Saturday, March 14, 2009

Terps ACC Run Ends: Duke Defeats Maryland

Maryland's run in the tournament is over with their loss to Duke in the semifinals 67-61 on Saturday, the third time this season they fell to the Blue Devils. The Terps end their tournament with two wins and a loss, including a win over top-10 Wake Forest.

The Terps were close throughout, but fatigue caught up to them in the end. Maryland did not have much of an answer for Kyle Singler on the boards, who despites shooting 3-12 had a double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jon Scheyer had the other big night with 22 points, going 4-10 from beyond the arc. In the end, Duke went to the free throw line more and converted those shots.

Eric Hayes had a monster night, hitting numerous shots towards the end of the game and keeping Maryland close, finishing with 20 points; 15 came in the second half. Greivis Vasquez ended with 14 points and six rebounds.

Now the question becomes, will the Terps make the NCAA Tournament? They did most of what was necessary, a convincing win over Wake Forest and getting to 20 wins, finishing 20-13, and not ending with a bad loss. They gained a lot of attention with that Wake win to add to their Michigan State and North Carolina wins. Some say the Terps are a lock, some are not sure. Regardless, we will not know for sure until the selection show. But Gary Williams and the Terps did what they could do to get themselves back on the map.

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