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The 2008–2009 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Terrapins qualified for the NCAA tournament for just the second time since the 2003–04 season. Maryland advanced to the second round before being eliminated by second-seeded Memphis. This exceeded expectations for the team, which had been described as a team that was small in stature without any highly touted athletes.〔(Terps' NCAA bid is vindication for Williams ), WTOP News, Associated Press, March 16, 2009. Accessed 2009-03-21. (Archived ) 2009-06-02.〕〔"Two Sides To One Program", ''The Washington Post'', p. E7, March 21, 2009.〕 ==Season recap== During the season, head coach Gary Williams came under fire for his alleged failure to find consistent success since Maryland won the national championship in 2002. At one point, he and an athletics department official argued publicly over the failure to secure recruit Tyree Evans and the transfer of Gus Gilchrist, two highly touted local players. Athletic director Deborah Yow responded to the situation by vowing support for Williams and ensured her intent to honor his current contract. Soon after, ''The Washington Post'' published a three-part feature on Maryland basketball that was critical of Gary Williams. Early in the season, a lightly regarded Maryland team convincingly upset over fifth-ranked (and eventual national championship runners-up) Michigan State, 80–62, in the Old Spice Classic.〔(Maryland hammers No. 5 Michigan State ), NBC Sports, November 27, 2008. Accessed 2009-07-18. (Archived ) 2009-07-23.〕 Shortly thereafter, they defeated Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.〔(Michigan 70, Maryland 75 ), ESPN, December 3, 2008.〕 They then extended their winning streak to seven and appeared destined to win out in their non-conference schedule, which would have weighed heavily in their favor for an NCAA tournament bid. However, in their final out-of-conference game, they suffered an upset against Morgan State, 66–65. After a 2–2 start to their conference schedule, which included an overtime loss to Florida State, second-ranked Duke routed the Terrapins, 85–44, in what was Maryland's worst-ever ACC loss. Late in the season, Maryland recovered to "stun" third-ranked North Carolina in overtime, and point guard Greivis Vasquez recorded the first triple-double by a Terrapin since 1987. Maryland then lost closely contested games against seventh-ranked Duke and tenth-ranked Wake Forest.〔(No. 7 Duke beats Maryland 78–67 ), ''Rocky Mountain News'', February 25, 2009.〕 Maryland entered the ACC tournament needing a significant run to salvage hopes for a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins won in the first round against NC State and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they won a convincing victory over Wake Forest, 75–64.〔(Maryland knocks off struggling Wake behind Vasquez's 22 ), ESPN, March 13, 2009.〕 In the semifinals, they lost a hard-fought game against eventual conference champions, Duke, who had enjoyed a bye in the first game.〔(Scheyer scores 22 and Blue Devils' 12–2 run opens up 13-point lead in second half ), ESPN, March 14, 2009.〕 Having exceeded expectations in the ACC tournament, Maryland was awarded a bid to the NCAA tournament with a seed ranking of ten. In the first round, they played seventh-seeded California, where, after a near stalemate in the first half, Maryland pulled away in the second to win, 84–71.〔(Maryland stymies Cal shooters ), NBC Sports, March 19, 2009.〕 They then faced second-seeded Memphis, which held a 26-game winning streak.〔(Evans leads Memphis to easy win over Terps ), NBC Sports, March 21, 2009.〕 Before the game, Memphis reserve forward Pierre Henderson-Niles said about Maryland, "We really ain't talked too much about Maryland. We watched a little film on 'em one time, and I know they got a good player—I don't know his name—but he good or whatever, so we just going to try to do what we do and stop him. I ain't never seen them; I know they got one good player, Sanchez or something like that, whatever his name is."〔"Terps Aim for Name Recognition", ''The Washington Post'', p. E1, March 21, 2009.〕 Greivis Vasquez, the outspoken Maryland point guard to whom Henderson-Niles referred, said in response, "(would ) have a losing record in the (Coast Conference )—probably win all of their games outside the league, losing record in the league. The ACC is too tough. You can't just win games night in and night out because you’re so athletic."〔(Vasquez: Memphis would lose in ACC ), ''Baltimore Sun'', March 20, 2009. Accessed 2009-03-21. (Archived ) 2009-06-02.〕 Memphis accumulated a 14–0 run in the first half. Maryland, unable to ever significantly close the gap, eventually lost, 89–70. After the game, Vasquez rescinded his earlier remarks and conceded that Memphis might have finished .500 in the ACC. He said, "They'll never play in the ACC, so we'll never know. But they proved me wrong. They're such a good team. I give them credit."〔"Overachievers Overmatched", ''The Washington Post'', p. D1, March 22, 2009.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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