Maryland, Texas Tech Fading in Stretch

Make or Break Saturday went pretty much as expected, with desperation and defiance the order of a day rooted in reality.

Maryland desperately needed a victory against No. 11 Wake Forest.

Didn’t happen.

No. 25 Texas Tech desperately needed a victory against No. 10 Texas

Didn’t happen.

Maryland could be watching, not participating, in March Madness.

Texas Tech has lost seven of 10 games and its standing as a top-25 team, a 12-game December winning streak now but a distant memory.

That’s reality.

Maryland played Wake Forest at College Park, Md., where the Terrapins hadn’t lost to the Demon Deacons in six games dating to 1998. A victory would have enhanced Maryland’s hopes of extending its streak of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances to 12.

Now it will take more than the praise of Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser to get the Terrapins into the tournament.

“I think Maryland played well and is an NCAA-level team,” Prosser said after Wake Forest’s 91-83 victory dropped Maryland into seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 5-9 record. “Look at who they beat and who they’ve lost to. When you play teams of this caliber in our conference, they’re going to bring out the best in you.”

Maryland ends the regular season with games Wednesday at No. 14 North Carolina State and Sunday at home against unranked Virginia. The Terrapins, the 2002 national champions, last had a losing conference record in 1992-93.

“Our backs are against the wall, but that’s the way I like it,” said Maryland guard John Gilchrist, who had 26 points. “I’ve been an underdog my whole career. It’s nothing new for me.”

Trailing by 57-41 early in the second half, Maryland (14-11) closed within two points, 64-62, but failed to overtake Wake Forest (19-6, 9-5 in the ACC).

“I’m certainly proud of our players,” Prosser said. “We know what was at stake for Maryland today. At times it seemed we were trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Somehow we were fortunate enough to persevere.”

As for Texas Tech, the Red Raiders lost 74-71 to Texas and have two games left to finish with a .500 or better record in the Big 12. Texas Tech is 19-9, 7-7.

The Red Raiders had their chances to jump on the Longhorns early, with Texas’ seniors struggling at the start of “Senior Day.”

But the Longhorns (21-4, 12-2) got their act together and set up a Big 12 showdown Monday against conference co-leader Oklahoma State (22-3, 12-2).

Big Ten Beatdown

Somebody has to win the Big Ten, which once could claim to be the finest conference in the land, but this season has fallen on hard times. Illinois figures it might as well be the team to beat after ending February with an 8-0 record, including a 66-56 victory Saturday over Northwestern.

The 23rd-ranked Illini are 20-5, 11-3 in the Big Ten, their fifth consecutive season of 20 or more victories. The Illini ended January with a 20-point loss to Wisconsin, but are now only one-half game behind conference leader Michigan State (17-9, 12-3).

Illinois ends the regular season with games at Purdue and Ohio State next week; Michigan State plays host to Wisconsin.

“Now it seems like we have great positive energy,” said Bruce Weber, in his first season as Illinois coach. “Our whole focus is on the big picture, try to win a championship, try to get a high seed in the NCAA tournament and then, hopefully, do some damage there.”

Dee Brown had 20 points for Illinois, which repaid Northwestern for a 70-60 defeat earlier in the season. Brown has 62 points in his last three games, breaking free from a scoring slump.

Northwestern’s Davor Duvancic had 22 points during the Wildcats’ victory over Illinois in January, but was scoreless in 35 minutes Saturday.

“We’ve got everybody rolling right now,” said Deron Williams, who had 13 points for Illinois. “Everything is clicking for us and it’s great to have Dee back playing the way he should be.”

Welcome Back

Arizona Coach Lute Olson suspended Salim Stoudamire on Thursday for “failure to meet team responsibilities,” with the length as vague as the reason for the punishment.

As it turned out, Stoudamire sat out for only the Wildcats’ loss to Washington before Olson reinstated him for Saturday’s game against Washington State. Great timing, as it turned out.

Stoudamire went for 21 points, including 16 in the second half, and held Washington State’s Marcus Moore to five points in No. 17 Arizona’s 72-60 victory. Losses in the previous two games had left the Wildcats mired in third place in the Pac-10, trailing Stanford and Washington.

“I went in and talked to Coach O and he wanted me to get out there and hold [Moore] under 10 points, and I did that,” Stoudamire said. “Sitting out the other night, I realized that we don’t play any defense. So I had to start it out from the jump playing defense.”

Naturally, Olson said the reason he reinstated Stoudamire had nothing to do with offense, defense or consecutive losses, but because he was impressed with the junior’s response to his punishment.

Whatever you say, coach.

It’s No Longer Losing-ville

Just when it looked as if No. 21 Louisville might not win another game, the Cardinals defeated Conference USA-leading and No. 19 Memphis, 66-60, with Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean back in form after suffering injuries in late January.

Louisville (18-7, 8-6) ended a losing streak at four and won for only the second time in eight games.

“There was a lot of pressure on us,” said Garcia, who had 18 points. “We just had to come out here and go to work.”

And there was this observation from Memphis Coach John Calipari: “You’ve got to give them credit. With what’s happened to them in the last three weeks, they had a chance to fold and go away or panic. And they didn’t.”

Compiled by Elliott Teaford

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Okafor Blocks an Upset Bid

Emeka Okafor is tough to pronounce, but tougher to beat to the basket.

Villanova’s Randy Foye tested Okafor twice and came up empty in the Wildcats’ 75-74 overtime loss to No. 8 Connecticut. Foye tried at the end of regulation and Okafor blocked his shot. He tried again at the end of overtime and Okafor denied him in spectacular fashion.

“Nobody in the country can change a game like that,” Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said of Okafor, the nation’s leader in blocked shots. “He showed why he’s the best defensive player in the country. Emeka Okafor comes along once in a lifetime.”

And to think, Okafor played with back spasms and said he slipped as he prepared to leap to block Foye’s overtime layup try.

“I tried to anticipate it, but my foot slipped and I just got my hand on it,” Okafor said.

Said teammate Ben Gordon: “That was the best block I ever saw.”