Diggs set his announcement for Friday evening at Looney’s in College Park, giving a lot of the locals hope that he would stay home to play his college ball.

The No. 2 ranked wideout in the 2012 recruiting class stood among family and friends and slipped on a Maryland hat to indicate his choice.

The crowd immediately starting cheering, and Diggs later joined fans in a “Let’s Go Maryland” chant.

It’s just the latest area recruit to commit to Maryland after the school hired Mike Locksley as the new offensive coordinator, taking over for Gary Crowton after just one season in College Park.

The arena wasn’t sold out for the game, but there was a surprising number of fans in attendance for a non-conference game just days after Christmas.

Much of the excitement surrounded Len, who played his first collegiate game after being forced to sit out the first 10 by the NCAA.

Len certainly didn’t disappoint, getting the starting nod at center and electrifying the crowd with several big dunks and blocks.

Pe’Shon Howard also looked sharp in just his second game back from injury, and it looks like the Terps will round into form just in time for ACC play to begin.

The Terps used two defensive touchdowns and solid play from quarterback C.J. Brown to build their early lead. However, the second half was a totally different story, especially late in the third and throughout the fourth quarter.

It may have been the most embarassing loss of the season for Maryland, and that’s certainly saying something considering the year that they had.

The loss was a fitting end to a disastrous season that saw the Terps win just two games under new head coach Randy Edsall.

Gibbs, the younger brother of Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs, was expected to come in and be a steadying influence off of the bench as the backup point guard.

However, the sudden retirement of Gary Williams seemed to change things. Gibbs seemed unsure of his next move, but did ask to be released from his letter of intent to explore his options.

It seems as though it was a mutual decision, or that new head coach Mark Turgeon may have even pushed him in that direction. Maryland recently picked up a guard committment for the 2012 class, so maybe Turgeon preferred Seth Allen over Gibbs.

Meanwhile, Maryland continues to press on in its mission to round out the coaching staff. Kansas State’s Delonte Hill seems to be Turgeon’s preferred choice, but he still has to agree to a contract with the school.

Jordan Williams led the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Maryland Terrapins snapped a three-game losing streak with a 75-67 victory over North Carolina State in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Thursday.

The Terrapins came into the tournament having dropped their final three games of the regular season, falling to North Carolina, Miami and Virginia to drop to the seventh seed in the ACC.

That meant the Terrapins had to play on the opening night of the tournament instead of getting a first-round bye. And while it was a victory, it wasn’t easy. Ahead 68-53 late in the second half, the Terrapins watched as the Wolfpack rallied to pull within 70-63 with one minute left. But Maryland held on from there to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Terrapins held N.C. State to just 33.8 percent shooting from the field, advancing to face Duke in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday. Maryland lost both meetings with Duke this season, and the Blue Devils are the defending conference and national champions.

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Maryland shot well from three-point range, but the problem is that Miami shot even better. Way better.

The Terps also received a poor performance from center Jordan Williams, who was just 3-17 from the field.

Williams missed a ton of layups and just generally looked clumsy around the basket. They need more from their star player.

Terrell Stoglin was once again the lone bright spot, pouring in 20 points before fouling out in the final moments.

The Terps got another big night from Terrell Stoglin, who scored 17 points, and the upperclassmen played well.

Sean Mosley and Adrian Bowie each reached double figures while Dino Gregory finished with 14 points.

Only Cliff Tucker struggled, and that he did. Tucker got the start but played just 12 minutes and did not score.

Jordan Williams was somewhat of an after-thought, but still managed to put up another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Terps battled back before halftime but were unable to cut into the lead. Another spurt in the second half saw the deficit cut to eight, but they would get no closer.

Center Jordan Williams tied Len Elmore’s team record for consecutive double-double’s, but it was a night for him to forget.

Williams finished with just 11 points and took only three shots in the first half. Virginia Tech took him completely out of the game.

The loss drops Maryland to just 1-3 in the ACC and raises concerns that they will not make the NCAA tournament.

The game featured plenty of flags for late hits and taunting between two teams that had to be separated at a dinner the day before the game.

Running back Da’Rel Scott ran for two long touchdowns and finished with over 200 yards in his final game as a Terp.

The Maryland defense caused several turnovers, putting the offense in position for easy scores.

At the end of the game, Friedgen walked over the crowd with his players and sang the victory song one last time.

For the Maryland Terrapins, qualifying for the Military Bowl is a long way from the debacle of last season.

The Terps rebounded from a miserable 2-10 season in 2010, going 8-4 to achieve the second-best turnaround in the FBS this season. The reward: a Dec. 29 date with East Carolina at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

It’s been a turnaround season for the Terps. Maryland started fast, winning five of its first seven. The Terps missed qualifying for the ACC championship game by one game. Head coach Ralph Friedgen won coach of the year, and quarterback Danny O’Brien won the ACC’s rookie-of-the-year award.

East Carolina (6-6) also features a big-time talent at quarterback in Dominique Davis. The junior passed for 3,699 yards, 36 touchdowns and 358 completions, all school records. Davis helped the Pirates finish seventh in the nation in passing offense and average 38.2 points per game.

But the Pirates gave up 43.4 points per contest and 478.8 yards, the worst in all of FBS.

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