ESPN makes a B1G prediction for Maryland men's basketball
One ESPN reporter sees Maryland basketball doing B1G things in March.
Maryland men's basketball has had some good seasons since joining the Big Ten, but the Terps haven't made many March Madness memories. The Terps have won more than one NCAA Tournament game just once in that span, a Sweet 16 appearance in 2016. But their fortunes have been worse in the Big Ten Tournament, where they're 5-9, a .357 winning percentage that ranks ahead of only Northwestern's (.270.)
But that's a drought one national reporter expects to end this month. In ESPN's article featuring its analysts' conference tournament predictions, ESPN's Jeff Borzello picked Maryland to win it.
"Entering March, there were only five teams ranked in the top 20 at KenPom in offensive and defensive efficiency - and four of them are who you'd think. But the fifth and the ony one from the Big Ten, is Maryland. The Terps don't have much depth, but their starting five has a terrific point guard in Ja'Kobi Gillespie, two high-level Bigs in Derik Queen and Julian Reese, and two wings playing their best basketball in Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel," he wrote.
Maryland, which climbed Monday in the AP Poll made the Big Ten semis in each of its first two years in the conference but lost both games to Michigan State and hasn't advanced to the semis in the decade since. The Terps still haven't won multiple games in one trip to the event.
But his could team (22-7 overall, 12-6 Big Ten) might prove to be the best Terps squad during the span. And in Kevin Willard's defense, most of those games were coached by his predecessor, Mark Turgeon; Willard is 2-2 at the conference tournament.
But the margin for error becomes thin in March, when lots of games are decided by a possession or two. Maryland hasn't been great at winning the close ones this season.
"Their seven losses have come by an average of 3.9 points," he wrote, "so they need to learn how to win close games. Why not start now?"
Among the other panelists, ESPN's Joe Lunardi picked first-place Michigan State to win the tournament, while Myron Medcalf tabbed Michigan.
