Say goodbye to the Maryland Terrapins tonight. This could be the end of anything worthwhile.
Maryland’s NCAA Tournament hopes are a long shot. The Terps need at least two ACC Tournament wins to merit an at-large selection on Sunday, though three are more likely warranted. Maryland at best will beat Boston College in the ACC’s first-round, but expecting anything else after a late-season meltdown is a bit much. And anything else means NIT for the third time in four years.
What happened to a program that has been consistently solid since the early 1970s when Lefty Driesell nearly made Maryland the “UCLA of the East.” The Terps won the 2002 national title with enough talent left over to reach the Sweet 16 the following year. Ironically, that success probably undermined the program. Assistant coaches gained head jobs elsewhere and successors didn’t recruit nearly as well. They haven’t found the overlooked player who blossomed at Maryland like Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and Juan Dixon once did.
Coach Gary Williams has always been a better game coach than recruiter, probably because he’s too honest to promise recruits silly things. Comparatively, Driesell was a great recruiter who might as well sit on the bench in the final minutes for all the difference he made. Williams would have beaten Driesell 9 of 10 times on the court, but Driesell would have signed 9 of 10 recruits over Williams.
Ultimately, the talent must be there and the Terps just don’t have it. James Gist didn’t develop into the breakthrough player. The senior was supposed to carry the Terps, but two teammates admitted on Tuesday the team lacked leadership on the court in the final minutes while leads evaporated faster than an afternoon rain storm in the desert.
The Terps have a lot of nice players, but lack cohesion after 31 games. Why should they suddenly gain it in March when other teams frankly seem to want it more? Clemson wanted it more when overcoming a 20-point deficit on Maryland’s Senior Day. Virginia wanted it more on Sunday on its Senior Day. Virginia Tech wanted it more when bolstering its NCAA postseason bid by sweeping Maryland.
“It’s frustrating to see how good we can play,” center Bambale Osby said. “But then to see the effort we give in some games… . Just look at the games we’ve played. The top seed, [North] Carolina, we beat them. Duke came here and we had them down 12 points. We had Clemson down 20 points. Every team in the conference we’ve had them down 9-10 points and we just haven’t been able to finish the game. I don’t think our record is indicative of the type of team we are. We can be a great team.”
Georgetown has passed Maryland as the top local program. George Mason reaches the tournament for the second time in three years. American seeks its first berth on Friday after beating Maryland earlier this year.
Fear the turtle? Must be talking about the women’s team.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
