Beltway Basketball Beat: Terps try to move past buzzer-beater in their own building - News
The University of Maryland men’s basketball team tries to move on after the Terps lost on a buzzer-beater to Michigan State.
The University of Maryland men's basketball team tries to move on after the Terps lost on a buzzer-beater to Michigan State.
Maryland guard Rodney Rice (1) shoots against Michigan State guard Jaden Akins (3) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)(AP/Nick Wass)Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest ballot here.
For those who were at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center on Wednesday, wasn’t there a mega-March vibe? Students began pouring into their sections precisely at 5 p.m., many of them sporting painted faces and chests.
And the teams would not disappoint: No. 16 Maryland (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten) battled No. 8 Michigan State (23-5, 14-3) for 40 minutes in a defensive duel (others will call it an exhibition of offensive inefficiency) that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes.
With 8 seconds left in regulation, Ja’Kobi Gillespie corralled a rebound of Jaxon Kohler’s missed layup and led the charge into the frontcourt before firing a three-pointer with 4 seconds remaining (and Spartans freshman Jase Richardson in his face). The shot glanced off the rim into the hands of Kohler who passed to Tre Holloman with 2 seconds left and the guard unleashed a half-court, buzzer-beating shot that found nothing but net.
The 58-55 heartbreaker won’t end the Terps’ season — unlike previous last-second losses to the Spartans in the 2003 and 2010 NCAA Tournament — but it definitely gave them a taste of what March will bring.
“It was a great college basketball game, I mean … you know, I hate to lose on a buzzer-beater,” coach Kevin Willard said. “It’s our third one this year, but I think it was a great atmosphere. Our fans have been great all year, but I think our student section was great tonight.”
The almost-immediate reaction was that Gillespie shot the ball too quickly instead of trying to drive to the basket.
“Maybe if he waits, he doesn’t get an open look. I trust Kobi, he’s been great all year,” Willard said. “At the end of the day, a kid still had to hit a 60-footer to beat you.”
And while there was a lot of focus on the final seconds, the lack of production inside (Derik Queen and Julian Reese combined to shoot 4-18 from the field) handcuffed the team throughout the evening.
“I thought our first half offense, we just didn’t get the basketball inside to Ju,” Willard said. “We talked about getting it inside, I just thought we got a little amped up in the first half and I thought that’s kind of where we put ourselves behind the eight-ball a little bit.”
Even with Wednesday’s loss, a vaunted double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament is very much in reach as the Terrapins are tied for fourth place with UCLA and Purdue with three games remaining for all three schools.
More important, the Terps got a taste of what it takes to compete in March when the madness arrives at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, followed by the big dance.
“It’s definitely gonna get us tougher, get us better, bring us together in the long run,” guard Rodney Rice said. “We just gotta stick together, stick to the game plan, keep practicing hard and get better.”
The road to March resumes Saturday at Penn State, and even though the Nittany Lions occupy 17th place in the Big Ten, the Terps have dropped seven straight road games in the series.
This week’s Starting FiveUp Top: Auburn stays No. 1 overall and on my ballot, while I voted No. 3 Florida second and No. 2 Duke third. The big story this week is that half the preseason top 10 is currently unranked, although Kansas (No. 1 in November) and Gonzaga are currently receiving votes while UConn was in the Top 25 earlier this month.
Perhaps this is a one-shot deal, or the start of a trend in which, due to the transfer portal (and immediate eligibility), we get teams in November that look vastly better on paper than they do on the floor.
Biggest variances: I voted No. 16 Maryland 11th and had No. 11 Wisconsin 18th one month after the Terps beat the Badgers on the court. Difficult omissions: Kentucky, New Mexico, George Mason and Utah State. Small school shout-outs: VCU, Drake and High Point.
Going Inside: Georgetown (16-12, 7-10 Big East) learned earlier this week that Thomas Sorber’s foot injury would be season-ending as the freshman forward needed surgery. In less than one season the Trenton, New Jersey, native gave the Hoyas an anchor inside, as he was tied for the conference lead in rebounding and was second in blocked shots per game.
