ACC Tournament Finals Recap

No. 6 Maryland 95, No. 1 Duke 87
No. 1 Duke’s run for a sixth consecutive ACC tournament title ended as No. 6 Maryland won an overtime thriller, 95-87, in one of the best ACC championship games in conference history.

The Terrapins jumped out to a 27-16 lead in the first half with hot shooting. Sophomore forward Travis Garrison, who finished with 19 points, found his shooting stroke and helped build the lead. Duke’s best answer was senior point guard Chris Duhon, who scored eight quick points off drives to the hoop. Once behind by double digits, Duke played stingy defense, denying Maryland’s shooters any open shots. Sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley did not score any points in the first half. But Maryland played well enough to maintain a two-point lead in halftime.

But Duke stormed out of halftime with a game plan to attack Maryland’s defense. Sophomore forward Shelden Williams opened the half with a thundering dunk past Maryland’s senior center Jamar Smith. Williams finished with 11 points but fouled out with a few moments remaining in the second half. Smith and Williams battled all game, and Maryland’s game plan clearly attacked Williams. Smith won the individual battle, scoring 25 points while Williams finished with 11. More importantly, Smith was still on the floor for Maryland at the end of the game.

Duke carried a lead into the final five minutes when Maryland’s sophomore guard John Gilchrist took over. Gilchrist is the ACC tournament MVP and proved that he can excel against the great defense of Chris Duhon. Duhon scored 21 points, but Gilchrist outplayed his counterpart by scoring 26 points and guiding his team to a come-from-behind victory. Maryland rolled off eight straight points to cut a 12-point deficit to four with 50 seconds remaining. With the score 77-74 and 28 seconds remaining, Maryland needed to find a source of quick offense. The ball naturally went to Gilchrist. He slashed to the hoop and took a hard foul Shelden Williams, which was his fifth, and maintained his balance to lay the ball off the glass. He drained the subsequent free throw, tying the game at 77 and forcing overtime.

In overtime, the teams engaged in a foulfest, which is not a bad strategy for Duke because Maryland is the worst free-throw shooting team in the ACC. But it didn’t work today. Maryland made enough free throws and collected seemingly every loose ball to win the game. In the extra session, 14 of Maryland’s 18 points came from the line. Duhon scored eight points in overtime, but his teammates struggled to make any shots as sophomore guard J.J. Redick and junior guard Daniel Ewing missed several critical jumpers.

Despite the loss, Duke should be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland occupies a more curious position. With the ACC championship under their belt, the Terrapins could move up as high a No. 6 seed, perhaps No. 5. Quite a jump for a team on the proverbial bubble a few weeks ago.

ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player: John Gilchrist, Maryland