Maryland finally reached its potential.
James Gist dominated inside while Ekene Ibekwe flexed some muscle. D.J. Strawberry stole points with his hustle while Greivis Vasquez carried the Terrapins over a five-minute stretch.
Maryland (18-7, 4-6 ACC) dispatched nemesis No. 16 Duke (18-7, 5-6) 72-60 on Sunday before 17,950 at Comcast Center. The Terps showed some life to stay alive in their NCAA Tournament bid. Maybe they just needed their old rival to awaken them.
“We are not in disarray,” coach Gary Williams said. “Disarray is a losing season, which we haven?t had in a long time. … We?re a pretty good basketball team. We have to fight a lot of things to be accepted as that.”
Maryland-Duke is always a big deal even if neither team is a title contender this season. Former Terps coach Lefty Driesell flashed the trademark “V” at midcourt to thunderous applause. Cal Ripken, Jr. was greeted like royalty by the student section.
Fans picked Duke guard Jon Scheyer as the new J.J. Redick, chanting the freshman?s name minus the notorious profanity from a 2005 national TV game while donning cutouts of his face. An “I still hate J.J.” sign was waved behind Duke?s bench.
It was loud. It was crazy. And it was a lot of fun after an early 24-2 run gave Maryland a 29-9 lead. Duke closed to 58-52 with 8:02 remaining, but another 10-2 Maryland streak sealed the victory. An embarrassing collapse was avoided, postseason hopes renewed with a victory over a ranked foe.
“Everybody kept asking the players what?s wrong,” said Williams of recent losses. “That was the motivation to play well.”
Certainly, the frontcourt played well despite a misleading stat of 34 rebounds per team. Gist scored 16 points with 10 rebounds while Ibekwe added 13 and 7 respectively. Even Will Bowers subbed for five points and three boards. The Terps went nine deep on a night when Vasquez led with a season-high 18 points. Every Duke run was stopped with a big Maryland play.
One minute remained with a 12-point lead. The crowd delivered its final roar. In a season of inconsistent efforts that left some alumni and fans openly pondering whether the Williams era was ending, the coming weeks are still worth following.
“This is how we have to play,” Williams said. “That?s the effort we need every night.”
Three weeks remain before Selection Sunday. The Terps aren?t done yet.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
