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Terps beat Cal, will face Memphis in NCAA second round
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Greivis Vasquez was spectacular Thursday.
No. 10 Maryland Thursday upset No. 7 California, 84-71 behind strong perimeter team defense and a monster game from Greivis Vasquez. The Terps advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament where they will face No. 2 Memphis.
(Now there’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d write earlier this year when the Terps were losing to Morgan State and struggling with Vermont and Charlotte.)
Maryland’s guards swarmed Cal’s vaunted long-distance shooters all afternoon. The Bears came into the game shooting a nation’s best 43 percent but shot only 7-of-24 for the game.
Vasquez led the Terps with 27 points, and Dave Neal (15), Eric Hayes (14) and Adrian Bowie (12) all played critical roles in helping the Terps to a 49 percent shooting percentage.
The Terps played with confidence and passion – trademarks of a Gary Williams coached team. They’ve been playing focused, consistent basketball since the loss to Virginia to conclude the regular season, and Thursday’s win was no exception.
The Terps’ second-round opponent, Memphis, struggled with No. 15 Cal State Northridge before pulling away late in the game.
The Terps have shown they can play with – and beat – anybody this year. They’ve taken down UNC, Michigan State and Wake Forest. While Maryland is still certainly a big underdog, the Terps’ tenacity and Memphis’ lackluster play Thursday set this up to be a fantastic matchup.
(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
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