COLLEGE PARK — COLLEGE PARK -When it was finished - after Maryland had upset North Carolina, after the delirious Terps fans had been mopped off the court, after the deflated Tar Heels players had been left alone with their thoughts, and after a Maryland staffer sprinted from the locker room to retrieve Landon Milbourne's lost shoe from the mob at center court - Gary Williams briefly addressed his team.
His message had two parts, entirely connected and yet oddly disconnected. You'll always remember this game, he told them. But for now, you have to move on.
Williams knows and his players know that it's the only way. The faint heartbeat of the Terps' NCAA tournament hopes is still beating today, thanks to yesterday's thrilling 88-85 overtime win over third-ranked North Carolina.
"I've been in other games like this, and that's the way it goes. It just flashes back every once in while, and you remember it. I told them that," Williams said, "but when it comes time to practice and getting ready for the next game, this has to be put off to the side."
As big a win as it was, it didn't punch any postseason tickets. It simply meant the Terps live to dream another day.
The goal now is to repeat that amazing performance at least two more times. The next chance is Wednesday against Duke, a team that beat Maryland by 41 points a month ago.
Yesterday's win - highlighted by the greatest game Greivis Vasquez has played and a clutch performance from Cliff Tucker off the bench - surely buoyed hopes among Terps faithful that an at-large bid might be in Maryland's future. With four games remaining - two against top-10 teams and the other two on the road - it's not a long shot, but it also doesn't feel close to a sure thing.
While the Terps are excited to add the "W" on their postseason resume, the true benefit from last night's win might have come from the effort, not the result. It showed a beleaguered team what is possible down the stretch - maybe in their next four games, maybe in Atlanta at the conference tournament.
"Now that we know we can play with anybody, we are going to be ready to play," senior Dave Neal said.
That's the kind of attitude that has been missing around College Park, where players and coaches have been preoccupied with playing defense against critics and their athletic department administrators. It's about time this team focused on basketball. Lucky for them, it's not too late in the season to embrace a turning point, not when any squad can string together a few wins in the conference tournament and avoid March Sadness.
