ATLANTA – After 31 games, the Terrapin men’s basketball team has played itself into a virtual play-in game for the NCAA Tournament.
Do or die.
Win and the Terps can probably go dancing.
Lose and they must go home – likely to host an NIT game.
Today being the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, the stakes are already high. But tonight’s game against No. 8 Wake Forest (24-5, 11-5) at 7 p.m. has a little extra zing.
The Terp players talked about “playing for Sunday,” as in reaching the ACC Championship, but one win Friday is not only the next step – it’s the most important one.
“We’re on a mission,” guard Greivis Vasquez said last night. “We knew if we won the [N.C. State] game, we were going to have a chance to play Wake Forest. We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. We’re really going to prepare ourselves to have a good game tomorrow.”
The Demon Deacons, riding a four-game winning streak – including a 65-63 victory against the Terps at Comcast Center on March 3 – have not played since Sunday evening.
The Terps have to play on back-to-back nights for just the second time all season. The first was an 81-59 loss against Gonzaga in Orlando, Fla., for the Old Spice Classic in November.
“We’re not gonna think about that,” forward Landon Milbourne said. “We’re gonna take this as another opportunity to win. We can’t really go out there and make excuses before the game starts. We just have to come out here and play hard no matter what.”
When asked the most crucial thing the Terps need to do, Milbourne immediately responded, “get rebounds.”
In the teams’ first meeting, Wake Forest’s big front line dominated every big man stat. They outrebounded the Terps 50-32, scoring 20 second-chance points on 19 offensive boards, and they stone-walled any Terp inside game by swatting away 10 shots.
Still, the Terps had more than a fleeting chance to capture an upset win. They led by as many as 11 points in the first half but were overmatched in the closing minutes.
“We were right there,” coach Gary Williams said that night. “We were in position to win that game. That’s what you try to do. You play the 10th ranked team in the country, you aren’t going to win by 20. So you try to put yourself, where in those last two minutes you have a shot. We had a shot.”
On a neutral floor, things might be different. But the Terps certainly feel like they have a lot to play for, as they not only fight to win the ACC Tournament, but also battle for their postseason lives.
“At this point, [pressure is good],” Vasquez said. “You’re playing for something. If you win, you’re gonna feel good about yourself. You really need to have pressure, need to feel like you have to do something for the team. We’re definitely gonna let everything out and just play our game.”
Last night, the Terps received crucial contributions from guard Eric Hayes, who hit five 3-pointers and led the team with 21 points. Against Wake Forest earlier this month, Hayes was 0-3 on 3-point attempts, missing one shot in particular that could have put the Terps in prime position to win.
After defeating N.C. State, Hayes talked about the challenges Wake Forest’s 1-3-1 zone defense provides, especially with a player like lanky 6-foot-9 freshman Al-Farouq Aminu prowling at the top of it.
“I’m sure they were watching [Thursday’s] game; they’re gonna try to take away my three,” Hayes said. “I’m gonna have to give them the pump fake and take it to the basket a little more. It’s gonna be more difficult because Wake’s a better team than N.C. State and they’re better defensively. It’s gonna be tougher tomorrow.”
The March 3 loss against Wake Forest was especially tough on Dave Neal. Neal hit five 3-pointers for a career-high 19 points on his Senior Night, but the Demon Deacons prevented it from being a happy send-off for Neal.
Neal has played in one NCAA Tournament game for mere seconds. When the Terps played Butler in the second round back in 2007, he was the player assigned to make a late-game pass-in from out of bounds. Trying to get the ball to former guard Mike Jones for a tie, Neal’s pass went right through his teammate’s hands and the Terps lost.
Neal desperately wants to make it back to the tournament, and the one thing potentially in his way is Wake Forest – the same group that ruined his Senior Night.
“We’re gonna be excited to get revenge against Wake Forest,” Neal said after the Terps beat N.C. State.
And maybe with retribution will come an NCAA Tournament berth.
mseligdbk@gmail.com
