The Sweet 16 proved to be a bittersweet mirage.
Outplayed the entire way with no inside game and awful outside defense, Maryland still seemed on the verge of its biggest steal ever in an NCAA Tournament game Sunday. And then it was gone at the buzzer as Michigan State drained its 10th 3-pointer of the afternoon for an 85-83 victory.
Maryland didn’t deserve to win. The Terps trailed by 10 points early. Yet they roared at the finish. Greivis Vasquez — who earlier in the game passed Len Bias as Maryland’s second all-time leading scorer — scored his final basket with 6.6 seconds left for an 83-82 lead. But Maryland was out of timeouts, and Michigan State had enough time for one last play without the Terps setting up defensively.
This loss surely will haunt coach Gary Williams until next season. With No. 1 Kansas and No. 3 Georgetown already out of the Midwest bracket, Maryland had a fair chance to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. Instead, the Spartans are seeking their sixth Final Four trip. Michigan State should beat No. 9 Northern Iowa on Friday and likely will face No. 2 Ohio State in the Elite Eight.
March Madness proved maddening for the Terps. Then again, plenty of good teams are now sidelined. Kansas was the overall No. 1 seed. No. 2 Villanova was upset. No. 4 Temple and No. 5 Wisconsin fell to No. 12 Cornell. No. 3 New Mexico was shocked by No. 11 Washington.
Ultimately, Maryland probably did as well as expected. The Terps were a good team, not a great one that survives until late March. They played good pressure defense, made free throws and worked the offense well. Williams enjoyed this team because it did all the little things.
The question now is will Maryland dance again in 2011? The Terps lose three starters in seniors Landon Milbourne, Eric Hayes and Vasquez.
It’s supposed to be Sean Mosley’s team next year. The guard is steady, but whether he can become the team’s foundation is uncertain. Maybe it goes to Jordan Williams, who steadily improved in his first season. Similar growth next year would send Williams to the NBA.
Maryland has an inside-outside core and decent players in Cliff Tucker, Dino Gregory and Adrian Bowie. That’s enough for another NCAA Tournament season. How far it goes is uncertain.
How far the Terps could have gone this season is uncertain, too. They might have been the Final Four sleeper. Instead, it was lights out in the cruelest way.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
