does it really matter? seems like we have one or two losses like this a year now.

UM is always out of contro;, just like their coach.

Not a chance this is the biggest home loss ever. You all give this team too much credit. They suck!

How about the Manhatten loss?

No, the biggest and most painful loss was the 2001 choke job to Duke. Then, the semi final choke job. remeber being outscored by Duke by 33 points after a 22 point lead?

Gary needs to join Ralph on the golf course.

Don,
I was there last night, and depending on what happens for the rest of this season, this could be the worst home loss ever, especially if it costs MD a spot in the NCAA tournament. While the Duke home loss in 2001 was painful (considering who it was against), that team bounced back to beat Duke at Durham later that season and went on to the Final Four. Based on the ramifications the game, last night's game could have on the Terps making the NCAA tournament, this might be worse then the Duke game.

That's what happens when you play Garyball -- relying on "intensity" instead of strategy. You get lots of highs and lows but no consistency. Yes, it won a national championship in 2002, but I'll be amazed if it ever happens again.

I don't know if it's the worst home loss ever, but it looks like it has the potential to be the most damaging as far as postseason hopes go. Now Maryland has to win at Virginia, plus win at least that first game in the Tourney to even be in consideration for a NCAA berth.

FSU on Valentine's Day 2001 was hurt too - but they rebounded from it.

This loss might cost them the dance.

Clemson killed us in 2005, too.

There are some Duke losses I have tried to forget, so it is difficult to compare this one to other devastating losses. But this has to be the worst, simply because of how it was lost.

When the Terps were up big, it was time to get McAlpin, the walk-on, some more playing time, to further honor him on seniors night. Dave Neal has been rusty all year, so let's let him try to get his groove back. And Shane Walker must feel bad giving up his minutes to Jerome Burney lately, so let's make him feel better with a few minutes. Even though those moves "only" lasted 3 or 4 minutes, it was a signal to Clemson that they are welcome to get back in.

You can't offend the basketball gods this way and expect to get away with it.

And since the team had already perfected the passing plays where you work the ball in for a good shot, let's jack up some long threes and really celebrate (if they go in, which they didn't).

This was a total collapse, from the head coach on down. Sadly, by the time the team figured it might have to get intense again, the team just couldn't turn the faucet back on.

The Terps will have to bail their coach out, and I sure hope they can recover with a win down at Virginia and a great ACC tournament run. But last night was unforgettable.

No - the worst home loss ever was the loss to duke. This is probably #2.

With out a doubt -- the worst home loss ever.

No where near the 11 second Duke meltdown, but close enough.

No, the loss to Duke with a 10 poing tlead and less than a minute to play was the worse home loss.

Team that press like Maryland HATE to be pressed. Clemson's press was one of the differences in the game. I've said it a million times. Why is Eric Hayes still starting? He can't match up in the set offense or in transition. He can't match up defensively. TUCKER should be starting at the 2 spot. Maryland would have a sizable height advantage at both guard spots and another guy in Tucker who can create points. AGAIN, it's not like the Terps are loaded with scorers. Bowie can play too and should have gotten 10 minutes in the second half. McAlpin? GARY, what planet are you on? Bowie was taking it to the hoop and his style of play was perfect to match up against Clemson. AND, the Terps needed another ball-handler late in the game. Bowie should have been in the game. These are high school coaching decisions. GARY, wake up. Make the roster change you should have made 5 weeks ago and bench Hayes for Tucker or Bowie. It's your only chance at getting into the NCAA's.(I'll take a pass on the recruiting angle for now)

By far this is the worst home loss in Maryland basketball history. The home loss to Duke was close, don't get me wrong... but the implications of this one were very, very, VERY BIG. I'm still stunned. But more so dissapointed. This will hurt for a long time.

This was the worst choke loss ever for any MD team. Unfortunately, this group of guys are capable of coughing up every time they get on the floor.

It's the worst coaching performance ever.

We're up 20 with just over 10 minutes to go and we're jacking up shots with 20+ seconds left on the shot clock. Throwing inbounds passes under our basket the length of the court. Rushing, taking bad shots, etc...

That is coaching....or should I say, a lackthereof.

Gary should refund his pro rata check for this game. It's bad enough he doesn't recruit, but this was disgusting.

