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Maryland Basketball: Tough Road to Reach Final Four

By Joe Serpico

Mar 12, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A close up view of the Maryland Terrapins uniform shorts during a game against the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Spartans won 64-61. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A close up view of the Maryland Terrapins uniform shorts during a game against the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Spartans won 64-61. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Maryland basketball has a tough bracket in the South Region if they hope to make a Final Four run.

The Maryland Terrapins know what is ahead if they want to make another run at a National Champion. In order for that to happen, they will have to knock off some of the best teams in the country, including the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Terps cannot get to ahead of themselves because it’s not going to be easy task to get to Kansas. Their first opponent, South Dakota State, is no pushover. The Jackrabbits are lethal from beyond the arc and must find a way to contain Mike Daum, a freshman power forward who was named the Summit League Sixth Man of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Some experts have speculated that Maryland could be the next 5-seed to lose to a 12th seed, an “upset” that we have seen often in tournament play.

Should the Terps get passed South Dakota State, they will get the winner between California, the No. 4 seed in the South Region, or No. 13 seed Hawaii. Cal boasts a team with potential NBA talent on their roster, while Hawaii is another sleeper team to watch in this tournament. Get through that game, and Kansas is likely looming.

That’s no guarantee either. Kansas will get Austin Peay in the opening round, but a second round matchup against either Colorado or Connecticut will be a tough opponent. UConn is coming off another unreal performance in their conference tournament, and Colorado is an underrated team from the Pac-12.

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Maryland has the pieces to take down Kansas if the matchup comes to fruition. The Terps are one of a handful teams in the country that have all five starters averting double digits in scoring and can match the Jayhawks at every position. We know that Maryland has the talent to compete with any team in the country when they are all playing at a high level.

The bottom half of the bracket is open for the taking. Villanova and Miami will garner much of the attention, but Arizona, Iowa and Temple are all capable of advancing to the Elite Eight. What is going to make this tournament so much fun to watch is that there is no team that everyone expects to run away with a championship.

In order for Maryland basketball to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, they will need to play like they did in the Big Ten Tournament. They did a terrific job of getting after Nebraska, and while they lost to Michigan State, they showed that they can compete with the best teams in the country. Getting out of Big Ten play will do the Terps some good.

The tournament begins tomorrow with two games to decide the First Four in. The Terps will take the court Friday at 4:30 in Spokane.

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