiliency displayed by this team tonight after it looked like it could easily get blown out in the first half.

10:31 p.m. — Huge advantage for the Terps to be in the bonus already with 10:34 remaining. Of course, you still need to make your free throws.

Tucker misses the second, but Gregory grabs the offensive board. Mosley CONNECTS on the 3-pointer and we’re tied at 63!

10:28 p.m. — Jerai Grant fouls out with 11:18 to go. He still has time to make it home for the 11 p.m. Sportscenter.

Milbourne goes to the line and hits a pair to cut the lead to 2, the closest the Terps have been since Clemson went on a 15-0 run.

10:24 p.m. — Great second and third effort by Williams to get the tip-in. It’s a four-point game with 12 minutes to go.

Following a Clemson miss, Tucker dripples up the floor but loses it. With his great athleticism, Tucker would be such a dangerous player going to the basket—if only he had a handle.

We’ve reached the under-12 media timeout with Clemson leading Maryland, 61-57 with 11:46 remaining.

10:22 p.m. — Nice hands by Tucker force the steal, but Vasquez cannot hit the well-chronicled pull-up 3-pointer. That one would have been big.

10:20 p.m. — Noel Johnson misses the jumper, but Clemson grabs another offensive board, leading to a 3-pointer by Andre Young. Second-chance points have just killed the Terps this evening.

10:17 p.m. — Comcast has just ERUPTED after Tucker hits the triple to cut the lead to three points.

Timeout on the floor as Clemson continues to hold a much smaller lead, 56-53 with 15:14 to go.

10:16 p.m. — After Clemson comes right back with an answer, Tanner Smith fouls Jordan Williams, but the big man finishes the play.

The frosh goes to the line but cannot connect. He’s got 10 for the game.

10:15 p.m. — Mosley takes it all the way to the hole, drawing the foul on Devin Booker. Nice to see Mosley stay aggressive after the last failed attempt at the basket.

Crowd getting back into it as Mosley completes the three-point play.

10:14 p.m. — Big-time 3-pointer by Milbourne to cut the lead to seven points.

Perhaps that will get the Terps going. They need a jumpstart badly.

10:12 p.m. — Vasquez just picked up the foul on a push. Didn’t see much there, and neither did Jordan Williams who was very demonstrative in showing his displeasure.

10:09 p.m. — I’m not sure what that last take was by Mosley. Think I saw that one in a junior high game recently.

Maryland takes the timeout as Hayes gets into trouble against the Clemson D.

Not the way you wanted to start this half at all, even with Grant picking up four fouls for Clemson.

10:07 p.m. — Two turnovers in a row as Maryland is really struggling against the Clemson press.

10:06 p.m. — Four fouls on Grant. Maybe Oliver Purnell lost count.

10:05 p.m. — Great decision to go after Grant. The big man picks up his third foul in the first 10 seconds of the half.

Milbourne makes 1-of-2 from the line.

10:04 p.m. — Maryland will get the ball to begin the second half. Definitely need to start the half strongly.

10:02 p.m. — Vasquez has just two points at the break. So much for my prediction.

He looks VERY tired out there tonight after looking fatigued on Saturday.

Definitely something to watch in the second half.

9:59 p.m. — Both the Terps and Tigers shooting 50 percent from the field AND 3-point range at the break. Unfortunately, Clemson is 8-for-16 from beyond the arc while Maryland has made 3-of-6.

9:48 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the first half with Clemson holding a 48-39 advantage over the Terps. With all of the foul trouble, things could be MUCH worse for Maryland.

9:46 p.m. — Having your top-3 rebounders on the bench with two fouls each is a very scary proposition.

If the Terps can keep the lead at single digits going into the half it has to be a huge moral victory.

9:40 p.m. — Lost in the Clemson dominance has been the struggles of Vasquez. He finally gets one to fall.

A possession later after Potter hits a triple, Padgett brings the crowd to its feet with the monster slam!

The pace has again picked up as we reach the final media timeout of the half. Clemson leads 39-33 with 3:07 remaining.

9:38 p.m. — A huge 3-ball from Hayes cuts the deficit to seven points, the closest the Terps have been in quite awhile.

It’s nice to see Maryland weather the storm after that crippling 15-0 run, but the Terps need to tread water until the intermission.

9:36 p.m. — A beautiful pass from Vasquez and an even better finish from Hayes, who’s really been finishing well at the bucket of late.

With Jordan Williams heading to the bench with his second foul, James Padgett checks into the game. That’s a MAJOR problem.

9:34 p.m. — Not that we needed to really see the numbers, but Clemson is outrebounding Maryland 14-7 and already has six offensive boards.

9:31 p.m. — Devin Booker jams in the missed 3-pointer now. Unbelievable.

We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout with Maryland trailing 33-20.

9:29 p.m. — Booker skies high for the tip-in. I’m at a loss for words right now. Clemson is just running the Terps out of the gym in every aspect of the game right now.

Following another Booker score, Mosley drives into the paint and finds Williams for the two-handed jam.

9:27 p.m. — Milbourne goes to the bench with his second foul. Not good at all.

9:26 p.m. — Milbourne with the blocked shot on the other end. The Terps need a couple more plays like that to get the crowd back in it

Other than the early scoring surge by Mosley in the first four minutes, Maryland is just searching for anything positive.

9:24 p.m. — Besides the obvious concern of a 13-point deficit, you have to be even more worried when you factor in the Clemson press. Maryland is in some serious danger right now, and it will have to handle the press to climb back into this one.

Milbourne hits a jumper right out of the timeout to end the run.

9:22 p.m. — The Terps have mercifully reached the second media timeout. It is not a pretty sight at Comcast Center right now.

Clemson leads 27-14 with 11:23 to go in the first half.

9:21 p.m. — Noel Johnson hits a triple to extend the run to 10-0.

Gregory looking like he did on Sunday with another blown layup.

Potter hits a triple and another Johnson bucket makes it a 15-0 run.

Wow.

9:18 p.m. — The Tigers have scored seven unanswered points and Gary Williams wants to talk it over.

Not sure the lineup on the floor right now will provide much of anything points-wise and as I type that, Vasquez walks to the score table.

