At this rate it's going to take the Terps a year to get over this season. They'll probably melt down again in Tallahassee. Thier plodding offense and stingy defense will probably keep them in most games, but the wins will be relatively sparse and probably hard fought in every case. They basically keep any other team in the game with their inability to finish, no matter the level of that other team (see Morgan State). The Maryland program has fallen in to the depths of the merely average, and that doesn't get you in the Tournament, unlike college football where EVERYBODY above .500 seems to get a bowl game.

Anybody got the stats on Miami's shooting percentage the last 10 minutes of the game? What do they shoot from 3 in the last 10? last 5? seemed to me they were 8-8...at least it seemed that way. Terps had a good team on the ropes and let them off. A couple bad possessions with a big lead when Miami was ready to quit let the canes back in it. Dupree took a shot on one of the possession, which is a bad thing. Poor kid has a hard time finding someone to pass it to, let alone get that big ball in the little bucket. As a Grevis hater, but not booer, have to admit the guy played a good game, aside from 2 bad shots on previously mentioned bad possessions. As big time as he believes he is, should have knocked down the winner though

It is funny you mentioned the Clemson game last year because this game was very similiar to that one - that game broke the team last year. This is not that team though. When I sat down to watch it last night I had resigned myself to the likelyhood that they should lose this game to Miami according to the RPI, SAG, and Pomery ratings and this would have been a nice game to steal on the road. They could win the game. When they were up by 17 I still thought this will be close game as the law of averages would catch up and this would be a very close game. They have not matched up well with Miami and I give it to Jack McClinton - he won the game - he made some clutch 3 pointers and the last one was tough. Alot of those do not go down. We had two chances and we missed. I really give the Terps credit - they have alot to build on from this game - Bowie broke out and he is growing although he always seems to get a couple charging fouls a game but he does get about three baseline to baseline scores a game as well. I think when he fouled out it changed the game. At least the Terps got out of the shooting funk that cost them the Morgan game in which the beat themselves and still shot poorly to beat a scrappy GT team. I see that this team is better. This loss does not break us. I was hoping they would steal one of the two Florida road games and I think they will win at Fla State or at least put up a good show. I think this teams plays to thier strengths - pressure, speed, hustle to make up for thier lack of size. I will take that - I see a better team than last year and they are very close. This would have been a big confidence boost but nothing to be ashamed of.

Miami is a good team and it is hard to beat a good team on the road - they almost did. That is good - a win would have been great. I like they way the team is going.

Sorry folks, but it is time for Gary to go. I attribute this meltdown to coaching and it is symptomatic of just about every Terps team in the past several years. They get a big lead and don't know how to manage it - that's coaching, my friends.

Gary's biggest achievement of the past four seasons - giving those of us that endured the beginning of his career as students a taste of nostalgia.

My checkbook is about to close on the Terrapin Club if major changes aren't made in the coaching staff and the way they recruit.

Brian Billick wasn't allowed to hang his hat on one title, why is Gary Williams getting a free pass? Plus, he's had twice as long to build a program.

Another Gary melt down. No longer can the players be blamed. He was clearly out coached again. Is our only go to play at the end a Vasquez three? Please ride off into the sunset Gary, and take Grevious with you!

Terps played hard all the way.1-1 in ACC should be 2-0,granted.Risky passes/turnovers will cut their margin for errors down to a handfull if they want more victories.I thought good defense and careless passes doomed the boys this time in the end.Coach can stress better ball management in practice.It was definately a heartbreaker to watch at the end.

It is sad they gave away the game because I thought it was one of the better games terps have played in awhile too bad they only played for 32 minutes and forgot to show up for the last 8!! This team is really scrappy and plays hard but it is sad now that they are so average and have no chance of doing anything this yr.. The talent level has fallen fast for the terps. They used to be a top 25 team every year. Now they are probably not in the top 75 team in NCAA hoops now..Gary is coaching hard but it is sad the team has the least of amount of talent probably in the last 15yrs even the Horace Broadnax days the team had better players and big men!!

I do not know how much longer Gary Williams can continue to recruit average to below average talent even Jordan Williams and James Padgett are not top tier players by most scouting agencies and survive as coach and a good program..

It is going to be a long season!!!

