« CSN: Gilbert Set to Return on Saturday | Home | DMV: Rocky Mac Is Really Into Paintball »
Maryland’s Season Review in Graph Form
By Chris Mottram | March 23, 2009
4-0 Start; Beat Vermont. Expectations weren’t exactly sky-high for the Terps going into the season. We weren’t sure what we’d get. A 4-0 start against inferior opponents was a good way to kick things off. And, in hindsight, Vermont actually turned out to be a decent win.
Beat Michigan State. They didn’t just beat the Spartans in the Old Spice Classic back in November, they crushed them. While stuck in a Thanksgiving food coma, I distinctly recall Jamie and I discussing how big that win would be for their Tourney resume when they inevitably end up around .500 in the ACC.
Crushed by G’Town, Gonzaga. The Terps came back to earth, losing their next two Old Spice games by 25+. Although the losses actually helped their resume in the end. The committee enjoys a strong non-conference schedule, even if you don’t win ‘em.
Beat Michigan. Turned out to be a bigger win in March than it was when it happened in December — we didn’t know Michigan would end up as a Tourney team. Also helped the ACC maintain its dominance in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Lose to Morgan State. After an undefeated month of December, the Terps lost to Morgan State, a resume killer on par with last season’s loss to American. It marked the start of a rough couple months that would bring Gary Williams’ job security into question.
Lose 5-7; Gary’s Job Questioned. This stretch included that embarrassing 41-point loss to Duke and Vasquez telling Maryland fans to “shut the fuck up.” The rumors that Gary Williams’ job may be in jeopardy start spreading by the end of January. Shortly thereafter, WaPo decided to run a three-part series about the fall of Maryland hoops.
Beat UNC. Obviously, without this win, the Terps don’t even sniff the Tournament. It was a career game for Vasquez whose triple-double rallied Maryland back from down 16 in the second-half to win in overtime.
Lose to UVA. They went 1-2 following the UNC win, but still could’ve positioned themselves on a very friendly side of the bubble with a win at UVA. They couldn’t get it done and, at the time, it cost them a Tournament bid.
Beat Wake in ACC Tourney. This was a must-win game for the Terps against second-seeded Wake. It may not have been as memorable as the comeback against UNC, but it was hands down their most important victory of the season and showed that Gary had his team playing at its best when it mattered most.
Earn Tourney Bid. After beating NC State and Wake in the ACC Tourney, an at-large bid seemed like a sure thing. But we were nervous right up until their name was called on Selection Sunday. It was a pretty amazing turnaround for a team that we thought was NIT-bound for essentially all of January and February.
Beat Cal in NCAA Tournament. It was really nice to get that first round win, but really, that was as far as we could reasonably expect them to go. The real highlight for this team was just making the field of 65 at all. Anything after that was icing.
Crushed By Memphis in NCAA Tournament. Of course we fully expected the Terps to lose to Memphis, but it would’ve been nice if they could’ve hung around for longer than two minutes. It brought back memories of the loss at Duke, which is not a happy place. Although Maryland was one of only three ACC teams to actually make the second round, so there’s that.
Not Included: Lance Stephenson. If the Terps can land super recruit Stephenson, who makes his official announcement next Tuesday, that line might shoot off the top of the graph. It’s reportedly down to Maryland, Kansas and St. John’s. Why would you wanna play for the best team in the Big 12 when a middling ACC school wants you?
Topics: Maryland | 5 Comments »
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:06 PM
Thanks for doing this, if for no other reason than to have an easy reference for this bizarre and ultimately rewarding season.
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Another great Maryland post. Gary has proven himself as one of the best big game coaches in the country (yet again) and hopefully gotten the message to improve recruiting.
Not to totally disagree with your point about Kansas, but as for Stephenson, Maryland is within driving distance of NYC, his homeboy is coming to College Park and you know the Plank Bros. have got to have something cooking for him.
March 24th, 2009 at 8:16 AM
How high does the graph go when Lance Stephenson announces he’d like to be an Under Armour Salesman…ahem. I mean Terp?
March 24th, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Watched a few minutes of the PSAL Championship on MSG last night. Lance doesn’t look like he’s 18. Not overly impressed but clearly he is a stud. More importantly, he’s boy Padgett looked pretty good. Him and J Williams will really help out the Terps next year. My fear is Vasquez leaves and Lance goes to Kansas. Don’t need both, but do need at least one of them.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
I feel like Lance coming to Maryland would rank just below earning a tourney bid. But, yeah, still pretty high up there.