It wasn’t nearly as easy as it should have been, but the Maryland Terrapins made Greivis Vasquez proud with an 87-80 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Vasquez was on hand to see his jersey hung from the rafters, a big moment for a guard who had many of them wearing a Maryland uniform. He was his usual animated self for the unveling of his jersey in the rafters, breaking out everything but his patented shimmy. While Vasquez has been enjoying his time playing for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, he’s made it clear on a number of occasions just how much he missed Maryland and college basketball.
The Terps certainly could have used a little help from Vasquez against NC State, but the Terps received a big effort from their two freshman guards and star center.
Jordan Williams scored 26 points despite some foul trouble in the first half and Terrell Stoglin added 25 to overcome a sloppy performance against one of the worst teams in the conference.
The Terps turned the ball over on five straight possessions at one point in the first half, allowing NC State to overcome a nine-point deficit and take a lead into the locker room.
Three-point shooting continues to be a big problem for the Terps. The team took only one shot from behind the arc the entire game, a miss by Sean Mosley. It’s almost impossible to win games against quality opponents on a consistent basis without being a decent three-point shooting team.
Dino Gregory was one of the game’s heroes, scoring a career-high 18 points. After failing to make a big impact on the offensive end much of his career, Gregory has really maximized his potential in his senior season. It’s great to see a guy who has worked so hard to improve his game finally reap the benefits.
The win puts Maryland back at the .500 mark (6-6) in conference play with four games remaining. The Terps remain on life support as far as earning an NCAA tournament berth. Maryland would likely have to win the remainder of their regular season games and also two games in the ACC tournament to have a realistic shot at the Big Dance.
Maryland definitely has an opportunity to make noise down the stretch and return to the bubble watch. The Terps host Florida State, which is one of the top teams in the conference but missing their best player because of injury, Wednesday night. They also still travel to North Carolina to take on one of the hottest teams in the country, and a win on the road over the Tar Heels would really open some eyes. Victories in those two games would finally give Maryland quality wins on their NCAA resume, something they haven’t been able to find all season long.