I don't think you can blame coaching on red-hot shooting by Miami in the last 5 minutes. Most of those 3s were contested including the crazy 3 McClinton hit at the end of the game. Terps played good D, but how can you stop kids who are hitting 3s from everywhere with a hand in the face. Confidence and momentum is an interesting thing, and MD had it and suddenly lost it at Miami. I agree that there are things to build on. Bowie looked great, and the team did pretty well on the boards. I do agree with Grevius - it would be nice if someone else stepped up. Neil was 1 for something, and Milbourne did not look like he wanted to shoot in the last 5 minutes. Lets hope we can steal one at FSU. FSU is huge, so the battle of the boards will be a challenge.

can anyone explain to me why we had our guards collapsing on their bigs (who hadn't done anything all game) in the second half to leave their numerous shooters open at the 3 point line?
gary?
The saddest thing is is that I bet hardly any hardcore terps fans were surprised in the slightest by what just happened. We're so used to them blowing a game they should win that we saw it coming when we were up 17. I know I did.
Peace, Gary
I hope...

On the road? What, were there 4000 people there?

We played our guts out and still got beat by just another player from Maryland who we didn't recruit.

Time to go, GDub

Unfortunately, I missed this game because I was out of town and they didn’t show the game where I was. I did listen to it on web radio and it sounded like we had post issues yet again. Yeah Yeah this is not news at this point. I reviewed the play by play after we took a 14 pt lead with 10:20 to go on an AB layup. We took 13 shots. Only TWO were layups. Only ONE of the layups was by a post player. We only made the layup attempted by LM. So, with half of the second half to go and a 14 pt lead our post players ONLY ATTEMPTED ONE high percentage layup. The post players didn’t take a SINGLE free throw. So, effectively there was no post presence. Worse, we didn’t even attempt to protect our lead with high percentage shots as evidenced by the lack of free throws. I’m guessing that Miami was able to double and triple jump shots because of the proximity of the post players to the guards. This also eliminates the pass to the post player if the perimeter player gets double teamed. We could have also improved running time off the clock. 3 of the 8 possessions before they took the lead we rushed shots with between 15 – 30 seconds remaining on the clock, a total 1:04. Our last lead was with 41 seconds left. I think we could have won this game if had focused on protecting the lead by running plays to get high percentage shots and managing the clock better. We shouldn't have lost a 14 point lead with 10 minutes to go.

When this season is done some of you Terps fans are going to owe Gary Williams an apology, he will get the Terps to the dance and this is a different Terps team. They have been far better comebacks in college basketball than Miami coming back down by 17 which they really should not have been down by that much anyway. This is the reason why we play just about each team twice. The Terps will beat Miami at Comcast and finish the ACC at 9-7 no doubt.

I remember a couple of good Terp comebacks with Gary as well. How about the ACC championship run we had. Down by over 20 at half against NC State in the semis and won; and then down by 13 to the Dookies with around 5 minutes to play and beating them in OT. Also, how about Nicholas lighting up UVA at UVA when we were down 9 with 2 minutes left. But the one I remember the most is being down 22 to UNC at the Dean Dome only to outscore the Heels 41-9 in the last 12 minutes to win by 10.

They ran Miami out of the building in the first half, then got runover themselves in the second. Go figure. That was some ridiculous shooting by Miami (lucky really) and the Terps panicked. When their confidence went, that game was over, probably about the 6 or 7 minute mark. If the remedy is to try to win by 30 rather than nurse a lead, so be it. They'll learn.

McClinton transferred from Siena so no one really recruited him.

I think MD native (Duke Alum) Seth Davis from SI.com says it best... In summary, MD basketball has become irrelevant. Sad but true. The glory days have passed GW by.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/seth_davis/01/14/mailbag/1.html
No mention of my Maryland Terrapins? Have the Terps become that irrelevant?
-- Eddie DuPriest Atlanta

As a Maryland native, it pains me to say that, yes, irrelevant is a pretty good word to describe Maryland these days. The Terps are neither good enough nor bad enough to make you sit up and take notice. Sure, they shocked the world by pummeling Michigan State in Orlando, but they followed that up by losing to Gonzaga and Georgetown by 22 and 27 points, respectively. Then they beat Michigan at home and set off on a slew of home games against no-name opponents -- and yet they still found a way to lose to Morgan State.