How do you judge worst. Perhaps it is the worst in terms of the other teams comeback. The Duke final minute I thought was the worst as far as an opinion. Last night loss was the MOST FRUSTRATING!!!! MD offense is run as well as any offense in the country right now, certainly a lot better than Tennessee, Memphis and Clemson whos offenses look pathetic. Why in the last ten minutes could we still not solve their press. To continue to try and start the offense on the underside of the press is beyond me. We were still making the same mistakes with a minute to go in the game. Either the coach did make an adjustment, the players can't execute or we are just dumb (like everybody thinks we are).. Very frustrating. We can beat anybody.....and lose to anybody!

Gary Williams should be fired!! Period

I still think the Duke loss in 01 when we were up 10 inside of one minute to go was the worst for me. This one was pretty bad, but given this teams play this season, not as surprising.

I do think the officiating last night certainly favored Clemson with some of the most blatant non-calls I've seen since Duke in their hey-day.

Certainly feels like it though the loss to Duke in the last 54 seconds after holding a 10 point lead, certainly ranks up there too. I remember us blowing a 20 point half time lead on UNC at Cole too. Given how well the bench played last night and the season ending nature of this loss, this collapse will be memorable for a long long time. What an embarrassing loss. Should give us great press and ESPN coverage for the next week. Should be great for recruiting purposes too, don't you think? Arrgh! This season, this team has been such a huge disappointment.

Worse than both Duke losses. Those were some of the best teams they ever had. But we deserved this loss. We have been makings the same errors all seaon.

The Blown Lead in the Final 4 vs Duke was the worst..... I know the lead was much earlier in the game... but the fact that it was Duke and cost them a title just made it brutal...

Gary should remember this loss because it was his fault. He got seriously outcouched. He left people in he should have taken out and had guys on the bench who should have been playing down the stretch, based on their play during the game.

Eric Hayes continues to seriously decline in judgment and basketball sense. He was a serous liability the last 5 minutes.

This loss ripped my heart out right of my chest. In 18 years of watching MD Basketball. For me personally I would put this as the third worst. 1. The meltdown to Duke in the final four game reminds me alot of this game - I felt robbed after that one. 2. The meltdown in the final minute or so against Duke during the regular season. 3. This loss. 4. Losing to a poor Clemson team in the first round of the '04-'05 ACC Tourney (and third time over-all) hurt because I thought it cost them an NCAA bid that year.

This game is one of those that you remember for a long time. You go from the high of thinking - Third place and 10-6 in the league, and a shoe in for the NCAA tourney to bubble and hollow feeling of "what if" in the matter of a half hour. They can still make the tournament but it seems like lately they always have to do it the hard way. If they miss the NCAA tourney this loss defines this team more than the Missouri/AU/Ohio/VCU/BC/VT (both) losses - all games they "could" have or "should" have one. Jeckyll and Hyde. It just makes you wonder - what if. The flip side is that this team teases you into thinking they could make a real run in both the ACC and NCAA tourney if the just played up to thier potential - I hope they learn from this - pick themselves up and just play like they are capable of.

The Duke loss was still the longest 54.1 seconds of my life, but last night was a close second!!!!

As bad as this loss seems now, I don't think it compares to the infamous losses to Duke, nor even to the loss to American. The Duke losses came in a year when Maryland had Final Four hopes (and did indeed make it there) and Terps fans carried even more angst about losing to Duke than they do now. So many times before, the Terps had had their hopes crushed, and those two losses were the most crushing of all. Fortunately for the Terps and the sanity of their fans, Maryland exorcised those demons the following season. Losing still hurts, but not quite the same way it did before we won the national title.

This year, from the very beginning, the team has shown ominous and unsettling signs. Even when they won, they struggled mightily against the likes of Hampton and Northeastern. The embarrassing early losses gave this season a black mark and some fans (myself included) consider this season to be damaged goods. My expectations have dropped a lot. As a result, my reaction to the latest losses is "oh well, I'm not really too surprised". Adding this season to the past few, the trend is one of inconsistency, mediocrity and little reason to expect any improvement in the near future.

To paraphrase Bum Phillips: "This home loss might not be in a class of it's own, but it doesn't take long to call the roll." Last night was the closet I've come to putting throwing a bottle through the big screen.

Inept coaching by Gary cost the team another big lead at home. He seems to have no clue how to play with a lead. Instead of continuing to play as the teeam did to build the lead, he calls for passive, milk the clock offense, which takea the offense out of rhythm. On defense, he oesn't insist on defending the three, which allows a lead to disappear in fewer possessions. He's don this all season, and it's killed the Terps. He never learns.

I sent the below email to the Maryland Athletic Dept and believe it says it all...

