Maryland Basketball: Terrapins outlast Hoosiers in College Park

Maryland basketball hit timely shots to defeat Indiana in an important early conference match up in the Big Ten.

This game was a feature of teams going in the opposite directions. Indiana, expected to compete for the Big Ten title, entered Tuesday evening with a 1-2 record in the conference and an 11-5 record overall. If the Hoosiers wanted a chance to repeat, they needed a victory over the Terrapins in College Park.

Maryland entered the game standing at 14-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Much is still unknown about the Terps, mostly due to the youth of their roster. Junior guard Melo Trimble is a constant, but outside of him, the Terrapins start three freshmen. An opportunity to defeat the defending champs at home would send a signal to the rest of the Big Ten that Maryland intends to compete in the upper echelon of the conference this season.

The game was a back-and-forth affair. No team led by more than seven points the entire game. Maryland jumped out early on the Hoosiers, but Indiana closed the gap down to a single point (39-38) at the break.

The second half saw the Hoosiers jump out in front and lead from the 17:10 mark to the 7:10 mark. From that point, it was back-and-forth until the Terrapins ultimately prevailed, 75-72.

Leading the way for the Terps was Trimble. The talented guard scored 18 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. Flanking Trimble was three other players who scored in double figures.

Freshman wing Kevin Huerter was huge with two key three-pointers late in the second half. The first came at the 5:12 mark in the second half to give Maryland a 66-63 lead. The second came with 1:50 to go to put Maryland up 71-70. The Terps wouldn’t trail after that point. Huerter finished with 11 points (3-of-6 from three) and seven rebounds.

For the Hoosiers, James Blackmon Jr. was fantastic offensively with 22 points, but the supporting cast was not there. Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby combined for only 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Robert Johnson was the only other player in double figures with 13 points. Anunoby did give us this ridiculous dunk though.

With the victory, the Terps now stand at 15-2 and 3-1 in the conference. The young freshmen are gaining experience and confidence with each victory. Two out of their next three are on the road, but should be manageable (@ Illinois, @ Iowa, vs. Rutgers). Maryland has one of the easier draws in the Big Ten this season. Continued victories could make them an outside challenger to Wisconsin and Purdue in the Big Ten race.

The Hoosiers, on the other hand are now at gut check time. At 1-3 in the conference and 11-6 overall, the Hoosiers are now in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. Offensively and defensively, this team looks lost. Players such as Blackmon, Anunoby and Bryant need to step up because Yogi Ferrell isn’t walking through the door.

Next: Three takeaways from Villanova's thrashing of Xavier

Their next three games are all winnable and could put them back on track (vs. Rutgers, @ Penn State, vs. Michigan State). At worst, they need to finish 2-1. Make no mistake though, this was about as bad a start as they could’ve imagined.

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