It was a tale of two halves, unfortunately for the Maryland Terrapins the tale of the 1st half outweighed the 2nd in their 69-64 loss to Georgia Tech in the quarterfinal of the 2010 ACC Tournament. Georgia Tech ran out to a 16 point half-time lead as they punished the Terps both inside and out. The Terps fought back quickly in the 2nd half but could never pull even or take the lead from the Yellowjackets as it appeared they ran out of gas during the comeback. In the end it was Maryland’s poor shooting and Tech’s length and athleticism that did in the Terps in a tournament that has been full of upsets. Now Maryland can get some extended rest and await their seeding in next weeks NCAA Tournament.
It was clear early that the Yellow Jackets were motivated to save their season and avenge a brutal February loss in College Park. Many believed that Tech needed one more win to lock up a tournament berth and perhaps save coach Paul Hewitt’s job. These factors united the Jackets at the start as they got repeated open looks and there was a sense that it was not the Terps night when Tech guard Mo Miller channeled Reggie Miller and actually made some jump shots. In fact Georgia Tech rarely missed from the perimeter starting 6-8 from 3 pt. range and finishing 8-12.
Maryland, meanwhile, missed several open looks and found the sledding tough on the interior against the taller and more athletic Yellow Jackets. To their credit, the Terps did not go away quietly, showing the mettle of most Gary Williams coached teams. The Terps repeatedly turned the Jackets over in the 2nd half and cut a 16 point deficit to 2 in under seven minutes. But each time the Terps got close for the rest of the game they could not make the plays to put them over the hump. Some bad shots and good defensive plays kept the Terps at bay. Greivis Vasquez also struggled greatly and never appeared to have the energy or bounce in his step that we have seen this year. Jordan Williams was in foul trouble all night, which hurt the Terps on the boards and defending the interior. Sean Mosley, despite registering 4 steals, was 0-7 from the floor and did not score. Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne played nice games, but it was not enough for the Terps to advance to the semifinals.
This game was pointed to the Terps weakness as a team. When they are not making jump shots they are very average. Fortunately for the Terps they have been a good shooting team for most of the season. The Terps will also need to find ways to score consistently against more athletic teams like Georgi Tech. If Maryland runs into a match-up like this they could be in trouble in the NCAA’s. The question for Terps fans is: Was tonights loss an blip on the radar or more of what is to come?
JP,
Seems like the story of the Terps' season. Fall behind early, mount a near miraculous comeback in the second half. At some point, your luck wears out.
Hopefully, this is a wake up call for the NCAAs. Maybe this will drop them out of that dreaded 5 slot and earn them a more favorable seeding.
Just trying to look at the bright side…
That is very optimistic. To answer Pilson's question, I hope it was just a blip on the radar. There were some bad shots taken, as well as a little bad luck in the last minute or so of the game.
And a few calls/non-calls. I did not see a conclusive replay but Favors follow dunk seemed like it came after the shot clock expired. And Vasquez appeared to have gotten swiped on the arm by Shumpert at the end of the game. Bad calls happen in the course of the game, but those came without enough time for the Terps to respond.
JP,
What about the loose ball near the closing 20 seconds or so in the game? The GT player slide 5 feet with the ball in his hands, yet no travel call, and it seemed a change of possession, then a tie-up, but yet the Terps shot clock stayed at :07, with no re-set.
Perhaps, I don't understand that rule…may I get a ruling?
Crying is for Duke basketball fans. Face it STG if you ONLY show up for 20 minutes you are going to lose. Maryland simply paved the way for another undeserving ACC team to make it to the Dance.
Tough to argue that. Maryland has to play more than 20 minutes.
STG,
I guess I have become the traffic cop of sports analysis…I called the Terps loss in this one. The Terps are not as good as some want them to be. They were the benfactors of a weak ACC. I see one W for them in the Dance and than they go home with a couple of awards to show for their efforts. I hope that I am wrong, but I call them the way they are.
Will-o, you could be right and I have felt this for a while too. The Terps shoot the ball so much better at home than they do anywhere else. We saw that again last night. It is not uncommon for teams to do this, but the disparity is like Colorado Rockies howe/away splits. Plus if they do run into an athletic team with size in the 2nd round it could be trouble.
The Terps have been very enjoyable to watch this year, but I agree that they have benefited from a weak league.
Again, I'll play the unbridled optimist role…just for today…
The loss in their first game in the ACC tourney may bump them out of that dreaded #5 seed and earn them a more favorable match-up.
I'm predicting a Sweet 16 for Garyland.
Garyland must have pictures of you with farm animals…the FIRST time the Terps play a BIG East team they are done.
You mean like Syracuse, also a first round loser.
I used to be a big fan of the Big East, particularly Georgetown. With the exception of last year, I believe their record in the NCAAs is pretty bad…I'm sure someone will check this out. I just remember filling out my brackets for several years, picking those Big East teams and then getting hosed in the early goings and being out of the running.
Someone check on the Big East…I think over the last few years they have been the Big Least.
Look at all of the teams losing in their conference tourney's. Teams that are on the bubble obviously play with more desperation.
I thought MD was gonna lose before the game started. GT is a terrible matchup for them.
It's all about the draw now.
I agree. The Terps don't play well against teams that play outside/ in. They like the run and gun style.
STG- Maryland won't make it to sixteen, so if you are picking them in your bracketology pick them to lose in the second round.
I think they have the talent to make the sweet sixteen, but it depends on who shows up.
They have to play 40 minutes of ball. Garyland needs them to forecast for the entire game…they have a tendency to sleep walk for long periods. Come on ACC Coach of the Year- motivate.