A week ago Maryland was sitting pretty, considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and some were envisioning a potential sleeper run. Five straight wins, capped by an 18-point win over Michigan State, seemed to stamp Maryland’s resurgence.
But that gleeful confidence evaporated with back-to-back losses to Big Ten Conference basement dwellers this week. A loss to Northwestern stung, but Sunday’s 66-61 loss in the regular season finale to Penn State was brutal.
Maryland led by as many as 16 points. They were 11 minutes away from a destined win. However, the Terrapins had a colossal collapse. The Nittany Lions’ Seth Lundy hit five threes, scoring a game-high 31 points. Meanwhile, Penn State outscored Maryland 30-11 the final 9:37 of the game.
The late-game meltdown was yet another late-season letdown for the Terrapins under head coach Mark Turgeon. It added to arguing points of Turgeon’s critics. During his 10 years, Maryland has found ways to collapse late in the season.
Last season’s run to a share of the Big Ten regular season title seems eons ago. It was more an aberration to what Turgeon’s tenure at Maryland has commonly been perceived.
A week ago, Maryland was confident and comfortable looking towards the NCAA Tournament. They were 9-9 in the nation’s toughest conference, with two sure wins ahead to build and an inside track to climbing as high as the 6-seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Yet, losses to the 11th and 12th-placed teams in the conference, leaves Maryland 9-11 in conference play and set in as the eighth seed. At 15-12 overall, nothing is guaranteed as far as their postseason aspirations.
The general perception is they’re still in the NCAA Tournament field, although they’ve slid down to a 10-seed in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology. But, there’s nervousness hovering over the team.
Maryland will face Michigan State in the 8-9 game with the winner set to play top-seed Michigan in the quarterfinals. A win or two in the Big Ten Tournament fades away the rough memories of this past week. But a one-and-done stay, which is a strong possibility with their rubber match against Michigan State, and Turgeon’s team will be biting their nails nervously watching the Selection Show next Sunday.
