I spent the weekend in Washington with my family as rental cars and hotels were cheap and we wanted to get away for a few days. Of course, there were also games to be seen. On Friday, I had a choice between the Raptors at Wizards, or Illinois at Maryland in NCAA hoops. As my primary objective with these trips is visiting new venues, especially those in college basketball, I chose the latter, and was glad I did. Taking the Metro from Gallery Place/Chinatown (right below Capital One Arena) out to College Park, I grabbed the free UMD Shuttle from the station right to campus. From the last stop at Regents Dive Garage, it is a short walk to Xfinity Center, where the Terrapins play.
I arrived about 45 minutes before tip and went to the box office at the top of the stairs. I was shocked at ticket prices, which started at $43 and went up to $73. I'm used to mid-major prices, but even bigger schools usually have some cheap seats. Fortunately, there were plenty on the secondary market, and I snagged a lower level seat in row 4 at midcourt for just $23. Of course, I had to wait for the ticket to get transferred by the owner, which took 15 precious minutes while I waited at the gate. I should have just picked up a cheap ticket and sat down low because there were plenty of empty seats, but hindsight and all that.
Xfinity Center opened in 2002 as Comcast Center, just after Maryland had won the national championship. That trophy is immediately inside the gates along with highlights of the season and the roster, which included four future NBA players, though none of them were stars (Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Chris Wilcox). The team's schedule from that season is also listed and I was surprised to see that their first tournament victory was over Siena, who I had visited just two weeks prior.
The women also won the national title in 2006 and that trophy is also on display here. Note that these are not the official NCAA trophies, but much fancier ones that are presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
These trophies are the beginning of an immense display of history that is not limited to basketball. There is so much to be seen just in the foyer that you really should get here early to take a look around.
There is a photo wall with many athletes, coaches, and others. A legend is along the rail so you know who is represented by each picture.
Nearby is the Hall of Fame, which is neatly organized on a wall. The photo above illustrates just a small number of the enshrinees. Between these two wall displays is a triangular alcove that houses several display cases with trophies and other memorabilia.
Historic football helmets can be seen, and plenty of trophies from the other sports that don't get enough press.
And the official NCAA trophy from that 2002 championship can be found here. I much prefer this one because it is the same as for every other sport.
Back in the foyer, you will find the now common photo op of the team's nickname. Terrapins is a bit too long, so Terps is the more common appellation.
For those of you unversed in the world of reptiles, a terrapin is a type of turtle, with the diamondback variety found in the area leading to the name. There is a statue here that provides another photo opportunity.
Nearby is a bronze relief representing legendary coach Lefty Driesell, who helmed here from 1969-1986. He led the team to the NIT title in 1972, but never got beyond the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. One reason for this is that in his early years at Maryland, only one team per conference was invited to March Madness. In fact, it was Driesell's Terps losing in the ACC tournament to eventual national champion NC State in 1974 that led to the expansion of the tournament from 23 to 32 teams the following year.
The venue that was used before Xfinity Center was Cole Field House and its well-used floor is on display, with some more information about the program during those years. This is really an incredible collection of school memorabilia that makes this venue one of the best I have visited in terms of history.
Inside, a sea of red greets you. The ten rows closest to the floor that are separated from the main bowl ostensibly for students; one of the biggest such sections in college hoops. Those rows are A to J, so my fourth row seat was actually in the 14th row. Something to keep in mind if you are buying on the secondary market.
At the far end, where the visiting team shoots for the second half, the seats are quite a bit steeper than the other side. This is known as The Wall and is so designed as to reduce construction costs as there is a hill behind here.
This area is also for students and is supposed to be intimidating, but it wasn't particularly full on this night. Early in the second half, the Maryland flag was displayed here, a cool touch.
The women's banners are above this end, while those for the men are above the other end, along with the flag in its more normal form.
The scoreboard was installed in 2014 and is one of the largest in college basketball. In many ways, Xfinity Center is more like a professional arena than one on a college campus.
The lower concourse above my section was carpeted and seemed to be a club area, with a couple of portable concession stands serving very basic fare. Interestingly, there was a staircase from my seat that went all the way to the upper concourse, which seemed to lack any concessions at all, but was quite colourful.
Below is the picture from the upper deck.
After the game, I stayed around a bit to get a shot of the mostly empty arena. With a capacity of 17,950, it is the 9th-largest on-campus venue in college basketball.
Overall, Xfinity Center was a delight to visit, although I should have arrived earlier to spend more time reading all of the displays. It is just over an hour from Washington on transit, and even quicker if you are driving outside of rush hour; if you are in the nation's capital and looking for a sporting event, consider a visit to College Park to cheer on the Terps.
The Game
The 17th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini were visiting in this Big Ten clash. Unfortunately, they were missing their star Kofi Cockburn, a national Player of the Year candidate, who was out with a concussion.
On the other hand, without Cockburn, the game promised to be competitive, and that it was. There were eight lead changes and the game was tied six times in the first half alone, with Maryland taking a 37-35 lead into the break.
The Illini started quickly in the second half, sinking three treys as they took a 48-42 lead into the first media timeout. The Terps fought back and tied the game at 51 with a Fatts Russell (#4 in white above, I saw him with Rhode Island back in 2019) layup. The teams again traded leads and the Illini were up 58-57 with 8 minutes to go. After an Eric Ayala lay-in gave the Terps another lead, Illinois turned it over and Donta Scott (#24 above) capitalized. When the Illini missed on their next possession, Scott sank a jumper and was fouled, completing the three-point play to give Maryland a six-point cushion. Jacob Grandison got Illinois back within three, but the visitors went ice-cold after that, with three turnovers and four misses over the next 3 minutes. Down 72-65, they started to foul and Maryland made 7 of 8 from the stripe to clinch it, ending the game on a 15-2 run to claim an 81-65 victory.
Scott was the star with 25 points in 34 minutes off the bench. Of the 59 shots that Illinois took, 35 were from long range, with only 11 of those dropping. Without Cockburn in the lineup, they had to try a different tactic, and it didn't work. Maryland took 53 shots but only 11 were from downtown, as they dominated the paint. With all the lead changes and the home team winning over a ranked squad, this was a very exciting game to watch and well worth the trip.
Notes
This was my second time seeing a Maryland home game after attending a battle against Princeton at Royal Farms Arena in 2015.
The Raptors beat the Wizards 109-105. On the way back to the hotel, I saw plenty of unhappy Wizards fans leaving the game.
Maryland left the ACC for the Big Ten in 2014 and the move has its share of detractors. Just three days after I visited, The Athletic had a very detailed article on the situation at Maryland and it is well worth reading if you are a subscriber.
Best,
Sean
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