So what do you think of Gary Williams now?
Maryland’s 88-85 victory in overtime against No. 3 North Carolina was one of Williams’ greatest upsets. That’s a significant statement considering his body of work — seven defeats of No. 1-ranked teams, the most among active NCAA coaches, and 20 wins over teams ranked in the top five.
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Here are some of the Terps most memorable upsets under Williams.
1992: Maryland 82, North Carolina 80 » Williams’ first defeat of a top 10 team at Maryland came in his third season. The Terps (11-13) were in last place in the ACC, but toppled No. 10 UNC and Hubert Davis. Walt Williams (28 points) tipped in his own miss with 1.3 seconds left after Maryland had blown a 22-point halftime lead.
1994: Maryland 95, Massachusetts 87 » After squeaking into the NCAA Tournament at 16-11, the 10th-seeded Terps upset second-seeded UMass in the second round in Wichita. Maryland shot 70 percent in the second half behind Joe Smith (22 points), Duane Simpkins (20 points), and Exree Hipp (19 points) to overcome Marcus Camby (32 points).
1998: Maryland 89, North Carolina 83 (OT) » Eleven days earlier, the Terps suffered their worst home loss in 30 years, 104-72, to Duke. But unranked Maryland rebounded with an upset of the No. 1 Tar Heels at Cole Field House. LaRon Profit (19 points), Rodney Elliott (16 points) and Obina Ekezie (16 points) overcame Antawn Jamison (27 points) and dropped new coach Bill Guthridge to 17-1.
2003: Maryland 69, Florida 68 (OT) » After losses to Wisconsin and Gonzaga in the BB&T dropped them out of the rankings, the Terps upset the No. 1 Gators in Gainesville. Maryland blew a 17-point second half lead, but Travis Garrison’s only points of the game were huge — an 18-foot jumper with 18 seconds left in OT.
2008: Maryland 82, North Carolina 80 » The unranked Terps had suffered embarrassing back-to-back home losses to Ohio and American. But James Gist (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Greivis Vasquez (12 points, 11 assists) propelled Maryland over the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Heels. Bambale Osby hit the winning layup with 21 seconds left after Maryland had blown an 11-point lead.