9:17 p.m. — Dino Gregory is the first sub off the bench for the Terps. The reserve big man has played very well off the bench in recent weeks. I like seeing the Terps go with the bigger lineup against the tough tandem of Booker and Grant.

Tucker enters the game to a huge ovation. I wonder why?

9:12 p.m. — We’ve reached the first media timeout (I need to catch my breath!) with Clemson holding a slight 15-14 lead with 15:14 remaining.

9:11 p.m. — Nice fake by Mosley as he takes it to the basket and draws the foul. Hitting the two early jumpers could do WONDERS for his offensive game tonight.

He hits a pair of freebies, and he has nine points. The Baltimore sophomore is on pace for 90 points. That would probably be a record.

9:10 p.m. — Twenty points scored in the game’s first three minutes. The way this one is going, the teams will have more points at the half than they did in their first meeting (62-53 final score).

9:08 p.m. — Mosley with the first seven points of the game. I’m guessing anyone in Vegas that put money on that one is a rich man right now.

9:06 p.m. — Clemson controls the opening tip and finds Booker inside, but his shot is rejected by Milbourne. Going the other way Vasquez tries to find Milbourne, bu the Terps turn it over.

Potter hits a 3 for the first points of the game, but Mosley answers with a mid-range jumper and then hits a 3-pointer on the Terps’ next possession.

That’s quite the answer to the critics—myself included.

9:04 p.m. — We’re about ready for the tip. Clemson will wear purple with the Terps once again sporting the gold as they have throughout the conference home schedule.

9:00 p.m. — Maryland natives David Potter (Severn) and Jerai Grant (Bowie) earn some extra boos from the Comcast Crowd during starting lineups.

8:53 p.m. –Virginia Tech is just getting punked at Boston College tonight, losing 77-55 with four minutes to play. The Hokies will be a desperate team on Saturday afternoon.

I’m waiting for Rich to check in to say he called the Tech upset. Good work, buddy.

8:51 p.m. — The Terps just came back onto the floor to a video highlighting Cliff Tucker’s game-winning shot from Saturday to a huge ovation from the student section. No threat of an emotional letdown from the students thus far.

8:50 p.m. — Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Clemson
G Demontez Stitt
G Tanner Smith
F David Potter
F Jerai Grant
F Trevor Booker

Maryland

G Eric Hayes
G Greivis Vasquez
G Sean Mosley
F Landon Milbourne
F Jordan Williams

8:48 p.m. — Duane Simpkins is the honorary captain for tonight’s game.

8:40 p.m. — Maryland will once again wear its gold uniforms for tonight’s game. The Terps are undefeated wearing them this season (6-0) and are 11-2 over the last three seasons since re-introducing them in the 2007-08 season. Thanks to Patrick Stevens (D1scourse) for passing along that note.

8:30 p.m. — Adding to the accolades, Vasquez was today named one of 30 mid-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy.

No real surprise there but just passing it along.

8:20 p.m. — Good evening from Comcast Center as we get set to watch the Clemson Tigers  (19-7, 7-5 ACC) take on the Maryland Terrapins (19-7, 9-3) at 9:00 p.m.

The teams met back on Jan. 31 when it was Clemson besting the Terps at Littlejohn Coliseum, 62-53. Maryland was haunted by a season-high 26 turnovers and was outscored 12-3 in the final 5:36 of the game after briefly taking a second-half lead. Despite an off night for Trevor Booker, Jerai Grant was the star for the Tigers, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the victory.

Both teams currently enjoy three-game winning streaks with Maryland holding a two-game lead over the Tigers in the conference. Taking a closer look at the teams’ respective NCAA tournament resumes, Clemson and Maryland are neck-and-neck in the RPI (33rd and 34th respectively), so tonight’s game is pivotal not only in the ACC standings but also for jockeying for position in the eyes of the selection committee.

Clemson is of course led by Booker, averaging 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a contest, and Demontez Stitt (10.6 ppg) who did not play in the team’s first meeting. Stitt figures to provide a much tougher test to the Maryland backcourt than anyone the Terps encountered at Clemson.

The Terps will try to guard against an emotional letdown following Saturday’s incredible 76-74 win over Georgia Tech. Rumor has it that Cliff Tucker hasn’t slept in 72 hours while trying to keep up with his Facebook new friend requests. I kid, I kid.

These next three games (at Virginia Tech on Saturday, Duke next Wednesday) will determine a great deal in figuring out exactly where Maryland stands in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Standing alone in second place, the Terps are in great shape for a first-round bye in Greensboro but clearly need to hold serve at Comcast Center tonight before a tough road test in Blacksburg on Saturday.

Another story to watch during tonight’s game is the continued climb of Greivis Vasquez on the Maryland career scoring list. Currently standing at 2,013 points, the senior needs just two points to match John Lucas and four points to equal Adrian Branch. Needless to say, barring a freak injury or MAJOR struggles, Vasquez will be sitting fourth on the list behind Juan Dixon, Len Bias, and Albert King before the intermission. Impressive company to say the very least.

Tonight’s game will be televised on Raycom (WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore) with Tim Brant and Dan Bonner on the call.

As always, stay right here at WNST.net throughout the game and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) where you’ll hear thoughts from Glenn Clark and other WNST personalities.

Tonight’s game

For the first time since 2003, Maryland finds itself in the enviable position of being nowhere near the dreaded bubble with two weeks to play. True, the 2006-07 team earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament but needed a seven-game winning streak to overcome a 3-6 start in the ACC to earn the at-large bid. While that team may have been a lock by the end of the regular season, it certainly wasn’t with four games to play.

Despite the Terps’ encouraging state, questions remain and much has been opined about the Terps and the ACC in general in recent weeks. Some claims are valid while others are wide of the mark.

Here’s my personal attempt to sort through the truths, half truths, and fallacies circulating throughout various media over the last couple weeks:

1. The Terps need an 11-5 record (with a conference tournament win) or a 12-4 record in the ACC to be a lock for the NCAA tournament. – Fallacy

Admittedly, I haven’t heard this one TOO much, but I have heard how “down” the ACC is this season, and the two notions are closely related, so I’ll address it.

