At any other time of year, a seven-day break might be welcomed.
But not right now.
Coming off Sunday?s 73-70 loss to Clemson, in which Maryland blew a 20-point lead and an opportunity to build its postseason resume, the Terrapins (18-12 overall, 8-7 ACC) would much rather get back on the court right away. Instead, the team must wait until Sunday before concluding the regular season at Virginia (13-13, 3-10).
“It?s definitely tough to have a week off after a loss like this. We want to get back out there and redeem ourselves for the way we played in the second half,” sophomore guard Eric Hayes said. “It?s going to be tough to get over, but we?ll have to for Virginia. It?ll be a tough game atVirginia.”
Despite the sense of dejection surrounding Maryland after the Clemson game, the worst the Terrapins can finish is .500 in conference play, which is usually good enough for an NCAA Tournament bid. But if the Terrapins want to avoid going to the National Invitational Tournament for the third time in four years, they?ll have to do better in a season when they have lost to teams like Ohio and American, which are ranked 61and 106, respectively in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
“We?ve got to go 9-7 and it?s going to be hard to put this loss behind us,” Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez said. “It hurts.”
The young Terrapins have lost four of their last six games, including three of their last four at Comcast Center, where they are 14-6 on the season. Offensively, Maryland has also struggled in its last six games as they have averaged 67.1 ponts in that span.
Maryland coach Gary Williams called the recent stretch “draining,” and said rebounding from Sunday?s loss will translate into life lessons for his players.
“We?ve been knocked down a few times this year,” Williams said. “[Sunday] was a pretty good example. But we?ve come back. I?m feeling that we can come back. It will be hard, it won?t be easy.”
If the regular season ended yesterday, Maryland would face Virginia in the ACC Tournament opening round March 13 at 2 p.m., and should the Terrapins win, they would face the No. 4 seed ? currently Virginia Tech ? March 14 at 2 p.m. But all that can change in an instant as between last night and Thursday only Maryland and North Carolina State don?t have a game.
Maryland is 7-4 in games following a loss this season. Also, the Terrapins rebounded from a three-game losing streak in December ? which included crushing the Ohio and American losses ? into four straight wins and a 10-2 stretch. The Terrapins vow to stay together after this loss, too.
“This is not a time to point fingers on anybody,” Vasquez said. “We?ve got to keep positive, and just try to refocus and recover from this loss.”
