In a whirlwind of an NCAA Tournament filled with upsets, 10th-seeded Maryland was unable to ride the wave past No. 2 seed Alabama in the East Region. The Terrapins shot 53.3% from the field. Yet, they lost by 19 to the Crimson Tide, 96-77.
Alabama blitzed the Terrapins with a three-point barrage. The Tide made 16-of-33 three pointers. They also shot 53% from the field. Jaden Shackelford made five treys and John Petty Jr. added another four.
Maryland had no answers for Alabama’s hot shooting, particularly the dynamic backcourt of the Tide. Shackleford and Petty combined for 41 points. Jahvon Quinerly added a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.
Maryland jumped out to an early 18-12 lead with 12 points in the paint. But, then Alabama got in a groove. Alex Reese hit a pair of threes and Joshua Primo added another during a 19-4 Alabama run over a span of six minutes. The Crimson Tide took the lead 31-22 before Maryland could ease the run. However, Alabama seized control of the game and never looked back.
Alabama delivered a crushing blow in the second half with a 14-0 run that extended their biggest lead to 23 at 65-42 with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Aaron Wiggins capped off the Maryland season with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. Eric Ayala had 13 points struggling through 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Darryl Morsell, who possibly played in his final collegiate game, finished with 10 points.
Maryland’s season ran its course Monday night in Indianapolis. The Terrapins overcome a sluggish start to the year. After going 1-5 in Big Ten play, Maryland was 4-9. But, they ran off five straight wins to pull to .500 in conference play, highlighted by a blowout win over Michigan State.
Maryland find its way back on the NCAA Tournament bubble after back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Penn State to close the regular season. However, Maryland clinched it’s berth into the Field of 68 with another convincing win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Terrapins used their relentless defense to roll past Connecticut 63-54. It was the 12th time they held an opponent to under 60 points, improving to 11-1 in those games. However, Alabama was a different animal. The Crimson Tide has Final Four aspirations after running the SEC to claim the regular season and tournament championships.
Maryland was no match in Alabama’s road to the Final Four. And now the Tide are moving on to face No. 11 seed UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Sunday.