It’s astonishing how North Carolina’s horrendous season has turned people’s perception of the ACC upside down.

While the conference certainly isn’t the powerhouse it’s been in its finest years, it’s far from the struggling conference some are trying to make it out to be. Unfortunately, parity is often confused with being “bad” and that’s exactly what has happened with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke might be the only school with a reasonable chance of advancing to the Final Four, but the ACC is the third-rated RPI conference, behind only the Big 12 and Big East and nowhere near the substantially down Pac-10, which ranks eighth and behind the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West.

The ACC is the only power conference without a losing team (overall record) and only Boston College sports a non-winning record at 13-13. Critics will point to the conference losing the ACC-Big Ten Challenge for the first time in the series’ 11-year history, but the ACC also sports an 8-4 record against the powerful Big East. While clearly lacking the elite teams at the top that the Big East and Big 12 enjoy, the ACC also lacks a DePaul (8-18) or Nebraska (1-11 in the Big 12) at the bottom.

Is it down from where it normally is in most seasons? Slightly. Is it anywhere near the bad conference some have claimed it to be? Nowhere close.

When it all adds up, the conference currently has seven teams in the RPI’s top 45 (Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Clemson, Florida State, and Virginia Tech) and will almost certainly send six or seven teams to the NCAA tournament.

So what does this mean for the Terps?

At 9-3 and alone in second place, Maryland is firmly entrenched as a lock where it stands today. Even a 1-3 finish would put the Terps at 10-6, still with a chance at a first-round bye in the conference tournament, and seemingly safe—though certainly not heading in the right direction in the eyes of the selection committee and fans alike. The notion that Maryland needs to have an 11-5 or 12-4 conference record and possibly even a win in the conference tournament to be a lock just isn’t true.

In the context of a good—but not outstanding—conference, Maryland is a very good team at 9-3. At the end of the day, barring an 0-4 finish and early exit in Greensboro, the Terps are completely safe in making travel plans for the third week in March.

Now the issue of where they’ll be seeded is completely up in the air at this point, but the next eight days will clarify the picture significantly.

2. Maryland should definitely be in the Top 25 right now. — Fallacy

It sounds silly to argue against the notion of the Terps being a top-25 team immediately after presenting their case as already being a tournament lock, but the Terps currently sit about where they belong in the “Others Receiving Votes” category as the pseudo 28th-ranked team in the country.

Though 9-3 in the ACC and 19-7 overall, Maryland is still 0-4 against top-25 RPI teams and lacks any “wow” wins to grab attention from voters. And to soil the luster of their conference mark, I’ll point out that seven of the Terps’ nine wins have come against teams currently sporting losing records in conference play. Ranked 34th in the projected RPI, the Terps are comfortably in the NCAA picture but not exactly screaming to be ranked.

That doesn’t mean Maryland would be undeserving if it were ranked, but it’s not the injustice passionate Terps fans are trying to make it out to be. The Terps are a “bubble” top-25 team (Did you like the use of a buzzword there?)

Maryland’s failure to crack the rankings can also be attributed to bad timing. The Terps were 29th and on the threshold of cracking the Top 25 before losing big at Duke on Feb. 13. Flip the date of the Duke game with another one on the schedule, and the Terps are probably somewhere in the low 20s.

If Maryland is truly worthy of being ranked, it has the perfect opportunity to prove it—and boost it’s potential seeding—over the next three games against Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Duke.

3. Sean Mosley’s recent play is hurting the Terps. — Half Truth

It’s no secret Mosley’s offense has fallen off the table at an alarming rate.

The sophomore from Baltimore had reached double-digit scoring in nine of the season’s first 10 games—including a 26-point performance in a loss against Villanova—and appeared to be taking major strides offensively (14.3 points per game). However, an ankle injury sustained on Christmas night forced Mosley to miss the Florida Atlantic game on Dec. 27, and he hasn’t been the same since.

In the 15 games since the injury (including 12 ACC games), Mosley has averaged just 7.5 points per game and it’s gotten even worse recently. In the last six games, he’s scored just 3.8 a contest while shooting 31 percent. His offensive woes coupled with three turnovers sent him to the bench in the final moments as Cliff Tucker saved the day against Georgia Tech:

While some are calling for Tucker to take more of Mosley’s minutes, don’t count on it happening. Even with his limitations on the offensive end, Mosley is an invaluable part of the Maryland defense and is second on the team in rebounding (5.5 per game) despite being listed at 6-foot-4. Mosley is also tied with Greivis Vasquez for the team lead in steals with 37.

Tucker may be the better offensive player, but the difference isn’t substantial enough to justify taking such a strong defensive player off the court. And let’s be clear—even with the heroic shot—Tucker has never been a model of consistency from the offensive end.

The Terps would benefit immensely from Mosley regaining his early-season stroke in time for March, increasing their chances of advancing to the Sweet 16 or even the Elite 8, but what he brings to the defensive end of the floor cannot be overlooked, especially for an undersized team. Mosley has still been doing plenty to help the Terps win games, even if those contributions don’t always show up on the stat sheet.

4. The Terps are a good 3-point shooting team. — Half Truth

This statement has been uttered repeatedly by TV crews relying primarily on stats, but anyone watching Maryland on a regular basis knows how differently the Terps shoot at Comcast Center compared to anywhere else.

Looking only at the 12 ACC games to date, Maryland has shot 46.3 percent (44-for-95) from 3-point range in six home games, a remarkable number contributing to four victories of 19-plus points (NC State, Miami, North Carolina, and Virginia). Without question, Maryland is an outstanding perimeter team in the friendly confines of College Park.

On the flip side, Maryland has shot just 33.8 percent from beyond the arc in six road contests. Clearly it’s no shock to see a team shoot worse on the road than it does at home, but the Terps’ shooting woes are magnified when you eliminate their first two road games (Wake Forest and Boston College) when they shot a combined 50 percent from long range (15-for-30). Since then, the Terps have made just 24 percent (12-for-50) of road 3-point attempts.

Maryland may not have to worry about playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium or Littlejohn Coliseum in the postseason, but it must find a way to produce more from the perimeter on a neutral court.

