Maryland Falls to Indiana; Tourney Hopes Fading
This post is sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.
Maryland lost at Indiana on Monday night 71-68. The Terps were favored beforehand and this was simply a game they needed to win. Without a signature win, Turgeon’s team needs to avoid bad losses if they want any chance of dancing, and this was a bad loss. Indiana is dwelling in the basement of the Big Ten and Assembly hall is much less impenetrable this year compared to previous seasons.
The worst of it was that Maryland definitely had superior talent, but the youth was exposed again through horrid mental mistakes such as the Morsell inbounds violation and the numerous frustration fouls after the players thought they didn’t get a call. All of these mistakes, compounded with the fact that Bruno Fernando missed most of the second half with an ankle injury, led to another frustrating loss wherein Maryland should have pulled it out, reminiscent of the Saint Bonaventure, Syracuse, and Michigan games.
Overall, the game was close, with neither team having anything more than a 7 point lead at any time. There weren’t sustained runs, so much as one team made two or three baskets in a row which made it hard to pin down who was in control. Maryland’s best series came with about five minutes left, when they held a 5-point lead after an 8-0 run and looked to be in control. That confidence was immediately erased, as Indiana tied the game within 40 seconds, igniting the crowd and carrying the Hoosiers, who closed on a 14-6 run to victory.
Highlights:
ICYMI: @IndianaMBB gets #B1G home win, outlasting the Maryland Terrapins, 71-68. pic.twitter.com/EZKwYwbv4P
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) January 23, 2018
Things get no easier for Maryland, which has lost 4 of its last 6 contests, as they play two of the best teams in the country in their next two games, hosing Michigan State and traveling to play at Purdue. The Michigan State game is this Sunday the 28th at 1pm on CBS.
