Maryland Basketball: Time for Terps to Back Up Preseason Hype
By Joe Serpico
Maryland basketball was a preseason favorite to win it all and must play up to that hype to knock top-seeded Kansas out of the NCAA Tournament.
The Maryland Terrapins had lofty expectations entering the 2016 season. Many felt that this team had the pieces to win a National Championship. They are now four games away from completing that goal. In order to do so, however, they must get passed the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks.
Fans that I talk to are all over the place about these Terps. Some think they have what it takes to get this program back to the Final Four for the first time since 2003. A few would be satisfied if a loss to the top team in the country was how the season ended. Others think that they are soft, lacking the toughness to win the tournament.
It has been a roller coaster ride for Maryland basketball this year. They rolled through their non-conference record, with the only loss being on the road against North Carolina. That was one of the best college basketball games of the year as those two teams went after each other for 40 minutes. Even with the loss, the Terps looked like legitimate contenders.
Maryland would not taste defeat again until mid-January. They were handed their second and third losses on the road at Michigan and Michigan State. It’s not easy to win on the road in the Big Ten Conference so those losses seemed justified.
It was when Maryland suffered their first home loss in two years that things started to get worrisome. Wisconsin came to College Park and not only beat the Terps, but seemed to demoralize them. They would lose five of their final seven games and came into the NCAA Tournament as a 5-seed. The road to the Final Four was not going to be easy, but so far they have lucked out as they played a 12-seed and 13-seed to advance to where we are today.
Regardless of how you feel about this season, the Terps are one of the top 16 teams in the country. The preseason ranking might have misled us, but they can play with the top teams in college basketball. They did their part to make it this far, something that Tom Izzo and his Spartans cannot claim. Now is the time for this team to get everyone to play together consistently.
It seems like so long ago that Diamond Stone was dominant in the paint and Melo Trimble was driving to the basket at will. Some people were saying Robert Carter might be the best pro on this roster with his hot start. Rasheed Sulaimon was lethal from long range. You never knew who was going to be the guy each game.
Maryland’s staring five is better than Kansas on paper, and in order for the Terps to knock off Kansas, all five need to make an impact. Kansas coach Bill Self called Maryland’s starting lineup “as good or the best starting five in the country.” That’s high praise from a coach that’s won 12 straight Big 12 regular season championships.
Stone has the best matchup of the five. RCJ will likely guard Perry Ellis which would leave the freshman center matched up against Landen Lucas. Stone will have a size advantage over Lucas and is a better player offensively. If this is going to be his last game in a Maryland uniform, they should feed Stone all game long and see where he takes them.
We will find out if all the preseason hype was real on Thursday. A win would put an end to the talk about this team being a disappointment. Even a respectable loss at the hands of the top overall seed would merit a season of success. However, if they get pummeled like we saw much of February, anger will set in and this season will be labeled as a failure.
Next: Maryland Basketball Sweet Sixteen Bound
Maryland basketball is yearning for another national title and this team has the talent to do it. It’s time for the Terps to play like a championship team.