The Maryland Terrapins cruised past Grand Canyon 81-49 to advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins’ starting five, dubbed the “Crab Five,” led the charge with four starters scoring in double digits. The 32-point blowout marked the most significant tournament win in program history.
- Julian Reese- 18 points, 2 blocks, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
- Derik Queen- 12 points, a block, 15 rebounds
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie- 16 points, 2 steals, 3 assists
- Rodney Rice- 9 points
- Selton Miguel- 13 points
Maryland’s sixth man DeShawn Harris-Smith scored 11 points, making all five of his field goal attempts. He also grabbed four rebounds.
Senior forward Julian Reese piloted the scoring, finishing with 18 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Meanwhile, his frontcourt partner, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Derik Queen, chimed with 12 points and a historic 15 rebounds—the most rebounds by a Maryland freshman in a tournament game.
Maryland (26-9) pounded the paint early, but its offense attacked from the perimeter as well. The Terrapins backcourt duo of Ja’Koi Gillespie and Selton Miguel spread Grand Canyon’s defense.
Miguel finished with 13 points, making each of his three, three-point attempts. Gillespie shot 5-of-10 from the field, and made 4-of-5 free throws.
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With 12:30 in the first half, Gillipse drained a transition three-pointer to give the Terps the lead, and they never looked back. He finished the game with 16 points and 3 assists.
Maryland’s dominant performance was not without flaw. Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice struggled through 3-of-11 shooting. However, he finished with nine points.
The Terrapins also struggled from the free throw line, shooting 12-of-24. They’ll have to clean up from the charity stripe to continue advancing through a loaded West Region.
Still, Friday’s performance in Seattle showed the nation how strong is the “Crab Five.” Maryland looks to advance past the Round of 32 for the first time since 2016. Maryland will meet 12-seed Colorado State, who upset 5th seed Memphis on Friday.
Colorado State (26-9) has won 11 straight games, including the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Rams are more than a Cinderella story and expect to be a formidable opponent for the Terrapins.
