No. 1 Gets Bumped

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 19 -- The Maryland men's basketball team spent most of its season leaving its followers to wonder if this collection of role players and inexperienced freshmen could be anything more than ordinary, with even the most optimistic Terrapins fans questioning whether the NCAA tournament was a realistic hope.

But Saturday, the team that couldn't even claim to be the second-best team in its neighborhood beat perhaps the best team in the nation. Behind their best offensive performance of the season, the Terrapins toppled undefeated and top-ranked North Carolina, 82-80, before 21,033 at Smith Center.

"You never understand how a season can go," said senior forward James Gist, who finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. "I knew we're going to be a good team, but I didn't know if it was going to be at the beginning of the season or at the end of the season. Right now, we're just starting to realize how we can play. We can play with the best teams in the country."

Maryland, which earlier this season suffered a humiliating home loss to American, outdueled and outran one of the nation's top-scoring teams and stunted North Carolina's transition game with a suddenly stifling defense.

"I thought we were playing good enough defense over the last five games to be competitive," said Maryland's Gary Williams, who won his seventh game against a top-ranked team in his coaching career, the most by any active coach in the country.

The Terrapins led by as many as 11, then showed a new measure of tenacity by repelling several North Carolina runs in the second half.

With less than 10 seconds left and his team trailing by two, North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington missed a three-point attempt. Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez battled for the loose ball, before the officials stopped play for a held-ball situation. The possession arrow favored the Tar Heels, giving North Carolina a final chance to tie.

The primary option on the play was Ellington. But when he was guarded closely, North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough forced a three-point shot with one second left.

The ball hit the rim and bounced away, sending a stream of Terrapins rushing to celebrate. No Maryland team had knocked off a No. 1 North Carolina squad in Chapel Hill since 1986.

"We weren't afraid of anything," said Vasquez, who finished with 12 points and 11 assists. "We were 11-7 and they were 18-0. We were just playing for pride, for the program, for us. They have to be afraid. They were 18-0. They had a lot of pressure. I think that's what happened at the end."

The upset will put an end to North Carolina's 11-week stay atop the major college polls. The Tar Heels, who had survived earlier scares at Clemson and at Georgia Tech, couldn't overcome a sloppy start that helped Maryland set the tempo of the game.

"We've been living on the edge, and it really caught up with us today," Tar Heels Coach Roy Williams said.

The defensive push started up front and with the Tar Heels' most decorated player. Maryland center Bambale Osby and forward Dave Neal harassed Hansbrough, limiting the all-American to four points in the first half. Though Hansbrough finished with a team-high 17 points, the Terrapins made him uncomfortable by taking away his favored scoring angles.

"That was probably the most physical game I've ever played in," Neal said.

Maryland scored a season-high 41 points by halftime, and the Terrapins allowed just 38 percent shooting for the game, tying a season low for the Tar Heels. North Carolina entered the game averaging more than 98 points in home games this season.

Maryland's key freshmen, Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker, delivered productive minutes, and sophomore Landon Milbourne scored 14 points while helping the Terrapins double-team the low post. Maryland also got a boost from point guard Eric Hayes, who returned after missing three games because of a sprained left ankle.

All of it helped what had been an ordinary team pull off the extraordinary.

"Especially with the younger players, hopefully they can understand that we can be a good team this year," said Gary Williams, who pointed ahead to the Terrapins' next challenge, a Jan. 27 meeting with Duke at Comcast Center. "We have to prove it now."