For those looking for a glimmer of hope for improvement, the Terps did make 5-of-13 (38.4 percent) 3-pointers in their most recent road game at NC State, a significant improvement over the previous three away from Comcast.

When matched up against bigger teams in the postseason, Maryland will need to hit more outside shots if it wants to advance deeper into March. That’s an absolute truth.

Greivis Vasquez had just banked in a prayer from just over half-court to seemingly give Maryland a miraculous win over Georgia Tech, only to learn it didn’t count after assistant coach Keith Booth had called a timeout prior to the heave with 1.5 seconds to play.

The Terps appeared on the verge of suffering their first ACC home loss of the season before breaking the huddle for the final possession and down one point. But instead of dwelling on the frustration of the missed opportunity, Maryland focused on the precious 1.5 seconds with which it had to work.

“[The huddle] was real calm,” Cliff Tucker said. “[Gary Williams] calmed down and just drew up the play, and then we went out and ran it.”

With everyone expecting Vasquez to take the final shot, the reserve Tucker instead took the inbound pass—on a play typically designed to be a lob near the basket—and hit a 3-pointer as time expired to give Maryland a 76-74 victory and send 17,950 Comcast Center fans home in a frenzy.

Despite the bedlam, it was the same play the Terps had run in practice everyday throughout the season.

“You don’t go into those situations without having practiced them,” said Williams, noting his team spends the last 15 minutes of practice on game scenarios. “At least when we had the ball in that situation, we had done that before in practice and there was a positive image there. We got lucky there at the end, but we excecuted that play pretty well.”

The win not only protected Maryland’s perfect home record in conference play but clinched a winning conference record, moving the Terps closer to the possibility of a first-round bye in the ACC tournament.

Saturday’s battle was uncommon territory for the Terps who had nearly rolled over everyone in conference play at the Comcast Center, their previous five wins coming by an average margin of 19 points.

Playing its fourth game in eight days, Maryland (19-7, 9-3) struggled against the imposing Georgia Tech frontcourt all afternoon, as the Yellow Jackets grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and scored 24 second-chance points, none bigger than Derrick Favors tip-in with three seconds left. Even before that, the freshman sensation proved to be as good as advertised, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.

Vasquez led the Terps with 18 points and eight assists despite both he and his coach admitting he was fatigued from the last week. On Tucker’s game-winning shot, Vasquez set a screen to create space for his teammate’s heroics.

“This is every game, our season,” Vasquez said. “Every win we got, we got it as a team. This is nothing about me; our team has done a great job being positive. Praise Cliff. He made the big shot for us and won the game.”

While the win shouldn’t be overemphasized with four conference games remaining and more work to accomplish, it does add another modest feather to the NCAA tournament cap by beating a team that’s spent plenty of time ranked in the top-25 this season. However, Maryland’s real chance to impress the selection committee will come over the next three games.

The Terps will host Clemson on Wednesday night and try to avenge a disappointing loss in their first meeting before traveling to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech next Saturday. And, of course, the rematch with Duke looms for Senior Night on March 3.

These next three games will tell us where Maryland fits into the NCAA tournament picture and its prospects for a strong showing.

But before we move on to the rest of the season and see where it takes Maryland, it’s hard to imagine any one moment topping Tucker and his teammates running around the Comcast floor in the aftermath of the improbable shot on Saturday afternoon.

“In AAU, I hit a little floater for a game-winner, but nothing like this; nothing to this capacity,” said Tucker. “It’s probably one of the best plays of my career, of my life, so I’m happy.”

- By scoring five of Maryland’s first seven points of the game, Vasquez eclipsed the 2,000-point mark in his career, becoming the sixth player in school history to do so. Vasquez also became the first player in ACC history to reach 2,000 points, 700 assists, and 600 rebounds in his career.

“I think it speaks for itself,” Williams said. “Greivis had his critics, but the numbers are there and when you look at what he has done for the team this year, he has always done everything he could.”

- Seemingly frustrated with his team’s struggles on the defensive end, Williams shed his jacket and tossed it away in anger with 5:00 remaining in the game. The move is often imitated—even at Midnight Madness—but the coach described how rare it is for him to resort to such tactics.

“I just try to stay on every play. I’ve [only] done that four times in 21 years. After I did that, I felt pretty good.”

- Maryland won its ninth straight game over Georgia Tech, a streak that goes back to Jan. 30, 2005. The Terps’ six straight ACC home wins are the most since a 12-game streak from the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign through the first four of 2002-03.

- Freshman Jordan Williams narrowly missed his third straight double-double, finishing with nine points and 12 rebounds in the win. Williams has led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in 19 of Maryland’s 26 games.

- Maryland improved to 17-0 this season when leading at halftime.

Check out the final stats here and the live blog below.

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4:11 p.m. — HOLY FREAKING CRAP!

The enigmatic Cliff Tucker with the biggest shot of his career and one he will NEVER forget!

Maryland wins over Georgia Tech, 76-74!

4:09 p.m. — I have to say I’m absolutely stunned over the last few moments of this one. While you obviously understand the desire to call the timeout, this one will hurt that much more given the miracle shot from Vasquez that didn’t count.

4:08 p.m. - Favors scores on the putback to give Tech the lead.

Vasquez throws up a prayer and it goes in, but it won’t count as Maryland called the timeout.

0.9 seconds remaining, and Maryland will have a final shot. This would just be a devastating loss.

4:06 p.m. — Bell scores inside with little resistant to give Tech a 1-point lead with 19.3 seconds to go.

Can you say drama?

4:04 p.m. — How does Gregory miss that? On a side note, this crew clearly misses a travel, so perhaps that was the basketball gods’ way of balancing things out on that possession.

Timeout on the floor. Tech has the ball with 29.6 remaining and 26 seconds on the shot clock. Maryland leads by one.

4:02 p.m. — Following the Maryland timeout, Vasquez passes up the 3-point attempt and a wide-open Hayes DRILLS it to give the Terps a three-point lead. Brilliant execution coming out of the timeout.

Favors scores on the tip-in and Tech quickly calls a timeout.

