SUPER BOWL 2012

The Terps ended their ACC regular season today just as they began it . . . with an important road win over another red team. In Raleigh this afternoon, Maryland beat NC State, 65-50, to secure the #3 seed in the ACC tournament. But don't let that final score fool you; this afternoon's game was no walkover.

Maryland bolted out of the gate with a 15-1 run in the first five minutes, leading some to think this would be another easy, lop-sided victory, like Friday's drubbing of the Tar Heels. But the BCs' Rule #1 is: "Never let an early run fool you . . . for better or for worse."

On Friday, that early lead over UNC soon turned into a rout. That would be the "for better" part of our rule. But against NC State, the "for worse" made an appearance, as things went downhill quickly for the Terps today. Perhaps the Maryland players were thinking about Greensboro just a little too soon. At any rate, as the BCs followed the action on Gametracker (no audio, no video), the little color-coded Wolfpack triangular figures closed the gap to 2 points, 19-17, with 8:23 left in the first period. Coach B substituted liberally, presumably to find someone to provide her team with a much-needed spark. By the end of the first half, 9 Terps had entered the game, but, alas, nothing seemed to be working (at least from our vantage point watching those little triangles move around the screen), and Maryland skulked back into the locker room at the break with a slim, 5-point lead, 30-25.

The first ten minutes of the second half weren't much better, as NC State kept the game within one or two possessions. But then, with a little more than 9 minutes left and the Terps clinging precariously to a 3-point lead, the BCs swear we heard one of the little Gametracker triangles speak. We know, it sounds ludicrous, but we both heard it. One of the little red figures said, "I've had enough of this!"

The little Gametracker figures don't wear names on their unis, so we can't say for sure who said it, but after that, Super Soph Alyssa "Fight to the Finish" Thomas took over. Her little color-coded triangle was everywhere on the virtual court -- scoring from the floor and from the free throw line, stealing balls and blocking shots. And it worked. The Terps won. Whew.

AT scored 22 of her game-high 24 points in the second half (on 8-18 shooting, and 8 of 10 free throws). She pulled down 17 rebounds (a career high) for another double-double. She blocked 4 shots and she had 3 steals. The only other Terp in double figures was Laurin Mincy, with 12 points.