COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The crowd was electric and cheered everything it saw whether it was on Gary Williams Court or on the giant video board at XFINITY Center. And that was just the pregame activities.
The level of excitement and anticipation in the air prior to the Maryland-Georgetown game was palpable, as evidenced by Maryland students lining up more than 24 hours in advance of the 9 p.m. tip.
“I've been out here since 9 a.m., but my friends have been out here since last night at about 5 o'clock,” said Nicholas Christian, a senior accounting and finance major. “We always like to be in the front row, so we try to get out here before anyone else. We're big Terp fans, so we take it seriously.
“A lot of people were out there. The line was going down the hill, so it was amazing. I haven't moved, haven't eaten, haven't slept, I haven't done anything.”
Not every Maryland student waited all night. Senior criminology major Stephanie Baxter and her friends only had to wait an hour in line to get into XFINITY Center. “This is the biggest game of the year. We are really excited for tonight. We are feeling this team, for sure. I think the students are really excited to see this team and for them to get this win tonight.”
The change in the building, especially during early season games, was noticed by Nick Riddlesberger, a 2nd-year Turgeonite who is in graduate school at Maryland after graduating with a degree in business management and entrepreneurship.
“The fact that early season games are sold out is unreal. The difference between last year's early season games and this year is completely different. No one really expected anything out of last year's team and now everyone is hyped and even off campus everyone is talking about the basketball team. It's a big deal.”
Another thing making Tuesday's game a big deal was the return of Maryland legend Joe Smith, whose first collegiate game was the Terrapins' upset of Georgetown in 1993. Smith, who took part in some pregame panel discussions and was honored at the first media timeout, was just as excited to be in XFINITY Center as the current students.
“I'm going to be cheering out there. I'm going to be up cheering and clapping. I'm a student tonight. I never got that opportunity. I'm looking forward to the game and I can already tell just by looking around how exciting this game is going to be for both schools and I'm just happy that I'm able to be a part of it. It's a great experience.”
The energy in the building didn't faze the Hoyas at the start as Georgetown opened up a 9-0 lead, but that didn't stop Terrapin nation or the Terps. By the 13:00 mark the Hoya lead was erased, as Maryland went on a 12-2 run that was punctuated by a thunderous dunk by 7-foot-1 Michael Cekovsky.
The game went back and forth throughout the first half with junior transfer Robert Carter leading the way for the Terps with 10 points.
The Hoyas led 28-21 with 4:28 to play in the first half, but Melo Trimble got hot for the Terps down the stretch, scoring seven of Maryland's final nine points of the half.
Georgetown led 33-30 with under a minute to play, but Rasheed Sulaimon drained a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to go to tie the game heading into halftime.
The second half saw the Hoyas open up a 7-point lead, 44-37, with 14:29 to go, but Maryland received a much-needed spark from Trimble with a steal and layup at the 13:49 mark.
A nice screen by Damonte Dodd freed up Trimble on the dribble-drive to draw a pair of Hoyas defenders, which opened up the lane for a dunk by Jake Layman, the senior's first field goal of the game to make it a four-point Georgetown lead.
Layman then cut the Terps' deficit in half with another drive to the hoop and a reverse layup.
Maryland got it back to a 2-point game on a pair of free throws by Trimble, but Marcus Derrickson hit a three to push the Hoya lead back to five with 10:30 left in the half.
A turning point for the Terps came on the next possession when Layman drained a 3-pointer from the right corner, trimming the Hoyas lead back to two and giving Maryland momentum and giving a shot of energy into the XFINITY Center crowd.
But the Hoyas refused to go away without a fight and extended their lead back to seven, 61-54, with 5:41 remaining.
Maryland came roaring back, going on a 7-0 run that coincided with the surprise appearance of former All-American Greivis Vasquez, whose Milwaukee Bucks were in Washington to play with Wizards. Vasquez's appearance ignited the crowd again, but not as much as Trimble's 3-pointer that tied the game at 61-61 with less than four minutes to go in regulation.
Suffocating defense by the Terps forced a shot clock violation with the game tied at 63 and Layman made the Hoyas pay with his second 3-pointer of the game to give Maryland it's first lead since the 19:03 mark of the second half.
The Hoyas tied the game at 66 apiece with a 3-pointer by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, but Maryland regained the advantage on Carter's first field goal of the second half.
A pair of free throws by Georgetown tied the game once again, but Sulaimon brought the sellout crowd to its feet once again with a 3-pointer that put the Terps ahead 71-68 with 1:02 to play.
Good defense by Cekovsky forced an errant shot by Georgetown's Bradley Hayes and Dodd came up with the big rebound with 26.3 seconds left.
The Hoyas were forced to foul and hope the Terps missed their free throws, but Trimble drained both free throws with 12.3 seconds to go giving Maryland a 73-68 lead.
Smith-Rivera hit a three with 4.7 seconds to go to make it a 2-point game, but Trimble was sent to the line once again and iced the game with a pair of free throws, finishing his 24-point night.
The fight and resiliency of the Terps showed this is a team that has the potential to be special, but the struggles also showed there is plenty of room for improvement as All-American Tom McMillen pointed out following with game.
“Tonight was kind of a wake-up call for a young team,” said McMillen. “You have to be ready every night, because teams are going to come in here and try to beat you and that's what [Georgetown] tried to do tonight.
“I think the pieces are great, but the sum is not equal to the parts right now. They've got to work to build a team and that doesn't happen overnight. They've got to get it together quickly and play with team comradeship. That's what makes great teams work. They just know each other instinctively and that will happen.”
For Riddlesberger, his expectations for this year's Terps team are as high as they can be. “I think if we don't make it to the Final Four that would be upsetting. I think that's what people's expectations are. I think Terp fans realize how hard it is to do that; I know I do. But, I honestly believe this team can do it and get us back to the Final Four.”
Smith seemed to be in agreement with Riddlesberger when he assessed this year's Terrapin squad. “I think that the sky's the limit for this team. I think they're good at every position. In college basketball that's tough to find at every position like that. They've got as good of a shot as anybody else in the country.”
In the postgame interview Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon acknowledged the crowd and the electric atmosphere inside XFINITY Center. "Our fans were absolutely phenomenal." And then summed up the evening with four simple words - "What a great game."
