Maryland Terrapins: 22-10, 13-7 in the Big Ten
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (8th season)
Players to watch: Bruno Fernando (13.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG); Anthony Cowan Jr. (16.0 PPG, 4.3 APG); Jalen Smith (11.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG)
Season Recap: Close loses have been the defining theme of the Terrapins season thus far, and with tournament games often coming down to a final possession, Maryland needs to be careful. Mark Turgeon’s squad lost games in the final minutes to tournament teams Virginia, Seton Hall and Purdue early in the season, and were also unable to grab a win over the big dogs in the conference, Michigan and Michigan State. The Terrapins were able to redeem themselves with a win in the second game against the Boilermakers, and also won Top 25 matchups against Nebraska, Indiana and Iowa.
All-Big Ten first-teamer Bruno Fernando will be a consistent scoring threat, as well as owner of the paint no matter what, but where the Terrapins will thrive is if their supplementary shooters can knock down their open looks. Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins are both hitting their treys at over a 40 percent clip, and could be the spark if teams choose to focus all their attention on Fernando. Make sure to keep an eye on foul trouble too, as Maryland ranks 25th in the country in total personal fouls.
How they make a run: The Terrapins dominate the glass and create second chances, especially if their outside shots aren’t falling.
How they falter: They get into a close game and fail to finish the deal.
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