Maryland defeated the Wisconsin Badgers yesterday by a score of 68-63. The win pushed the Terps to 5-7 in the conference and 16-9 overall. Turgeon’s team was behind for most of the first half, but went on a 17-2 run to finish the frame up 10. Wisconsin quickly narrowed the margin and the game was close from there, with 9 lead changes over the final 11 minutes. Maryland pulled away however, as Kevin Huerter broke a 60-all tie with two crucial buckets in the final minute and a half, and Dion Wiley made the game-sealing block.
Highlights:
-The game was largely decided at the line, where Maryland went 18/19 on free throws compared the the Badgers’ 8/11 clip.
-Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter had an unusually poor day from deep, shooting a putrid 2/10 on 3s. This was likely a fluke for two of the best three-point shooters in the Big Ten
-The Terps’ depth was tested again, as only 8 of their players played, all of whom got double-digit minutes.
-Maryland was able to use its height advantage throughout the game, shooting 58% from inside the arc
The win was necessary only insofar as it staved off the bursting of the Terps’ bubble. Wisconsin is a bad team and a loss would have essentially ended Maryland’s season. Turgeon and his team will need to pick up all the wins they can in these 6 remaining games, as well as keep an eye on the rest of the bubble teams. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Maryland in his bubble at the lowest possible position: 8th team out. They will look to avoid a bad loss this Wednesday when Maryland takes on Penn State on the road. Tip is set for 6:30 on Big Ten Network.
