The Terrapin men’s basketball team looked defeated in the locker room Friday night after losing to Boston College by 14 points in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
The Terps looked even worse last night after gathering in their lounge to watch 65 other teams receive invitations to the NCAA tournament.
“I don’t have a chance to go to the NCAA tournament anymore, and that’s like the hardest thing to deal with,” senior Travis Garrison said, his head slouched as he spoke to reporters on the Comcast Center floor. “Right now, emotionally, I’m a little crazy right now.”
Most players spoke quietly as they reacted to missing the tournament for the second straight season and only the second time since 1993. Sophomore James Gist stood nearly still under one of the baskets for about 15 minutes with his chin rested on his chest.
The disappointment was clear after the Terps (19-12, 8-8 ACC) failed to meet their season-long goal of reaching the tournament, and a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament late last night couldn’t have been much consolation.
“The way the NCAA tournament selection committee is picking teams now, the NIT is turning into a better and better tournament,” senior Nik Caner-Medley said with a hint of sarcasm. “More and more teams from the big conferences are ending up in the NIT.”
The Terps were one of a few teams from more historically strong conferences that lost at-large bids from teams in mid-major leagues. After appearing noncompetitive in an 80-66 loss against the Eagles in Greensboro, the Terps felt they may have blown their chance at earning an at-large bid.
But after talking to people close to the selection process and watching fellow league member Florida State receive a similar snub, Williams surmised that even a win in that game might not have made a difference.
In fact, what may have decided the Terps fate most – leading scorer Chris McCray becoming academically ineligible – had little to do with the players that faced the bad news yesterday.
“Things aren’t always completely fair,” Williams said. “What you have to do in life, and I’ve always tried to follow this, is try to put yourself in as good a situation as you can put yourself into. Probably, we just didn’t get into a real good position this year because of what happened. Hopefully the younger guys on the team benefit from that and the seniors get a little different resolve as they leave.”
For those seniors, though, it will be a painful final March as a collegiate athlete.
“Obviously I’ll watch [the NCAA tournament] with jealousy and envy and wishing I was one of those guys out there playing,” Caner-Medley said.
In the meantime, the Terps play Saturday at Comcast Center against the winner of an NIT opening round game between Manhattan and Farleigh Dickinson.
And after that, attention shifts back to the Terps’ next quest to return to the NCAA tournament, something Williams said he may change his scheduling habits to make possible.
“I’m going to find out first what’s important [to the committee],” Williams said. “All I want to know going into next year is what we need to do.”
Contact reporter David Selig at dseligdbk@gmail.com.
