SPORTS INSIDER – DC area colleges make early NCAA Tournament exit

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DC SPOTLIGHT - MARCH MADNESS LOGOCeci Ferrara
March 23, 2015
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

A week ago, the D.C. metro area had three teams in the NCAA Tournament. But by the end of the third round Sunday, not one was left standing.

The perennially present VCU Rams were eliminated first, getting knocked off by the Ohio State Buckeyes 75-72. Though VCU is located in Richmond, VA, some 100-miles south of the DMV, many alumni live and work in the area, making them a local favorite. VCU has reached the tournament each of the past five years, advancing as far as the Final Four in 2011.

But the past two years have brought nothing but disappointment for the Rams, who were upset by No. 12 Stephen F. Austin last season before their overtime loss to No. 10 Ohio on Thursday.

“That is a tough loss, really disappointing for us because our guys really fought and battled,” said head coach Shaka Smart. “…Our guys have done a good job all year long taking care of the ball. But we had some turnovers at bad times.”

Georgetown

After narrowly surviving their first game against Xavier, Georgetown took the court against No. 5 Utah on Saturday evening. The Hoyas were red hot to start the game, hitting six threes and leading by double digits in the first 12 minutes. But as time wore on they began to cool off; the game was tied 32 apiece at the break.

The second half was more of the same for GU, who were outscored by Utah 43-32 and finished with just 43.6 shooting from the field in the 76-64 loss. Georgetown freshman L.J. Peak led the pack with 18 points, while junior D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the Hoyas’ regular season leading scorer–was unable to drain a three all night and finished with 12 points and six assists.

For coach John Thompson III, the unexpected ending was hard to digest. “When your season comes to an end, it’s sudden,” he said. “It’s fast.”

The ending was hard all around, specifically for the seniors who realized they had just played their last game in a Hoyas uniform. But they refused to let the loss define their impressive season.

“I feel this was a great year, not even just on basketball,” senior Jabril Trawick said. “This was a great group. We had great chemistry. Some years, you might have years where everybody’s not together. But I think this year, we had a great time together. I got my head high. We got hard. We all got next chapters. As much as we’re disappointed, I don’t think we have our heads held down.”

Maryland

Maryland’s loss, which came Sunday night against West Virginia University, was perhaps the unluckiest of all.

After a successful season (28-7), their first in the Big 10, the No. 4 seed Terps were in the tournament for the first time since 2010. They outlasted the No. 13 seed Valparaiso Crusaders 65-62 on Friday night to set up the matchup against the No. 5 seed Mountaineers.

The two teams seemed evenly matched at first, with the point difference never extending beyond six points in the first half. By halftime, despite multiple Maryland turnovers, West Virginia led by just a point. But in the second half, Maryland unraveled after losing their leader–freshman star Melo Trimble.

Trimble exited the game twice–first after a hard hit from WVU forward Nathan Adrian early in the second half–then again for good six minutes later when he was accidentally kicked in the head by teammate Damonte Dodd. Trimble was lying on the court after falling awkwardly trying to intercept a pass when the accident happened. On Monday, it was confirmed that Trimble had in fact suffered a concussion from the play.

“Obviously, Melo is pretty important to us,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said afterward. “And lucky for us, he’s been healthy all year. That’s pretty amazing. We have one point guard in our program, and a really good one in Melo. And it’s the first time all year that he couldn’t play. He took a beating tonight.”

Without Trimble, who had 12 points and 5 assists in the first half, the Terps, who had already struggled with turnovers–they committed a season-high 23 on the night–were unable to withstand the pressure. West Virginia, who stole the ball 15 times, extended their lead to 12 points at the 6:29 mark.

With just 1:02 left in the game, Maryland cut the deficit to six, 63-57. But with the chance to pull within one possession, UMD forward Jake Layman lost the ball–and any chance at a Terp comeback.

The 59-69 loss was the fifth consecutive elimination in the second round for Maryland, who has not advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2003.

“A year ago today, I wasn’t in a very good place,” Turgeon said. “Today I’m in a great place because of that group in there. I knew in June that they were going to be a good group and they were fun to coach and I just hate that I couldn’t help them more tonight and get them to the Sweet 16.”

Despite the disappointing end to the season, Maryland’s future–with Trimble, and Turgeon, the Big 10 coach of the year, looks bright.

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