It makes sense that the Terrapins have been so up and down, because they are quarterbacked by the maddeningly inconsistent Greivis Vazquez, but it's unfair to lay all of their problems on him. The fact is, if Vazquez doesn't play superbly, this team has a hard time beating even decent teams. They don't rebound very well (their rebound margin is ranked last in the ACC), and they don't shoot well either (11th in the league in three-point percentage). Nor do I see a significant influx of talent on its way to College Park, either. So I'm sorry to say, Eddie, Maryland looks like it's going to be irrelevant for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, the state still has great crabs.

Im going to start by commenting on this - "I do agree with Grevius - it would be nice if someone else stepped up."

No one else ever gets the ball to step up in those situations....For a self-proclaimed best player on the court at all times, he is a terrible three point shooter....why design a play for him to shoot that ball....You have better three point shooters..If he passed the ball and dished out assists maybe other people COULD step up....How everyone thinks he is so great is beyond me...last year there were 3-4 instances where he almost got a triple double with Turnovers as one of the three....As a junior you would think he would have learned not to take all of those ill advised shots but his ego and head is too big...

And we were outcoached with no adjustments made at halftime. We cannot run an offense and when we slow the tempo down we always blow leads and don't score for periods of 5 minutes a time.....it happens every game. For one of the best free-throw shooting teams, getting to the line 6 times is unacceptable. Vasquez should stop shooting ill-advised threes and drive the ball to the lane to get fouled...

They just need to play the game....and not worry about fans, or mouthing off or whatever....after Vasquez made his first shot, there he goes jawing at the crowd....if you dont see it you are stupid....FOCUS ON THE GAME AND WINNING....

I guess alot of "fans" that comment here expect alot. This blog is full of "glass half-empty folks".

As an alum, I was a student during the "Lefthanders" reign in the 70's. I suffered through the Bob Wade years in the late 80's and the sanctions Gary Williams lived with in his early years that were leftover from the Wade mess. My guess is most the haters on here don't even know who Wade was let alone what happened. They're old enough to remember the National Championship and not much else, yet they are experts.

There are about 335 NCAA Div 1 basketball teams. At the end of each year, 1 is on top and the rest aren't. Only 35 teams have won the Championship. The Terps are won of them. That puts them in the top 10% of the college basketball world, historically.
In Williams, we have a coach who has the schools best interests at heart. He's not a Bobby Ross. He's not a Bob Wade.
Watch what you wish for.......

The most common ways you blow a lead that large are turnovers and allowing 3's. In this instance, it was obviously the 3's. I've ALWAYS supported Gary, but he really blew this one. If you're gonna be passive on offense, that's one thing. But how on earth do you stay in a zone once Miami started to heat up? Who cares if they score 2's inside (as long as your making them work and use clock)? I know Dupree and Gregory won't give you much offense, but Gary should've just sat them down low to play defense and strictly defended the perimeter with Bowie, Mosely, and Vasquez. I believe they had 4 fouls to give anyway. Also, most of Miami's big guys were sub 70% foul shooters. By my math, trade a couple of those 3's for 2's or missed FT's and they win. I give Miami a lot of credit for making the shots, but the last 10 minutes of that game was some of the poorest coaching I've ever seen Gary do. Even a couple fouls here and there would've used up some clock and forced Miami to reset their offense. A lot of their 3's were coming in transition anyway. Just a terrible loss - not because of effort though - poor, poor coaching decisions!!!!!!

All the blame for the Terps problems has to fall on Gary. He is a great teacher and good bench coach but does not like to recruit and his assistant coaches are not getting it done. When he lost Patsos and Dickerson (very good recruiters) their replacements don't seem to have the necessary contacts or skills to bring in the talent that the rest of the ACC is getting. I don't see them improving anytime soon and, in fact, I feel we will be playing the 5-12 play-in game for several years if things continue. I don't go to the games anymore and gave my tickets to a friend after the Vasquez "show" against GT. They are not fun to watch and lack the skills to play at the D-1 level. Gary needs to "look in the mirror" and either step up or retire.

This one won't break our back but it will take a while to recover. This is a scrappy team and they'll compete.

