In a game that predictably down to the wire, No. 22 Maryland finally got over the hump and defeated No. 4 Duke 79-72 on Senior Night in College Park.
When the game started, there was the feeling that Greivis Vasquez wouldn’t let the Terrapins lose on the last home game of his college career. Not only was it Vasquez’s last game, but also fellow guard Eric Hayes and forward Landon Milbourne’s home finale. Vasquez and the Maryland offense got off to a fast start and built up a 14 point lead.
As always, though, the Blue Devils closed the lead to two before the half and then took the lead. Maryland never backed down from Duke and pulled out the 79-72 victory.
Aside from Vasquez, who had 20 points, Adrian Bowie, Sean Mosley and Jordan Williams were clutch down the stretch. Bowie didn’t miss a shot in his playing time. Mosley hit free throws to ice the game for the second game in a row. Williams played one of his best games of the year.
Maryland is now 22-7, 21-7 in Division I games, and 12-3 in the ACC. They’ll take their six game winning streak in to Virginia for the season finale. Virginia has been rough for Maryland in recent seasons, but Maryland is playing for a shot to be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Greivis is a guy who wants to "be the man". He's not afraid of the spotlight or the big game, and he's not afraid of Duke. I don't think you can adequately measure a guy's heart. He's got it. Congratulations to GV and the rest of the boys.
what a game. last night was magical for greivis and the terps. i'll remember this game for a long time and could see this being as big as some of those wins during the dixon/blake era.
[youtube BDzjnv8MX3c&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDzjnv8MX3c&fe… youtube]
Riot video
way over done by the fans and police.
It's ashame that Maryland fans seem to lead the way when it comes to riots and disturbances after big wins.
It's been that way for awhile too.
27 arrested?? Yeesh! I still don't get why they stormed the court. It is a good Dook team, but I think storming the court should be reserved for knocking off #1 in the country.
Yeah, didn't look much like a riot to me. Just some kids yanking down road signs and burning trash cans. Either way I thought it was awesome.
I'll say it again.
This team has something going on. I'm not sure what that something is but they have it.
I still cannot believe Vasquez's shot feel.
Amazing.
The Terps did have some bounces that went right last night. GV's shot and Hayes hit a tough one that used plenty of rim to go down in the last 3 minutes of the game. That said they fought hard and it did seem like the seniors would not let them lose.
*Fell
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I hate to be a downer but, I am concerned with Milbourne's play. He is either spent or no longer confident. The Terps need him, but right now I think they are better with Dino Gregory on the floor.
I agree with your concerns about Milbourne. He barely registered last night. Right now, they are getting about the same amount of production from Gregory that they are with Milbourne.
Agreed. Milbourne has been lost ever since the Duke game in Durham. He's playing like a freshman. Maybe he would pick it up if he came off the bench and not starting.
Milbourne seems like he's mentally fragile.
If you notice early in games that if he gets blocked or gets abused defensively he pretty much disappears for the rest of the night. I've watched him closely and his head just doesn't seem in the game much of the time.
The end of regulation at VT clearly demonstrated that to me. He was on the bench and then gets inserted to inbound the ball, up 3, with @ 20 seconds left. He immediately locks on the Vasquez (the obvious choice to get the ball) and proceeds to make an absolutely horrendous pass that is easily caught by a VT player. Then VT hits their 3 to tie the game.
Milbourne definitely has a tough job being matched up with guys much bigger on a nightly basis. But he just seems to lack the hunger and aggressiveness and it's a big problem.
Milbourne only had 5 points last night, but they were pretty big buckets. He hit a 3, after Vasquez hit the first one, which started the run at the beginning of the game, and he had a monster dunk in the second half that got the crowd back in the game, after Duke took the lead.
The guy is a team player and is playing a position he isn't the right size for. Depending on the match-up, he is quicker and more athletic than the guy he is up against, but somtimes he is just out muscled. I like Dino's defense, but Milbourne still has a lot more to offer with his mid-range jumper.
Unfortunately, his mid-range jumper has not been falling lately and I think his struggles have led to him playing tentatively. He only played 18 minutes last night because of foul trouble, but there is no way he should come away with no rebounds. Even if he is getting burned on d, or can't find his rythm on o, he needs to crash the boards. Rebounding almost cost them last night.
JohnM,
All too often last night, Duke had their "Big" team in the game. That's probably the reason LM faded so quickly.
The Terps have had a very good season but the ACC has been down this year. They might do well in the ACC tourney but I wouldn't get my hopes up for a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 run during March Madness. Other conferences are better this year which obviously isn't the norm, take pride in what the Terps have done but don't get too excited about the NCAA tourney.