3:59 p.m. — Did Hayes REALLY just make that? The margin for error on that shot was miniscule and that’s putting it kindly.

Gregory is called for the foul trying to tie up Lawal. Tough call there in that spot.

However, Lawal misses them both.

3:57 p.m. — Williams connects on the second free throw to tie the game.

Gregory is whistled for the foul, the ninth team foul. Favors connects on a pair to put Tech up, 68-66.

3:56 p.m. — What can you say about Jordan Williams’ effort today, and all year for that matter? Just a TREMENDOUS play right there by the freshman, and the crowd LOVES it.

3:55 p.m. — Bell goes to the line following the media timeout and cans 1-of-2.

Tucker cannot connect on another triple attempt, but Williams makes a HUGE play to grab the rebound and score in the paint. It’s a one-point lead for Tech.

3:51 p.m. — Just a HUGE shot by Tucker. I figured Vasquez would take it to the hole with the shot clock winding down, but the Jackets leave Tucker wide open.

We’ve reached the final media timeout of the second half with Georgia Tech leading Maryland, 65-63, with 3:54 remaining.

3:49 p.m. — Gary Williams just RIPPED off his jacket following that last offensive rebound by the Yellow Jackets. Then, D’Andre Bell hits the 3-ball to give Tech a 65-60 lead. Just unacceptable.

Timeout, Maryland.

3:47 p.m. — Shumpert hits a pair of free throws after the foul by Mosley to give Tech a two-point lead.

Milbourne misses the jumper from the elbow on the other end. Not sure I’m crazy about that shot so early in the possession given the way he’s played today.

3:44 p.m. — It will be very interesting to see how the Terps play in the final 6:33 of this one. The number of times they’ve had to grind out a win at home in the final minutes this season have been few and far between.

3:39 p.m. — Maryland is definitely getting some nice contributions from unlikely sources this afternoon. Gregory now has nine points while Bowie has hit his second triple of the afternoon.

However, Lawal just tied it up with a putback, tying the game at 58-58. We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout.

3:32 p.m. — We’ve reached the under-12 media timeout with 11:48 remaining. Maryland leads Georgia Tech, 51-46.

3:30 p.m. — Don’t like seeing the mental mistake by Gregory there. Too close of a game to blatantly give away a possession.

3:29 p.m. — I’m not sure how that’s not a foul on Peacock. I really don’t.

And I rarely complain about the officiating.

3:27 p.m. — With the shot clock winding down, Vasquez drives against Miller and draws the foul. Vasquez makes a pair, and the lead is up to five.

Gregory checks into the game as Shumpert scores on a second-chance opportunity.

3:23 p.m. — The crowd didn’t like that one, but Hayes clearly gave him a shove. That’s what happens though when you have a substandard crew. Every call from here on out will be scrutinized to put it mildly.

3:21 p.m. — We’ve reached the first media timeout of the second half with Maryland leading Tech, 43-40. The crowd is really letting Mike Eades, Roger Ayers, and Raymond Styons have it.

Not a good day for that crew to say the least, but it’s been bad all around.

3:19 p.m. — Is there any question Miller initiated the contact on that one? Perfect example of anticipating a call right there.

Milbourne FINALLY scores his first field goal of the afternoon.

3:16 p.m. — After missing the first, Milbourne finally gets on the board with his second attempt. He’s still 0-for-8 from the field in this one.

Hayes scores on the Terps’ next possession, and Williams displays some nice defensive work on the other end.

Vasquez gets around his man and scores on the baseline runner. However, Shumpert hits a jumper on the other end, and Hewitt quickly calls a timeout.

Maryland leads Georgia Tech, 41-37, with 16:32 remaining.

3:12 p.m. — Milbourne cannot buy a bucket at this point. The Terps then turn it over as Vasquez tries to get it to the forward on the inbound play. Lack of focus there, and it causes the turnover.

3:11 p.m. — Vasquez is way short on the 3-point attempt and then picks up a silly foul trying to take the ball away from Favors.

On the Terps’ next possession, Vasquez displays a beautiful spin and finds Williams for the layup. Beautifully orchestrated by the senior guard.

3:08 p.m. — We’re ready for the start of the second half, and I expect much of the same as we saw in the first 20 minutes. A very physical battle. Let’s hope Williams can stay out of foul trouble.

3:05 p.m. — Considering how badly the Terps were being outrebounded in the first eight minutes of the game, they’ve held their own since that point. Tech has the edge at 25-22 and has secured 10 offensive rebounds to eight for the Terps.

Favors has a game-high 11 points for the Jackets while Vasquez leads the Terps with 10 points at the break.

3:01 p.m. — Milbourne really struggled in the first half, shooting 0-for-5 and failing to register a point. We’ve seen him struggle against the bigger frontcourts of the conference before, and the first half was no exception.

2:55 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the first half with Tech scoring the final four points before the break.

Maryland leads at halftime, 34-32.

2:48 p.m. — Mosley scores inside on the putback. He’s been a forgotten man on the offensive end lately to say the least.

Timeout on the floor with 1:06 remaining. Maryland leads Georgia Tech, 34-28.

2:40 p.m. — Williams just picked up his second foul as Lawal scores inside. It’s clear Gary Williams and the Terps are not pleased with a few of these foul calls in the first half. Maryland will need to manage inside without Williams for the remainder of the half.

Vasquez scores and is fouled, giving him nine points, as we reach the final media timeout of the first half. Maryland leads Georgia Tech, 30-27.

2:37 p.m. — I was just going to mention it’s been a quiet start for Eric Hayes, but he’s scored five points on Maryland’s last two possessions. He had a very rough night in Raleigh and was feeling under the weather.

2:36 p.m. — Mosley going inside against Favors is not a battle the sophomore from Baltimore is going to win. Not much you can do there.

Favors hits the shot and is fouled by Gregory who gave him a tiny push. He completes the three-point play, and the Yellow Jackets have the lead.

Following a Hayes miss, Mosley controls the rebound and Williams eventually scores on the putback. Maryland continues to really struggle in finding good shots out of its half-court offense.

2:31 p.m. — We’ve reached the under-8 media timeout with Maryland and Georgia Tech tied up, 18-18.

