That Just Happened. Again.

Maybe there will be a time when it doesn't feel this way. Maybe we'll become just like students/alums/fans of 'normal' major college athletic programs who enjoy their big road wins as part of the regular course of events, rather than celebrate them as precious Faberge moments. Until that happens, though, you'll just have to indulge us.

William and Mary went to College Park last night and thoroughly beat the Maryland Terrapins, 83-77. This wasn't a fluke, and it wasn't a gimmick. The Tribe shot 47.2% from the field, made 25 of 31 free throws, valued the basketball (only 10 turnovers), and competed on the boards (the bigger, more athletic Terps outrebounded the Tribe, 37-35).

As it is so many times, attitude was as important as numbers. From the tip (point of confession: this sentence should read, 'From the 12-minute mark of the first half...', as a combination of Tysons Corner trafficlusterfuck and Shlara's directional skills got us to the Comcast Center a few minutes late.), W&M looked like they belonged. And once Maryland realized the Tribe wasn't going away, the Terps sagged. I've rarely seen a more textbook illustration of the value of team over individual. Tony Shaver's boys routinely and repeatedly made the extra pass, rotated correctly on defense, and patiently ran their offense until they got a good look. The Terps, meanwhile, continually tried to break down W&M's zone, throwing up off-balance runners and ill-advised jumpers. Maryland's press lacked intensity, allowing easy pass after easy pass after the ball was inbounded - it was only when the Terps ratcheted up their energy level far too late in the game that they succeeded in turning the Tribe over.

W&M led by 16 with 6 minutes left, at which point Maryland's fans left the building in droves and their players hung their heads in defeat. A late run triggered by better defense and a few missed free throws made things interesting, but only just. Allow me to emphasize this: the better team won last night. Sophomore Quinn McDowell tallied 28 points on 8-14 shooting (9-9 from the line), David Schneider overcame a bad shooting night by flying all over the floor on defense to make several critical hustle plays, Danny Sumner kept the Tribe in the game in the early going and finished with 17, and Marcus Kitts hammered home a pair of dunks to break Maryland's spirit late in the second half. Contributions came from all over the place against a Terps team that was hell-bent on making individual plays.

(Note that we've maintained the G:TB tradition of taking blurry, grainy photos at W&M basketball games. That's Shlara on the left for those of you unfamiliar with our lady friend. KQ wouldn't let us photograph her - something about french fries.)

The 9-2 Tribe enters the meat of the conference schedule on a 9-game winning streak, traveling to Hofstra on Saturday (when they might...might be in the AP Top 25 - wrap your mind grapes around that, sports fans). Shlara, KQ, and my friend Dylan are on notice that we'll be required to keep traveling with the squad until they lose a game in our presence. As terrific as they've played in the non-con run-up, it won't mean much if they don't keep it up in what will be a very competitive CAA. They'll lose a few ugly ones when the three isn't falling, but I'm convinced now (finally) that the Tribe can play with anyone in the league.

I'd be more than willing to stop talking about the absurdity of big W&M wins, but maybe the Tribe can get a few more of them this season so I can ease out of the habit.