Maryland Basketball Lacks Toughness to Make Run in March

Maryland basketball is not tough enough to compete with the top teams in the country, let alone the Big Ten Conference, as they enter postseason play.

Let’s state the obvious. The Maryland Terrapins have played some lousy basketball. They have lost four of their last six with the loss to Indiana on the last day of regular season. They are 4-6 in true road games this season which gives us little reason to think they can win consecutive games away from home to win a tournament.

The Terps will make the Big Dance regardless of how the fare in the Big Ten Tournament. There is no doubt about it. They just do not have the mental and physical toughness to be serious contenders to win it all this season.

They are weak in so many ways. There is no leader that takes control when things are going sour; too nonchalant at times. There is no sense of excitement whether they are ahead by 16 or down by the same margin. When they are getting beat up, there is no one that steps up and sparks this team. Dez Wells or Byron Mouton would never allow this to happen.

Melo Trimble is showing signs of life after a prolong slump, and he is the key to any potential Terps run in March. The problem is he cannot do it alone, and right now, he is the only player that is playing with any sort of momentum entering tournament play. 

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They are getting worked on the boards despite being one of the biggest teams in the Big Ten. It was almost laughable to watch as Indiana’s smaller lineup was still getting offensive boards with both Diamond Stone and Damonte Dodd on the court. They turn the ball over way too often. The perimeter is left open on a regular basis. Right now, there is a lot more bad than good.

The only thing that Maryland has going for them heading into postseason play is the effectiveness of their full court press. When they have switched to that style of defense, they have created turnovers. They do not have the depth to use it on a regular basis, but it has been useful for them.

Maryland has not beaten a ranked team on the road since 2008. In order to relive the glory days of the 2002 championship team, they would need to beat some of the better opponents outside the Xfinity Center. The Terps are not playing at home the rest of the way.

Maryland will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the third seed and will play their first game in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Maryland’s first game, most likely against Wisconsin, will be at 9 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Win that game and they get the reward of playing Michigan State, assuming they do not hiccup themselves.

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No wins against a ranked team on the road and arguably the top team in the nation could be their second opponent in the tournament. A ranked team is likely in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as well. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The month of March could be a disappointing one for Maryland basketball.