Terps fall short against Heels

Maryland again staggered one of the nation’s heavyweights. The Terrapins just couldn’t finish it off.

No. 2 North Carolina escaped with an 85-83 victory against Maryland last night before 17,950 at Comcast Center. Tar Heels center Sean May blocked Terps guard Mike Jones’ shot underneath with three seconds remaining to preserve the win.

“It looked like I had the lane,” Jones said. “Once I got to the basket I realized he was there. I didn’t know how much time was left on the clock. Three guys came on me. I didn’t have time to kick it to anybody. I took the shot hoping to get fouled.”

Despite the loss, the Terps still have a chance to earn their 12th straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Maryland (16-10, 7-8 ACC) will visit Virginia Tech (14-11, 7-7) on Saturday with a win likely sealing the NCAA bid and a top-five seed and first-round bye in the ACC tournament.

However, a loss probably would force Maryland to win an ACC tournament game to keep its NCAA streak intact. Coach Gary Williams doesn’t want to rely on a narrow loss to North Carolina to impress the NCAA selection committee.

“Close isn’t good enough this time of year,” Williams said. “If we do win [against Virginia Tech], I think 8-8 gets us in.”

The Terps still have a chance to finish fourth or fifth in the ACC. Maryland has the tiebreaker over Georgia Tech (16-9, 7-7) and Virginia Tech. Miami (16-10, 7-8) and N.C. State (16-11, 6-8) have the edge over Maryland. The Terps’ status will be clearer by the time they face Virginia Tech because all but N.C. State will have played their final games.

“There’s a real traffic jam in the middle of the league,” guard John Gilchrist said. “If you finish .500, that’s like finishing fourth or fifth place. You know we’re going to get at least five teams in the NCAA, so it seems like a good situation. Another win against Virginia Tech will put us in a great position in the selection committee’s eyes.”

North Carolina (24-3, 12-2) relied heavily on May, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds. With leading scorer guard Rashad McCants out with an intestinal ailment, the Tar Heels looked tentative early before finding their stroke. The nation’s top scoring team received 21 points from forward Jawad Williams and a string of big shots from forward David Noel (12 points).

Guard Chris McCray led Maryland with 25 points, nearly stealing the game by making five of six 3-pointers to bring the Terps back from a 10-point, second-half deficit. Forward Nik Caner-Medley scored 16, and Gilchrist added 13.

Last night might have been the final home game of Gilchrist’s college career. He is weighing whether to forgo his senior season for the NBA.

“After the season is over, I’ll have to sit down with my family and talk about that,” he said.

May proved the Terps’ nemesis near the basket as North Carolina outrebounded Maryland 44-35. The Tar Heels scored 23 second-chance points to stop several Terps rallies.

“Sean is unbelievable,” guard Raymond Felton said. “He does great things at the right time throughout the game. Everybody always thinks about his offense, but in my opinion, his defense won the game.”

May said it was the first time he had secured a victory with a blocked shot. Jones (12 points) grabbed the ball on the left side of the basket as the first option. The Terps wanted a close shot, and he appeared to have a clear path to the rim before May crossed over for the block.

“I knew [Jones] didn’t have time to pass,” May said. “I just came over from the weak side and made the block, and that was the game.”

North Carolina opened up a 47-37 lead at the half. The Tar Heels kept the 10-point margin for the first six minutes of the second half before a 14-4 Maryland run fueled by two 3-pointers by Jones tied the game at 65-65 with 9:55 left.

North Carolina responded with an 11-3 run for a 76-68 lead with 5:01 remaining, but Maryland wouldn’t fold. Three-pointers by Gilchrist, McCray and Jones gave Maryland an 81-80 lead with 1:32 remaining. North Carolina countered with Jawad Williams’ 3-pointer with 1:04 left, but Terps forward Ekene Ibekwe tied it on a tip-in with 41.8 seconds left.

North Carolina looked to run down the clock, but a big opening in the lane saw Felton coming off a screen for an uncontested layup with 18.9 seconds left. The Terps nearly lost the ball with 6.8 seconds left before calling a timeout to set up the unsuccessful final play.

“Mike Jones was the hot guy,” Gary Williams said. “He was shooting the ball well going into that situation.”