"Nothing could be fina than beating Carolina" . . . . in the morning afternoon, and that's exactly what the underdog Terps did today, 83-77, in Greensboro in the first round of the 2010 ACC Tournament.

Games like today's remind us why it's worth getting up at 5 AM to drive nearly 6 hours to Greensboro, and why it's so much fun being a fan of this team! And the BCs obviously aren't alone in feeling this way . . . plenty of other Maryland fans also decided the long drive was worth undertaking. We know because we saw Red People -- hundreds of them -- in the stands, in the arena, at the hotel. The Red Sea was practically as deep as the Carolina Blue in the arena . . . yet Chapel Hill is only about a half-hour away. And the team definitely appreciated our support.

From the opening tip-off, it was clear that the Terps had come to play today. That FSU game was relegated to their rear-view mirror, while the Tar Heels were clearly in Maryland's headlights. "Veteran" Lynetta Kizer in particular was totally stoked from the get-go; in her last appearance in the Greensboro Coliseum, she helped the Terps win the ACC Tournament, and she wasn't ready to have her season end today. Although she was only able to play 22 minutes (thanks to the refs, but let's not go there), Netta was an absolute Beast (in the best sense of the word). She set the tone for her even younger teammates, scoring early and often, rebounding, defending, even orchestrating crowd cheers. What an amazing display of leadership by this sophomore! Netta finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Foul trouble limited her minutes, but not her production . . . and definitely not her leadership.

Meanwhile, Tianna Hawkins, playing in her first ACC Tournament, filled in during Netta's absence, playing like a veteran, not at all like a rookie. Like Netta, T-Hawk finished with a double-double (13 pts & 11 rbs) and, also like Netta, she was perfect from the charity stripe. And was that ever important today!

When the Terps were up by about 10 with several minutes left to play, the Tar Heels resorted to playing Whack-A-Turtle, intentionally fouling and hoping to take advantage of Maryland's sometimes iffy free throw shooting. The strategy nearly succeeded, as a number of the Terps' much-needed free throws clanged off the rim. Fortunately, though, enough went in to keep Carolina at bay and seal the win.

Netta was not the only Terp in foul trouble today. Thanks to some creative interesting calls, Netta, Tianna, Jackie Nared and Diandra T were all playing with 4 fouls during much of the second half. Huge credit goes to Coach B for managing her lineup given all the restraints posed by the widespread foul trouble, and to all the players who played with 4 fouls and managed to stay in the game.

Today's win sets up a quarterfinal match tomorrow at 3PM with the Tournament's number 1 seed, Duke. In two close games during the regular season, the Blue Devils beat the Terps. Let's hope that the third time is the charm for Maryland! The #9 seed is supposed to be easy pickings for the Tournament's #1 seed. There's no question that Maryland is again the underdog. But hey, this is Maryland vs Duke . . . this is Greensboro . . . anything is possible! That's part of what makes this so much fun.

Go Maryland! Beat Duke!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases