Losing to Wake Forest tonight was not a surprise. Before the game, not many could have expected Maryland to beat the tenth ranked from Winston-Salem. But at the 7:44 mark in the second half when Dave Neal single handidly gave the Terps a 54-48 lead, a Maryland win didn't seem out of the question. Unfortunately, because of Maryland's reliance on their streaky leader, Greivis Vasquez, the Terps couldn't hang on.
Gary Williams is going to have to let his players know that they need to put this game behind them as they prepare for what may be their most important game of the season this coming Saturday against Virginia. The face off in Charlottesvile will be eerily similar to last years matchup. At this point last year, the Terps were on a downward slide needing only one more win to beef up their NCAA tourney resume. Maryland lost that game last year with their back's against the wall, 91-76, and they needed an ACC tournament win to have any chance of getting into the big dance. Maryland lost their first round matchup with Miami in the ACC tourney and returned to the NIT for the third time in four years.
Could it be deja vu all over again? Perhaps, but Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez have a chance to make up for the close loss tonight by going into Virginia and building their case for the selection comittee. Fortunately, the game is four days away; plenty of time to rest. I believe the two days that Maryland had off prior to tonight's game was partially to blame for why Maryland wasn't able to play the full 40 minutes.
Virginia has been playing better than their 3-12 ACC record suggests. They have won two of their past four home games which included a win against then 11th ranked Clemson. In addition, Virginia only lost to Miami by seven points and Wake Forest by 10. Although on paper it would appear that Maryland has the edge, Virginia will have the advantage in the always important intangibles this Saturday. It appears Maryland let their best chance at reaching 8 conference wins slip away tonight.
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