WASHINGTON – Maryland’s reign as Atlantic Coast Conference champion is over, courtesy of yet another whipping by unheralded Clemson.

Shawan Robinson made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, leading the Tigers to an 84-72 victory yesterday in the opening round of the ACC tournament. Clemson, which hadn’t won a game in the tournament since 2001, next faces second-ranked North Carolina on Friday. It marked the first time in school history that Clemson (16-14) beat Maryland (16-12) three times in the same season.

The loss was a serious blow to the Terrapins’ bid to reach the NCAA tournament for the 12th straight season. Maryland has lost four straight and five of six, the lone win in that stretch a double-overtime escape against last-place Virginia. If the Terrapins don’t advance, they can only blame themselves. Maryland shot 35%, missed 10 free throws, and committed 23 turnovers.

Maryland won the ACC tournament last year with an improbable run, beating the third, second, and top-seeded teams. This time, however, the Terrapins couldn’t eradicate the inconsistency that plagued them throughout the regular season.

Chris McCray led the Terrapins with 24 points and Nik Caner-Medley had 14 on 5-for-17 shooting. John Gilchrist, a star in the ACC tournament last year, missed six of seven shots and scored just four points. He played only two minutes in the second half because of a sore ankle.

Clemson led 55-50 before reserve Olu Babalola made a three-point play and a 3-pointer to expand the margin to 11, and the Terrapins never got closer than nine points.

Robinson was marvelous from long range, going 6-for-8 beyond the arc. His proficiency from the outside made up for a quiet performance by center Sharrod Ford, who finished with six points and eight rebounds after a scoreless first half in which he grabbed only two rebounds.

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BIG TEN: IOWA 71, PURDUE 52

CHICAGO – Gene Keady was already on his feet when the final buzzer sounded, making his way to shake hands with the opposing team. Less than a minute later, he was gone. And after 25 years, this exit was for good.

“I’ve had someplace to be since the first grade. Think about it. And I don’t have to be at any place tomorrow,” Keady said yesterday after his career came to a disappointing end with Purdue’s 71-52 loss to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament.

“I’ll probably be an ‘E.B.’ Errand boy,” Keady said, drawing laughter.

Keady left the floor to a standing ovation from fans of every allegiance, appreciation for all of his accomplishments. He finishes with a career record of 550-289 that includes six Big Ten titles and 17 NCAA appearances.

More importantly, he leaves having influenced everyone he’s encountered, coaches and players alike.

“He had an impact on me 25 years ago and he’s still having an impact,” said Iowa coach Steve Alford, who faced Keady when he played at Indiana. He’s done things the right way. That’s always what coach Keady has been about. Great character, great integrity.”

Keady announced last spring that he would return to Purdue for one last season, his 25th with the Boilermakers. He helped picked his successor, Matt Painter, and hoped that would smooth the transition.

But nothing went smoothly at Purdue this year. Already down from several weak recruiting classes, the Boilermakers got hit hard by the injury bug. Leading scorer and rebounder Carl Landry blew out his knee, and David Teague, second in scoring, was limited by a broken hand.

Purdue finished 7-21, only the third time Keady has had a losing record at Purdue. The Boilermakers didn’t win a game away from Mackey Arena after December 18. Purdue was just 3-13 in Big Ten play, the worst showing of Keady’s career.

As torturous as the season was, it might have made it easier to walk away.

“If we’d been winning and had a great year, and everything was going like it was supposed to, it might have been different, but not when you get beat,” Keady said when asked if he was emotional when he left the floor.

Keady is the last of the Big Ten’s old guard, coaches who spent decades at one school and built intense rivalries in the process. Jud Heathcote at Michigan State. Lou Henson at Illinois. Tom Davis at Iowa. And of course, the biggest rival of all, Bob Knight at Indiana.

They helped make the Big Ten a basketball powerhouse, and the crowd at the United Center cheered as Delany thanked Keady. “You’ve been a great competitor, a great friend of the game,” Delany said.

Keady smiled, and gave a thumbs up when Delany invited him and his wife, Pat, to next year’s Rose Bowl. He left the court with a wave, taking his seat on the bench one more time.

***

CONFERENCE USA UAB 59, DEPAUL 56

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Demario Eddins hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 0.8 seconds left, and the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers rallied and defeated DePaul 59-56 in the second round of the Conference USA tournament.

DePaul could not get off the last shot, and UAB will move to today’s game with no. 6 Louisville, the tournament’s top seed, which defeated TCU 85-61 earlier in the afternoon session.

Eddins hit another 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Blazers (21-9) their first lead of the game, 56-55, with 1:28 remaining. He finished with 11 as did Donell Taylor. Marvett McDonald and Marques Lewis had 10 each for the fourth-seeded Blazers.

Quemont Greer led no. 5 seed De-Paul (19-10) with 17 points and nine rebounds.

The pesky UAB defense annoyed DePaul through much of the early stages, but the Blue Demons seemed to weather the intensity, holding down their turnovers and never relinquishing the lead until the final minutes.

After Eddins’s 3-pointer with 1:28 left, Depaul’s Sammy Mejia hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 56 with 1:17 remaining. But Drake Diener was called for walking with 28.5 seconds left, setting the stage for Eddins’s final bucket.

YESTERDAY’S CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Atlantic 10 Conference
Quarterfinals

George Washington 79, Fordham 63 Saint Joseph’s 63, Richmond 51 Xavier 83, La Salle 70 Temple 61, Dayton 51

Atlantic Coast Conference
First Round

Clemson 84, Maryland 72 N.C. State 70, Florida St. 54 Virginia 66, Miami 65

Big East Conference
Quarterfinals

Connecticut 66, Georgetown 62 Villanova 67, Pittsburgh 58 West Virginia 78, Boston College 72

Big Ten Conference
First Round

Iowa 71, Purdue 52 Northwestern 58, Michigan 56 Ohio St. 72, Penn St. 69

Big XII Conference
First Round

Iowa St. 77, Baylor 57 Kansas St. 68, Texas A &M 62 Missouri 70, Nebraska 67 Colorado 81, Texas 69

Conference USA
Quarterfinals

Louisville 85, TCU 61 Memphis 83, Charlotte 69 UAB 59, DePaul South Florida 80, Cincinnati 68

Mid-American Conference
Quarterfinals

Buffalo 85, Toledo 72 Miami (Ohio) 85, Bowling Green 65 W. Michigan 66, Akron 60, OT Ohio 62, Kent St. 55

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Quarterfinals

S. Carolina St. 76, Norfolk St. 59 Coppin St. 60. Morgan St. 43

Mountain West Conference
First Round

UNLV 70, Wyoming 63 Utah 62, Colorado St. 49 New Mexico 85, BYU 71

Pacific-10 Conference
First Round

Arizona 88, California 63 Oregon St. 79, UCLA 72 Washington 95, Arizona St. 90

Southeastern Conference
First Round

Mississippi 53, South Carolina 52 Mississippi St. 76, Georgia 65 Tennessee 65, Arkansas 46 Auburn 77, Vanderbilt 73

Southland Conference
Semifinals

SE Louisiana 71, Sam Houston St. 62 Northwestern St. 90. Lamar 75

Southwestern Athletic Conference
First Round

Alabama St. 64, Prairie View 56 Jackson St. 57, MVSU 55 Southern U. 69, Grambling St. 65, OT Alabama A &M 64, Ark.-Pine Bluff 52

Western Athletic Conference
Quarterfinals

Rice 63, SMU 47 UTEP 80, Hawaii 62 Fresno St. 84, Louisiana Tech 81, OT