Vasquez's high-wire act in College Park ends with one more circus shot

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Greivis Vasquez stood at the free-throw line -- his big shots already made, the win soundly secured -- and gazed at the crowd, the rim and the floor before going into his normal routine.

He bounced the ball three times, spun it once. Then he rose up, let it go, watched it fall through the net and started moving toward the other end of the court, where he would soon be surrounded by hundreds of fellow Maryland students, all of them celebrating a victory that created a first-place tie in the ACC standings.

Not all of Greivis Vasquez's crazy shots fall, but he'll be remembered for clutch ones he makes on Senior Night. (AP)

"Unbelievable," Vasquez said. "It's just unbelievable."

Surely, there's a better word than unbelievable.

But unbelievable works.

So I'll just use unbelievable because it's absolutely unbelievable that Maryland won its sixth straight Wednesday night to create a tie with Duke atop the ACC, perfect that the 79-72 victory against the Blue Devils was clinched by one of Vasquez's ridiculous shots that always seem bad until they turn out awesome.

And, no, they don't always turn out awesome. But focusing on that would be to miss the point, because this ridiculous shot was awesome, and when you make awesome plays to win games on this stage -- particularly in March -- you and your shot-making ability deserve to be celebrated, not questioned.

"He didn't see anything wrong with it," said Maryland coach Gary Williams, a slight smile creeping through. "I'm with him."

That's why Williams is a Hall of Famer.

Smart choice.

It was fitting that Vasquez found himself with the ball in the final minute -- his Terps up 71-69, the ACC race still up for grabs -- because that was the only way for this game to end, with Vasquez either winning or losing it. A bad possession would allow Duke to tie or take the lead. So the stakes were high, the pressure intense. And what did Vasquez do? He ignored a ball screen, drove on Jon Scheyer, floated right, tossed the ball back left across his body and ... naturally ... watched it bounce and go in.

That bucket made it 73-69 with 38.6 seconds left.

Duke never did get a shot to tie.

"I was going to take the shot -- and the credit if I made it, and the hit if I missed it," said Vasquez, who finished with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds. "I was going to go for it. I was going to take that risk, and I got it in, and we won the game."

Like I said, perfect. I mean, what's better than the ultimate risk-reward player having his final game at the Comcast Center determined by the ultimate risk-reward play? The dynamic guard has spent four years developing a reputation as a guy whose explosive enough to beat anybody but reckless enough to cost you, as a guy colorful enough to inspire but too emotional for his own good. That's Vasquez.

Often, all of those characteristics show themselves in the same game, sometimes in the same half. But on this night -- his Senior Night -- only the positives were on display, and it all culminated at the free-throw line with 0.4 seconds remaining.

If you're into higher powers -- and Vasquez repeatedly reminded us that he is -- it's not a stretch to suggest the clock was stopped with so little time left just to let Vasquez soak it all in, to take a deep breath and long stare and truly grasp what he'd just done, i.e., led a team that was unranked in the preseason to a victory against fourth-ranked Duke, put a team that was unranked in the preseason in a position where a victory at Virginia this weekend will ensure at least a share of the ACC title.

And he did it with a ridiculous shot.

On national television.

Then he sat in the media room and talked about it all -- about coming from Venezuela, about his chances at ACC Player of the Year, about his love for his coach and university, about that shot and the celebration and everything that ran through his mind. Vasquez was loud and he was joking, and he was quick, engaging and full of energy.

Only once did he ever seem at a loss for words, and that came when somebody asked if this night -- his Senior Night -- could've gone any more perfectly.

"I don't think so," Vasquez said after a long pause. "This is a dream."