In small arena, a large problem

In a conference in which venues such as Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Dean Dome and Comcast Center are almost as much of a draw as the teams playing inside them, Miami's BankUnited Center stands apart.

The 8,000-seat, multipurpose entertainment center is the smallest homestead in the conference and has rarely operated at full capacity this season. Even its namesake has had a checkered past and bleak future — federal regulators seized BankUnited last year, leaving the venue's future name in doubt.

But the arena has a pained relevance for the Terrapin men's basketball team. In four games there, the Terps have yet to escape with a win.

Tonight, they'll have a chance to help erase those memories and snag an important road victory against a pesky Miami squad. The Terps' (18-11, 7-7 ACC) deteriorating NCAA Tournament hopes depend on a bounce-back victory after a missed opportunity on the road against No. 13 North Carolina on Sunday.

The Hurricanes (17-12, 5-9) are by no means on the path to an NCAA Tournament appearance, having lost three of their past five games. Still, tonight's result is far from a gimme.

"We haven't had a lot of success there, but there's no reason for it," coach Gary Williams said. "They did a good job against us. They're well coached. They played well."

Since the conference expanded to add Miami in 2004, the Terps have made trips to Coral Gables, Fla., in four separate seasons, all ending in a mixture of humiliating and heartbreaking ways.

They fell in overtime in 2005 and lost by 14 after an early 13-0 lead in 2006. A year away didn't help much, as the Terps scored just five points in the final five minutes of a 15-point loss in 2008.

But none of the defeats quite matched their second-half meltdown in 2009. Despite a career-high 23 points from guard Adrian Bowie, the Terps let a 12-point halftime lead evaporate in an eventual two-point loss. The Hurricanes held the lead at just two instances the entire game — both in the final 1:20.

In only one of those games (2005) has the stadium been at full capacity.

"Tough places to play make you play better," Williams said. "I'd much rather play a crowded, noisy team on the road than play in a half-empty building. It's a lot easier to compete for me. Maybe it bothers some players or other coaches with the crowd going crazy, but I like it."

If this season has been any indication, tonight's game will be much closer to a half-empty building than a sellout. The Hurricanes have the lowest average home attendance in the ACC and have yet to record a sellout.

That could bode well for Williams' young team, which has found success on the road this season in less-than-hostile environments. In games at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia, the Terps went undefeated.

The recent emergence and soaring confidence of guard Terrell Stoglin could play a large factor in the Terps reversing their poor play in Miami. In his first ACC road test Jan. 9, the freshman connected on just one of 10 shots at Duke. Three days later, Stoglin's poor shooting continued with a 1-for-9 performance at Wake Forest.

But in the past six games, Stoglin has averaged more than 20 points per game. He exploded for 25 points at Virginia Tech on Feb. 15 and carried the Terps offensively at North Carolina with a career-high 28 points Sunday.

His scoring, along with the consistent play of forward Jordan Williams, has the Terps optimistic heading into their latest tilt at Miami.

"We have some guys playing at a national level right now in Jordan and Terrell," Gary Williams said. "So we can compete. ... There's not many teams scoring as many points as we are right now."

Despite growing anxiety from fans regarding the team's postseason hopes, Williams has remained focused on the present, saying that his players' lone focus is on their next task, as daunting as it may seem — winning at the BankUnited Center.

"If I thought it would help our team, it would come up," Williams said when asked if he'd discussed the NCAA Tournament with his team. "It doesn't help your team because the way you prepare and get ready to play is to focus on the team you're playing against. Our players understand we're in a position that we have to win."

ceckard@umdbk.com