Big Ten wins big indeed for Terps
Sunday night’s 66- 63 upset of then- No. 12 Illinois at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, was a welcomed outcome for the Maryland men’s basketball team. It also proved historic.
Coupled with a 70- 64 stunner at No. 9 Wisconsin on Dec. 28, the Terps’ lone two victories in the Big Ten have occurred against ranked opponents on the road — a first in the program’s history in the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference that dates back to 1910- 11.
The last time the program secured its first two wins in the conference over ranked foes took place during the 1984- 85 season when that squad knocked offNo. 17North Carolina State, 58- 56, on Jan. 2 and No. 2 Duke, 78- 76 in overtime, on Jan. 14.
ThatMaryland ( 7- 6, 2- 5 BigTen) stopped a three- game slide against a Fighting Illini team ( 9- 4, 5- 2) that trailed only No. 7 Michigan ( 10- 0, 5- 0) in the Big Ten standings was not terribly shocking to junior shooting guard AaronWiggins.
“Our guyscamein expecting to win,” said Wiggins, who totaled 12 points, three rebounds and three blocks Sunday. “We believed that we could win. We’ve beaten a Top 10 team more than once in the last couple years. We have the veterans who have the experience and we have the guys who have the mindset to win games. So I wouldn’t say itwas satisfying by any means, but it just boosts our energy, boosts our mentality going into the other games.”
For this month alone, those “other games” include a home game against Nebraska ( 4- 8, 0- 5) onSaturday, roadgames against theWolverines on Jan. 19 andNo. 23 Minnesota ( 10- 4, 3- 4) on Jan. 23, and another home game against the Badgers ( 10- 2, 4- 1) on Jan. 30.
“This league, I’ve never seen anything like it,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “It’s absolutely relentless and just to be able to
NEBRASKA@ MARYLAND
Saturday, noon
TV: Big Ten Network Radio: 105.7 FM, 1300 AM come in here and beat such a great team after what we’ve been through, our guys have a lot of pride. There’s a lot of guys in the locker room that have won a lot of games, and it rubbed off on the other guys tonight.”
Here are three takeaways fromtheTerps’ victory.
This year’s team team.
is
Darryl
Morsell’s
Morsell, who grew up in Baltimore and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph, overcame a quiet four- point first half by scoring
15 of a career- high 19 points in the second and finishing with four rebounds and three assists.
Morsell’s driving layup from the right wing over Illinois’ 7- foot sophomore center
Kofi Cockburn that gave Maryland a 64- 61 lead with 33 seconds remaining capped a remarkable performance from the senior shooting guard, whois still getting comfortable with a plastic mask to protect a surgically- repaired bone in his face fractured during the first half of an 84- 73 loss to Trailing Illinois, 61- 59, with less than 90 Michigan onNewYear’s Eve. seconds remaining, the Terps scored seven
“It was a good bounce- back,” Wiggins consecutive points and watched junior said. “He’s that guy on our team who we shooting guardAyo Dosunmu’s last- second, need. It could be anything that game. It game- tying 3- point attempt clang off the could be just rebounding, it could be back iron to cement the win. making plays for others, and tonight, it was That resiliency mirrored a similar ending a little bit of everything. Hewas scoring the to the victory over Wisconsin last month. ball at will, he was rebounding for us, Nursing a 60- 59 lead with less than two making plays, and he was good being a minutes left, Maryland scored six straight leader. When he’s like that, our team is at points — the first four from sophomore the peak of our play, and he’s great for us.” forward Donta Scott and a pair of free
Perhaps just as valuable, Morsell is the throws fromAyala— to enjoy a seven- point emotional leader of a squad impacted by the cushion with 24 seconds remaining. departures of point guard Anthony Cowan That’s not to say that the Terps will Jr. andpowerforwardJalen Smith, a former emerge triumphant every time the game teammate atMount Saint Joseph. comes down to the wire for the rest of the
“He’s everything,” Turgeon said of season. ButMorsell said the players have a Morsell. “He’s the heart of this team. He’s certain level of composure in those scenarios. everything for us. So hopefully, we can keep him healthy, and hopefully, he can continue “Coach Turgeon always talks about to lead this team.” valuing possessions, how one or two possessions can change the game,” he said. “Late in games, you see in one- point games, two- point games, with us having that experience and having confidence in one another because we’ve been there, it’s very important, for sure.”
As long as EricAyala remains out, Hakim Hartwill handle point guard duties.
Hart, the sophomore guard, finished with nine points and five rebounds with his most significant input coming off a 3pointer from the right wing that gave the Terps a62- 61lead with 78 seconds left in the game.
Behind the numbers, however, Hart took over point- guard responsibilities after junior EricAyalawas ruled out before thegame because of a groin injury he initially suffered against Purdue on Christmas Day and re- aggravated in a 89- 67 setback at No. 5 Iowa on Thursday night.
Hart did not commit a single turnover while running the offense, and freshman Aquan Smart turned the ball over only once as Hart’s backup. Turgeon said he and the rest of the coaching staff trust Hart and Smart to fill that void as long asAyala is out.
“When Darryl was out [ against Indiana on Jan. 4], Hakim was playing point,” Turgeon said. “We moved Eric off the ball. Hakim has played point really for the last three games. So we felt it was a necessary change to kind of get Eric off the ball a little bit and not have to worry about bringing it up and getting us into our offense. And I thought Quan gave good minutes. He competed. So they both did a nice job at the point.”
Maryland is undaunted in the waning moments of tight games.