For Terps, Finish or Be Finished

After Late-Game Woes, Maryland Needs Run to Rekindle NCAA Hopes

CHARLOTTE, March 12 -- Maryland players were relaxed and loose when they took the court at Charlotte Bobcats Arena for practice Wednesday, even though their hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament might hinge on winning more games over the next four days than they have won over the past month.

Their postseason chances have quickly faded after recently losing four games in which they wilted in the final minutes, late-game meltdowns that turned potential critical victories into crippling losses. Had the Terrapins finished off just one of those teams, they likely would be one or two ACC tournament victories away from an NCAA tournament berth.

"Just look at the games we have played," said forward Bambale Osby, whose team has lost four of its past five games. "We can be a great team. We have great three-fourths of games. We just have to start putting whole games together. So if someone wants to say, 'Can you win it?' Yeah, we can win it. We have had the top three [ACC] teams down 10, even 20 points."

The sixth-seeded Terrapins hope to solve their failure to finish games on Thursday night against 11th-seeded Boston College, which split the regular season series with the Terrapins but has lost 12 of its last 13 games. Should Maryland win, it will get a rematch Friday night with third-seeded Clemson, the school that gave Maryland one of its most gut-wrenching losses in years on March 2.

Maryland led the Tigers by 20 points with 11 minutes remaining and by 13 points with a little less than five minutes left, only to see the Tigers go on an 18-2 run to emerge with a three-point victory. Maryland Coach Gary Williams said: "If we would have beaten Clemson last week, we would have been fine. It's that close."

The Clemson loss was the most heartbreaking in a string of defeats defined by late-game struggles. Virginia Tech scored on its final 13 possessions, outscoring Maryland 24-14 in the final six minutes of a four-point victory on Feb. 20. Three days later, the Terrapins trailed Miami by only three points with a little more than five minutes remaining, but the Hurricanes outscored them 17-5 down the stretch.

On Sunday, Maryland unraveled down the stretch against Virginia because of several defensive lapses in the second half that contributed to the Cavaliers shooting 62.5 percent in the half. The Cavaliers led by only five points with a little less than six minutes remaining, but they outscored Maryland 20-10 the rest of the game.

Even in its lone victory during the five-game stretch -- a 74-70 win at Wake Forest on Feb. 28 -- Maryland did not score a field goal in the game's final nine minutes and hung on after the Demon Deacons missed chances to tie and take the lead in the final minute.

"The last four minutes of games, we have not had an overall floor leader," junior Dave Neal said. "I think everyone is out there trying to do their own thing. We need to have a solid floor leader at the end of the game."

Guard Greivis Vasquez, one of the team's vocal leaders, said players have not been able to handle pressure down the stretch in a tight game. Instead of playing with enthusiasm like Virginia did, Vasquez said, Maryland players played like they were "fighting in Iraq" and not having fun.

In recent games, Vasquez said, it has seemed like other players did not want the ball at times, adding, "I'll tell everybody, if one of you guys think I'm trying to do too much, then maybe one of you guys can step up and try to do too much, too."

Players and Williams were particularly frustrated with the lack of defensive aggression against Virginia in the second half, when the Cavaliers routinely beat the Terrapins off the dribble, scoring easy layups or dunks. During the final minutes, Osby was the only Maryland player visibly trying to get teammates to play more aggressively. He said many teammates offered "blank" faces in response.

"You just can't accept anything from anybody," Osby said. "If a guy is going to throw a pass away, you have to get in his face and say, 'We can't have that crap anymore.' All the freshmen and sophomores, they have played all year. They know what to do. For them to give a half-effort or not understand a play, it is just too late for that."

Players talked about two ACC tournament victories being the magic number to give the Terrapins a chance to make the NCAA tournament. But they likely need to win at least three to have a good chance to earn one of the final at-large berths.

"Right now, we're in the NIT," Vasquez said. "As hard as I want to deny that, I have to be realistic. We shouldn't be in this position."

Terrapins Note: Williams said Vasquez could see more time at the shooting guard position next season.