Who would have thunk that it would be Clemson that was the strong finisher who could make an outstanding comeback on the road over a tournament hopeful team?
Maryland's hopes for the tournament took a major blow today as they choked away a 20-point lead and lost to Clemson, 73-70. Maryland had a 59-39 lead about halfway through the second half. Clemson then goes on a 34-11 run to end the game ... bolstering their own tournament resume.
The Terps have lost three of their last four games (and 4 of 6) and fading away. This is the second straight home loss for a team that already had a shaky record, uninspiring RPI ranking and was falling in the ACC standings. How wild is it that the only win they have over a team that will be in the dance is one at North Carolina?
They have one regular season game left (at a slightly dangerous Virginia) before the ACC tournament starts. The Terps can't win the ACC tourney, which means they will have at least 13 losses on their record. Even if they win two more games and get to 20 wins, last year we saw that it may mean nothing to the selection committee.
Ask Clemson who had it happen to them last year. This year, they are taking matters in their own hands. The Tigers are now 21-7 and guaranteed themselves a winning conference record. They have beaten two bubble teams in a row (they got Miami earlier in the week) and look like a legit tournament team.
Especially when you consider that leading scorer KC Rivers was held to four points. To win a big game like this on the road ... down by 20 ... with your leading scorer struggling is amazing.
Welcome back to the tournament, Clemson!