2:29 p.m. — Georgia Tech comes out of the timeout looking to press, but the Terps handle it well as Jordan Williams is fouled and will go to the line for a pair.

The frosh misses both and continues to struggle from the charity stripe. I still think Williams will eventually be a good free throw shooter—for a big man.

2:27 p.m. — We’ve reached our second media timeout with the Terps enjoying an 18-15 advantage over Georgia Tech. This one definitely hasn’t been an exhibition of great offense as the Jackets are shooting just 26 percent while Maryland is a little better at 36.8 percent.

2:24 p.m. — Adrian Bowie with a 3-pointer. I figured, after Wednesday night, his quota for triples was satisfied until March.

Nice to see him shooting the ball a little better. It’s been a rough season for him.

2:22 p.m. — Georgia Tech already has nine offensive rebounds in this one. The Jackets are just dominating the glass in the first eight minutes of this one.

The Terps will need a big day from Dino Gregory, and the junior has delivered in the last two possessions. The MONSTER dunk sends the students into a frenzy as Maryland takes a two-point lead.

2:20 p.m. — Despite all the trees in the Tech frontcourt, little Moe Miller just grabbed the offensive board and is fouled by Williams, sending the guard to the line.

He makes 1-of-2, but Maryland cannot grab the board and Shumpert hits the 3-pointer. Too many second-chance opportunities in the early going.

2:18 p.m. — Gary Williams was clearly unhappy during that last timeout, walking all the way out to the lane to question the jump ball call.

After a Milbourne missed 3-pointer, Jordan Williams cleans up the offensive glass and scores to tie the game at 4-4. Ugly start for both teams in this one.

However, as I type that last statement, Vasquez just hit a 3-ball to become the sixth player in Maryland history to eclipse the 2,000-point mark for his career. Just a brilliant, under-appreciated career for the senior from Venezuela here in College Park.

2:13 p.m. — Maryland is definitely off to a cold start shooting the basketball and is struggling inside against Tech’s big men. Almost to the first media timeout, and the Terps have a measly two points.

Favors and Williams just got tangled up battling for the rebound, and the officials rule a jump ball to the displeasure of the Comcast Crowd.

We’ve reached the first media timeout with Maryland trailing Georgia Tech, 4-2.

2:10 p.m. — Williams is matched up against Lawal instead of Favors, and the Jackets’ leading scorer curls around him for the inside bucket. It should be interesting to see how Milbourne holds up against the imposing Favors.

2:06 p.m. — Very odd to see Georgia Tech wearing white considering it’s the road team, but as mentioned before, the Terps are again wearing the gold threads at Comcast.

Tech controls the opening tip but cannot score on two different shot attempts. On the other end, Vasquez may have gotten away with the travel but scores on the runner.

2:02 p.m. — As I mentioned this morning on the Fantasy Flavor with Thyrl Nelson, I expect a great battle between Derrick Favors and Jordan Williams this afternoon. Favors got off to a fast start and has garnered more national attention, but Williams has clearly been one of the top freshmen in the conference.

1:57 p.m. — Lost in the hype of today’s game is the great respect between Gary Williams and Paul Hewitt. Both coaches just spent a few minutes chatting after Williams walked onto the court.

1:50 p.m. — The pregame festivities are underway, and Lefty Driesell just accompanied honorary captain Larry Gibson to the floor.

1:48 p.m. — Here are today’s starting lineups:

Georgia Tech
G Iman Shumpert
G Glen Rice, Jr.
G D’Andre Bell
F Derrick Favors
F Gani Lawal

Maryland
G Eric Hayes
G Greivis Vasquez
G Sean Mosley
F Landon Milbourne
F Jordan Williams

1:46 p.m. — In what should come as no surprise at this point in conference play, the Terps will again wear the gold uniforms.

This ends your one and only fashion update for the entire afternoon.

1:40 p.m. — Good afternoon from College Park as the Terps (18-7, 8-3 ACC) prepare to host Paul Hewitt’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (18-8, 6-6) at 2:00 p.m.

Maryland will play its fourth game in eight days, coming off a 67-58 victory at NC State on Wednesday night in which the Terps came back from a 12-point deficit in the second half. Greivis Vasquez scored a game-high 26 points to lead the comeback, but Jordan Williams provided a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds to control the paint against the Wolfpack.

Vasquez will have the opportunity to secure another milestone in his brilliant career, needing only five points to become the sixth player in Maryland history to eclipse the 2,000-point mark. In doing so, the senior from Caracas, Venezuela would become the first ACC player ever to reach 2,000 points, 700 assists, and 600 rebounds for his career.

A victory would clinch a winning conference record for the Terps and would push them a step closer to a first-round bye in the ACC tournament. A 10-6 conference record is generally considered to be the mark needed to secure a tournament bid. Of course, the ACC tournament could skew things a bit, but Maryland is unquestionably in great shape here on the 20th of February.

Georgia Tech has followed an inconsistent pattern throughout the season despite an imposing frontcourt of Gani Lawal (14.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and freshman standout Derrick Favors (11.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg). Georgia Tech has lost three of five and does not want to fall below the .500 mark in the final quarter of the conference schedule. The Yellow Jackets have struggled in the backcourt, a problem Maryland hopes to exploit this afternoon.

In addition to its guard struggles, Georgia Tech has struggled mightily on the road in conference play with its lone victory coming against North Carolina on Jan. 16. Couple that with Maryland’s 5-0 ACC home record (12-1 overall), and it figures to be a sizable task for Paul Hewitt’s squad to win at Comcast Center this afternoon.

This afternoon’s game will be televised by Raycom (WNUV-TV 54 in Baltimore) with Tim Brant and Cory Alexander calling the action.

As always, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) where Glenn Clark and other WNST personalities will provide insight throughout the afternoon.

Poor shooting, turnovers, and sloppy defense positioned the Terps firmly on the ropes against the worst team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It had the potential to be one of those unacceptable losses Maryland has suffered on occasion over the last few seasons.

But thanks to some unlikely contributions and a rejuvenated defense, Maryland awoke in the game’s final 15 minutes to capture a 67-58 win at NC State on Wednesday night.

