Baltimore Sun

Rarely in basketball does one play perfectly illustrate just how far apart two teams are in talent and execution.

But two minutes into the second half of Clemson’s 93-64 thumping of Maryland last night at Littlejohn Coliseum, Tigers forward Trevor Booker did exactly that.

Clemson was beginning to pull away from the Terps after a competitive first half and was on its way to handing Maryland its worst defeat in the series, but no one could have predicted what was about to unfold.

Tigers sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby had just launched a three-point attempt from the left corner, but his high-arching shot came up short. The miss caromed high into the air, reaching its apex almost in slow motion, until, seemingly out of nowhere, Booker, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior, soared into the space above two Maryland defenders.

Booker cupped the ball in his left hand, and in one motion, just as gravity began to drag him back toward earth, he dunked it in a manner that was as violent as it was beautiful.

[...]

In the first half, it didn’t look as if Maryland was going to go quietly. Though the Tigers established an inside presence early by dumping entry passes to Booker, Raymond Sykes and Jerai Grant whenever possible, it didn’t feel as if Maryland was really on the ropes until Oglesby hit a three with 3:32 remaining to give Clemson a 28-20 lead.

Though momentarily stunned, the Terps fought back by pushing the ball in transition, hitting free throws, scrambling for loose balls and converting just enough open jumpers to frustrate Clemson. Despite shooting 32 percent from the field in the first half, the Terps were still in the game. Maryland’s leading scorer this season, Greivis Vasquez, started shakily, missing his first four shots, but he briefly came to life in the minutes before intermission, scoring six points to spark an 8-0 run. With less than a minute to go, Vasquez (12 points) found Dave Neal open for a 15-foot jumper that pulled Maryland within 30-28.

Vasquez, however, made one costly mistake that sent the Terps into the locker room on a sour note. Caught in a trap near midcourt, the junior guard tried a lazy pass to Neal near the three-point line, and Booker stepped in front of it. He zipped it ahead to point guard K.C. Rivers, who gave Clemson its sixth first-half dunk and a 34-28 lead.

The sloppy play seemed to foreshadow the blowout that was about to come. Before last night, Maryland’s worst loss to Clemson was a 22-point defeat in 1977.

There will be more later at Tracking the Terps I’m sure.

This is the 3rd really bad loss this season – the other two were against Georgetown and Duke. The Terps also lost at home to Morgan State. They have to win at least one of the 3 ACC games remaining on the schedule to preserve a long shot chance at making the NCAAs. With Duke, UNC and Wake on the schedule, that looks unlikely. With the apparent downward spiral of the program and rumors of a new coach, Gary Williams received the dreaded vote of confidence from his AD. Recent articles in the press have focused on how hard it is to recruit now, especially when Gary won’t even talk to AAU people allegedly. Many Terps fans have faulted him on his lax recruiting habits going back a few years. The academic standards excuse that many fans use for recruiting woes doesn’t hold water either, when you look at the abysmal graduation rates. You’d think if these recruits were held to higher academic standards to get in they’d actually be able and interested in finishing school.

So, is it safe to say that Gary Williams is gone if the Terps don’t make the NCAA tournament this year? Let us know your opinion.

(Below is a clip of the Booker dunk referenced in the article.)