Georgetown was outrebounded by 17 at UConn in its 93-79 loss to the Huskies and even though two of the Hoyas’ final three foes are near the bottom of the Big East in rebounding margin, one wonders how much they’ll miss the big man down the stretch. Saturday night they host No. 21 Marquette.
Perimeter Play: Could the Atlantic 10 be a multibid league again this year? The conference sent Dayton as an at-large last March and the Flyers, along with tournament winner Duquesne, advanced to the second round. But the models have only projected league champ VCU (23-5, 13-2 Atlantic 10), making the field with George Mason (23-5, 13-2) one of the “next four out” in the ESPN model.
The A-10 has been limited to one at-large bid in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments while getting shut out in 2023, a far cry from the conference’s stretch of sending three teams from 2012-18 (including five in 2013 and ’14) to the field of 68. And with both the Rams and the Patriots playing their way into the at-large conversation, both coaches are curious as to what the standards for NCAA Tournament admission will be this March.
“It’s not up to us to decide that, but certainly that’s how it used to be,” VCU coach Ryan Odom said after the Rams’ win last weekend over the Patriots. “George Mason and VCU — when they were in the CAA, maybe not every year, but there were at-large bids that happened. I know the ’11 year was. I don’t see why not. George Mason’s had a wonderful season. We both have to continue to play well down the stretch and do our jobs throughout the rest of the season.”
The Rams are one of two schools to advance from the First Four to the Final Four (UCLA in 2021 being the other), and they did so as an at-large team from the CAA — just like the Patriots did in 2006. Tony Skinn was a player on that Mason team, and in year two as head coach in Fairfax, he’s thinking the A-10 merits two bids.
“That’s my personal opinion; I’m not an expert. But you look at the metrics on both sides. We’re one of the better defensive teams in our league, the way we guard, the games we’ve won on the road,” Skinn said.
“And you look at VCU, I mean they’re one of the better teams in the country at a high level. They’ve won three or four league games now by 15-plus. I don’t understand how a VCU or George Mason does not have an opportunity to play in March. But it is what it is, we can only control what we can control and we’ve got to take care of business down the stretch and put ourselves in the best position we can.”
Who’s Open: American (18-12, 12-5 Patriot League) had a chance Wednesday to secure at least a share of their first regular season title since 2009, only to fall 68-60 at home to Navy. The Midshipmen (12-18, 9-8) held the Eagles to 38% shooting while outrebounding them by 12 to complete a regular season sweep of AU.
Coach Ed DeChellis’ team has won four of five to become that unit nobody wants to see coming into their gym during the upcoming conference tournament, while the Eagles have now dropped two of three and visit former nemesis Colgate (13-17, 10-7) on Saturday.
The four-time defending regular season champion Raiders may be dealing with their first losing regular season since 2017, but they have won 11 of their last 14 games against AU. A win plus a Bucknell loss at last place Holy Cross secures the top seed for the Eagles, while a loss plus a Bison win gives coach Duane Simpkins’ team the No. 2 seed.
Other variations mean we dive deep into the tiebreakers. Meanwhile, the Midshipmen can snag home court for the quarterfinal with a win over Loyola plus help that includes an Army loss.
Last Shot: George Washington (18-11, 7-9 Atlantic 10) faces La Salle (12-16, 4-11) on Saturday in Foggy Bottom and while the Revolutionaries are playing for seeding in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Tournament, the Explorers are wrapping up the tenure of veteran coach Fran Dunphy, who previously led Penn and Temple to NCAA Tournament berths while with the Quakers and Owls.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be at his alma mater, and the college hoops lifer (who’s apprenticeship included four seasons as an assistant for Gary Williams and Ed Tapscott at American) announced he’ll be retiring after the current season.
Last year, Dunphy brought the Explorers into D.C. and they won thanks to a hot shooting afternoon from Jhamir Brickus: 19 points that afternoon, followed by 21 against GW in the A-10 Tournament.
Anybody who can make a kid named “Brickus” shoot lights-out for an afternoon or two has to be doing something right.
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