GAME PREVIEW
Awaiting possible post-season berth

POSTSEASON OUTLOOK
The Terrapins would seem an NIT lock and truth be told, that's where their level of play this year probably fits. No one questions Gary Williams' credentials as one of the game's very best coaches, but he had a disparate group of learning-on-the-job freshmen and some blue-collar seniors, who simply couldn't provide a consistency to lift the team to greater heights.

Ironically, the senior trio of Dino Gregory, Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie were a big part of the reason Maryland was so close in this game, until Duke pulled away late. Gregory had 10 points and four rebounds; Tucker, 12 points and five rebounds, and Bowie, five points, four assists and a steal. While anything less than the NCAA Tournament qualifies as a disappointment for those seniors, it could be a blessing for younger Terps such as Terrell Stoglin and fellow freshmen Pe'Shon Howard and Haukur Palsson. More games in the postseason pressure-cooker can only benefit them.

PLAYER NOTES

--Sophomore Jordan Williams had a team-high 17 points against Virginia, but his six rebounds were an 11-game low for the big center. With 359 boards this season through March 6, he should pass Joe Smith's 362 in the next game for the third-best rebounding season in Maryland history. Len Elmore's 412 boards in 1973-74 top the chart.

--Senior F Dino Gregory had 15 points in his final home game. Gregory, who averaged just 2.8 points in his career prior to this season, had scored in double figures in six of his last eight games through March 6, and he was tied for fourth on the team with a 9.0 ppg scoring average.

--Senior G Adrian Bowie had a steal against Virginia, the seventh straight game he had at least one theft. His 124 career steals through March 6 were 17th all-time in Maryland history.

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