But it is way past time for Gary to go. Completely unacceptable performance each of the last few years and things are not getting better.

He is clearly not the coach he used to be.

Is it me, or are Terp fans some of the biggest crybabies in the nation? Do every team's fan just come on and complain all day long?

Do we honestly think that if we replace a hall of fame coach that we will automatically get the best recruits and start competing for a national title every single year??

Yes, we've had some bad seasons for the standard that Gary has built here, but every single program in the country goes through it. If we make the NCAA's this year, you have to say Gary and Grevis will have done an amazing job. If Gus Glichrist stayed, we are a totally different team, but we're out there w/absolutely no size for about 30 mins a game. No coach could succeed w/those circumstances believe it or not.

I just really want to know why this state has the most fair weathered fans in the nation. If we honestly fire Gary, who is out there that can bring as much success as he has had? And how long will it take?

I really think fans of MD like losing so they can go on message boards and cry like a bunch of girls. Get over it, it's just a game. Gary has done more for this program than anyone has and will for this school. MD has never and will never be a powerhouse in recruiting. We've done more with less than most schools ever have.

Jack McClinton was not that good in high school and went to Siena. It was there that he became so good and transferred to a bigger school. So don't act like we "let him get away". Was it a tough loss? Yes. But they can only learn from it and move on, something fans around here need to learn to do.

It's really kind of funny, that fans who truly want their teams to succeed are considered fair weather!! I've never ripped on Gary. I've always given him the benefit of the doubt, but the truth is that he has directly cost his teams wins by his coaching decisions. It's that simple, 15-20 point leads with less than 12 minutes left should result in wins the vast majority of the time (barring something goofy). I ask you, why would you continually not defend the 3 point line after a team hits 2 in row? At that moment, the defensive help strategy should've been changed to NOT allowing an easy 3 even if they were launching it from Madagascar. In other words, the perimeter defenders gaurd the line first and player second (make sense?). The truth is, that the perimeter defenders were late on their rotations b/c they were sagging down low. How is that smart basketball, when you're up by 17 points and have 4 more fouls to give? Guard the line, if someone gets by you with no help --- commit the foul and make them reset. Ask any coach --- I guarantee they are going to say defend the 3 first and worry about the post players later. It's not like Miami had a Tim Duncan clone down low.

IMHO, I just can't say this was only bad coaching. AB had four turnovers in the last 10 minutes and three in a row which doomed our effort. GV missed 5 of 5 3pt attempts. The post players did ... well ... nothing, and caused problems for the rest of the offense and defense. I've seen Gary win enough comeback games, so I'm pretty sure he knows how to get it done. This team does have some physical and talent limitations. However, for a team of Miami's caliber we should be able to compensate. We just need to focus on some things so that we don't loose these kinds of games to this level of competition. BTW, Braxton Dupree should never never never shoot a jumper again. No Braxton you are not a 280 lb shooting guard or small forward. Plant yourself in the paint and do the garabage work you are supposed to do. No one should pass him the ball unless he his under the basket. His only shots should be dunks or lay ups.

Gary took in all the glory when the team was up, he sure deserves it when they are down. Lack of ACC talent rests squarely on his shoulders. The team has been in decline since the national title. Don't forget, the one miracle run through the ACC tourney was what got the terps in the field of 64 that year. Prior to the ACC tourney, they were on the outside looking in. GV is gone after this season. As pathetic as it sounds, he is our best player. 2 incoming freshman post players are not going to make an impact. Hell, GW might not even play them. Those who say get off Gary's back, what do you expect from the MD program?

I tried to tell the tv-"don't give him the ball" as GV ran back to every player to get the ball. "GW run a play for LM or JH, put Tucker in the game-he can create". The tv slept, the players stood still and watched him miss 3's.Even the lefthander coached the end of a game better than that.

It's very obvious that when we need a basket, we haven't a leader that says
" I want the ball" and that can take this team on his back.

Good point about defending the three point shot with a huge lead. That's been driving me crazy. It is so incredible irratating that we continually sag to make up for our pathetic post defense especially when we have a large lead. Perhaps, we should double with the other post player more to force the extra pass. It's easier to clog passing lanes in close. If they move the first post player 8 - 10 ft out to give the other post player room, then the guards could double down and still get back to the three point line.