CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -It's hard to imagine how badly Gary Williams must have wanted this win.
The Maryland coach was so close to making the NCAA tournament with an undersized team in a trying season.
Williams' Terrapins missed a chance to make a much-needed statement to the NCAA tournament selection committee when their late comeback fell short and they lost, 68-63, yesterday to a Virginia team that had dropped four games in a row.
"It hurts," said Williams, who wore the distant look afterward of a man stuck in a moment gone by. Maryland players said they could still make the NCAAs with a deep run in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament beginning in Atlanta on Thursday.
"We've got to get ready for the ACC tournament and go down there and make some noise," said senior Dave Neal, who called the game "the toughest loss probably in my career."
Using three-point shots, the Terps (18-12, 7-9) erased a nine-point deficit to tie the score at 61 with 1:46 left. But forward Mamadi Diane, honored before the game on Senior Day, hit a three-pointer with 38 seconds left to put Virginia ahead 64-61.
"There was no better way to finish off one's career and season," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said of Diane's shot.
Maryland's chance to tie ended in confusion. The Terps run different offenses against a zone defense than against a man-to-man. They seemed uncertain which offense to run as junior guard Greivis Vasquez took the ball. Surrounded by defenders, he tossed up a runner that missed.
"At first, Coach Williams called a zone play, and then he saw they were in man and then he called a man play," Neal said of the play. "By then the pressure they were giving Greivis kind of made him a little nervous, and so he drove the ball."
Said Vasquez: "I take responsibility on that play. I got confused. I didn't know what we were running."
Virginia (10-17, 4-12) hit four foul shots to seal the win.
Vasquez walked into the tunnel alone when it was over, as if he wanted to be off the court as quickly as possible.
Williams said Vasquez wasn't to blame.
"It isn't all about the last play. There's 39 minutes before that," the coach said.
Had it won, Maryland would have clinched a No. 7 seed in the ACC tournament and played No. 10 seed North Carolina State on Thursday night.
