Maryland actually went into halftime tied with the Demon Deacons and even took a three-point lead early in the third quarter.

Wake Forest really picked it up from there, attacking Maryland on the ground and through the air to pull away for an easy win.

For what it’s worth, Maryland seemed to play hard until the final whistle, which isn’t easy when the season has been such a disaster.

It was the Terps ninth loss of the season. They finish out the year next week on the road against the NC State Wolfpack.

The Terps got off to a good start, but free throw shooting really haunted them. Jordan Williams missed six straight to start the game.

Down nine at halftime, Maryland made a run in the second half and trailed by just three at one point, but they would get no closer.

The Terps came unravelled down the stretch, taking poor shots and throwing a lot of bad passes that resulted in turnovers and easy points for Duke.

For Maryland, the game meant everything. The only way the Terps would make the NCAA tournament was to win the ACC tournament.

Dropping their final three regular-season games meant the Maryland Terrapins had to work on Thursday.

Playing in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament after falling to seventh place in the league standings, the Terrapins regained their footing – albeit a shaky effort – with a 75-67 victory over North Carolina State in Greensboro, N.C.

Next up for Maryland: defending national champion Duke at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. The Blue Devils won both matchups against the Terrapins this season.

Ahead 68-53 late in the second half Thursday, the Terrapins watched as the Wolfpack rallied to pull within 70-63 with one minute left. But Maryland held on from there to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Terrapins came in as the seventh seed, dropping to that spot after their February and March slump. Maryland lost five of its final seven games overall, including consecutive defeats to North Carolina, Miami and Virginia to conclude the regular season.

Jordan Williams led the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Terrapins held N.C. State to just 33.8 percent shooting from the field.

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Center Jordan Williams overcame early foul trouble to lead the Terps with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Seniors Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory all played well, but didn’t get much help from the freshmen.

Point guard Terrell Stoglin had a particularly difficult night, going just 1-10 from the floor and taking some poor shots.

Maryland actually build a six-point lead in the second half, but Duke went on a quick run to take control of the game.

Look at the Maryland Terrapins. After winning twice in all of 2009, the Terps won twice in a six-day span last week.

Maryland is 2-0 on the season, the latest coming in a 62-3 laugher against overmatched Morgan State on Saturday at College Park, Md. The 62 points scored marks the most by a Maryland team since 1975.

Maryland started the week with a thrilling upset of Navy on Labor Day. Playing on four days rest, the Terps were sharp, overrunning the Bears with a 45-point first half.

Starting quarterback Jamarr Robinson fired two first-quarter touchdown passes, giving way to Danny O’Brien in the second quarter. O’Brien threw three scoring passes in the second quarter, and Maryland added a pair of D.J. Adams’ touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.

Maryland, riding a winning streak of any kind since 2008, puts its two-game win streak on the line Saturday at No. 21 West Virginia. The Terps then play host to Florida International on Sept. 25, before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play Oct. 2 at home against Duke.

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All the numbers went against them, but the Maryland Terrapins came out on top in the one category that means more than all:

The final score.

Kenny Tate stopped Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs on fourth down at the goal line with 34 seconds left, and the Terps held on to upset the Midshipmen in the season opener for both teams, 17-14 on Monday in Baltimore.

For Maryland, the win was a sweet way to start the new season, especially after the 2009 Terps went 2-10 and lost their final seven games of the season.

Maryland’s Da’Rel Scott opened the scoring with a 5-yard run in the first quarter, and Davin Meggett’s 3-yard run just 1:39 later made it 14-0 Terps with 2:48 left in the quarter.

After Navy tied the game, Travis Baltz put the Terps up 17-14 with a 24-yard field goal with 2:46 left.

Based on the statsheet, the Terps should never have been in it. Navy rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense, picked up 26 first downs and dominated the time of possession.

But time and time again, the Maryland defense came up big and kept the Midshipmen out of the end zone.

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Should the Maryland Terrapins find a way to climb back toward respectability in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, it’s likely the trio of Adrian Moten, Alex Wujciak and Torrey Smith will lead the way.

Those three Terrapins have drawn plenty of preseason attention for a team that lost 10 of 12 games in 2009.

All three have been named to postseason national awards watch lists in recent days.

Senior linebackers Moten and Wujciak are two of 51 players from around the country to be selected to the Butkus Award watch list. It’s nothing new for Wujciak, who also is on the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy, Lombardi Award and Bednarik Award.

Smith has been placed on the Paul Hornung Award watch list; the award presented to the country’s most versatile player. Smith also is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to the nation’s best wide receiver.

Maryland starts its season against Navy on Sept. 6 in Baltimore.

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It wasn’t like the Maryland Terrapins were blown out in all those games during last season’s seven-game losing streak.

The Terps fell by a touchdown or less in four of those games. Still, that didn’t stop the media voting for the predicted order of finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference to display a lot of faith in Maryland.

In the ACC preseason media predictions, the Terps, which finished 2-10 in 2009 and won just once in conference competition, is picked last in the Atlantic Division.

Florida State earned the top pick in the Atlantic, followed by Clemson, Boston College, N.C. State and Wake Forest before Maryland.

In the Coastal Division, Virginia Tech earned the top spot from the media. Miami was second, followed by defending ACC champion Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

Maryland begins the 2010 season with Navy on Sept. 6 at Baltimore.

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There should be little doubting the Maryland Terrapins’ confidence entering the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this weekend.

The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the land, having posted victories in seven straight, nine out of 10 and 13 out of 15 heading into their postseason opener, an ACC quarterfinals matchup with Georgia Tech and Greensboro Colisum.

Maryland has not lost since falling at Duke 77-56 on Feb. 13. Maryland did get revenge for that earlier setback to the Blue Devils last week, beating Duke at home 79-72 on March 3. The Terps ended the season tied with Duke atop the ACC at 13-3.

Georgia Tech reached the quarterfinals by beating North Carolina on Thursday, 62-58. The Terps downed the Jackets on Feb. 20, winning 76-74 on Cliff Tucker’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.

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Cliff Tucker averages less than six points per game. With one shot, the Maryland guard scored half that many, and moved the Terrapins into second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Tucker rolled off a screen and popped a 3-pointer from the left wing Saturday, beating the buzzer and sending the Terps to a heart-stopping 76-74 victory over Georgia Tech.

One of Tucker’s more well-known and accomplished teammates, Greivis Vasquez, broke the 2,000 career point barrier in the game, scoring 18 points. He’s the first ACC player to reach 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds in his career.

Maryland moved all alone into second place in the conference, 1 ½ games behind first-place Duke. It didn’t look like it would happen, though, when Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors scored on a short jumper in the lane with three seconds left to put Maryland down 74-73.

Maryland got the ball to midcourt and called timeout. On the inbounds pass, Tucker got the ball on the left wing and launched his game-winning shot just before the buzzer sounded.

Maryland plays host to Clemson on Wednesday.

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