2008–09 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2008–09 Maryland Terrapins Maryland Terrapins secondary logo 2006-2012.png Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 21–14 7–9 Gary Williams Keith BoothChuck DriesellRobert EhsanTroy Wainwright Comcast Center NCAA Tournament Round of 32 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. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703611.html July 18, 2009 The Washington Post Eric Prisbell Steve Yanda Maryland Officials Rebut Williams January 28, 2009 Athletic director Deborah Yow responded to the situation by vowing support for Williams and ensured her intent to honor his current contract. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203403.html The Washington Post Steve Yanda Terps' Yow Gives Williams A Public Show of Support February 3, 2009 Soon after, The Washington Post published a three-part feature on Maryland basketball that was critical of Gary Williams. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/11/AR2009021102722.html March 21, 2009 The Washington Post Steve Yanda Eric Prisbell A Shell of Its Former Self February 12, 2009 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/12/AR2009021202299.html The Washington Post Eric Prisbell Steve Yanda A Whole New Ballgame That Williams Won't Play February 13, 2009 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/02/11/ST2009021102913.html The Washington Post Steve Yanda Eric Prisbell Raised Expectations, Lowered Standards? February 14, 2009 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. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/01/morgan_state_huh.html https://archive.today/20120721041239/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/01/morgan_state_huh.html dead July 21, 2012 July 18, 2009 The Washington Post Morgan State, Huh? 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. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/sports/ncaabasketball/25men.html The New York Times Duke Sprints Toward No. 1; Washington Topples U.C.L.A January 25, 2009 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. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/acc/2009-02-21-maryland-north-carolina_N.htm USA Today Vasquez's triple-double helps Maryland stun No. 3 UNC in OT February 22, 2009 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. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/acc/2009-03-03-wf-maryland_N.htm USA Today No. 10 Wake Forest edges Maryland on the road March 4, 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 https://web.archive.org/web/20090622213401/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29779799 2009-06-22 , 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 https://web.archive.org/web/20090625195151/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29812602 2009-06-25 , 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, "[Memphis would] have a losing record in the [Atlantic 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. Roster 1 United States F Jr Landon Milbourne 4 United States C So Braxton Dupree 5 United States G Jr Eric Hayes 11 South Korea F Fr Jin Soo Kim 14 United States G Fr Sean Mosley 21 Venezuela G Jr Greivis Vasquez 22 United States G So Adrian Bowie 23 United States G/F So David Pearman 24 United States G/F So Cliff Tucker 25 United States C Fr Steve Goins 32 United States F So Jerome Burney 33 United States F So Dino Gregory 35 United States F Sr Dave Neal Results yes |- !colspan=9| Regular season 2008/11/14 8:00 p.m. yes 2008 Bucknell Bison Bucknell Comcast Center College Park, MD 81–52 17,342 1–0 2008/11/18 8:00 p.m. yes 2008 Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State Comcast Center College Park, MD 73–49 17,188 2–0 2008/11/21 8:00 p.m. yes 2008 Vermont Catamounts Vermont Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 89–74 OT 17,950 3–0 2008/11/27 7:00 p.m. yes yes Michigan State 6 The Milk House Lake Buena Vista, FL Old Spice Classic ESPN2 80–62 4,464 4–0 2008/11/28 5:30 p.m. yes yes Gonzaga 10 The Milk House Lake Buena Vista, FL Old Spice Classic ESPN 59–81 4,658 4–1 2008/11/30 5:30 p.m. yes yes Georgetown 16 The Milk House Lake Buena Vista, FL Old Spice Classic ESPN2 48–75 3,914 4–2 2008/12/03 7:30 p.m. yes Michigan Comcast Center College Park, MD ACC-Big Ten Challenge ESPN 75–70 17,950 5–2 2008/12/07 7:30 p.m. yes yes 2008 George Washington Colonials George Washington Verizon Center Washington, D.C. BB&T Classic MASN 76–53 10,149 6–2 2008/12/12 8:00 p.m. yes 2008 Delaware State Hornets Delaware State Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 86–58 17,014 7–2 2008/12/22 7:30 p.m. yes American Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 67–51 15,838 8–2 2008/12/27 2:00 p.m. yes 2008 Bryant Bulldogs Bryant University Comcast Center College Park, MD 72–51 15,422 9–2 2008/12/30 8:00 p.m. yes 2008 Elon Phoenix Elon Comcast Center College Park, MD 76–50 15,528 10–2 2009/01/03 4:00 p.m. yes 2008 Charlotte 49ers Charlotte Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 85–75 16,423 11–2 2009/01/07 8:00 p.m. yes Morgan State Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 65–66 15,138 11–3 2009/01/10 12:00 p.m. Georgia Tech Comcast Center College Park, MD Raycom 68–61 17,569 12–3 2009/01/14 9:00 p.m. yes Miami (FL) BankUnited Center Coral Gables, FL Raycom 60–62 4,651 12–4 2009/01/17 12:00 p.m. yes Florida State Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL Raycom 73–76 OT 9,086 12–5 2009/01/20 8:00 p.m. Virginia Comcast Center College Park, MD Raycom 84–78 16,205 13–5 2009/01/24 12:00 p.m. yes Duke 2 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC Duke–Maryland rivalry ESPN 44–85 9,314 13–6 2009/01/27 7:30 p.m. Boston College Comcast Center College Park, MD ESPN2 67–76 17,541 13–7 2009/01/31 8:00 p.m. Miami (FL) Comcast Center College Park, MD Raycom 73–68 17,950 14–7 2009/02/03 8:00 p.m. yes North Carolina 4 Dean E. Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Raycom 91–108 20,863 14–8 2009/02/08 7:30 p.m. yes Georgia Tech Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, GA FSN 57–56 7,183 15–8 2009/02/14 4:00 p.m. Virginia Tech Comcast Center College Park, MD Raycom 83–73 17,950 16–8 2009/02/17 7:30 p.m. yes Clemson 13 Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC ESPN2 64–93 9,700 16–9 2009/02/21 3:30 p.m. North Carolina 3 Comcast Center College Park, MD ABC 88–85 OT 17,950 17–9 2009/02/25 9:00 p.m. Duke 7 Comcast Center College Park, MD Duke–Maryland rivalry ESPN 67–78 17,950 17–10 2009/03/01 7:30 p.m. yes North Carolina State RBC Center Raleigh, NC FSN 71–60 13,835 18–10 2009/03/03 9:00 pm Wake Forest 10 Comcast Center College Park, MD CSN 63–65 17,950 18–11 2009/03/07 3:30 pm yes Virginia John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, VA ABC 63-68 11,050 18–12 |- !colspan=9| ACC tournament 2009/03/12 7:00 p.m. yes 7 NC State 10 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA First round ESPN2 74–69 26,352 19–12 2009/03/13 7:00 p.m. yes 7 Wake Forest 8 2 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA Quarterfinals ESPN2 75–64 26,352 20–12 2009/03/14 4:00 p.m. yes 7 Duke 9 3 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA Semifinals ESPN 61–67 26,352 20–13 |- !colspan=9| NCAA tournament 2009/03/19 2:55 p.m. yes yes 10 W California 7 W Sprint Center Kansas City, MO First Round CBS 84–71 17,319 21–13 2009/03/21 3:20 p.m. yes yes 10 W 3 2 W Memphis Sprint Center Kansas City, MO Second Round CBS 70–89 18,247 21–14 Eastern Standard Time Coaches' Poll W West References 2 Category:Maryland Terrapins men's basketball seasons Maryland Maryland Category:2008 in sports in Maryland Category:2009 in sports in Maryland