Terrell Stoglin is a good start for Maryland's rebuilding job.
He'll need some help, though.
The leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference had another big game Friday in the quarterfinals of the league tournament. But his 30-point performance wasn't nearly enough against fourth-ranked North Carolina, which showed a lot more depth and balance in an 85-69 victory.
The Terrapins (17-15) blew out Wake Forest in the opening round, but their hopes of making an improbable run to the NCAAs came up well short in Mark Turgeon's first season after taking over for longtime coach Gary Williams.
''We learned so much this year,'' said Stoglin, a sophomore who averaged 27.5 points in the tournament. ''We are a young team.''
North Carolina (28-4) simply had too many weapons for the Terrapins, who were essentially a one-man show. Only two other players were in double figures, led by Nick Faust with 11 points, and the big men were no match for the Tar Heels - even after ACC defensive player of the year John Henson went out with an injured wrist.
Freshman James Michael McAdoo stepped in and contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
''Their length gives us problems,'' Turgeon said. ''I was disappointed we couldn't score on McAdoo. I thought we could score on him. He is not 7 foot. Our guys were just out of it. Our post guys were just out of it.''
Still, the Terrapins feel they have the foundation for a bright future.
''It was a great run for us,'' guard Sean Mosley said. ''We matured during the season, and that's the only thing you can ask for with a new coach, new coaching staff and new system. We responded in a positive way. We gave our all today, and that shows a lot.''
There's still a lot catching-up to do. The Terrapins lost to North Carolina three times this season - by an average of more than 16 points a game.
Kendall Marshall gave Maryland fits with his dynamic playmaking. Reggie Bullock buried a couple of huge 3-pointers to get the rout going. Seven-footer Tyler Zeller dominated on the inside. Harrison Barnes showed off some NBA-caliber finishing moves.
The Tar Heels didn't even need Henson, their leading rebounder and defensive ace. He played only 7 minutes after hurting his left wrist in the first half.
''The bench players came in and gave us a lot,'' Bullock said. ''Hopefully it continues until John gets back.''
Marshall was called for carrying the ball early in the second half - stunningly, the first time all season the point guard who has the ball in his hands so much of the time had been whistled for palming or traveling.
The Tar Heels could overlook that mistake. Marshall scored 13 points, knocking down three attempts from 3-point range, but it was his passing that really stood out. He set up his teammates with 12 assists, many of them resulting in layups or dunks.
It was another signature performance in a stellar season for Marshall, who broke the ACC record for assists in a season. He now has 311, surging past the mark set by Georgia Tech's Craig Neal in 1987-88.
Bullock hit back-to-back 3s to start the second half, quickly extending a 10-point halftime lead to 42-26.
''My teammates believe in me to take shots and be able to knock down shots,'' Bullock said. ''Kendall, he's going to find me. I just run wide like coach tells us to do and he's going to find me. They were giving me a lot of shots. I felt confident taking them.''
Led by Stoglin, Maryland sliced the deficit to seven points a couple of times before the Tar Heels pulled away again.
''We were tested,'' North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. ''You may look at the score and think we were not. It looked much smoother out there than we felt as a staff sitting on the bench.''
North Carolina advanced to face North Carolina State in the semifinals Saturday. The Wolfpack defeated Virginia 67-64.
It's not yet known if Henson will be available, though Williams said nothing appears to be broken.
Henson went down hard when fouled driving to the basket early in the game, landing on his left wrist. He flexed it repeatedly and finally came out of the game with 13:51 left in the first half. After going off to the locker room to get checked out, he returned to the bench to big cheers from the largely pro-North Carolina crowd, his wrist heavily taped.
There were more cheers when Henson returned to the court with 8:06 remaining. But he lasted less than a minute, coming out when it was apparent he couldn't play with his usual effectiveness. He just didn't feel comfortable gripping the ball or catching passes.
Henson watched the second half with ice on his wrist, congratulating his teammates with his right hand only.
There were plenty of kudos to go around. Bullock and Barnes finished with 15 points. Zeller chipped in with 14. McAdoo made it five players in double figures.
Stoglin started out strong by making his first four shots - including a couple of 3s - and three straight free throws. But when he went cold, missing his next five shots, Maryland's hopes faded away.
Things got a bit chippy at the end. Maryland's Berend Weijs was called for a flagrant foul on McAdoo, who fell on his left hand. He was OK, staying in the game until Williams cleared his bench in the final minutes.
---
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
