Maryland Basketball: Terps can’t turn things around against Michigan

Maryland basketball had a chance for a major upset in their Big Ten Quarterfinal matchup against the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines, who beat them convincingly twice during the regular season.

The question for the Terps is, how would they contain Hunter Dickinson? He dominated them offensively in their 84-73 loss back in December with a 26-point and 11-rebound double-double. They managed to keep him and Isaiah Livers from making their presence felt, but it didn’t matter. The Wolverines had other players take over.

Mike Smith had a career day for the Wolverines. He dropped dimes left and right to his teammates. to have the kind of assists numbers that he had in this game were remarkable.

For Michigan’s sake, hopefully, he can continue to facilitate that offense at a high level moving forward. Smith finished the game with 18 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds.

Head Coach Mark Turgeon was complimentary of the Wolverines size across the board talking to the Big Ten Network’s Rick Pizzo and recognized that they had been a tough matchup because of it.

He said that four or five guys had to score in double figures to win the game.

Wolverines Head Coach spoke to Rizzo about the Terps defense and said that Darryl Morsell is one of the best defenders in the Big Ten and praised the Terps’ ability to switch at every position.

For the Wolverines, Eli Brooks started the game after being a game-time decision with an ankle injury.

Dickinson and Donta Scott scored the first points of the game for both sides.

The Terps jumped out to a 15-6 after Morsell converted an and-one opportunity. Jairus Hamilton limped off the court with what looked like an ankle injury. He came back in later and drained two left corner threes increase the Terps lead. On the opposite end, he did an excellent job of sealing off a driving lane.

Midway through the first half, the Wolverines cut their deficit to two points, 17-15, thanks to the inside scoring of Austin Davis, Smith, and Franz Wagner.

The rebounding battle was tight, and the Wolverines were doing a great job of getting offensive boards and converting them into second-chance points.

Dickinson had to sit down with two fouls after setting an illegal screen on Morsell. The Terps still had a slight lead, 23-15 under eight minutes to go.

Aaron Wiggins drove the lane for a monstrous one-handed slam over Wagner to get that eight-point lead.

Under four minutes to go in the first half, Brandon Johns Jr got some good looks inside for scores to cut the Wolverines deficit to seven points, 36-29. Turgeon called a timeout as a result.

The Wolverines went into the halftime break with a 40-38 lead thanks to a 16-2 run.

The game changed when Dickinson and Morsell sat out with foul trouble. It benefited Michigan and hurt the Terps as they were without their defensive leader.

That run grew to 25-6 coming out of halftime, and midway through the second, Morsell picked up his third foul. The Wolverines were up 51-45 at this point in the game.

The Wolverines earned their largest lead of 10 points after Wagner drained a three at the top of the perimeter. They led 57-47 at the 10:44 mark.

After the timeout, there was a skirmish between Turgeon and Howard. Both teams left their benches to stop things from escalating.

Howard was ejected from the game, and the Wolverines received a double technical. Turgeon received one as well.

The Terps scored the first five points after the incident, Michigan went on an 8-0 run. Howard’s ejection lit a fire in his team.

The score was 69-61 in Michigan’s favor under five minutes to go, and time was running out for the Terps to make a comeback.

Smith was on fire for the Wolverines, and he recorded a Big Ten Tournament record 15 assists to go along with 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals.

The Wolverines responded in a big way to seal the 79-66 victory after Howard’s ejection.

Brooks and Wagner combined for 32 points in the win.

Eric Ayala led the Terps with 19 points and five rebounds. Morsell and Wiggins scored 16 and 11 points, respectively.

This loss is a definite blow to the momentum Maryland basketball had growing and Michigan continues to roll. The Wolverines will play the winner of Friday’s Ohio State and Purdue matchup in the Big Ten Semis tomorrow.