The Maryland Terrapins finished their season on a disappointing note, as they lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NIT Semifinals.

Fans of this 2004-2005 Terrapins basketball team shouldn?t be surprised that they lost, on the road, to a team that doesn?t have Oral in their names.

The whole year it had been the same story of an inconsistent team that can beat the likes of Duke, twice, then turn around and play flat and uninspired and eventually lose to opponents they should have beaten.

To say that this season has been frustrating is to say that Gary Williams perspires mildly during games.

It would be easy enough to tear this team apart, say that they showed no heart, no effort and at times no chemistry, but that horse has been beaten and buried (relax PETA, it?s just a metaphor).

You have to take into account that the Terps lost their identity when DJ Strawberry went down with a torn ACL, and the fact that backup point guard Sterling Leadbetter was recovering from a serious auto accident during the summer, and you?ll see that this team in fact did show a lot of character by playing their best ball during their little run in the NIT.

This team had one player from the National Championship team, a rarely used senior Mike Grinnon.

The highest level of success for the rest of the team was an ACC Championship from last year, not small potatoes but compared to the National Championship it is.

That team was never supposed to win the ACC Title, and when they lost to Syracuse in the second round of the Tournament they could always hang their hats on that ACC banner.

Here?s where the trouble began.

When a team wins a prestigious title like the ACC, it only seems natural that the Terps would be contending for a National Title, they took for granted that they still had to go out and win games to place themselves in that position.

It?s the classic let down in sports, after an emotional victory the team comes crashing down from that high, after beating Duke and Georgia Tech in back to back games the Terps lost to Clemson and Miami also in back to back games.

That?s when the wheels flew off the wagon, playing without their defensive spark off the

bench, Strawberry, the Terps had no choice but to try and outscore people.

They didn?t have a Juan Dixon to hawk the ball, or Lonny Baxter to erase shots in the paint nor did they have a Byron Mouton to risk life and limb for loose balls.

The Terps just didn?t have the firepower or the perimeter shooters to hang with the Guillermo Diaz?s or Elian Evtimov?s.

They matched up horribly with everyone in the ACC except for Duke and the quickness and athleticism just was not there like in years past.

The honeymoon was over and the Terps were in real danger of missing out on the NCAAs for the first time in 11 years.

A lot of people still had faith that they would do damage in the ACC, myself included.

All the college hoops talking heads had Maryland going to the dance if they win one or two games in the ACC Tourney, sure enough they go and lose to Clemson for the third time in one season.

That could have been it for the Terps, they could have mailed it in during the NIT and called it a season..

There were definite stretches in the NIT where the Terps were looking to do just that, but deep inside the players had too much pride, too much character too roll over and lose to teams they should have been blowing out.

What this team showed in the NIT was the tenacity and intensity that had been missing all year, this is testament to Williams and his ability to motivate players that essentially are playing for nothing but pride.

Sure this team missed the NCAAs and didn?t win the NIT, and in the fans eyes, underachieved in enormous proportions.

However, don?t think these kids will forget the pain this season has caused them, and they won?t forget the humiliating losses suffered at the hands of teams that couldn?t carry their jocks a year ago.

No, this team is wounded and scarred and will be looking for revenge next season.

They?ll play the role of underdogs yet again and make next years wins against UNC, Duke, Wake and, yes, even Clemson all that much sweeter.