Just a few minutes into the game, the color of Gary Williams's face matched his red tie. The Maryland coach already had pulled his starters because of a poor start, only to reinsert all of them minutes later because the deficit swelled to double digits against Clemson.
And it got worse. Maryland failed to overcome a 15-point first-half deficit, losing a costly game to Clemson, 97-93, last night before a stunned crowd of 17,950 at Comcast Center. For the second time this season, Maryland had no answer for Suitland native Sharrod Ford, who had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 9 blocks.
Clemson sweeps the season series from Maryland with a 97-93 triumph Tuesday as John Gilchrist, left, is consoled by teammate Travis Garrison after a first-half foul.
(Toni L. Sandys - The Washington Post)
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| _____ Tournament Outlook _____
A look at the local Division I colleges and their chances of making the NCAA tournament.
_____ Maryland_____
• Record: 16-10
• RPI: 39
• AP Ranking: Not Ranked
• Key Wins: at Duke, vs. Georgia Tech, vs. Duke
• Key Losses: vs. GW, vs. North Carolina State, at Miami, vs. Clemson
• Prognosis: Given the respect of the ACC and their RPI of 39, the Terps are likely in by winning at least two more games.
_____ Georgetown_____
• Record: 16-9
• RPI: 70
• AP Ranking: Not Ranked
• Key Wins: at Pittsburgh, at Villanova, vs. Notre Dame
• Key Losses: vs. Oral Roberts, vs. Temple, at St. John's
• Key Remaining Games: at Connecticut (March 2)
• Prognosis: The Hoyas are in serious danger of missing the NCAA tournament unless they can beat Connecticut on the road and have a decent showing in the Big East tournament.
_____ George Washington_____
• Record: 18-7
• RPI: 78
• AP Ranking: Not Ranked
• Key Wins: vs. Maryland, vs. Michigan State
• Key Losses: vs. Massachusetts, vs. Xavier, at Richmond
• Prognosis: Losing to Saint Joseph's at home puts a major dent in the Colonials' tournament hopes. They have an outside shot of getting an at-large bid if they advance to the Atlantic 10 tournament final.
_____ Virginia Tech_____
• Record: 14-12
• RPI: 122
• AP Ranking: Not Ranked
• Key Wins: vs. North Carolina State, at Georgia Tech, vs. Duke, vs. Miami
• Key Losses: at VMI, at St. John's, vs. Western Michigan
• Key Remaining Games: vs. Maryland
• Prognosis: The loss to Clemson at the buzzer severely damages the Hokies' tournament dreams. They likely need to beat Maryland and advance deep into the ACC tournament to have a chance.
American, George Mason, Howard, Navy and Virginia all need to win their conference tournaments to make the tournament.
**RPI taken from http://kenpom.com/rpi.php
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The defeat left Maryland's players wondering why the team can't sustain a successful run. Williams was asked when was the last time he had coached a team so wildly inconsistent.
"Not in 37 years of coaching," he said.
The Terps were swept by Clemson (13-13, 3-10 ACC) for the first time since the 1996-97 season. And Maryland (16-9, 7-7) undercut its chances of earning an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.
Maryland's Ratings Percentage Index, which is used by the NCAA selection committee to measure a team's strength, is healthy in the twenties. No team with an RPI better than 33 has ever been left out of the NCAA tournament.
But the Terps clearly are not peaking as the regular season draws to a close. They struggled to beat Virginia in double overtime Saturday and lost to arguably the ACC's worst team, Clemson, at home late in the season.
Just as troublesome, Maryland's two remaining games are Sunday against No. 2 North Carolina and the following weekend at surging Virginia Tech.
Maryland's John Gilchrist, who made 4 of 16 shots, guaranteed that the Terps will play in the NCAAs, saying: "We're definitely going to make the NCAA tournament. We're going to get a couple more wins."
How bad was last night? The Terps allowed the ACC's worst scoring team to rack up 49 first-half points. The Terps' 10-point halftime deficit could have been worse had the Tigers not missed seven free throws.
Clemson's 97 points were the most the program has ever scored in an ACC road game that did not go into overtime. "To be in last place and come and play as hard as they did," Maryland's Nik Caner-Medley said, "I tip my hat to them."
Williams didn't waste any time trying to send his team a message. Trailing 8-2 only 2 minutes 19 seconds into the game, Williams abruptly summoned five reserves -- Mike Jones, Sterling Ledbetter, James Gist, Mike Grinnon and Will Bowers.
"Of course, I was disgusted," Williams said. "They [reserves] didn't make any difference."
They remained on the court for 2:30. When Shawan Robinson sank an open three-pointer from the top of the key, Clemson led 16-4 less than five minutes into the action, forcing Williams to reinsert his starters.
