Maryland's Grevis Vasquez was running around the Comcast Center Saturday night in College Park like a young colt who had been turned out in the pasture for the first time. He was having fun, smiling, laughing, talking to the crowd and, more important, making plays. Lots of plays.

Vasquez was en route to a 13-point, 15-assist, nine-rebound game, and N.C. State was not up to the task of stopping him – or, at times, even trying to stop him.

Frankly, the Wolfpack was chasing Vasquez around like they were ankle deep in mud as State let a good first half and a two-point halftime lead go for naught in a resounding 84-70 loss that pushed the Pack deeper into the middle of a jumbled-up ACC.

"We could have fought and played them tougher," State coach Sidney Lowe said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Yeah, they sure could have – especially in the second half, when Maryland pretty much did exactly what they wanted to do and State did very little to prevent them from doing it. It was the turtle who was speedier, hungrier and more ferocious in this game, not the wolf.

"We didn't come out with the right intensity," a disheartened Lowe said. “We came out somewhat flat, and I'm trying to figure out why."

He'd better do some deep pondering. Maryland was anything but flat in this key ACC game. Senior James Gist had a career-high 30 points, and the Terps shot a phenomenal 74 percent in the second half.

"That's ridiculous," said State junior guard Courtney Fells. "We're not doing what we're supposed to do defensively."

"Gist is a good player, but there's no way anybody should get 30 points," bemoaned a frustrated Gavin Grant, who led State with 17 points. "That's bad defense on our part."

Added Lowe, "They were getting easy shots, some of them uncontested."

He's right. Many of them were uncontested as State came out the locker room a step slow and with a surprising lack of intensity, energy and focus. Give Maryland credit, because they were active. In college basketball today, if a team shoots 74 percent in a half, the other team is just not defending well at all.

Gavin Grant said that Maryland just wanted it more in the second half. The question is, why would the Terps want this key ACC game more than the Wolfpack? That's what Sidney Lowe, his staff and his players have to figure out – and figure it out quickly. Why wasn't State the team that wanted it more?

State seems to take a couple of steps forward and then a huge step backward. With seven games left in the regular season, Lowe is still trying to figure out why his team can come out flat for the second half in a crucial league game. That's not a good sign, is it?

State's talent hasn't always meshed this season. Inexperience at point guard and injuries haven't helped. But State's talent at certain spots is as good as most in the ACC. At least I think so.

State has those seven games left to decide if it wants to play like the NCAA tournament team that many thought it would be before the season began. In this ACC, however, there's a fine line between winning and losing.

Intensity and concentration and just wanting it more can make a difference.
State didn't play much like they wanted it that second half in College Park.

"That's something we've got to correct," Grant said, "but we're running out of time."

You bet. And more second halves like the Maryland game will land them in the NIT again.