Mrs. O'Rouke,

I sent you the below note last week and was wondering if you actually passed it on especially after Coach Williams did it again tonight with his team, allowed them to loose focus and a 20 point second half lead. Just curious why did he put all the players that got the 20 point lead (bench players) on the bench and allow his regulars to come in and play sloppy all the way to the loss. Just curious, when will we see a change, how many more games like this do we need to watch?????

Would you please pass this on to Mrs. Yow.

How much more are maryland fans like myself suppose to put up with when it comes to maryland mens basketball??? I have always defended coach Williams but my god enough has to be enough. All he has done since a national championship is regress with is teams. He still is not getting the blue chip recruits and as we all are watching again this year the continuing collapse of a once rising program. Coach has had some good years and lately some bad years, injuries and whatever are not excuses. The good teams still find a way to win with injuries and other distractions. After the team beat North Carolina this year everyones hopes were high and the team looked bound for the dance. But once again Gary can't keep his team focused and the result is 4 losses out of last 4 games all of which they should have won, granted the duke game was not a guarantee but they had a shot. Then they come home and loose to virginia tech who haf lost 3 in a row then go on the road and get blown out by Miami another game they should have won. We need a change at the head coach position. It is obvious year in and year out lately that Gary cannot recruit and cannot keep his teams focused. At the beginning of this week we had 5 winnable games left on the schedule and all they had to do was stay focused and they were going to the NCAA tournament, instead good ol reliable Gary allows his team to lose focus and lose 2 in a row and play their self out of the tournament. It seems like every time the team starts to find itself and the team starts getting some national attention Gary waves his magic wand and they fall apart. MY GOD WHAT IS GOING ON AT COLLEGE PARK. I cannot be the only one that see this decline and Gary's loss of control of his team. And again, injuries ad distractions are not an excuse just look at programs like Indiana that are full of distraction but they keep on playing at a high level and winning.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to a life time Terp, a season ticket holder, a member of the Grid Iron Network and Alumni Association.

Let's face it...this was the most demonstrative display of a "loss of fundamentals in UoM college bball history!" The Terps inability to protect the basketball and PLAY the game was nothing short of disgusting. I really am sadden to write this however they deserved to lose. They simply gave the game away. Not one player on the floor seemed to want the ball or were able to stand tall and stop the bleeding. It was basketball suicide. I really wonder when I'll take the time to watch them again. I've been a fan forever - I think this was the last straw for me. They ARE DONE.

The insertion of a walk on with 11 minutes to go and a 20 point lead told the players the coach thought the game was over and they relaxed,started throwing up garbage shots and couldn't turn it back on consistently and then became so tight they couldn't do anything right. In 20 years I've never seen Gary make such a stupid decision. With 4 or 5 minutes to go , maybe but with 11 minutes to go against a pressing , good team-never. The insertion of the walk on, not so much what he did or did not do, sent the wrong message.

FEAR THE TIGERS!!!!!!!

The Duke loss in '01 was Chernobyl. This was more Three-Mile Island.

I'm 28, so besides the blown 10 point lead in 54.1 seconds Duke loss, nothing is even comparable. I know it's not even remotely similar, but the empty hollow feeling in my chest was similar to when someone dies. I couldn't even reason it out and I didn't want to - AND I talk more than anyone I know. Aweful....just aweful.

At least the 00-01 Terps avenged the Duke loss and went to the Final Four. While the Duke loss hurt slightly more or less depending on your opinion, the Terps were immensely improved after that game possibly because of that game, so while that game was initially devastating, the season proved to be successful and Terps fans could take solace in that.

We have to wait to see what happens, but the Clemson game could be a late season punctuation of the inconsistencies and carelessness that has defined much of the 07-08 Terps' season.

There's still time to make this season a success, but basically, that time and the Terps post-season begins now.

David Steele has the best line of the day. If Maryland is not graduating its players AND it's not in the field of 65...what are we doing? Usually if the kids dont graduate at least they can hoop. Do at least one or the other.

The school has gotten much more of a black eye do to the graduation rate than for any loss.

The 2001 regular season loss to Duke was the worst ever, with the Final Four choke job that same year a close second. It is amazing to me that 6 years after winning it all, we have fallen to the middle of the pack again. Is it time to start thinking about a coaching change? Probably not, Gary has done a great job, and should be lauded for all he has done for the program. That said, I worry about his health with the stress he's under, especially considering the frustrating ball clubs over the last several years.