If Maryland wins anything this year, it will be about more than just Greivis Vasquez

Think about all the great players that have come through the ACC. The Jordan's, the Laettner's, the Sampson's, the Bias's. The list goes on.

But none of those players, and no player in the history of the ACC, had ever scored 2,000 points, grabbed 700 rebounds, and dished out 600 assists.

Until Saturday, when Greivis Vasquez scored his 2,000th point, making him the first player in the history of the conference to surpass all three milestones.

"I think [the numbers] speak for themselves," Maryland coach told reporters after the Saturday's game. "Greivis had his critics but the numbers are there and when you look at what he has done for the team this year he has always done everything he could."

"Anybody who thinks that he doesn't belong in the top 5 to 7 players that have ever been [at Maryland], they don't know the game very well."

Greivis Vasquez has had a phenomenal career in College Park.
(photo credit: Hometown Annapolis)

Safe to say, Vasquez at the very least will go down as one of the most productive, if not one of the best, players to play in the ACC. You won't find any argument here. There aren't many players in the country more entertaining to watch than Vasquez. Whether it is a pinpoint no-look pass, a smooth floater in the lane, or a little shimmy after a made three, Vasquez certainly has no shortage of showmanship.

Or talent.

You don't put up the numbers he's put up without a wealth of it.

But the difference between this season, where Maryland is contending for an ACC regular season title, and last season, where the Terps had to sneak into the tournament with a late season surge, is that its not all about Greivis this year.

The game on Saturday is a perfect example.

Maryland was playing for the fourth time in eight days thanks to a snow storm that postponed Monday's game against Virginia. In those four games, Vasquez played a team-high 141 of a possible 160 minutes, including 39 on Saturday.

"Vasquez was very tired and he played like a warrior out there," Williams said. "The effort he gave today was probably as good as any game he scores 30 points in. The legs after a while, no matter how good of shape you are in, will get tired. He wasn't able to explode out there against very good, physical guards."

As a result, Vasquez played far from his best game, finishing with 18 points and 8 assists on 5-16 shooting, including a 1-7 performance from deep.

Georgia Tech, on the other hand, played about as well as they could.

Derrick Favors had NBA GM's salivating as he went for 21 points and 18 boards, 9 coming on the offensive end. Iman Shumpert finally found his jump shot, going for 17 points and hitting 3-4 from deep while playing an excellent floor game - 5 boards, 3 assists, 0 turnovers. As a team, they executed down the stretch, got a couple big baskets out of senior leader DeAndre Bell, and made every play they could to pick up a come-from-behind win on the road.

"We probably played our best game of the season," Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewiit said after the game. "I told the guys, the only thing that would be disappointing out of this game is if we don't come out and have a good practice in preparation for Boston College on Saturday. We're playing our best basketball at the right time of the year, but we were just a little unlucky today."

"We did everything you're supposed to do against a team that's better than anybody in our league with the exception of Duke."

The reason Maryland is at the top of the ACC, the reason they are "better than anybody in [the ACC] with the exception of Duke", is not Greivis Vasquez. Yes, he is their best player, but he was the last two season as well.

The reason Maryland has been as good as they are is the rest of the team. The Terps have an excellent group of role players, and more than anything that was on display on Saturday.

Eric Hayes had 15 point and 5 assists, hitting a key three and a huge driving layup down the stretch in the second half.

Landon Milbourne and Sean Mosley struggled scoring the ball - they combined for just 11 points on 5-19 shooting - but they both played excellent defense and rebounded the ball. Milbourne was especially impressive, as he was matched up with Gani Lawal, who finished with 12 points and 5 boards, both below his season averages.

Jordan Williams finished with 9 points and 12 rebounds, getting a number of big offensive boards and diving on the floor to come up with a loose ball and earn a key possession for the Terps. Fellow big man Dino Gregory was just as good, especially in the first half, as he finished with 9 points.

Cliff Tucker hit a buzzer beater for the Terps Saturday.
(photo credit: DC Sports Box)

But it was Cliff Tucker that won the game for the Terps. With four minutes left in the game, he stopped a 12-2 Tech run with a three from the corner that cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 65-63.

That wasn't his biggest shot of the game.

With just 1.5 seconds left on the clock, and after a game-winning 40 footer from Vasquez was waived off because of a timeout by Williams, Tucker hit a three at the buzzer to win the game and keep Maryland a game back (in the loss column) of Duke.

Think about that.

With the game on the line, Gary Williams drew up a play for a junior that averages less than 6.0 ppg when he had guys like Hayes, Vasquez, and Milbourne on the floor.

You think he has confidence in everyone on the roster?

He should.

If Maryland is going to win the ACC, it is going to be a result of their role players getting their jobs done.