While senior Greivis Vasquez anchored the comeback, scoring 10 of Maryland’s final 17 points en route to a 26-point evening, the problem was finding offense from the usual suspects. Normally reliable scorers, Landon Milbourne, Eric Hayes, and Sean Mosley combined for just 12 points on 5-for-22 shooting.

The Terps (18-7, 8-3 ACC) instead turned to two others, a sensational freshman transforming into a force before our very eyes and a reserve guard having the most disappointing season of any player on the roster, for critical scoring to stave off defeat and pull into a second-place tie with Virginia Tech in the ACC.

Jordan Williams may not overwhelm audiences with highlight-reel dunks, but his mature work inside the paint continues to be the biggest reason for the Terps’ resurgence this season. The freshman was outstanding against the Wolfpack, matching a career-high 19 points and snatching 11 rebounds to control the low post in the second half.

Starting at the 9:00 mark of the second half, Williams scored seven points in a four-minute span that would help swing the game from a one-point Wolfpack lead to a 58-51 Maryland advantage after sinking a free throw with 5:03 remaining.

Though only averaging 8.4 points per game entering Wednesday night, Williams has now reached double-digit scoring in four of the last six games. The big man continues to grow more confident in the half-court offense and has clearly established himself as one of the top freshmen in the ACC.

Before Williams’ spurt, Maryland struggled to stay in the game and desperately needed outside shooting with Hayes being a non-factor. Adrian Bowie—shooting just 24 percent from 3-point range and struggling mightily all season—answered the call with two of the biggest shots of the game—and his entire season.

His 3-pointer with 11:16 remaining cut the deficit to one, the closest the Terps had been since a 17-17 tie. A few moments later, with NC State threatening to regain momentum by pushing the lead back to six, Bowie connected from behind the arc again, igniting a 16-2 run from which the Wolfpack never recovered.

For Bowie, it’s arguably the highlight of a difficult junior campaign. The Monstrose Christian product who started 28 games last season rose to the occasion on a night when little was working from the perimeter.

Of course, the Terps’ comeback efforts were aided by frigid shooting from their opponent as NC State managed just one field goal and seven points in the final 9:52 of the game. Credit the Maryland defense, but it certainly helped that the Wolfpack completely crumbled after relinquishing a 12-point lead.

It wasn’t a pretty win, and concerns still remain such as the disappearance of Sean Mosley in the offense. The Baltimore sophomore has now failed to reach double digits in his last six games and has only reached the mark twice in ACC play.

Wednesday’s effort won’t beat many teams, but the Terps did exactly what they needed to do to pull out the road win despite not playing their best basketball.

Even the best teams have clunkers, but the mark of a quality team is being able to find production from role players when some of your starters aren’t performing.

It’s the difference between an ugly win and an unacceptable loss.

Yes, Maryland still lacks that sparkling win that opens the eyes of the rest of the country, but the Terps continue to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat.

Even if they’re not at their best.

Check out the final stats here and the live blog below.

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10:57 p.m. — It wasn’t pretty or even much fun, but Vasquez and Williams lead the Terps to a 67-58 victory in Raleigh.

I’ll take it, and I’m sure you will too.

Back soon with the post-game wrap.

10:55 p.m. — Mays hits a triple to cut the deficit to seven with 1:03 remaining. Too little, too late for the Wolfpack.

When you look how poorly Sidney Lowe’s team has played in the second half, you understand how alarming it was for the Terps to be down by as many as 12.

10:53 p.m. — You think Vasquez is feeling it just a little bit right now? Coast-to-coast.

And a great defensive play by Mosley gives the Terps the ball with an eight-point lead and two minutes to go. Have to be feeling good about this one considering how poor the first 25 minutes were.

10:50 p.m. — 21 points and six dimes for Vasquez. Despite a lull late in the first half, he’s been everything you need from your leader in a tight game in which you’re not playing well.

10:47 p.m. — We’ve reached our final media timeout of the night with the Terps feeling much better about themselves and holding a 58-51 lead.

10:45 p.m. — It’s all coming together for the Terps as the defensive intensity is there, and NC State cannot BUY a bucket.

I think Herb Sendek was still at State the last time the Pack scored a bucket.

10:40 p.m. — We saw a similar comeback to tonight’s at Clemson earlier in the year. The Terps did not, however, have enough steam to hold on at Littlejohn.

The comeback came right around at the same time as tonight’s too.

10:37 p.m. — Who else but Vasquez? It’s what you’ve come to expect from the brilliant senior.

Jordan Williams having a huge second half for the Terps as NC State is just crumbling and now trails by four.

10:34 p.m. — Did Adrian Bowie invest in some new shooting tapes? You know you’re desperate when you’re counting on him for long-range shooting.

10:31 p.m. — Horner sticks the 3-ball, giving him 17 points. That one hurts.

He’s absolutely killing the Terps tonight.

10:28 p.m. — Adrian Bowie. Just HUGE!

10:25 p.m. — Nice runner by Vasquez to give him 16 points. The Terps have cut it to six, and you have to like the improved energy on the defensive end.

However, can anyone do anything offensively with Vasquez getting a breather?

10:21 p.m. — Jordan Williams is clearly struggling from the line tonight, but the potential is there to be a good free throw shooter. He has a good stroke, but his confidence is lacking big-time.

Did he just bank one in? Seriously?

10:17 p.m. — Hey, Dennis Horner is standing underneath the basket!

Guess they didn’t hear me.

We’ve seen the Terps shoot poorly on the road before, but the lack of energy on the defensive end of the floor is quite apparent.

10:14 p.m. — If the first two minutes of the second half is any indication, this is going to be a LONG night.

As I type that, Vasquez throws up a prayer of a 3-point attempt and it goes in. Maybe that will get them going.

10:10 p.m. — The Terps are now 1-for-6 from beyond the arc tonight. Typical road shooting woes.

10:08 p.m. — The Terps force the turnover on State’s first possession but turn it over themselves on the other end.

It’s critical for Maryland to start out strong if a comeback is in the cards.

