Photo by Brett Gellman.

Report by DCist contributor Brett Gellman.

Things just got a lot more interesting in College Park.

For one reason or another, despite its inconsistencies the last few seasons, the Terps have somehow been able to scrounge up victories against the highly ranked Tar Heels. Yesterday’s game, however, was perhaps the best demonstration of how Maryland simply has North Carolina’s number as the Terps (17-9, 6-6 ACC) took down the Tar Heels (24-3, 10-3 ACC) in dramatic fashion, 88-85.

While last year’s stunner on the road at Chapel Hill over the number one ranked North Carolina was a memorable victory for Maryland, Saturday afternoon’s overtime thriller upset bares more significance. Not only because head coach Gary Williams has been under a media firestorm as of late (most notably in a recent three-part diatribe in the Washington Post) as the athletic department and head coach butted heads, but also because this year’s squad has been one of Williams’ less heralded classes throughout his tenure at College Park. Leave it to Williams to somehow coax the Terrapins to victory over the third best team in the country when Maryland’s starting big man, Dave Neal, stands at just 6’7″.

Following a 93-64 drubbing at Clemson last Tuesday, the Terps arrived at the Comcast Center knowing that their postseason destiny was, as amazing as it sounds, still somewhat in their hands. With a 5-6 conference record in an incredibly tough ACC, time was running out to impress the NCAA Selection Committee — but with three of their last five opponents presently ranked in the Top 10, Maryland’s biggest chances to woo were certainly on the horizon.

They couldn’t really have asked for a better start to the end of the season push.