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Maryland Basketball: What Michigan State loss tells us about the Terrapins

By Trevor Sinodhinos

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Mark Sturgeon of the Maryland Terrapins reacts during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on February 7, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Mark Sturgeon of the Maryland Terrapins reacts during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on February 7, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Maryland Basketball
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 30: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Maryland Basketball was unable to duplicate the success they had against Michigan State two weeks ago. On Saturday night, The Terrapins fell to the Spartans 78-66 at the Xfinity Center. At the same time, the landscape of the Big Ten as a whole changed.

By the time Michigan State and Maryland Basketball were set to tip-off, a lot more was up for grabs than just bragging rights and a guaranteed share of the Big Ten title.

Thanks in part to losses by No. 2 Baylor and No. 6 Florida State earlier in the day and No. 7 Duke trailing by one at tip-off,  a two seed come Selection Sunday was in sight for coach  Mark Turgeon and his team.

It was known that the path to victory for Maryland was going to go through Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr. For it was the senior guard and sophomore forward who were the catalyst during the game-ending 14-0 that propelled Maryland in the last 3:25 to a victory in the first meeting between the two Big Ten rivals.

On this night it would be Smith (20 points), and Cowan Jr (13 points) who were instrumental in leading the Terrapins back from another deficit. Only this time, it was much earlier in the game, as the Spartans jumped out to a 14-2 lead minutes after the tip. The terrapins would fight their way back to tie the game at 23 apiece, but would never garner a lead.

Cassius Winston would give the Spartans a 40-29 halftime lead as he hit a 50 foot shot at the buzzer. Michigan State would keep the momentum coming out of the locker room by connecting on their first 8 shots of the half. Maryland would cut the lead to nine, but the flourish of three-pointers that won them the game last time was not to be this time around.

Maryland had been victorious in ten of their previous 11 games, and every coach knows that players often get caught up in those victories, regardless of the shortcomings and that ‘winning solves everything’ is a problematic mentally. It is the losses that allow coaches to take something away.

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