10:05 p.m. — Maryland is 1-7 when trailing at the half this season and 1-3 in the ACC. The Terps’ comeback from a halftime deficit came at Florida State.

9:52 p.m. — We’ve thankfully reached the end of the first half. Maryland trails NC State, 37-27.

Listless. Uninspiring. Comatose.

Which adjective do you prefer?

9:49 p.m. — I’m at a loss for words right now. I really am.

Credit NC State, but it’s not like the Pack is playing out of their minds either.

9:46 p.m. — Fatigue is definitely playing a part in this one, but the effort just hasn’t been there tonight. Not playing smart basketball.

The Terps need to keep this one to a single-digit deficit before the intermission.

9:44 p.m. — Anyone ever see Philip Seymour Hoffman play basketball in Along Came Polly? Maryland’s shooting closely resembles his right now.

Ug-ly.

9:40 p.m. — Is Maryland TRYING to miss these easy shots?

9:36 p.m. — Maryland is just sleepwalking right now. A 9-0 run gives the Wolfpack a 24-17 lead before Vasquez ends the scoring drought.

This is looking like one of those games where Vasquez might have to carry the Terps.

9:32 p.m. — Williams with another miss at the basket. He’s got to finish some of those opportunities.

Cliff Tucker certainly won’t earn more minutes with two shot attempts like what we just saw.

Maryland looking lethargic tonight, and two turnovers and NC State field goals will confirm that theory.

9:27 p.m. — Scott Wood almost shattered the backboard with that shot attempt. Easy, big fella.

Another early entry into the game for James Padgett, as it appears Gary Williams is more confident in going with the frontcourt of Dino Gregory and the frosh.

9:25 p.m. — Adrian Bowie is in the game and just attempted a 20-footer. Not exactly what you want.

In addition to Vasquez, Milbourne is off to a quick start too as we reach the second media timeout with Maryland leading the Wolfpack by two.

9:22 p.m. — You think Vasquez is in the zone again?

Meanwhile, the Terps have given up second-chance points on two straight possessions. Can’t let that happen.

9:19 p.m. — Maryland continues to show the press, and State is definitely having some issues with it, having to call a timeout a couple possessions ago and nearly turning it over in the backcourt.

9:14 p.m. — Great ball movement by the Terps on that last possession as Vasquez finds Williams in the paint, but the big man is fouled and will go to the line for two.

We’re tied 7-7 with 15:54 remaining at the first media timeout.

9:11 p.m. — Vasquez with the early triple. Nice start from the perimeter for the Terps. Maryland’s road shooting woes are well-documented (see below).

Degand takes advantage of some confusion and takes it to the bucket.

9:09 p.m. — Nice vision up-court by Vasquez to find Milbourne, and the Terps have the early 2-0 lead after a couple empty possessions from each side.

Very important to start fast in this one.

9:07 p.m. — One last friendly reminder for the tip: the start of tonight’s game can only be seen on Comcast SportsNet-Plus due to that group of players wearing Wizards jerseys. Who are they?

Comcast SportsNet will pick up the action in progress immediately after the Wizards game.

9:04 p.m. — Here are tonight’s starters:

Maryland
G Eric Hayes
G Greivis Vasquez
G Sean Mosley
F Landon Milbourne
F Jordan Williams

NC State
G Javier Gonzalez
G Farnold Degand
F Scott Wood
F Tracy Smith
F Dennis Horner

8:45 p.m. — Good evening from the Jones headquarters as we await the start of Maryland-NC State at 9:00 p.m. The Terps (17-7, 7-3 ACC) will play their third game in five days by traveling to Raleigh to take on the last-place Wolfpack (14-12, 2-9 ACC) at the RBC Center.

Maryland rebounded from its disappointing loss at Duke against Virginia on Monday night, breezing to a 85-66 win at Comcast Center. Greivis Vasquez played one of the finest games of his career in a 30-point effort, 25 of those coming in the first half against the Cavaliers.

This one certainly looks like a mismatch on paper, but the Terps must come out focused to fight off fatigue due to the aforementioned stretch. In the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 23, the Wolfpack managed to hang around in the first half before getting blown out by the Terps after the intermission and falling 88-64 in Gary Williams’ 1,000 career game.

NC State has lost its last six conference games—most recently to lowly North Carolina (I love saying that). During the stretch, State’s only win has come against lowly independent North Carolina Central. In fact, the Terps were responsible in starting the losing streak for the Wolfpack after Sidney Lowe’s team had upset Duke on Jan. 20 before taking on the Terps in College Park.

With only five games remaining on its conference schedule, the Wolfpack is clearly in desperation mode as its season continues to spiral downward over the last four weeks. Forward Tracy Smith has been the Pack’s most consistent player, scoring 17.5 points per game and grabbing just over eight rebounds a contest.

Despite the success the Terps have enjoyed in conference play, their shooting woes away from Comcast Center continue to be a concern with postseason play and neutral-court sights fast approaching. In their five conference road games, Maryland has shot 32.8 percent (22-67) from beyond the arc. It looks even worse when you examine the last three road contests against Clemson, Florida State, and Duke where the Terps have shot a wretched 18.9 percent (7-37) from the 3-point line.

While it’s not surprising for a team to struggle with its shooting on the road, in contrast, Maryland has made 49.3 percent of its shots (36-73) in five conference games at Comcast. Quite the difference.

In looking at the coaching matchup, to say Williams has Lowe’s number would be an understatement as the Terps are 6-0 against the Wolfpack since Lowe took over the program in 2007.

With Maryland having the far superior backcourt and the better-dressed coach—be sure to shield your eyes when the camera shifts to Lowe’s scarlet jacket—you wouldn’t think the Terps will have TOO much difficulty in this one, even being on the road.

Tonight’s game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet-Plus at 9:00 p.m. Keep in mind, with the Wizards-Timberwolves game currently being played, Comcast SportsNet will join the Maryland game in progress immediately following the happenings at the Verizon Center.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking. “Who even plays for the Wizards these days, and why are we being subjected to that?” Yes, I agree, so hopefully you’ll stay right here throughout the evening.

As always, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) as Terps aficionado Glenn Clark and other WNST personalities will be chiming in with their thoughts throughout the night.