Strong finishes have No. 22 Terps in solid position

BLACKSBURG, Va. — When the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee meets in Indianapolis on Selection Sunday to pore through stats and figures, they won't see Cliff Tucker's game-winning prayer at the buzzer to beat Georgia Tech on Feb. 20.

The 10-person panel will not be treated to the video of the Terrapins' furious double-digit comeback wins against N.C. State and Clemson in the last two weeks. Nor will the raw data that differentiates potential tournament squads demonstrate the way star guard Greivis Vasquez's 41-point effort carried them to a double-overtime win at Virginia Tech on Saturday.

In their last four games, the No. 22 Terps have trailed in the second half each time. They've also got four wins to show for it.

While other ACC squads have stumbled down the stretch in an evenly balanced conference, the Terps have found new and exciting ways to continue their surge to the top of the standings.

Thanks to their recent late-game tightrope acts, the Terps have earned a chance to move into an ACC first-place tie by winning tomorrow's Senior Night contest with No. 4 Duke at Comcast Center.

"It's been a lot of highlights," coach Gary Williams said after his team became the first visitors to escape Cassell Coliseum with a win this season. "A lot of things have been great. I think sometimes people, they only judge you at the end of the year instead of looking at these games and seeing how great they are. These are great college basketball games that we've been involved in."

The Terps' latest comeback was perhaps their most improbable.

It started with the Terps waiting out a three-hour delay because of a series of water main breaks by spending the afternoon in the Hokies football players' lounge. Without running water in the arena, the Terps rallied back from a halftime deficit behind Vasquez before grinding out a double-overtime win.

The Terps (21-7, 11-3 ACC) received their first 40-point scoring effort in almost exactly 15 years, made 11-of-12 overtime free throws and turned the ball over just 11 times in 50 minutes. Even so, they had to wait until Erick Green's 3-point attempt in the closing seconds clanked off the rim and Sean Mosley hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.

"I'm just proud," Williams began his postgame remarks. "Just looking at the stats, it was one of those where we didn't do everything right."

Early in ACC play, the Terps drew attention for their dominating play, winning their first five conference home games by an average of 19 points per game.

Since thumping Virginia at Comcast Center on Feb. 15, the Terps' games have been significantly more dramatic. But by pulling out four wins, including three against Top-50 RPI opponents, they continued to boost their NCAA Tournament profile.

When the committee determines the Terps' postseason fate on March 14, those gritty wins will count the same as their less gut-wrenching triumphs.

An impressive run of seven wins in eight games has already assured them of a top-two seed in the ACC Tournament and likely locked up their second straight NCAA Tournament berth. National college basketball voters have noticed as yesterday the Terps moved into the Top 25 for the first time since struggling at the Maui Invitational in November.

Without each of those four comebacks, the Terps would surely be in a much more tenuous position with two regular season games remaining. Instead, they've set up one of the most anticipated games at Comcast Center in several years.

"It [feels] great to be locked in the second position in the ACC," said Mosley, who has averaged 18.5 points in the last two games. "The ACC has been up-and-down, but we've been consistent lately."

That ability to keep winning is the Terps' current claim to fame — but it hasn't been easy.

TERP NOTE: Yesterday, the conference announced the Terps swept the ACC's weekly honors. Vasquez won his fourth Player of the Week award after Saturday's 41-point performance. Forward Jordan Williams won the Rookie of the Week award for the second time after averaging 13.5 points and 10 rebounds in two games last week.

edetweiler@umdbk.com