Pillows were flying. Drinks were tossed into the air. At one point, "Cliff Tucker jumped over the sofa," freshman Sean Mosley said.
Nerves had been wound too tightly all day, and when they uncoiled, it was with a fury. Not like a jack-in-the-box. More like a Terp-in-the-bracket. Back to the Dance, for the second time in five seasons.
They always believed, and that's probably why the celebration was so sweet, because critics and so many of their own fans were convinced Williams couldn't find his way back to the tournament, that he was still getting directions from a yellowed, antiquated map in this GPS world.
"At some point this season, people thought we couldn't win games and get to the tournament, and now we've accomplished all that," Vasquez said. "I'm very, very happy and proud of my teammates."
Oh, and if you're one for foreshadowing, consider this:
This isn't the first time the Terps entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed. In 1994, a young Maryland team that featured a freshman named Joe Smith beat No. 7 Saint Louis in the opening round and then upset No. 2 Massachusetts to reach the Sweet 16 (where the Terps lost by seven points to No. 3 Michigan).
Can they make a similar run again? Can they topple Cal and then find a way around No. 2 Memphis, a team that easily could've been a No. 1 seed?
Williams won't even entertain the question right now.
"Seriously, right now, I don't even know who's in that opposite game, who we'd play if we beat California," he said. "It doesn't matter. If we don't beat California, we're not going to play again, obviously."
I bring up that 1994 group not because of the modest run it made in that year's tournament, but rather the modest run the program made after it. That turned out to be the first of 11 straight NCAA tournament appearances.
The level of celebration that surrounded yesterday's bid underscored the unexpected nature of this team's success. Days such as yesterday need not be irregular. It is within reason to expect Selection Sunday in College Park to again be more about seeding than sweating. Maybe like that 1994 team, this could be the start of something ...
But they're in. The Terps dance. That's all that counts. And for now, the refreshing breeze is certainly worth appreciating.
NO. 10 MARYLAND (20-13) VS. NO. 7 CALIFORNIA (22-10)
Thursday, 2:55 p.m. (approx.),
Kansas City, Mo. TV: Chs. 13, 9
california at a glance
Record: 22-10 (16-2 home, 6-6 road, 0-2 neutral)
Starting lineup: 5-10 G Jerome Randle (18.4 points, 4.9 assists), 6-5 G Patrick Christopher, 6-8 F Jamal Boykin (6.4 rebounds), 6-6 F Theo Robertson, 7-0 C Jordan Wilkes
Summary: The Golden Bears lost in the first round of the Pacific-10 tournament and have dropped four of their past six games. They have played three times in March. Cal scores 75.0 points per game and yields 68.3. Three starters average double figures in scoring - Randle, Christopher (14.6) and Robertson (12.8). The Bears make more than 40 percent of their three-point shots, led by Robertson at 49.1 percent and Randle at 46.8 percent.
