The Maryland Terrapins finished the 2009-2010 season as ACC champions behind the leadership of point guard Greivis Vasquez and a record of 23-8.

     The Terps’ success in 2009 came with a sigh of relief after a disappointing 2008 season, when the Terps finished 21-14 and were knocked out in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Memphis, 89-70. 2009 was a big turnaround for Maryland, and inevitably landed Vasquez and Coach Gary Williams with ACC Player and Coach of the year respects. Vasquez averaged an astounding 19.5 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He also was only the sixth Terrapin ever to surpass the 2,000 point mark, a feat he accomplished during the team’s senior night win over the Terps’ rival, the Duke Blue Devils.

     Vasquez was not the only great part of Maryland’s season. Eric Hayes, a senior for the team, averaged a career high 11.1 points per game and passed the 1,000 point mark on the same night Vasquez passes 2,000. Freshman forward Jordan Williams showed some promise for the next few years as well, averaging 9.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds on the season.

     The Terps had some magical moments over the 2009-2010 season that only added the the states excitement over the past 3 months. On February 20, 2010, the team defeated Georgia Tech in a game that was talked about for the next week on sports center and many other ESPN shows. With 3 seconds left, and the team down by 1 point, Vasquez threw up a prayer from half court and the shot magically soared right through the hoop. The crowd went nuts, but quickly found out that Coach Williams had called a timeout prior to the shot. With 1 second left, and almost no hope, Vasquez in-bounded the pass and quickly shoveled the ball off to guard-forward Cliff Tucker, who shot a 3 pointed at the buzzer with swished through the hoop, sending the crowd and fans alike into hysterics once again.

     The Terps will try once again to create some magic on March 19, 2010, at 9:30PM when they face the Houston Cougars in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Source: ESPN.com