The University of Maryland men’s basketball team played its first game at Xfinity Center (nee Comcast Center) November 24, 2002. As defending national champions, the Terps christened the new building with a 64-49 win against Miami (Ohio).
As the Terps celebrate the 15th anniversary of the first game in the building, I put together a list of the 15 most memorable games there. These are in chronological order, not in order of most memorable, and men’s basketball was the only sport I considered for the list. Admittedly, I showed bias toward Maryland wins (although a few losses to pop up here and there).
1. Florida 69, Maryland 64 (Dec. 14, 2002)
This was the first “big game” at the new arena — a matchup between top 20 teams on national TV. It also served as sort of a “coming out” party for freshman point guard John Gilchrist, who scored 10 points to help keep the Terps in it. But ultimately the Gators managed to snap Maryland’s streak of 87 consecutive nonconference home wins.
2. Maryland 99, Duke 92 (OT) (Feb. 12, 2005)
ESPN had just launched the new basketball version of “College Gameday” a few weeks prior, and the show emanated from College Park, Md., for the first (and still only) time before this game. The energy inside Comcast Center this night was absolutely insane, and the Terps rallied late to force overtime and get the win.
3. Maryland 72, Duke 60 (Feb. 11, 2007)
Perhaps this game isn’t quite as memorable for some Maryland fans because this particular Duke team just wasn’t very good. In fact, the Devils fell to 5-6 in ACC play with the loss. Most memorably, freshman Greivis Vasquez lead the Terps with 18 points during the victory.
4. Maryland 89, North Carolina 87 (Feb. 25, 2007)
The Terps essentially punched their ticket for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament by completing the home sweep of Duke and Carolina. Maryland trailed by 12 points late in the second half but rallied thanks in large part to guard D.J. Strawberry, who scored 27 points.
5. Clemson 73, Maryland 70 (March 2, 2008)
This game was memorable for two reasons in particular. First, Maryland blew a 20-point lead in the second half of a game, that had it won, it probably would have reached the NCAA Tournament. Second, the name “Terrence Oglesby” became an officially recognized curse word in these parts when he drilled a last second 3-pointer to lift the Tigers.
6. Morgan State 66, Maryland 65 (Jan. 7, 2009)
Maryland has suffered a few brutal losses during 15 years on its current home floor, including setbacks to programs such as American and Ohio University. But this was probably the roughest, despite the fact that the Bears ultimately ended up winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and reaching the NCAA Tournament. Baltimore’s Reggie Holmes scored 25 points including the game-winning 3-pointer.
7. Maryland 88, North Carolina 85 (OT) (Feb. 21, 2009)
Just more than a month after the Morgan State debacle, the Terps delivered a signature win against a top five team by taking down the Tar Heels. What you likely remember most was that Vasquez tallied a triple double (35 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), the first for the program in more than 20 years.
8. Maryland 76, Georgia Tech 74 (Feb. 20, 2010)
A largely forgettable game provided the signature shot in the history of the facility. After forward Derrick Favors put the Yellow Jackets ahead with two seconds to play, the Terps appeared to win when Vasquez buried a buzzer-beater from half court. Unfortunately, the Terps had called a timeout before the shot. The thrill was merely delayed, as forward Cliff Tucker sent the crowd into a frenzy with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer seconds later.
9. Maryland 79, Duke 72 (March 3, 2010)
In what proved to be the final signature victory of the Gary Williams era, the Terps took care of business against No. 4 Duke on Senior Night for Vasquez, guard Eric Hayes and forward Landon Milbourne. The win allowed the Terps to split the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title with the Blue Devils.
10. Maryland 83, Duke 81 (Feb. 16, 2013)
Mark Turgeon picked up the first signature win of his tenure as Williams’ replacement when the Terps picked up another win against the No. 2 Blue Devils. Center Alex Len led the way for Maryland with 19 points and guard Seth Allen clinched it with two last-second free throws.
11. Maryland 75, Virginia 69 (OT) (March 9, 2014)
The Cavaliers were ranked fifth coming into this game, the final ACC matchup in Comcast/Xfinity Center history. Allen scored 20 points to lead the way for the Terps.
12. Maryland 75, Michigan State 59 (Jan. 17, 2015)
Guard Melo Trimble etched his place in Xfinity Center history thanks to his excellent crossover dribble/3-pointer at the first half buzzer that left Spartans defender Lourawls Nairn Jr. on the floor. The win was the first significant Big Ten victory in the arena.
13. Maryland 59, Wisconsin 53 (Feb. 24, 2015)
This was perhaps the finest moment for guard Dez Wells in his Xfinity Center career, as he scored 26 points to lead Maryland over No. 5 Wisconsin in the first meeting between the schools as Big Ten rivals.
14. Maryland 75, Georgetown 71 (Nov. 17, 2015)
The Terps and Hoyas hadn’t met in College Park for 42 years before the early season Gavitt Games contest. While the season was somewhat disappointing for the Terps, this was quite the highlight. After the Terps won, Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt hosted “SportsCenter” from the Xfinity Center floor.
15. Maryland 63, Michigan State 60 (March 4, 2017)
Trimble’s final game at Xfinity Center provided one last incredible moment — a game winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining. Legendary Michigan State coach Tom Izzo shared a moment with Trimble after the game to tell Trimble how proud he was of him.